Thai Green Curry
I love a Thai Curry and tried so many on my 3 trips to Thailand. I find it’s always a tough choice between a Red and a Green Curry. Red is my safer choice but if a Green Curry is done right it beats it hands down. I find that most Green Curries fall into two categories: ones which have a curry-like consistency and some which are more like a soup. The latter is my favourite. I think this stems from my first ever Green Curry.
We had arrived in Bangkok after two long seven hour flights. We checked into our hotel, The Millennium Hilton, and stepped out to look for our first meal. We didn’t want to stray far from the hotel in our exhausted state so didn’t hesitate to go straight into the restaurant next door. Right on the Chao Phraya River, it was filled with locals which is usually a good sign. My Green Curry came served with all sorts of unidentifiable objects floating in it but it was the most amazing feast on the senses. Soup like, creamy and very spicy, I’ve often dreamt of going back just for this.
This is my version which is rather more simple than my first one and certainly less hot, but it’s an easy one to make with not too many fussy ingredients. Don't be put off by making your own curry paste, once the paste is made the actual cooking is quick and easy. You can make the paste ahead of time and keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. If you are really short of time I would go with the Mae Ploy Green Curry Paste which does a decent job but nothing can quite match up to making your own.
Thai Green Curry with chicken
Serves 2
Time 30 mins
Ingredients
Paste
2 or 3 green chillies, stalks & seeds removed
3 dried lime leaves
2.5cm piece of peeled ginger (or galangal if you can get it)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 shallot
1 stick lemongrass
1 lime, zest & juice
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp fish sauce
½ tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
A large handful of coriander, leaves and stalks
Curry
1 tsp olive oil
4 skinless boned chicken thighs
400ml tin coconut milk
1 stock cube
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 red chillies
150g basmati or jasmine rice
½ aubergine
A handful mangetout
Juice of 1 lime
1 sprig basil, preferably Thai basil
1 sprig of coriander
Method
To prepare the curry paste, place all the paste ingredients into a food processor and blend until it makes a coarse paste.
Put a wok on a medium-high heat. Add a splash of oil. Slice the chicken thighs into bite size pieces and cook until browned off and cooked through. Remove from the wok and keep to one side.
Turn the pan down to a medium heat. Add another splash of oil to the same pan and throw in the curry paste. Fry off the paste for a few minutes until it becomes fragrant. Then add the stock cube, 300ml water and the tin of coconut milk. Gently bring to the boil and allow it to simmer. Add 2 tsp fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar. Slice the red chillies finely, discarding the seeds. Keep about a quarter of the chillies for garnish and add the rest to the wok.
Cook 150g rice according to the cooking instructions. Mine was 12 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, chop the aubergine into bite size pieces and add to the wok. Cook in the simmering curry for 3 minutes then add the mangetout and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer for 3 more minutes then squeeze in the juice of a lime.
Taste the curry now to make sure the balance of flavours are right. If it seems like it needs more salt then add a little more fish sauce to taste.
When the rice is cooked, drain into a sieve. Use a small rounded bowl as a mould. Fill with rice, flatten, place a large bowl on top and gently flip over. Tap the bottom of the bowl (imagine you are making a sandcastle!) then gently remove the small bowl to leave a beautiful mound of rice.
Gently ladle the curry around the rice and garnish with the remaining red chillies, some Thai basil and coriander leaves.
February 2021
