How to Make a Great Thai Green Curry

June 10, 2022 smitsa Cuisine, Recipe 0

Thai green curry in a bowl.
Image by Huahom, c/o Pixabay.

Thai green curry is a favourite and first hit our screens with the great chefs. Wonderful food when served with fragrant jasmine rice.

Ideally use chicken but meat free, vegan style curry can be used with aubergine and courgette. 

In this recipe, Thai green paste is used but already prepared so that  reduces the time taken to get the dish prepared in under half an hour. The key step is to fry that paste because it creates unimaginable flavour waves.  It stores well overnight and I think chilling helps to bring out the flavours the second time around. Some pastes also contain fish sauce anyway so just taste the curry before you add any more sauce.

Green peppercorns are not to everyone’s liking but these do not have to be part of the dish. Use them if you can because they have a unique throat catching pungency that rocks this dish. The same is said of lemongrass which contributes wow factor. The sauce is extremely versatile and can be used with almost anything.

Thai green chillis have a great pungency. Most Thai green pastes have chilli in there but more if you find the heat not enough and include the seeds too. 

Preparation time: less than 30 mins; Cooking time: 30 mins to 1 hour

Serves 4

Ingredients For A Thai Green Curry:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • About 750g/1½lb skinless, boneless chicken chicken breast, cut into chunks. This is probably enough but I think anywhere around this amount will do.
  • 4-5 tbsp Thai green curry paste but this can be varied
  • 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar or some other brown sugar like Demerara lets say
  • 1–2 thick stalks lemongrass, fat ends bashed with a mallet or rolling pin or some other heavy object (optional)
  • 3 teaspoons of green peppercorns
  • 6–8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of 1 lime)
  • 400ml tin coconut milk (critical for smoothness)
  • 1 tablespoon of of Nam Pla  or a Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
  • Either a large handful of coriander, roughly chopped or a handful of basil if a slightly different flavour is needed instead of coriander. Either works perfectly well but I think coriander comes out in the betting stakes as 2:1 favourite with the rest of the family.
  • ½–1 lime but use the juice only

Preparation:

  1. Heat the oil in a wok, heavy metal-bottomed skillet or large frying pan until it is hot but not smoking.

  2. Add the Thai green curry paste and sugar and cook over a fairly high heat for about a minute, stirring in the lemongrass, if using. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the chicken pieces and lime leaves or zest until coated in the paste.

  3. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and/or soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 25–30 minutes until it thickens slightly and there is a slight browning. Try not to overdo this!

  4. Stir in the coriander and lime juice.

  5. Check the seasoning, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if needed but go easy as both can mask the real flavours of the other spices. Fish sauce is a must I think to be honest.

  6. The curry is now best left to sit for a few minutes so the sauce becomes creamier.

  7. Serve with bowls of fragrant Thai jasmine rice to soak up all that flavour.

The recipe was first discussed in 2010 but has been brought up to date to reflect changing tastes.

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