19/08/2026
A warming, fragrant Thai-inspired chicken curry
From a Chinese dietary medicine perspective, this meal is nourishing, warming and gently moving.
Chicken thighs and jasmine rice have a sweet, nourishing quality. Together, they help support Spleen and Stomach Qi making the dish satisfying and grounding.
Ginger, garlic, shallots, chilli, Thai basil, coriander and spring onions are warming, pungent and aromatic. They help awaken the digestion, move stagnant Qi and disperse Cold and Dampness.
Coconut milk adds richness and nourishment, while lime and kaffir lime leaves bring a fresh, sour and aromatic quality that cuts through the richness and helps the meal feel lighter. The salty fish sauce supports flavour and depth, while the small amount of palm sugar harmonises the sharper, hotter ingredients.
Energetically, the finished dish is:
• Warming and nourishing
• Aromatic and Qi-moving
• Supportive of digestion
• Grounding, with a fresh citrus lift
This would particularly suit someone who tends to feel cold, tired or depleted, especially with a poor appetite, sluggish digestion or a feeling of heaviness after eating.
If you experience reflux, night sweats, hot flushes, inflammatory symptoms or tend to feel excessively hot, reduce or leave out the chilli.
Chinese dietary medicine is never simply about whether an ingredient is “healthy”it is about whether its energetic nature suits the person eating it.
Ingredients: chicken thighs, coconut milk, shallot, ginger, garlic, red chilli, lime, Thai basil, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, palm sugar and chicken stock, served with jasmine rice and finished with coriander and spring onions.
