Now this Thai Green Curry is a BOMB!! Literally, it’s a bomb when it comes to those perfect spicy, salty, umami and sweet Thai flavors…
The hugely popular and quintessential Thai food to try in any Thai restaurant, green curry is everyone’s first choice to order off the menu. When the curry cravings hit hard, make this Thai green curry with any choice of your protein, or even go meatless for vegetarian or vegan Thai curry.
Here it is, today we made our favorite Thai recipe from our kitchen… Thai Green Chicken Curry!!
Why We Love Thai Food
Thai food is one of the most popular and beloved cuisines all over the world. Though often known for its spicy hot flavors, Thai cuisine is actually a perfect balance of sweet, salty, sour, bitter and spicy flavors, that all work in harmony.
Now how spicy you make your Thai food is entirely up to you. “Hot” is a very relative term. Someone’s very hot curry can be just medium for someone else.
The beauty of Thai food is that you can make it as hot and spicy as you like, by just adjusting a few ingredients, and still enjoy the amazing Thai flavors. From Mild curry to Authentic Thai Hot Spicy!! It’s all up to you.
Many times though, chefs in your local Thai restaurant underestimate our ability to handle the spice, and cook it way too sweet, lacking the real authentic punch. So how about cooking your beloved Thai green curry in your very own kitchen, in pursuit to those authentic Thai flavors.
It’s so much quicker and easier to make than you would think…
We Love Our Thai Green Curry Because…
1. It has authentic Thai flavors in a rich, creamy and fragrant sauce. It’s spicy because it’s meant to be spicy, but it has a great sweet and salty balance. The combination of spicy, rich and creamy, savory and sweet is just perfect. It’s absolutely addictive and you will keep on going back for seconds.
2. You can make it mild, medium, Hot, or Thai Hot…
3. This one can be loaded with any veggies of your choice. Bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, peas, mushrooms, carrots and more… bring them on. If you happen to get your hands on Thai eggplants, they are the absolute best, and very traditional.
4. Make this with chicken, shrimp, beef, salmon or go meatless.
5. It’s quick. Why? Cos you can make it with store bought Thai curry paste. Yes, we do advocate making pastes and marinades from scratch, but in this case some of the store bought Thai curry pastes are excellent. It’s very common for even locals to go with branded curry paste, rather than making it from scratch. We highly recommend Mae Ploy or Maesri green curry paste for great tasting authentic green curry.
Ingredients for Thai Green Curry
Chicken – The most popular Thai Green curry is with chicken. But you can easily use the same recipe for shrimp, beef or fish, or skip the meat altogether. We recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, as the meat remains juicy and tender after simmering it for a while. If you prefer chicken breast, adjust the cooking time so as not to toughen it up in the end.
Thai Green Curry Paste – Mae Ploy or Maesri green curry paste. Please go to Asian stores for these authentic curry brands. We have tried some other curry brands that you see in your regular grocery store, and they sure lack the authentic curry punch, and tend to be way too sweet.
Coconut Milk – It creates a rich, creamy base for Thai curry.
Chicken Broth – Adds the volume and lends great taste. Use vegetable broth if going the vegan or vegetarian route.
Veggies – Load them up!! We used broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, snap peas and Thai eggplants. Using Thai eggplants is very traditional and authentic in Thai green curry. These small Asian eggplants are ideal because they are like sponges when cooked until soft, soaking up the curry beautifully.
Sauces and Seasonings – Soy sauce, fish sauce (a must for any Thai curry), brown sugar.
Aromatics – Ginger, garlic and lemongrass (optional, but great).
Basil – If you happen to have Thai basil, it is great here, but in its absence your regular basil works too.
Oil
How to Make Thai Green Curry
Making your own homemade Thai Green Curry is extremely easy, and quicker than any of the other curries I cook, mainly because of using store bought curry paste. That makes it a perfect weeknight meal option if craving those addictive Thai flavors.
It’s just a matter of sautéing the curry paste with your protein, and then letting it simmer with the rest of the ingredients in coconut milk and chicken broth. That easy. Here you go…
Heat oil in a curry pot, add in chicken and sauté till there is no more pink. Add in Thai green curry paste and cook for 6-8 minutes, till the curry paste cooks nicely. This is the secret to get great color, as well as adding tons of flavor to the curry.
Add in ginger, garlic and carrots, then sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add in coconut milk along with chicken stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, basil leaves, lemongrass (only the inside white part, bruised slightly), and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes for all the flavors to develop.
Add in veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, and Thai eggplant, and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until they start to get soft.
Taste for salt, sugar and spice and adjust according to your taste by adding sugar, fish sauce or more green curry paste. (In my case, I keep on adding curry paste to make it “hot” for me, and stopped at 6 Tbsp total).
