Thai Green Curry, · 8 servings

Grind 20 ml coriander seeds, 10 ml cumin seeds and 5 ml white peppercorns to a fine powder in the mortar or a spice grinder and set aside.

Pound 30 g green Thai chilies or serrano peppers and 30 g milder long green chilies with 10 ml coarse salt until mostly fine. If the mixture gets wet and slippery, add some of the ground spices to soak up the liquid.

Add 30 leaves Thai basil leaves and pound to a fine paste.

Add 89 ml lemongrass, bottom half of the stalk only, 44 ml galangal, 20 ml makrut lime zest (or the zest of half a lime) and 4 cilantro roots (or 4 cilantro stems) and pound until fine.

Add 89 ml shallots, 59 ml garlic and any remaining ground spices and pound into a smooth paste.

Add 10 ml fermented shrimp paste (gapi) and pound just to mix it in.

Bring 355 ml coconut milk, for frying the paste to a full boil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add all of the the green curry paste and fry, stirring often, until the coconut oil separates from the paste. If it sticks, loosen it with a splash of the remaining coconut milk or stock.

Add 905 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs and stir to coat it in the paste.

Add 475 ml unsalted chicken stock, 475 ml coconut milk, 59 ml palm sugar (or light brown sugar) and two thirds of the 44 to 59 ml fish sauce. Twist 10 leaves makrut lime leaves to bruise them, tear them into pieces off the centre stem and drop them in. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the chicken is tender.

Meanwhile, cut 455 g Thai eggplants into bite-size wedges, six to twelve per eggplant depending on size, and keep them in water so they do not brown.

Drain the eggplant into the curry and push the pieces under for the first minute so they stay pale, then simmer about 2 min more.

Turn off the heat, stir in ½ red bell peppers to soften in the residual heat, then 475 ml Thai basil leaves. Taste and add the rest of the fish sauce if needed. Serve with steamed jasmine rice, for serving.