Red curry chicken with kabocha squash

Slice the woody blemishes off the kabocha squash, leaving the skin on, and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Seed the dried chilies and blitz them in a coffee grinder.

Pound the lemongrass, galangal, cilantro roots and kaffir lime zest with white peppercorns and coarse salt until quite fine.

Mix in the ground chilies, then pound in the garlic and shallots and finish with shrimp paste.

Reduce the curry paste with coconut milk until very thick and the coconut oil separates; processed coconut milk may not separate, and a thick consistency is enough.

Add the chicken thigh pieces and coat them in the paste.

Add more coconut milk and chicken stock, season gradually with fish sauce and add palm sugar.

Simmer gently about 15 minutes until the chicken is fork tender, adding the squash about 8 minutes before the end; keep it at a gentle simmer, as a vigorous boil overcooks the squash to mush.

Check the squash with a fork; done when it goes through easily, about 6 or 7 minutes here. Turn off the heat.

Taste and adjust with a little fish sauce, keeping it strong since rice dilutes it.

Finish with Thai basil and, optionally, something red such as a pepper. Serve with jasmine rice.