Green chicken curry with eggplant

Another wonderful and simple recipe from Sandeep Chatterjee's The Spice Trail: One Hundred Hot Dishes from India to Indonesia. Note: if you cannot find coconut cream, let a can of coconut milk sit undisturbed for several hours, to allow the watery liquid to separate from the thicker milk. Pour off the liquid, and use the thick part of the milk in place of cream. Serves 4.

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs
4 Tbsp coconut cream
3 Tbsp green curry paste
1/2 cup Thai eggplant or fresh green peas
2 Tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Kosher salt, to taste
2-1/2 cups coconut milk
A few Kaffir lime leaves, torn (or a bit of lime zest)
A few sweet basil leaves

Cut each chicken thigh into four pieces. Heat the coconut cream in a large saucepan over medium heat until the oil starts to separate from the cream. Add the green curry paste and cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken. Cook, stirring, 10-12 minutes, until the chicken is well coated with the paste and is about half cooked. Add the eggplant or peas, fish sauce, sugar and salt. Cook, still stirring, 5-7 minutes. Add the coconut milk, reduce the heat to low, and stir 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Adjust seasoning with more salt, if necessary. Add lime and basil leaves. Serve over hot rice.