Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Prepare all your vegetables and chicken first — this dish moves quickly once you start. Cut the onion, bell pepper, and eggplant into bite-sized pieces. Shred the carrots with a vegetable peeler. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Cut the chicken into pieces that will cook evenly.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When it shimmers but doesn't smoke, add the Thai red curry paste and stir constantly for 2 minutes until fragrant. This blooms the spices properly — don't rush this step. (Good curry paste should smell aromatic and deep, not raw)

Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock, then add the bouillon cube. Stir well to combine and dissolve the cube completely.

Once the liquid comes to a gentle boil, add all the vegetables, carrots, and tomatoes. The pot should be generous — there's room for everyone at this table.

Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, fish sauce, fresh basil leaves, and dried basil. Bring back to a boil, then add the chicken pieces.

When it boils again, reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender but still have some bite.

Taste and adjust — you might want more fish sauce for saltiness, more sugar for balance, or more curry paste for heat. Serve immediately over steaming jasmine rice.