Last week we took a trip via our taste buds to Italy with this really yummy Homemade Ricotta Ravioli recipe and today we’re going over 5,000 miles east to a place near and dear to my heart, Thailand, with a recipe for Thai Green Curry!
When I visited Thailand last year, Thai green curry was a dish that could be found on almost every menu in every restaurant. Prior to traveling there, I don’t believe that I’d ever even tried it, but when I did I couldn’t get enough! What I loved about it was the slight heat provided by the chilies, the subtle sweetness added by the coconut milk, and the textural elements provided by the plethora of vegetables included.
Since returning, I’ve attempted to recreate some of the dishes that I got to try like Pad Thai and Spring Rolls, but it can often be difficult to find all of the necessary ingredients needed to complete an entire Thai dish unless I visited a specialty market that carries exactly what I’m looking for.
Luckily, living in New York City does have its perks, and with a quick Google search I came across a Thai grocery store in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown known as Bangkok Center Grocery on 104 Mosco St that had everything I needed and more! From Thai basil and fresh chilies to lemongrass and green papaya, I was truly in Thai food heaven. I even got my first mortar and pestle so that I could make my own green curry paste at home.
The store, itself was smaller than I anticipated, but don’t let that fool you because it is still very well stocked. The employees were also unbelievably kind and willing to answer any questions I had and being that I had such a pleasant experience, I’ll definitely be sure to return.
I was excited to finally get started and had so much fun pounding all of the ingredients together, with my arm definitely getting a good workout.
Nevertheless, in the end, while the flavors were definitely there, I wasn’t too thrilled with the consistency, because no matter how much I mashed those ingredients, they never fully reached that paste-like texture that I was looking for. The lemongrass, in particular, was the most difficult ingredient of all to work with and in the end I was left with little pieces of it in my curry, so any suggestions are gladly appreciated!
Overall I was pretty satisfied with how my curry turned out being that it was the first time making it on my own, but I definitely know that there is some room for improvement. Now that I know where I can get all of the ingredients I need, as well as my very own mortar and pestle, bringing the flavors of Thailand home is only a short train ride away!
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Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
Green Curry Paste
Recipe adapted from Baan Hongnual Cookery School Cookbook
- 10-15 fresh green chilies
- 1 tablespoon chopped galangal
- 1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass
- 1/2 teaspoon kaffir lime peel
- 1 teaspoon chopped coriander roots
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
- 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons shallots, chopped
- 10-15 Thai basil leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste, optional
Green Curry
- 1 pound sliced chicken (or pork, beef, or fish)
- 2 15 ounce cans of coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon green curry paste
- 4 medium Thai eggplants, cut into quarters
- 1/2 cup green bell peppers, optional
- 1/2 cup chopped cauliflower, optional
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons palm sugar
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, chopped and with stem removed
- 10-15 leaves Thai basil
- 1 red chili, seeded and sliced lengthwise, optional
Preparation
Green Curry Paste
- Lightly toast the cumin and coriander seeds until aromatic, remove and allow to cool.
- Place toasted seeds into a mortar and pestle and crush until a powder is formed.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to pound until you’ve achieved a smooth texture.
- Remove and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Green Curry
- Place a 1/4 cup of the coconut milk into a pot and allow to start bubbling around the edges before adding the green curry paste (you can also used canned curry paste if you’d like).
- Once the curry paste is fully incorporated, added the chicken and kaffir lime leaves and stir until fully coated.
- Add the rest of the coconut milk and the chopped vegetables, stirring to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Bring to a boil and add the fish sauce and sugar, to taste.
- When chicken and eggplants are cooked, pour curry into a bowl and garnish with red chili and Thai basil.
- Serve with rice.
I’ll be bringing this spicy little bowl of goodness over to Fiesta Friday #59 over at The Novice Gardener and co-hosted by Jhuls at The Not So Creative Cook and Mila at milkandbun.
33 Comments
pernypotts
March 13, 2015 at 11:58 amLove your take on this!
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 15, 2015 at 1:08 pmThank you!!
Natalie Browne
March 13, 2015 at 1:33 pmI love thai curry. I’ll have to try this recipe out π
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 14, 2015 at 9:24 amDefinitely! It’s a great one π
Nancy
March 13, 2015 at 2:59 pmLooks like I’ll be taking a trip to the international market…I MUST find those thai eggplant! Delicious looking curry, Justine!
