Authentic Thai Green Curry

Thai Green Curry – Serves 2

If I have a signature dish then this is definately it. Just ask pretty much any of my friends who have been round for dinner; they’ve all had this cooked for them at some point, and there’s a running joke that it’s the only thing I can cook! I first learnt how to make this on a cooking course in Thailand (Koh Phi Phi) back in 2006 and it’s been my favourite dish to make ever since. In fact it’s probably down to this cooking course that I became interested in cooking, and in particular fuelled my fascination for international food. 

The great thing about Thai curries is that you can make them as spicy or as mild as you like – in Thailand they have them hot, and I do mean HOT! Nearly all of the ingredients used should be fairly accessible – if your struggling, you can replace the galagal with ginger and use normal basil leaves instead of the Thai sweet basil although it will give the curry a slightly different taste. If you live near a specialist oriental store then get yourself down there and see what you can find!

 

 Ingredients for the Paste

• 3 large green chillies (to taste), seeds removed & finely chopped 
• 1 tsp grated galangal (ginger is a good substitute)
• 2 tsp lemongrass, finely chopped
• 3 kaffir limeleaves, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp shallot, finely chopped
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 handfulls of Thai sweet basil, roughly chopped

 Ingredients for the Curry

• 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 400ml can of coconut milk
• 1 green curry paste recipe (see above)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 handful green beans, cut in half
• 1 small tin of bamboo shoots
• 1 small handful basil leaves, for garnishing
• Red chilli flakes or finely chopped fresh red chilli to garnish (optional)

Method

Step 1
First make the paste. Take all the ingredients for the paste (except the oil) and put them into a pestle and mortar and give them a good bashing. Add the oil and continue to pound the ingredients until you have a smooth paste consistency. You can use a food processor if you like but I just love using my pestle and mortar. I usually use all of the paste in one go, but if you want to make extra, you can stick the paste into a container, cover with oil and it should last for a week or so in the fridge.

Step 2
Now for the curry itself. On a low heat, add the oil and all of the green curry paste into a pan and mix well – this will ensure that the flavour of the paste will really come out in the chicken. Add the chicken and fry on a low / medium heat until the chicken is starting to cook through.

Step 3
Give the can of coconut milk a good shake and add to the pan, along with the fish sauce and the sugar and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Just before the chicken has cooked, add in the bamboo shoots and green beans, and simmer until the green beans are cooked but still retain their ‘bite’.

Serving Suggestion
I usually serve this curry with rice, although it works just as well with noodles or some type of roti / flatbread. Garnish the curry with a few basil leaves, a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of red chilli flakes.

Note: It actually doesn’t matter if you use only red chillies as it is the basil that gives the colour, not the chilli – in fact I think a mixture gives a great colour to the dish.

Tags: Basil, Chicken, Chillies, Coconut Milk, Food, Galangal, Garlic, Green Beans, Green Curry, international cuisine, International Cuisine Series, Lemongrass, Recipes, Shallot, Spicy, Thai, Thailand