Green Curry Recipe
Sweet and spicy coconut milk flavor using fresh pandan (screwpine) for flavorful and color, bell peppers, basil, onions, eggplant. Contain fish sauce.
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Ingredients
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Curry paste & aromatics
Curry
To serve
Method
Curry paste & aromatics
prepare pandan paste
Wash pandan leaves, stack and roll them tightly, then finely chiffonade. Place pandan chiffonade in a food processor or blender with the chilies, shallots, garlic, sliced galangal, chopped lemongrass (white part), cilantro stems, shredded kaffir lime leaves (if using), ground coriander, ground cumin, shrimp paste, and salt.
Add 1–2 tablespoons water or a splash of coconut milk to help blending. Process until a smooth, bright-green paste forms. Scrape down sides and blend again if needed. You should end up with about 4–6 tablespoons of paste (adjust quantity used in curry as noted below).
Taste a small amount of paste to check heat and seasoning. Adjust salt if needed. Set aside.
Curry
Heat a medium-large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add coconut oil and warm until shimmering.
Add 4–5 tablespoons of the prepared green curry paste to the pan. Fry the paste, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes until aromatic and slightly darker. This blooms the spices and releases essential oils.
Shake the can of coconut milk and pour in about 3 ounces (roughly 1/4 of a 14 oz can) of coconut milk. Stir to combine with the paste, scraping browned bits from the bottom. Cook, stirring, until the oil separates slightly and the mixture is glossy, about 2–3 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces (or protein of choice). Sear for 2–3 minutes just to color the exterior and coat them in the paste mixture.
Pour in the remaining coconut milk and 1 cup of chicken stock (or water). Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
Add the eggplant and sliced onion. Simmer gently for 6–8 minutes until the eggplant starts to soften.
Add the sliced red and green bell peppers. Continue simmering for another 4–6 minutes until vegetables are tender but still slightly crisp and the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature 165°F / 74°C).
Stir in fish sauce and palm sugar. Taste and adjust: add more fish sauce for saltiness, or a pinch more sugar if you want sweeter balance. Simmer 1–2 minutes to meld flavors.
Remove from heat and stir in fresh Thai basil leaves and lime juice. The residual heat will wilt the basil gently and brighten the curry.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and sliced red chilies if using. Spoon curry over steamed jasmine rice and serve immediately.
To serve
Portion steamed jasmine rice into bowls (about 3/4 cup cooked rice per serving). Ladle green curry over rice and garnish as directed above.