Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Green curry relies on the quality of your paste and the separation of coconut cream. You fry the thick cream until the oil bubbles through, stir in the green curry paste until it turns fragrant and deepens in color, then simmer your chicken and vegetables in the thin coconut milk until tender.
Balance is everything
The heat of the chilies needs to be countered by the richness of the coconut and the salt of the fish sauce. Have your ingredients prepped and near the stove before you strike the match.
- Wok or heavy-bottomed deep skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Chef's knife
What goes in.
- 14 ozfull-fat coconut milk (divided into thick cream and thin milk)
- 3 tbspgreen curry paste
- 1 lbchicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cupbamboo shoots, sliced
- 1/2 cupThai pea eggplants (optional)
- 3kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tbsppalm sugar
- 1/2 cupfresh Thai basil leaves
Frying the Coconut
Do not skip frying the curry paste in the coconut cream. You are looking for the point where the coconut oil separates from the solids and bubbles through the paste; this indicates the aromatics are fully developed.
The method.
Fry the paste
Add 1/2 cup of the thick coconut cream to the wok over medium heat. When it bubbles, add the curry paste and stir constantly for 3 minutes until the oil rises to the surface.
Cook the chicken
Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat thoroughly. Cook until the outer surface is no longer pink.
Simmer
Pour in the remaining coconut milk. Add the lime leaves, bamboo shoots, and eggplants. Simmer on low for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Season
Stir in the fish sauce and palm sugar. Taste; it should be salty, slightly sweet, and spicy.
Finish
Remove from heat and stir in the Thai basil. Serve immediately over jasmine rice.
Other turns to take.
Vegetarian
Replace chicken with firm tofu cubes and use soy sauce or a vegan-friendly mushroom-based seasoning sauce instead of fish sauce.
Seafood
Use firm white fish or shrimp, adding them in the final 3 minutes of simmering to prevent overcooking.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the curry tastes too sharp, add a splash more coconut milk rather than watering it down.
Use a high-quality green curry paste that lists green chilies as the primary ingredient.
Keep the basil until the very end; if it cooks too long, it loses its bright fragrance.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use low-fat coconut milk?
It is not recommended. The fat content is necessary to carry the flavor of the curry paste and to get that specific cracked-oil texture.
How do I know when the curry is done?
The oil will bead on the surface of the sauce, and the chicken will be opaque and tender throughout.
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