Thai Green Curry with Chicken
The Thai technique is called 'cracking the coconut': take the thick cream from the top of the tin, heat it alone until the oil separates, and fry the curry paste in it. That step opens up the spices and gives a depth you cannot reach by putting everything in together.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Calories
- 460
Green curry is the best-known Thai curry, and hotter than the red one despite its gentle colour. Coconut milk, Thai basil and small aubergines. It comes together in 25 minutes if the paste is ready.
Method
-
1
Separate the cream
Open the tin of coconut milk without shaking it, and take the thick cream from the top (about half a cup) into the pan.
⏱ 3 min -
2
Crack the coconut
Heat the cream over medium-high heat for 4 minutes until you see the oil separate and glisten on the surface. This is the step that makes the difference.
⏱ 5 min -
3
Fry the paste
Add the curry paste and stir it in the separated oil for 3 minutes until its aroma turns strong and the colour deepens.
⏱ 4 min -
4
The chicken
Add the sliced chicken and turn it in the paste for 4 minutes until coated and just turning pale.
⏱ 5 min -
5
The liquid
Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the lime leaves, add the fish sauce and sugar, and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes.
⏱ 9 min -
6
The vegetables
Add the aubergine and beans for 5 minutes, then the pepper and bamboo shoots for 3 minutes.
⏱ 9 min -
7
Finish
Turn off the heat and add the basil and chillies. Basil after the heat so its colour and aroma survive. Serve with jasmine rice.
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Tips that actually matter
- Do not shake the tin of coconut milk — the thick cream on top is what you crack.
- 'Cracking the coconut' is the single most important technique in Thai curry — it opens the spices in the fat.
- Basil after the heat goes off — heat blackens it and drives off its aroma.
- Full-fat coconut milk — the light version will not crack and will not give the body.
People also ask
Which is hotter, green or red?
Green is usually hotter, because it is made from small fresh green chillies, among the hottest there are. Red is made from dried red chillies and is milder.
What replaces kaffir lime leaves?
Finely grated lime zest plus a bay leaf. Not the same fragrance, but it gets close.
Can it be vegetarian?
Yes — tofu and vegetables instead of chicken, and soy sauce instead of fish sauce. But check the curry paste does not contain shrimp paste.
Cook mode
Thai Green Curry with Chicken
-
1
Separate the cream
Open the tin of coconut milk without shaking it, and take the thick cream from the top (about half a cup) into the pan.
-
2
Crack the coconut
Heat the cream over medium-high heat for 4 minutes until you see the oil separate and glisten on the surface. This is the step that makes the difference.
-
3
Fry the paste
Add the curry paste and stir it in the separated oil for 3 minutes until its aroma turns strong and the colour deepens.
-
4
The chicken
Add the sliced chicken and turn it in the paste for 4 minutes until coated and just turning pale.
-
5
The liquid
Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and the lime leaves, add the fish sauce and sugar, and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes.
-
6
The vegetables
Add the aubergine and beans for 5 minutes, then the pepper and bamboo shoots for 3 minutes.
-
7
Finish
Turn off the heat and add the basil and chillies. Basil after the heat so its colour and aroma survive. Serve with jasmine rice.
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