Green curry is perhaps the most ubiquitous of all Thai curries. You’ll find it on the menu in practically every restaurant in the kingdom, and it makes a frequent appearance at the curry stalls. Although the dish has its origins in the central plains, it’s found and appreciated throughout the country. Much of the attraction of green curry is its flexibility. It works well not only with rice, but is also quite popular as a topping for the spaghetti like rice noodles called khanom jeen. It has also proved quite popular for adding a Thai twist to Italian pastas. The flexibility also extends to the meats used. Although chicken is the most common, you’ll find almost any meat used in green curries, from beef and pork to fresh water fish.
Chicken Green Curry
Green Curry Paste
First, you have to make the green curry paste.
Ingredients
| Green spur chillies | 20 g | |
| Green mouse dropping chillies | 20 g | |
| Shallots | 20 g | sliced |
| Garlic | 20 g | |
| Galangal | 5 g | finely chopped |
| Lemongrass | 10 g | sliced |
| Kaffir lime peel | 2 g | finely chopped |
| Coriander leaves | 10 g | chopped |
| Black peppercorns | 3 g | |
| Roasted coriander seeds | 5 g | |
| Cumin | 5 g | |
| Prawn paste (kapi) | 5 g | optional |
| Salt | 5 g |
To prepare the curry paste, grind all of the ingredients together until you have a smooth paste. Store excess paste refrigerated in a tightly sealed jar. It will keep for several weeks at least. In fact, it’s best if you make the paste a day or two before you need it. The paste tends to get better with a little age!
Chicken Green Curry Recipe
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
| Green Curry Paste | 1 Tbsp |
| Chicken | 60 g |
| Thai Eggplants | 20 g |
| Pea Eggplants | 40 g |
| Sweet Basil | 3 g |
| Coconut Milk | 280 g |
| Red Spur Chillies | 5 g |
| Kaffir Lime Leaves | 5 g |
| Palm Sugar | ½ Tbsp |
| Chicken Bullion Powder | 10 g |
| Fish Sauce | 1 Tbsp |
| Vegetable Oil | 1½ Tbsp |
| Fresh Milk | ¼ Tbsp |
Preparation Method
- Fry the green curry paste in vegetable oil until the aroma is released. Add the thick portion of the coconut milk and continue stir-frying until the aroma returns.
- Add chicken and when the chicken is about half cooked, add the remaining coconut milk.
- Add eggplants and lime leaves. When cooked through, add seasoning: chicken powder, fish sauce, palm sugar, fresh milk, chillies and sweet basil leaves.
