Green curry is the takeout order that feels impossible to recreate, all fragrant heat and silky coconut, and yet the home version takes thirty minutes and one pan. The trick is not making everything from scratch. It is treating a good curry paste properly.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons Thai green curry paste (a Thai brand if you can find one)
- 2 cans (400 ml each) coconut milk, full fat, not shaken
- 500 g chicken thighs, sliced, or tofu and extra vegetables
- 1 small eggplant or zucchini, chunked, plus a handful of green beans and half a red pepper
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon brown sugar or palm sugar
- Kaffir lime leaves if available, Thai basil (or regular basil), lime to serve
- Jasmine rice, cooked, for serving
The method that unlocks the flavour
- Open a can of coconut milk without shaking it and spoon the thick cream from the top into a hot pan.
- Fry the curry paste in that coconut cream for 2 to 3 minutes until it splits, sizzles and smells incredible. This step is the whole difference between flat and fabulous.
- Add the chicken and coat it in the paste. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and lime leaves.
- Simmer 10 minutes, add the vegetables, and cook 5 to 7 minutes more until just tender.
- Season with fish sauce and sugar, taste, and adjust: it should balance salty, sweet, spicy and rich.
- Turn off the heat, tear in the basil, and serve over jasmine rice with lime wedges.
Make it yours
Shrimp needs only the final five minutes. Tofu prefers to be pan-crisped separately and added at the end. Sweet potato and bamboo shoots are wonderful additions, and a spoon of peanut butter creates a rounder, richer curry that children tend to love. Heat lovers can bloom extra paste or add sliced fresh chilies; the coconut will keep it civilised.
Little details, big payoff
Do not boil the curry hard after the coconut milk goes in, a gentle simmer keeps it silky. Fish sauce smells bold and tastes essential: trust it. And make extra, because green curry is one of those rare dishes that is genuinely better the next day, once the flavours have had a night to get acquainted.
Save this for your cozy dinner board, and find more easy comfort recipes on Plumeo. Daily food inspiration at @Plumeoblog.