Chicken, Haricot and Tomatoes in a Coconut Curry Sauce

This is an adaptation of a recipe on some website. I substituted haricot beans for the okra it called for because I couldn't be bothered to drive to the place that has okra. Nothing against okra, mind you, it just was really crappy weather out that day. Also, I found the spice mixture it called for lacking, so I added my own curry spice mixture. Everything turned out yummy. The original recipe called for scallops, which I'm sure would be great, but I didn't trust scallops to keep in the fridge for a few days until it would have been time to revisit this for leftovers, so I used chicken.

450 g haricot beans, blanched, put in cold water
450 g plum tomatoes, blanched, skinned, seeds removed, cut into thin strips
1-½ tablespoon salt, for use throughout
½ tablespoon pepper, for use throughout
1 onion, small, chopped
1 garlic, clove, chopped
1 ginger, 1" piece, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
600 g chicken breasts
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
¾ teaspoon turmeric
⅔ cup light coconut milk
⅓ cup cilantro, chopped, for use throughout

Blanch the haricot beans in boiling salted water for about 3-5 minutes, until green color is intense and beans still retain some crunch. Lift the beans out with a slotted spoon and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and immerse tomatoes in the same pot of boiling water for 10 seconds. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon (save boiling water) to the bowl of ice water to cool, then peel.

Quarter tomatoes lengthwise and seed, then cut each quarter lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Purée onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeño (to taste), half of the chopped cilantro, and 1/4 cup chicken broth in a blender.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Brush a 12-inch nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and heat over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke. Brown chicken, turning once, about 6-8 minutes total. Transfer chicken as browned with tongs to a plate and keep warm, covered with foil. (Chicken will not be cooked through.)

Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to skillet and reduce heat to moderate. Add purée carefully (it may splatter), then add curry spice mixture. Boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and remaining 3/4 cup broth and bring to a simmer. Add tomato strips and simmer, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Slices the chicken into strips, then crosswise into bite-sized pieces. Stir in chicken and beans and simmer until chicken pieces are just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes (take a larger chunk of chicken out and cut it in half, checking for doneness). Divide chicken, vegetables, and sauce among 4 plates and sprinkle with the rest of the cilantro.