Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Making this dish at home requires moving away from the idea of just boiling ingredients in liquid. You are building a base that centers on the fragrant oils of the herbs, slowly developing depth before loosening the sauce with coconut milk.
Manage your heat and your patience.
The most important phase happens in the first five minutes. If you rush the paste, the curry will taste raw and muddy rather than bright and layered.
- Wok or heavy-bottomed skillet
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Chef's knife
What goes in.
- 1/2 cupcoconut cream (the thick top layer from a full-fat can)
- 3 tbspgreen curry paste
- 1 lbchicken breast or thigh, sliced into thin bite-sized pieces
- 1 cupcoconut milk
- 1 cupchicken stock or water
- 4kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 1 cupThai apple eggplants, quartered
- 1 tbsppalm sugar, finely chopped
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 1/2 cupThai basil leaves, tightly packed
- 2red bird's eye chilies, sliced thin for garnish
Cracking the Coconut Cream
Add the thick coconut cream to a hot wok and stir until it bubbles and starts to separate into curds and shiny, translucent oil. Frying the paste in this oil is what prevents the raw, medicinal taste of un-toasted green chilies.
The method.
Fry the paste
Heat the coconut cream in your wok over medium-high heat. Once it splits and oil beads appear on the surface, add the green curry paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant.
Cook the chicken
Add the chicken pieces to the paste, turning them until the outside is opaque. Ensure the meat is thoroughly coated in the spiced oil.
Simmer the base
Pour in the coconut milk and stock. Add the torn lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, which can break the coconut milk.
Add vegetables
Drop in the quartered eggplants. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes until the eggplants are tender but hold their shape.
Season and finish
Stir in the palm sugar and fish sauce. Taste and adjust. If it is too salty, add a splash more coconut milk. Turn off the heat and stir in the Thai basil immediately, letting the residual heat wilt the leaves.
Other turns to take.
Vegetarian
Substitute the chicken with pressed firm tofu and use vegetable stock, ensuring your curry paste does not contain shrimp paste.
Seafood
Swap chicken for firm white fish or shrimp, adding them only in the final 2 minutes of simmering to prevent overcooking.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use a high-quality, authentic Thai brand of curry paste; the flavor difference is significant.
Do not peel the Thai apple eggplants; their skin provides essential texture.
The curry is ready when a thin layer of vibrant green oil gathers on top of the sauce.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use standard basil if I cannot find Thai basil?
Standard Italian basil will impart a different scent and won't hold up to the heat as well, but it works in a pinch. Thai basil is essential for the characteristic anise aroma.
Why did my sauce turn grey?
This usually happens if the heat is too high, causing the coconut milk to curdle excessively, or if the paste was not fried long enough in the coconut oil.