Chicken Thai Green Curry (from scratch!)
This authentic Thai green curry is made with a simple homemade paste. It's so easy to make and takes just 30mins!
Servings: 4
Cost: £4 / $5
Equipment
- Powerful Food Processor/Blender
- Large Pot or Pan with Wooden Spoon
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Jug (for stock & Cream)
- Serving Spoon
Ingredients
Green Curry Paste (see notes)
- 5 Green Chillis, deseeded & diced (see notes)
- 1/4 cup diced Coriander Stalks & Roots (plus a handful of leaves to boost colour)
- 3 Shallots, finely diced
- 3 stems of Lemongrass, rough layers removed then finely diced
- 3 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1 packed tbsp finely diced or grated Galangal
- 1 heaped tsp Shrimp Paste
- 1 tsp Coriander Seeds, toasted in a dry pan then crushed (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, White Pepper
Chicken Thai Green Curry
- 1lb / 500g Chicken Breast, diced into bite sized chunks
- 1x 14oz/400g can of Coconut Cream (can sub coconut milk - see notes)
- 1 cup / 250ml Chicken Stock
- 4 Thai Eggplants, halved if they're very small, quartered if they're not
- 6 Kaffir Lime Leaves, torn (see notes)
- 1 small bunch of Fresh Thai Basil, leaves only
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp Palm Sugar (can sub brown sugar, work to taste)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- In a powerful food processor add green chillies, coriander roots & stems, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste, crushed coriander seeds, white pepper and salt. Turn on motor and pulse into a fine paste. Stop and scrape the sides a few times, using a dash of water to form a paste if you need to. Blitz in a handful of coriander leaves to boost the green colour.
- Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large deep pan. Add the curry paste and fry for 2-3mins (important to release the flavours and steam out the water). Stir in half your coconut cream, then add the diced chicken.
- Reduce to medium heat and cook the chicken for 5mins, or until nearly white through the centre, then stir in the rest of the coconut cream. Add chicken stock, eggplants, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar. Give it all a good stir then simmer for 10mins, or until the chicken is cooked right through the centre and the eggplants have softened.
- Taste test for seasoning (more fish sauce for more saltiness, more sugar to sweeten) then stir through fresh basil leaves at the last minute.
- Serve over rice and enjoy (don't eat the lime leaves!).
Video
Notes
a) Coriander Roots/Stems - Traditionally you'd use coriander roots, but it's quite hard to hunt these down, even in some Asian shops. As such I recommend you buy a plant pot of coriander/cilantro (growing in soil) so you can pull out the coriander, wash the ends and snip them off. The roots and stems give the paste a much deeper, earthier flavour, which is great for a green curry.
b) Coriander Seeds - Toast these in a dry pan for a few mins until they lightly brown. Crush them either in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin, or in a pestle and mortar.
c) Cream vs Milk - I prefer cream as it offers a richer flavour and thicker texture. However milk is more traditional (Thai curries tend to be quite thin). In both cases make sure you're using full fat! Low fat will alter the flavour.
d) Kaffir Lime Leaves - Asian supermarket will definitely sell them, usually frozen. You might also find them in your regular supermarket in the herbs/spices section or in the Asian section. They sometimes come dried.
e) Where to find ingredients - A lot of these ingredients will only be found in Asian supermarkets or online (shrimp paste, Thai eggplants, palm sugar). Some you might actually find in your regular supermarket (galangal, Thai basil). I know if you're in the UK Tesco sells Thai basil!
f) How spicy is this curry? - Green curries are supposed to be hot! 5 regular medium green chillis give you a medium-hot finish. Certainly nothing overbearing. If you're concerned about heat then start off with less chilli, then dab your finger in the paste to check for heat then blitz in more chillis in 1 by 1. If you want it spicier either add more chillis or leave some or all the seeds in. In both cases the paste with taste spicier than it is once it's cooked.
g) Can I make the paste ahead of time? - Best used fresh but will last a couple of days tightly stored in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer.
Nutrition
Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 67.75g | Protein: 29.33g | Fat: 23.06g | Saturated Fat: 18.833g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.896g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.947g | Trans Fat: 0.008g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 946mg | Fiber: 5.8g | Sugar: 58.84g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 18.6mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1.9mg