A Very Rich(ie) Curry

If it’s good enough for Richie, then it’s good enough for you.

When I say “Richie”, Australians automatically know to whom I refer. But my expansive global readership may be barking up the wrong tree - perhaps thinking I allude to Lionel; or maybe the ex-Mr Madonna; or the lesser known and recently deceased Clinton Charles Augustus Ritchie, who had a twenty year stint on the US soap opera One Life To Live, and (according to Wikipedia) taught Tom Selleck to ride a horse.

But here in Australia there’s only one Richie, and I’d like to share a recipe I know he loves. I know this, because 17 years ago I was wiping a table clean as I glanced down the corridor of the restaurant where I was working, and saw a tall, white haired gent strolling towards me in a relaxed fashion. His upper-sartorial structure needs little reference – the jacket was unquestionably the “off-white”. This evidence alone was sufficient to confirm the patron’s identity, but it was beyond doubt when he opened his mouth slightly, and requested in that voice synonymous with cricket, “just a table for one, thanks”.

Before Shane Warne, there was Richard “Richie” Benaud. Leg spinner, punishing lower order batsmen, and Australian cricket captain from 1958-1964.  Now deep into retirement, his fondness for pale coloured jackets in the commentary box is well documented, but clothing was also part of his playing identity. On the field he unbuttoned his shirt to dangerously low levels (by post-war standards) - usually flirting just north of the navel. He only buttoned up for the traditional encounter with royalty at Lords, where instead he let his collar do the talking by positioning it well beyond the boundaries of his blazer’s lapel.

His charisma facilitated a natural move into the commentary box, where he’s remained pretty much since television was invented. Where Richie's concerned, time seems to have frozen. Apart from a possible shift in lip-hue (from faint-puce to light-lilac) he's barely changed since I clapped eyes on him that quiet afternoon where I was toiling at the Bath Spa Hotel in England. Fortunately there were few lunchers that day, giving me an opportunity to chat to the great man. He enthusiastically endorsed my impending visit to Wimbledon, where he rated the atmosphere as on par with “day one of an Adelaide Test”. Enough said.

It was a warm afternoon and Richie clearly had a thirst. Having dispensed with the pleasantries, he launched into his first glass of Stoney Vale chardonnay. He then asked for a food recommendation, and I pushed him towards the green curry chicken, a suggestion he enthusiastically accepted. Despite the staining potential of the sauce, I felt it was the right choice for Richie and he polished off the whole thing – along with another two glasses of the Australian white.

 

He didn’t specifically ask for the recipe, and whilst I suspect Daphne does most of the cooking in the Benaud household, I’ve decided to publish it here, should it be something he wants to re-visit. If you have Daphne’s email, please do forward this on.

The unusual thing about this Thai recipe is that it came from England, a place not usually associated with Thai cooking. In fact it’s not a traditional “curry” in that it doesn’t contain any curry paste or shrimp paste, but this does mean it's so deliciously fresh in flavour that the sauce can be used cold for dipping. And don't be perplexed by the presence of olive oil in this recipe, it adds excellent 'roundness' to the flavour profile.

Freshness of ingredients is absolutely paramount in this recipe, and if you don’t grow your own herbs, then you must buy them on the day of use. As Daphne and Richie spend much of the year tanning (and channelling Richie's Huguenot heritage) at their home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in the South of France, Daphne may find some of the Asian ingredients difficult to procure at her local market. But I’ve always found Jean-Luc - the manager of the produce section at her local Carrefour supermarche (on the road to Nice) - most accommodating, and I’m sure he’d happily source any exotics Daphne requires - and I know for a fact Richie will be thrilled with the result.

Richie's Thai Green Curry

3 bunches coriander

1 bunch basil

1 bunch mint

3 limes

4 cloves garlic

1 piece ginger

3 spring (green) onions (trimmed as per image above)

1 stalk lemongrass (remove the hard outer layers, and keep the small 'rubbery" inner section)

8 kaffir lime leaves

1 tin coconut milk

3 tablespoons mango chutney

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

fresh chili - optional

1kg chicken breast
jasmine rice

1) Wash the herbs thoroughly including the coriander roots.

2) Remove all the leaves from the basil and mint and place in blender.

3) Put 2 bunches of coriander including the stalks and roots into the blender. Tear  leaves only off the third bunch and add them to the blender (reserve a few leaves as garnish).

4) Grate in the zest of half a lime. Squeeze the juice of the two limes into the blender. Reserve the third lime for serving.

4) Place all other ingredients (including the chili if you want it spicy) - except the lime leaves, chicken and the olive oil - in the blender and pulse for 1 minute.

5) Blend again and steadily pour in the olive oil.

6) Adjust seasoning - the sauce should be slightly sharp from the lime and garlic; subtly sweet from the sugar, chutney and sweet chili sauce; have well rounded saltiness from the fish sauce and salt. Adjust any ingredients to bring into balance.

7) Prepare the rice

8) Slice the chicken breast. Heat a wok to high, add canola and brown the chicken for 2 minutes. Pour in all the sauce and toss in the kaffir lime leaves .When the chicken is cooked through, serve with jasmine rice, lime wedges, mango chutney - and a cleansing white like Richie.