Thai Green Curry recipe - anyone got a good one?

[ElspethDiggory]

There are so many different variations out there, can anyone recommend one that works really well every time? Thanks

green curry paste from chinese supermarket

www.wingyipstore.co.uk/display-product.php?ref=82278&currentpageref=1052

I have the curry paste already - twatrose I'm afraid. It's the curry itself - ingredients etc I'm after. Thanks though, dh and I do like it so we may have to go for a proper paste another time

twatrose

chicken breast, onion, brocolli, carrot batons, sugarsnap peas, coconut milk, oil

jasmine rice

it all boils down to the righ paste though

Ooh I do actually - it's good because it's very quick. Slice chicken breast reeeaaaally thinly, green beans, beansprouts and thin rice noodles, and just chuck it all in at once into a pan of lovely paste and coconut milk. Voila! The chicken poaches in about 5 mins of simmering.

yy sugarsnap ignore my greenbeans

Mine are always a bit hit and miss but what's always lovely in it is celery, imo. Green crunchy veg of any kind really.

Also plenty of lime juice, a good dash of nam pla and fresh coriander.
A good tip someone told me on here was to get the blocks of creamed coconut. Cheaper than tins and less waste. Mine lasted for a couple of months in the fridge though I think the packet said 3 weeks

Yum, I like sugar snap peas Why is it hit and miss walking? I'm cooking it for our lovely neighbours, don't want to cock it up.
Where do you get the coconut blocks? I always end up throwing half the coconut milk away (having kept it optimistically in the fridge for three weeks )

MissHellToe - that sounds lush. Might try that for dh and I during the week too. Ummm...noodles...

I always use green veg in a green curry, because I like the look of it. I use whatever I have around but usually green beans (the thin type), courgette, peas, broccoli plus either chicken or prawns. The chicken is better sliced than cubed IME.

One of the best pastes that I've tried has been Thai Taste. It comes in a tub. Another good one is Blue Dragon, which is a jar, but that's hardly ever available. Always read the ingredients and avoid anything which lists green pepper/capsicum as an ingredient. The green colour ought to come from chillis not from peppers (I know that technically it's all the same family but the taste is different).

twatrose lists green chilli as main ingredient. Also says it is 5 chillis (hot!) Will need lots of coconut milk to cool it I think.

If you're not doing an all in one version like MHT, do you stir fry veg first, then chicken then stir in paste and coconut milk?

I don't fry anything first because I find the texture is better if it only cooks by simmering. I do fry the paste first for a minute before adding the coconut milk, I find it tastes a bit "raw" otherwise.

Sorry I need this spelling out Assume NO knowledge here.
So, make up sauce by frying curry paste for a minute (or more?) first, then stir in coconut milk, then add raw chicken and veg and leave to simmer (for how long?)

I don't know why mine is hit and miss....but going by the answers here it's probably the paste. I don't stick to a regular barnd.

This is how I do it.
Heat grated ginger & garlin in pan, add a chopped green chilli and small amount finely diced onion. Quickly lightly brown chicken strips, add paste, coat and stir,and add coconut milk. Add various green veg, but always celery .
Simmer while rice cooks.

Finish with good dash of nam pla and lime juice. Serve with thinly sliced scallions and coriander and lime wedges.

I get the coconut blocks in the local Asian shop.

How I do it*, step-by-step

1. Slice chicken (not too thin, about half a cm is my preference). Leave beans whole. Cut courgette into chunks (ie cut it into 2cm rounds and then halve them). Cut broccoli into florets. Take peas out of freezer. Open tin of coconut milk.

1. Put a tiny amount of oil into pan, add the paste and heat over a medium heat until it sizzles. Stir for a minute so that it doesn't catch. It will change colour slightly and be a darker shade of green. Stir in a little coconut milk to loosen it. Stir in the rest of the coconut milk.

1. Add chicken and any hard veggies (beans, broccoli, peas). Bring to a simmer and leave for 5 mins. Add the courgette (and any other soft veg eg aubergine). Simmer gently until the green beans have softened (usually another 15-20 mins). Try not to let it boil as I find this makes the chicken tough.

*Other methods are equally valid

God, I really fancy one now.

Me too.
Your green face looks a plate of it. Mmmm.

'looks like a plate of it'

FABULOUS my faced friends! Thanks

Actually, my very favourite meat in a green curry is duck breast. It's ages since I've made it as it's so unhealthy.

It's basically the same method as my chicken green curry. I remove the skin and slice the duck breast. But then I put the skin, fat side down, into the saucepan over a low heat so that some of the fat renders off. Then I use the duck fat to fry the paste. It's sure-fire method for sending your cholesterol level off the charts.

don't forgot to add a little bit of sugar at the end - green curry in thai is actually called 'curry green & sweet'

Lobo and Mae Ploy are good brands for paste; I always heat a little coconut milk until it splits, and use that to fry off the curry paste in that for a minute or two until really fragrant. Then add rest of milk, bring to boil, add veg and should be done quickly

finish off with fish sauce (squid brand is the best) and half a teaspoon or so of sugar - don't boil any longer after adding these or their flavour will disappear

lime juice in green curry is a crime though and should be absolutely forbidden

Lime juice a crime! I LOVE it.

I make my own Thai green curry paste.

1/4 inch slice of fresh ginger
4-5 cloves garlic
2 onions
1-2 chillies
rind and juice of 2 limes and 1 lemon
2 lemon grass stalks
a bunch of coriander
a bunch of basil
2-3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp of sesame oil (optional as very strong)

Blend and store in the fridge( it keeps up to 3 weeks) or freeze in a ice cube tray. I prechop everything first to spped up the blending process. :)

Just a teaspoon or two is lovely with chicken, fish, shellfish, veg. With or with out coconut milk. A teaspoon in a clear soup is wonderful.

As an alternative to Jasmine rice.

1 onion
2 garlic cloves
4-5 cloves
4-5 cardamon pods (remember to shell them)
1 star anice
1 slice of ginger
1 tbs oil
250 gr basmati rice
1 pint of stock (chicken or veg)

Heat the oil in a pan and add all the ingredients except rice and stock. When the onion is soft (1-2 mins)add rice and coat evenly. Add stock, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until all the water has gone.