Wonderful Green Curry to Make You Feel Blissful

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Closeup - wonderful green curry to make you feel blissful www.compassandfork.comToday we feature Thailand’s most popular meal, or so it seems, given it is almost certainly on every Thai restaurant menu. Green curry with chicken is the quintessential Thai dish. Slightly sweet, coconut milk and coconut cream blends brilliantly with our own Thai green curry paste as the base. It is just a matter of adding some sliced chicken, vegetables, a few other odds and ends and you are there!

Vegetarian? No problem, just omit the chicken and use mushrooms, tofu or some other vegetables instead. Because the Thai green curry paste has such great “attitude” it will provide a great base for vegetable curries. Beef, pork and fish are other popular choices with Thai green curry paste, so there are plenty of options there.

We also discuss some of the other, popular Thai curries. What’s your favorite? Red? Yellow? Massaman? Or is green your preference?

Read on to find out more about these classic, Thai curries.

Thai Curry Pastes

I suspect almost every Thai restaurant in the world offers green curry chicken, beef, fish and vegetables, as well as red curry chicken, beef, fish and vegetables. Some would also offer pork. But what are the relative merits of the most popular Thai curries? Today we provide some information on that subject.

Wat Rong Khun - wonderful green curry to make you feel blissful www.compassandfork.comWhat makes Thai curries so different is their use of coconut milk (originated in central Thailand). There is little doubt that this mellows out most of the heat from the curry pastes and delivers thickened, creamy and a slightly sweet taste. Harmony is important in Thai cooking. On the Thai chili heat scale, green is hotter than red and short is hotter than long.

Red curry is certainly milder than green curry. One source I discovered, suggested that it is the most popular Thai curry. I make my red curry with long, dried red chilies which have been re-hydrated and seeded. Coconut milk is used in this preparation.

Thai Eggplants - wonderful green curry to make you feel blissful www.compassandfork.comYellow curry contains many of the component spices you might find in some Indian curries, think turmeric, cumin, coriander and cinnamon (there are many others). Most often this curry is served with coconut cream and coconut milk. It is often served with duck, shrimp and fish.

Massaman curry is a Thai Muslim curry steeped in history. There is competing conjecture as to the origin of this curry. Massaman curry is most commonly made with beef and potato, but can also be made with duck, tofu and chicken. It is of mild taste and slightly sour (in a good way).

Green curry is likely the hottest of the major Thai curries but it’s impact is mellowed out by the use of the coconut milk. In Thai the word for green curry means “sweet green” but the sweet refers to the color not to the taste!

And so onto our recipe.

Green Curry with Chicken and Eggplants

One of the unheralded delights of this dish is the use of small, Thai eggplants. They are slightly bitter and provide great contrast in the dish. I used two different types. One type was the size of a golf ball. (You can see these in the nearby picture). The second type was about the size of a pea and I cooked those whole. (Check out the ingredients picture further down the post.)

If you live near an Asian grocer, I urge you to investigate. Often times they stock many of the fresh vegetables and herbs that will give your Asian cooking such a lift and you won’t believe how much better the food tastes when you use the traditional ingredients. If you can’t find Thai eggplant, then use the common eggplants we see in the West.

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Other Asian Dishes with Some Warmth

Do you enjoy some spice in your diet? You might try these recipes, also on Compass & Fork:

Ema Datshi, the national dish of Bhutan, a cheese chili dish with lots of taste.

You can’t go wrong with our most popular, curry dish on Compass & Fork. Fish Amok is the national dish of Cambodia for good reason.

Thai Fish Cakes, using Thai Red Curry Paste. You can also find more tasty, Thai dishes here.

Looking for some Asian-inspired summer salads? Chicken Larb from Laos and Green Papaya Salad from Vietnam are surprisingly refreshing.

Wonderful Thai Green Curry recipe, easy and quick to make at home! You'll think you're in Thailand.
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Green Curry with Chicken and Eggplant
Print Recipe
Ingredients which are salty, spicy, sweet, sour and bitter blend in perfect harmony to deliver this ever-popular Thai classic. Containing coconut cream and milk, this dish can be easily made vegetarian by substituting the chicken for mushroom. Simply serve with jasmine rice or rice noodles (fresh are even better).
Servings Prep Time Cook Time
4people 10minutes 15minutes
Servings Prep Time
4people 10minutes
Cook Time
15minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Using a pan or wok, over a medium-low heat bring the coconut cream to a boil. Stir occasionally until oil appears on the surface.Ingredients - wonderful green curry to make you feel blissful www.compassandfork.com
  2. Add the green curry paste, stirring to incorporate until fragrant. Then add the chicken cooking for 1 minute. Then add the coconut milk. Bring back to the boil. Add the kaffir lime leaves and eggplants.
  3. Once the eggplant has softened add fish sauce, palm sugar and chili. Cook for a further minute then add the basil leaves and stir once. Remove from the heat.
  4. Serve immediately with either steamed basmati rice or rice noodles.
  5. Serving - wonderful green curry to make you feel blissful www.compassandfork.com
Recipe Notes

# These ingredients are cataloged, many with pictures, to help you identify them in our free, Asian Cooking Essentials Guide. Good for both Vietnamese and Thai recipes. Become a subscriber as we add to the guide for other great, Asian countries we visit.

18 Responses

  1. Heather
    | Reply

    I had no idea green curry existed. I cannot wait to try this. Thank you for sharing something new with me 🙂

    • Editor
      |

      It’s a sensation Heather. The coconut cream mellows out the heat in the curry. Thanks for your comment.

  2. Helen at Casa Costello
    | Reply

    I alternate between loving red and green the best – must try out a yellow curry soon. I have to omit the eggplant (or aubergine as we call them in the UK) though.

    • Editor
      |

      Helen, all of those curry pastes are good aren’t they. I like the eggplant but mushroom would work well with this dish as well. Thanks for your comment.

  3. My favorite is indeed red curry but I do love green curry as well. I’m usually hesitant to make it myself but I’m going to have to give it a try.

    • Editor
      |

      Pretty easy when you have the paste. Looks more difficult than it is. Thanks for your comment.

  4. Christie
    | Reply

    You have made my favorite chili. I wish I could get kefir leaves easier. Would love to whip this up.

    • Editor
      |

      The kafir lime leaves do make for a great taste. You could try mint leaves as a substitute. Thanks for your comment.

  5. Sarah
    | Reply

    Your green curry looks absolutely divine!

    • Editor
      |

      Yes it is fun to make and super quick as well. Thanks for your comment.

  6. Whitney
    | Reply

    I love green curry, but I can never get the taste right whenever I make it. I’ve never put eggplant in it either, but it looks delicious!

    • Editor
      |

      I think the eggplant makes it to be honest, especially Turkish style or Thai style eggplants. Thanks for your comments.

  7. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
    | Reply

    I look forward to experimenting with curries.

    • Editor
      |

      Bintu, There is such variety in curries I am sure you can find something you enjoy!

  8. Sarah
    | Reply

    I love green curry -it’s such an easy meal and it’s always so good!

    • Editor
      |

      Sarah, I agree, it is a bit decadent. So creamy!

  9. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
    | Reply

    I love those little pea sized aubergines, a rare treat for me as I need to pick them up in Chinatown!

    • Editor
      |

      Hlen, Yes it is amazing the variation in eggplant. We also saw some in Italy I had not seen anywhere else.

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