Green Thai Curry

     I have to say I'm pretty proud of both this recipe and the picture. I'll start with the picture. I didn't even cook the day this was taken, I was teaching my daughter and her friend too cook and like to use this recipe. It builds on the chicken cooking method from my first lesson (this is lesson #2) and then incorporates a lot of different knife cuts, which is the topic of this lesson. You are introduced to a lot of techniques a novice cook might not be familiar with like dice v. mince as well as bias and chiffonade. For that reason this recipe is a must with this lesson.

     However that brings me to why I am proud of this recipe, I've never made a green curry at home before that I loved. So I was nervous about it. I can cook so many things, why was Thai curry eluding me? As I was looking at other peoples recipes I saw where someone simmered the coconut milk before hand to make it thick, not used right out of the can. And I tried it. And that is the magic trick I think to good curry. You won't need thickeners and sweeteners and it comes out rich and delicious.

     As previously mentioned I cook the chicken separately to build on a previous cooking lesson but you can just as easily, and more traditionally, slice the uncooked chicken and stir fry it with the onion and cook it in the coconut milk with the vegetables. 

     And last but not least the soy sauce ads a really nice umami touch but fish sauce is actually more traditional and great if you aren't allergic to it. Which I am. If you want to use the fish sauce swap half of the soy for fish and continue with the recipe.

4 large chicken 4 breast

Salt & Pepper

2 Tbsp. Oil

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced on the bias

3 c. green vegetables (green beans, broccoli, pea pods, etc…)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ginger paste

1 oz. Thai basil leaves, chiffonade

2 cans coconut milk

1 (4 oz.) bottle green curry paste

1 c. water

1 Tbsp. lime juice

½ tsp. coconut or palm sugar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or fish sauce)

Cooked rice, to serve

Fresh cilantro, to garnish and serve

Simmer the coconut milk in a medium pot for about 15 – 20 minutes. Simmer until the coconut milk is thick and reduced by half.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear on both sides until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

In the skillet you removed the chicken from, add a splash more oil and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until translucent. Add the carrot and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the green vegetables and cook, still stirring, for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook just until you smell the garlic.

Add the coconut milk, sugar, lime juice, curry paste, and soy sauce and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Slice the cooked chicken and add to the curry. Add the basil and heat through. Serve over rice with fresh chopped cilantro.

Original Picture - Post Updated 6/22/2020