Thailand · Thai central cuisine (gaeng keow wan)
Thai green chicken curry
Tender chicken and Thai aubergines simmered in a rich, aromatic coconut curry built on a fresh green paste of chillies, lemongrass, galangal and lime, finished with Thai basil and served with jasmine rice.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | Thailand
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Source · cropped
original Original text, written in English.
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- Servings
- 4
- Preparation
- 30 min
- Cooking
- 30 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
Cuisine / tradition: Thai central cuisine (gaeng keow wan) (TH) — declared by the author
- Main dish
- Everyday
Ingredients
For 4 servings
- 8 piece long green chillies, chopped (for the paste)
- 2 piece bird's eye green chillies (optional, for more heat)
- 3 clove garlic cloves (for the paste)
- 2 piece shallots (for the paste)
- 1 piece lemongrass stalk, sliced (for the paste)
- 2 piece pieces of galangal (about 2 cm), peeled (for the paste)
- 2 piece coriander roots, washed (for the paste)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted (for the paste)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted (for the paste)
- 1/2 tsp white peppercorns (for the paste)
- 1 tsp shrimp paste, toasted (for the paste)
- 1 piece kaffir lime, zest only (for the paste)
- 1/2 tsp salt (for the paste)
- 800 ml full-fat coconut milk (2 tins), not shaken
- 600 g boneless chicken thighs, in bite-size pieces
- 150 g Thai round aubergines (or 1 small aubergine), quartered
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp palm sugar (or white sugar)
- 5 piece kaffir lime leaves, torn
- 1 handful Thai basil leaves
- 1 piece large red chilli, sliced
- 300 g jasmine rice, cooked, to serve
Method
- Step 1. Make the paste: dry-toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and shrimp paste in a pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Pound all the paste ingredients, starting with the toughest (the lemongrass, galangal, peppercorns and seeds) and ending with the chillies, garlic, shallots and shrimp paste, in a mortar, or blend them in a small processor with a spoonful of water, to a smooth paste. This makes about 6 tablespoons: keep what you do not use in a jar in the refrigerator (about 3 weeks, according to one source) or freeze it.⏱ 2 min
- Step 2. Without shaking the tins, spoon the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk into a wok and heat over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the oil begins to separate.⏱ 5 min
- Step 3. Add 4 tablespoons of the paste (more for a hotter curry) and fry for 3 minutes, stirring, until it is very fragrant and the oil turns green.⏱ 3 min
- Step 4. Add the chicken and stir for 2 minutes to coat it in the paste. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and 100 ml of water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 12 minutes, until the chicken is almost cooked.⏱ 12 min
- Step 5. Add the aubergines and simmer for 5 minutes more, until just tender. Season with the fish sauce and the palm sugar, and add the torn lime leaves. Check with a food thermometer: the thickest piece of chicken must reach at least 74 °C (165 °F) at the centre, without touching the bone. If it has not reached that temperature, keep cooking and check again.⏱ 5 min
- Step 6. Take off the heat, stir in the Thai basil and the sliced red chilli, and taste: the curry should be rich, salty, a little sweet and hot. Serve with the jasmine rice.
Story and cultural note
Gaeng keow wan, Thai green curry, starts with a green curry paste fried in the thick coconut cream until fragrant, then chicken and coconut milk. The traditional paste is pounded in a stone mortar, with a food processor as a common modern shortcut, and often includes shrimp paste, which with the fish sauce makes the curry non-vegetarian. The sources agree on round Thai eggplants, kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil, on full-fat coconut milk (light milk does not give the same creaminess) and on palm sugar for balance. Heat depends on the chillies and the amount of paste, and some cooks use store-bought paste.
Tips for success
Fry the paste in the coconut cream until the oil separates and turns green: this deepens the flavour. Use full-fat coconut milk and keep the curry at a gentle simmer so that it does not split. Add the basil off the heat to keep its aroma. Taste and balance fish sauce, palm sugar and chilli at the end.
Serving and presentation
Serve in a deep bowl with a few Thai basil leaves and sliced red chilli on top and a bowl of steamed jasmine rice on the side.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
DietDairy-freeGluten-freeEgg-freeNut-free
ContainsCrustaceansFish
