Thai green curry

Thai green curry of a fresh green curry paste. Over Jasmine rice

Ingredients

Curry

• 10 oz unsweetened coconut milk

• 4 tbsp green curry paste OR the below indented ingredients for fresh curry paste:

  • 2 tsp coriander seeds

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1 tsp white peppercorns

  • 12 green Thai chilies

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 12 Thai basil leaves, sliced into strips (substitute Italian basil + 2 mint leaves)

  • 3 tbsp lemon grass (substitute zest of 2 lemons)

  • 2 tsp Kaffir lime zest (substitute zest of 1 lime)

  • 1 tbsp ginger, diced or grated

  • 2 tsp cilantro, finely chopped (leaves and/or stems)

  • 3 tbsp shallots, finely chopped

  • 2 tbsp garlic, pressed or finely chopped

  • 1 tsp fish paste (substitute 2 tsp fish sauce)

• 1 cup vegetable stock*

• 2 tbsp palm sugar (substitute granulated sugar)

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1.5 cup bamboo shoots

• 1 cup Thai Basil, sliced into strips (substitute Italian basil + 3 mint leaves)

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips, then sliced in half

• 2 cups Jasmine Rice

Toppings

• 2 limes for squeezing on top

• 4 tbsp cilantro , finely chopped

Instructions

Fresh Curry Paste

Skip this section if using store-bought curry paste

1. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small dry pan for about 4-5 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to
   make sure it is not getting burned. It should take on a toasted color and become fragrant.

2. Throw these into a mortar & pestle with the white pepper corns. Work it until it all becomes a power. Remove it from the mortar & pestle and set it aside

3. Top and tail the Thai chilies and slice them in half. Here you can choose to include the seeds or leave them out; depending on how spicy you want the paste to be.

4. Throw the chilies and salt into the mortar & pestle. Work it into a paste. You can add some of the set-aside spices if its too wet

5. Throw in the basil leaves and work it into a paste

6. Throw in the lemon and lime zest, ginger, and cilantro and work it into a paste

7. Throw in the shallots, garlic, rest of the set-aside spices, and fish paste. Work it into a paste

Curry

1. Put half of the coconut milk into a pot and bring it to a simmer

2. Add in at least 2 tbsp of curry paste (you can add it all depending on the spice you want) and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick to the pot

3. Add in the lime leaves, vegetable stock, the second half of the coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes

4. Add in the bamboo shoots and peppers. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. At the last minute stir in the basil leaves

6. Serve over Jasmine rice

Notes

If you want to chickify this:

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1 pound chicken breast

Instructions

• Cut the chicken into strips and then into bite size strips

• Throw the chicken in between steps 2 and 3 above

• Cook the chicken for 5-10 minutes

About this dish

I quite like the taste of Thai green curry. It is so vibrant and complex. A savory dish with spice and sweetness is always a plus for me. Spending the time to make the curry paste goes a long way since you can control exactly how it tastes, namely how spicy it is. Making dishes with specific ingredients can be a pain at times, but the end result is worth it. If you are up for hunting for it, it makes cooking it that much more rewarding. Also don’t be afraid of recipes with obscure ingredients; more often than not, they can be substituted to get the flavor it imparts.

When it comes to the curry itself, traditionally this is served with chicken; but you can substitute it with some seared tofu or omit the chicken component entirely. If you do forego chicken, you can load up on more bell peppers and bamboo shoots. If you have left over chicken, you can throw it into the curry at the last 10 minutes to infuse the flavor into the already cooked chicken. Serving this over Jasmine rice is the way to go. However, any white rice will work.