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 14, 2015 at 9:26 amThank you!! And yes, you should get some of these eggplants. They add a wonderful flavor to the curry π
Loretta
March 13, 2015 at 4:27 pmGorgeous Justine, love the ingredients – we do have an International food market here in lil Delaware, I’ve seen lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, essential ingredients for a good Thai dinner. Now don’t tell me you’ve been cooking with a summery outfit on? Just looking at you, makes me shiver :). Still, spring is around the corner.
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 14, 2015 at 9:30 amHaha, thanks, Loretta! That’s awesome that you’ve also got those ingredients at hand, as well. That photo of me is when I was in Thailand last year! So it was well above 90 degrees when I was cooking. No worries π
FrugalHausfrau
March 14, 2015 at 4:31 amWhat a lovely recipe! Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned here! π
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 15, 2015 at 1:07 pmThank you! And thanks for stopping by π
Jhuls
March 14, 2015 at 5:34 amI have never seen Thai eggplants before – they look so cute. π I love curries, but what I had and always have is the one in yellow color. Do they have the same taste? This dish looks so good, Justine. Enjoy the party and have a great weekend. xx
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 14, 2015 at 9:34 amThank you!! I think that green and yellow curries are fairly similar (if they’re both Thai) but may just vary in spice level because of the type of chilies used. If it’s West Indian or even Indian curry, it’s a completely different flavor profile and may not even be spicy at all. I like a little spice in my food every now and again haha π
Fae's Twist & Tango
March 14, 2015 at 1:16 pmGorgeous Young Lady, you post delicious after delicious! I am not much into Thai food (not much of a seafood enthusiast), but I do love their green curry. Here you have made the paste from scratch, which is quite impressive. Those green round eggplants are so cute. π
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 15, 2015 at 1:03 pmThanks so much, Fae! Green curry is really a great dish that anyone can enjoy exactly as they’d like. The eggplants are just the cute final touch π
cashmereofcourse
March 15, 2015 at 12:39 pmLove your blog, everything looks so yummy! I have nominated you for the Liebster Award! Check out my blog for more details β https://cashmereofcourse.wordpress.com
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 15, 2015 at 1:09 pmThank you so much, I really appreciate that! π
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake
March 15, 2015 at 1:41 pmThis looks awesome, I love thai green curry! I’ve never seen thai eggplants before, they’re so cute!
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 16, 2015 at 1:29 pmThank you, Michelle! The eggplants really are so yummy, you should give them a try π
indusinternationalkitchen
March 15, 2015 at 4:37 pmOoh Bookmarking this! Looks fabulous – I absolutely love thai food! This curry sounds so good!
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 16, 2015 at 1:30 pmThank you!! Thai green curry is one of my absolute favorites. Hope you enjoy π
Traditionally Modern Food
March 16, 2015 at 11:03 pmI love Thai curry.. Your version looks delicious
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 16, 2015 at 11:06 pmThanks so much π
For The Love of Ghee
March 16, 2015 at 11:43 pmLove your recipe! Just stumbled across your blog just now. And I’m glad I did. I so miss Chinatown in Manhattan! Do you get to buy fresh Tofu and rice noodles from the noodle store on Baxter and Bayard?
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 17, 2015 at 9:26 pmThank you so much, that means a lot π I’ve never been to that store, but that sounds amazing! I’ll have to check it out.
petra08
March 17, 2015 at 9:14 amYou are so lucky to find Thai green eggplant, they are so delicious! Your curry looks just perfect! π
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 17, 2015 at 9:20 pmThanks so much! I’m also happy to have found a place that sells the eggplants because they’re just so yummy π
Hari Qhuang
March 17, 2015 at 8:03 pmOh I love Green Curry!
The one you make is much much much better-looking than the one I made!
LOL!
http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/10899378_1013048312058451_87519986_n.jpg
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 17, 2015 at 9:19 pmNo way!! Your green curry looks amazing! And I bet it tasted amazing as well π
Hari Qhuang
March 18, 2015 at 2:43 pmThank you! XD
I’m gonna do it “old style” next time, stick to the green eggplant and all π
Maybe It’ll taste better #fingerscrossed
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 18, 2015 at 3:56 pmAwesome! Let me know how it turns out :))
Hari Qhuang
March 18, 2015 at 4:05 pmYes, I will! XD
milkandbun
March 18, 2015 at 4:25 pmI think I’ve seen those eggplants here, next time I’ll be them! The curry looks so good, wonderful color, Justine! Hope you’ve had fun at FF! π
Have a lovely day!
Mila
Justine @ Born and Bred in Brooklyn
March 18, 2015 at 8:20 pmAbsolutely! They taste almost like regular eggplant, but not as mushy, so I definitely prefer them. Thanks for stopping by! π