This zesty Thai green chicken curry is easier to make than you think. Thai curry pastes are readily available, but making it is also easy, and allows you to control the flavours you like most. Try this homemade Thai green curry paste with this Thai curry recipe.

What is Thai Green Curry?

Green curry is a sweet Thai curry from central Thailand. The name comes from the green Paste made from green chillis which gives the curry its milky green colour. It’s a spicier curry than its red counterpart, but a set recipe doesn’t actually exist. In its simplest form, it’s the Thai green Paste cooked out with Coconut milk.

Thai Green Paste

Thai green curry paste is a green paste typically made from green chillies, galangal, shrimp paste, lime, shallots, garlic, and spices. It’s cooked with coconut milk to create a sweet, creamy, but spicy curry.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is a milky white liquid that comes from the pulp of coconuts. It’s high in oil and thus fat, making it taste Creamy. It’s this fat content that’s used to differentiate between coconut milk types. Coconut cream or thick coconut milk has the highest fat content while thin coconut milk has around 20% fat, but still a high level of fat. Western standards don’t always follow this terminology, so use a familiar brand with a thick set cream.

Palm Sugar

Palm Sugar comes from a variety of palm trees and can be classified by type such as coconut palm sugar. They may vary in sweetness but all types of palm sugar can be used interchangeably. If you can’t find palm sugar, the best alternative is light brown sugar.

To produce palm sugar, the sap of the tree is boiled until it becomes a thick syrup. Palm sugar is often sold as syrups or can be solidified and sold as blocks. In UK supermarkets, these blocks can often be found broken into small pieces for easier use. Its colour can vary from golden brown to black depending on type and age. Do not worry about using palm sugar and being too sweet as it has less sweetness than regular white sugar.

Fish Sauce

In Thailand, fish sauce is known as “Nam Pla.” It’s made from salt-coated krill or other fish and fermented for up to two years. It’s found in almost all East Asian cuisines as a seasoning.

Modern interpretations tend to have a salt concentration of 10 to 30 %. You can tell how long a fish sauce has been fermented by its flavour. A short fermentation maintains the sauce’s fishiness whereas a longer period of fermentation leads to nutter, more savoury umami flavours.

Interestingly enough, England has its own form of fish sauce, known as Worcestershire sauce which is also used as a seasoning.

Jasmine Rice Alongside Thai Green Chicken Curry

Jasmine Rice is a long-grain variety of fragrant rice grown primarily in Thailand. It has a popcorn-like aroma and a sweeter sticky texture when cooked. While it has a sticky texture, Jasmine Rice is also quite dry which makes it perfect for serving with a Thai green curry.

Thai Basil

Thai Basil is a type of Basil from southeast Asia but isn’t like what we think of as Basil at all. It’s sometimes called liquorice basil since it has an aniseed-like flavour.

Makrut Lime or Lime

Makrut Lime or sometimes kaffir lime leaves although that term offends some people, is a sour Lime synonymous with Thai cuisine. It’s not always possible to find whole makrut limes but its leaves are widely available dried.

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Southeast Asia, Thai

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 45 ml Vegetable Oil
• 3 Tbsp Thai Green Curry Paste
• 2 Tbsp Palm Sugar
• 200 ml Chicken Stock
• 400 ml Coconut Milk
• 3 Makrut Lime Leaves
• 500 g Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs Diced into Large CHunks
• 1 Aubergine Diced into 2.5cm pieces
• Juice from 1 Lime
• Salt to taste
• Fish sauce to taste
• A few leaves of Thai Basil to finish
• 3 Chillies Cut Horizontally to finish
• 5 g Fresh Coriander Leaves to finish

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the curry paste for 4-5 minutes until the paste begins to split, then add the sugar, cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken stock, and Coconut Milk.
• Add the lime leaves and chicken and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 20-25 minutes until the sauce is thick and the chicken is almost cooked through and tender.
• Add the diced aubergine and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes until the aubergine is tender.
• Season with salt, lime juice, and a splash of fish sauce to taste. Spoon into bowls and top with chillis, coriander, and Thai basil leaves.

Keyword comfort food, creamy, curry, Spicy

Get new recipes delivered to your inbox.

Email Address

SUBSCRIBE