Matcha smoked chicken breast with green curry sauce
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
Try the technique of tea smoking in this adventurous recipe – just be sure to cook in a well-ventilated area!
Ingredients
For the matcha smoked chicken breast
- 50g/1¾oz basmati rice
- 20g/¾oz caster sugar
- 10g/⅓oz light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp matcha tea powder
- 2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
For the green curry paste
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp white peppercorns
- 10 green Thai chillies
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bunch fresh Thai basil
- 3 lemongrass stalks
- 1 tbsp finely chopped galangal or fresh root ginger
- 2 limes, zest only
- 3 lime leaves
- 1 bunch fresh coriander stalks
- 3 whole Thai shallots, peeled
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
For the green curry sauce
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- 2 tbsp matcha tea powder
- 1 tbsp chicken powder
- 300ml/½pint vegetable stock
- 4 lime leaves
- 2 limes, juice only
- 2 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
- 1–2 tsp palm sugar
To garnish
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 bok choy or pak choi, bottom chopped, tops left whole
- 1 green chilli, sliced
- 1 tbsp julienned fresh root ginger
- fresh coriander sprigs
Method
To make the matcha smoked chicken, place the rice, sugars and tea powder in a wok and when it starts to smoke, layer a rack inside the wok and put the chicken breast on top. Cover with a lid and smoke for 35 minutes until cooked through. (CAUTION: Tea-smoking generates a lot of smoke. Cook in a well-ventilated area, and open the wok outside if possible.)
Meanwhile, to make the green curry paste, blend all the ingredients together into a smooth paste.
To make the green curry sauce, place a saucepan over a high heat, then add the coconut milk and reduce by half until split. Add 3½ tablespoons of the green curry paste and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant.
Add the matcha tea powder, chicken powder and vegetable stock to the pan, then the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then pass the sauce through a sieve.
To finish, fry the bok choy bok choy in the oil on a medium heat and quickly with the green chilli and ginger for 2-3 minutes. Spoon onto a serving plate.
Slice the chicken and lay over the bok choy. Spoon over the green sauce and garnish with the sprigs of coriander.
