Green Curry Recipe

Toast spices

Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Toast, shaking the pan, until aromatic and slightly darker, about 1–2 minutes. Crush lightly with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and set aside.

Prepare aromatics: remove seeds from green chilies if you want milder heat. Roughly chop chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and galangal to help blending.

Combine paste ingredients: in a food processor or mortar, add toasted crushed spices, chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, cilantro stems, cilantro leaves, Thai basil (if using), white pepper, shrimp paste, lime juice and 2 tsp vegetable oil.

Blend to a smooth paste: process until fine and cohesive, scraping sides as needed. Add 1–2 tsp water or oil if the mixture is too dry. Taste and adjust: add a pinch of salt or more lime if needed. Yield: about 6–7 tbsp of green curry paste; use 3 tbsp for this recipe and refrigerate remaining paste for up to 1 week or freeze.

Heat oil: in a wide saucepan or wok over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon coconut or neutral oil.

Fry the paste: add 3 tablespoons of the prepared green curry paste. Stir-fry gently for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and the oil starts to separate from the paste. This blooms the aromatics and spices.

Add coconut milk: pour in 400 ml of full-fat coconut milk. Stir to incorporate the paste into the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not boil vigorously; a gentle simmer is best.

Add stock and protein: pour 200 ml of chicken or vegetable stock. Add sliced chicken (or tofu). Simmer gently for 6–8 minutes (tofu 3–4 minutes) until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Season: stir in 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 tablespoon palm sugar. Taste and adjust balance of salty/sweet—add more fish sauce for saltiness or more sugar if too sharp.

Add vegetables: add eggplant, baby corn, red bell pepper, and snap peas. Continue simmering 4–6 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp and eggplant is cooked through. If the curry becomes too thick, add up to 50–100 ml more stock or water to reach desired consistency.

Finish aromatics: tear in 4 kaffir lime leaves and fold through the curry. Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice and 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves. Simmer 30 seconds to wilt basil.

Adjust and garnish: remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning (more fish sauce, lime juice or sugar) as needed. Garnish with 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves.

Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice (about 1 cup cooked rice per serving) and lime wedges on the side. Offer chopped Thai chilies for extra heat.

Leftovers: cool to room temperature, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water or coconut milk if needed.