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Thai Green Curry

This was one of the first things I ever tried to cook. At 18, I was introduced to Thai curry at a restaurant called Tree Top in Waltham, MA. I was entranced by the exotic flavors of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, coconut and fish sauce. I had to try to  make something that delicious at home! My first attempt was not so good. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, nor had I learned the importance of salt. When I tasted my creation and found it overly bland I just kept adding spices! Now it wasn’t just overly bland but overly spicey! I realized for the first time that to recreate my favorite dishes it wasn’t enough just to follow a recipe; I needed to understand the fundamental ingredients, techniques, and flavors.  Rice and curry paste form the basis for this dish, while the vegetables, meat, or tofu can be swapped in or out depending on what you have on hand and what you’re in the mood for. Chicken with eggplant, peppers, and green vegetables is traditional, but you could easily go with tofu, shrimp, or any seafood, squash, carrots, green beans, etc. To save time you can also use store bought green curry paste.

Ingredients

Scale

Curry Paste-

  • 2/3 cup green chiles
  • 2 sticks lemongrass
  • 3 oz ginger
  • 3 oz galangal
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1 shallot or half a medium onion
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander, cumin and black pepper

Steamed chicken and vegetables-

  • 1/2 pound chicken (or tofu, seafood, duck, beef, pork
  • etc)
  • 1 small eggplant
  • 1 small summer squash
  • 1/2 a medium onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 lime, zest and juice
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Scallions for garnish
  •  1/4 cup coconut cream

 

 

Instructions

Directions:

  1. Pierce your eggplant and set it to roast at 400° until very soft all the way through (about 40 minutes).
  2. Peel and chop your ingredients for the curry paste.
  3. Blend chile paste in a blender, food processor or using a mortar and pestle. Add water as needed to facilitate blending.
  4. Freeze extra curry paste, either in an ice cube tray or freezer bags (just lay them flat).
  5. Steam vegetables in a sauté pan with a little water. Start with the vegetables that need the most cooking and add the other vegetables and protein as appropriate.
  6. Add curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice and zest in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Finish with coconut cream as you remove from the heat. Serve with rice and garnish with scallion or cilantro.

  • Author: Ben Lester
  • Category: Thai

Find it online: https://localgrain.org/thai-green-curry/