2-3 servings; 20 min preparation; 30 min cooking time.

Thai green curry (Gang Kiew Wan Gai) is one of the most traditional dishes in Thailand. You can find it in every Thai restaurant around the country and abroad. It’s so vibrant and delicious. The color comes from the Thai green chili peppers that have dark green color and are really spicy. Be careful not to add any red chilies, because you might end with a red curry instead. If you want to control the amount of heat in your curry, use less chili’s and add some Thai basil leaves instead. The color will be even better, but the paste will be easier to consume. 

The secret of a good curry lays in the paste, no surprise here. If you bring a lot of depth using the right ingredients, you will have a great end result. If you prefer buying pre-made store-bought paste, nothing wrong with that. The only thing is that you can’t control the ingredients that go in the paste. In my opinion, it’s always better to make everything from scratch, even if it takes longer time to prepare. You will have fresh dish, full of flavor without any color or taste chemical substances.

It’s very easy to make a vegetarian version of this curry. Just leave the shrimp paste out of the curry paste and replace the chicken with tofu. You can also vary with the vegetables that go into the curry. You might prefer to add bamboo instead of the green beans or sugar snaps.

Ingredients

for the green curry paste:

• 12-15 green Thai chili peppers, seeds removed
• 2 tsp lime zest
• 2 lemon grass stalks, the white part
• 2 tsp coriander stems or 2 coriander roots
• 1 tbsp fresh galangal
• 3 tbsp shallots
• 2 tbsp garlic, toasted
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste
• 1/4 tsp white peppercorns
• 1 tsp salt

for the curry:

• 250 g chicken breasts or thigh, chopped
• 200 g coconut milk
• 200 g green beans or sugar snaps
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 kaffir leaves
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red chili pepper

• 1 cup jasmine rice, cooked

Preparation

Paste (optional): Use a mortar and pestle or a hand-stick mixer. Chop all ingredients very fine so that you can blend them easier. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds until they release their aromas. Blend the ingredient in steps. Start to blend the dry spices first. Continue with the lemon grass, galangal and coriander roots. Add the chilies. Blend well. Add the shallots and garlic. At the end add the shrimp paste. The curry paste should be thick.

Green beans: Bring a sauce pan with salty water to the boil. Blanch the green beans for 2-3 min. Set aside

Curry: Heat 150 g of the coconut in a pan over medium heat. Cook until it reduces its volume. Add 50 g green curry paste. Cook for 3-4 min. Add the chopped chicken. Cook until the chicken is fully coated with the paste. Add the rest of the coconut milk and chicken stock. Cut the kaffir leaves in half and add them to the curry. Add the palm sugar and fish sauce. Cook for 15 min.

When the curry is almost done, add the blanched green beans and sliced red chili. Cook the rice according tot the information on the package. Don’t forget to season the rice. Serve with the curry. Enjoy!