Bill Granger recipe: Soy Thai green chicken curry

Made without using any coconut milk, this Thai green curry tastes surprisingly traditional. Keep any leftover curry paste in an airtight container in the fridge, to use in curries, soups or as a marinade.

For the curry paste

1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp light-flavoured oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 lemongrass stalk, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
3 tbsp chopped coriander stems
3cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
4 green chillies, deseeded, chopped

For the chicken curry

1 tbsp light-flavoured oil
3 tbsp green-curry paste
1½ cups chicken stock
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn, or 3 strips lime peel
500g chicken-breast fillets, cut into chunks
400g Japanese or regular aubergine, cut into chunks
100g green beans, halved lengthways
250ml good-quality unsweetened soy milk
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve
Handful basil and/ or coriander leaves
1 green chilli, sliced into rounds

Start by making the curry paste. Heat a small pan over a medium heat. Add the peppercorns, coriander and cumin seeds and toast for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Put the toasted spices and the remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a paste. This will make more than you need, but the paste will sit happily in a jar in the fridge for a week or so.

Now to make the curry. Heat a large pan over a high heat. Add the oil and cook the curry paste for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the stock and lime leaves and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and aubergine, cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans to the pan. After 3 minutes, stir in the soy milk, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Scatter with the basil and/or coriander leaves and chilli, and serve with steamed rice and extra lime wedges.