Add snap peas and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve it with some more fresh basil leaves along with lime wedges.
Ways to Serve Thai Green Curry
- The absolute favorite and traditional is of course over fresh, warm white rice like jasmine or basmati rice. Serve it with fresh basil, cilantro and fresh lime wedges.
- Use this curry base with noodles and enjoy it like a ramen or pho.
- Serve the Thai curry with a side of cool Asian cucumber salad.
How to Make Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste
If you are inspired to make Thai green curry from scratch, you can make your own homemade Thai green curry paste from scratch, and use it as a base for your curry. It’s just a matter of finding the right ingredients (most of them can be found in good Asian grocery stores).
The green color in this curry comes from the main ingredient in the green curry paste, which is fresh green chilis, hence the name green curry. You would need some Thai hot green chilis, along with few regular.
Curry paste is traditionally made by pounding the ingredients in a stone mortar and pestle until it becomes a fine texture. But now a days, you can use your blender for less elbow work.
Here are the ingredients for green curry paste:
- 5 long green chilis
- 10 green Thai chilis (more or less to taste)
- 5 shallots
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 11 garlic cloves
- A handful of Thai basil leaves
- A bunch of fresh cilantro
- 2 inches galangal
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
Blending the Green Thai curry paste
- Start by crushing the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and white peppercorns in your mortar and pestle .
- Chop the lemongrass, galangal, chilis and shallots.
- Add all the ingredients (sans spices) to a food processor or a blender. Grind it till everything is roughly blended.
- Then, add the spices and blend again until you get a smooth paste. If need be, add a splash of water to make a smooth blend.
How to Make Green Curry Vegan
Thai green curry is a great vegan or vegetarian meal option. Here is how…
- Avoid animal protein and use any vegan protein of your choice. Tofu is great choice for Thai green curry, or simply make an all-veggie Thai green curry. Additional veggies that can go in this curry are mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, spinach or sweet potatoes.
- Replace fish sauce with more soy sauce, or tamari sauce or vegan fish sauce.
- Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
Leftovers and Storing Thai Green Curry
As with any other curry or stew, Thai green curry is excellent as leftovers. Make a huge batch and it’s a great meal prep idea. Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply warm over low heat on stove top until hot, or microwave.
We don’t recommend freezing this. The quality will go down, as coconut milk might break down after freezing.
Now, how about making your favorite Thai food any day, any time in your own kitchen. No more ordering mediocre Thai curry from your local Thai restaurant.
Just gather all the Asian staples and whip up these amazing flavors tonight, and scarf it down to your heart’s content. Make this chicken Thai curry tonight, Thai Hot… medium spicy… or mild… The choice is yours!
Thai Green Curry, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great curries from around the world!
Indian Chicken Masala
Jamaican Curry Chicken
Japanese Beef Curry
Pork Vindaloo
Country Captain
Trini Curry Chicken
Caribbean Mussel Curry
Thai Green Curry
This Thai Green Curry is an absolute flavor bomb, with spicy, salty, umami and sweet Thai flavors. You can customize it from mild to Thai Hot!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast, cut into bite sized chunks
- 4-6 Tbsp Thai green curry paste, store bought or homemade (see notes)
- 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 Tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 14oz cans coconut milk
- 2 cups chicken stock, low sodium if you prefer
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 1 small green pepper, diced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 5-6 Thai eggplants, quartered or halved
- 14-18 snap peas or snow peas
- 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 inch lemongrass (optional)
- 1 cup Thai or regular basil leaves + more for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat oil in a curry pot. Add in chicken and sauté till it is no longer pink. Stir in 4 Tbsp Thai green curry paste and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add in ginger, garlic and carrots, sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in coconut milk along with chicken stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, basil leaves, and lemongrass (only the inside white part, bruised slightly). Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes for all the flavors to develop.
- Add in veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, and Thai eggplants. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until they start to get soft.
- Taste for salt, sugar and spice and adjust according to your taste by adding sugar, fish sauce or more green curry paste.
- Add snap peas and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve it with some more fresh basil leaves, lime wedges, and white jasmine or basmati rice.
Notes
- If you are using store bough curry paste, we recommend using Mae Ploy or Maesri green curry paste brands. You might not find them in your regular grocery store, but they can be easily found in any Asian grocery stores. They give you authentic Thai curry flavors. We have tried other brands, but we found the flavor isn't as good and they were too sweet.
- Authentic Thai curry is spicy and hot, and that can be achieved by using at least 4 Tbsp of curry paste, but if you are heat sensitive and looking for milder curry, use 2 Tbsp curry paste in the beginning. You can always add more curry paste according to your taste while the curry is simmering,
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