Thai Green Curry
Background
I'd tried a few ready made Thai green pastes and nothing came close to the flavours of the curry id had at the Thai restaurant. This is when I decided to have a go at making my own curry
Making a Thai green from scratch is a timely job however if you’re prepared you can make 5-6 portions of the paste and then the next time you make it it’s a lot quicker!
A Thai green curry uses lot of fragrant herbs and spices combined with creamy coconut milk to deliver a smooth but punchy curry where the heat can be adjusted using more or less green curries. I don’t like my food too hot so I make mine as per the recipe attached.
Making a Thai green from scratch is a timely job however if you’re prepared you can make 5-6 portions of the paste and then the next time you make it it’s a lot quicker!
A Thai green curry uses lot of fragrant herbs and spices combined with creamy coconut milk to deliver a smooth but punchy curry where the heat can be adjusted using more or less green curries. I don’t like my food too hot so I make mine as per the recipe attached.
Ingredients to make Thai Green Curry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste (according to taste) - recipe below is making your own.
- 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
- 1-2 thick stalks lemongrass, fat ends bashed with a rolling pin (optional)
- 750g/1½lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks (use breast and/or leg meat)
- 6-8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of 1 lime)
- 400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
- Good shake of Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
- Small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
- ½-1 lime, juice only
Directions
The best way to make this I find is to pre-prepare the Thai paste a few hours before you want to cook and then the rest of it simply cooking some chicken with the spices which can be done in 30 minutes! Let’s cover the paste first.
Recipe for home made thai paste Thai paste
- 3-4 green chillies, de-seeded and roughly chopped, if you prefer your curry spicier you can increase this to 6
- 2 Finely chopped shallots
- 1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped, roughly as big as your thumb.
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
- Small bunch of fresh coriander, stalks and roots attached if possible, wash then remove any hard parts first.
- 2 lemongrass stalks, chopped (if unavailable, use 2 tablespoons of puree)
- 1 lime, grated zest and juice
- 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 Teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1 Teaspoon of black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 2 Teaspoons fish sauce or light soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
Directions to make the paste
- Peel and chop the shallots into small cubes and add to the food processor
- Slice the chillies open length ways, remove the seeds then finely slice and add to the food processor
- Peel the Ginger , roughly chop and add to the food processor
- Peel the Garlic , roughly chop and add to food processor
- Roughly chop the coriander and add to the food processor
- Chop the hard end of the lemon grass and throw away, then roughly chop and add to food processor
- Take the zest of 1 Lime and add to the food processor, then slice open and release the juice into the food processor ( I tend to add it to a small bowl first to make sure no seeds come out!)
- Add the Coriander seeds, cumin and black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and grind to a powder then add to the food processor
- Finally add the fish sauce and olive oil and blitz all the ingredients until you have a paste that isn’t lumpy.
- This can then be stored in a sealed tub in the fridge for a few weeks or what I do is divide it into sandwich bags and freeze it. 2 tablespoons portion per 2 people.
Directions for the curry
Once you have made the paste the next stage is to make the curry and it’s so so simple
Dice chicken into small cubes 1/2 inch is a good size
Add a little olive oil in a pan and Stir in a good tablespoon of paste , if you want a stronger taste you can add more but a little goes a long way! Add the chicken , as soon as it’s seared (not cooked just white on the outside) add the can of coconut milk
Lower the heat until the sauce is simmering add a lemon grass stick after bashing it with a rolling pin! Add a lid to the pan and leave to simmer until the chicken is cooked.
Whilst this is simmering bring a pan of water to the boil and cook your rice as per the instructions. I like to have Jasmin rice with my Thai. A good squeeze of lime adds a lovely taste just before serving
Dice chicken into small cubes 1/2 inch is a good size
Add a little olive oil in a pan and Stir in a good tablespoon of paste , if you want a stronger taste you can add more but a little goes a long way! Add the chicken , as soon as it’s seared (not cooked just white on the outside) add the can of coconut milk
Lower the heat until the sauce is simmering add a lemon grass stick after bashing it with a rolling pin! Add a lid to the pan and leave to simmer until the chicken is cooked.
Whilst this is simmering bring a pan of water to the boil and cook your rice as per the instructions. I like to have Jasmin rice with my Thai. A good squeeze of lime adds a lovely taste just before serving
