With winter already settling in, cold nights are calling for warm food to fill us up and comfort our souls. My favourite winter foods are curries, beautiful, spicy, traditional curries that excite the senses and have a bit of a kick to them. I learned the art of making Thai curries from Silom, a traditional Thai cooking school in Bangkok. This is a recipe I learned from locals and ate for the first time crouched over a little stool in the back alley of a bustling Bangkok fresh food market.
Traditional Thai Green Curry Recipe
Ingredients
1-2 large tablespoons of green curry paste (depends a lot on how spicy you want it to be)
2 cans of coconut milk (or homemade is best, but you have to have access to fresh coconut)
2-3 Kaffir Lime leaves and juice of half a lime (can substitute with the juice of half a regular lime)
2 tablespoons of Fish sauce
1 fresh large red chilli
Chopped seasonal Asian veggies
Thinly sliced chicken breast or thigh fillets
1 red capsicum
1 zucchini sliced length ways and then cut into small chunks (you can also use eggplant if you like)
2 large handfuls of bean sprouts
Fresh seasonal asian herbs (coriander and/or sweet basil are ideal)
Method
Place wok over a low heat and when hot add three tablespoons of coconut cream. To the cream add the green curry paste and stir continuously until fragrant.
Add the thinly sliced chicken and two cups of coconut milk and stir constantly until the chicken is cooked. This is really important, the chicken should be allowed to cook slowly over a low to medium heat, this will help the chicken to absorb all of the delicious flavours that are inherent in your curry paste.
When the chicken is cooked add the zucchini and bring the heat to a boil for five minutes or so until the zucchini softens. Once the zucchini softens add the Asian veggies, red capsicum, the juice of half a lime and the fish sauce and stir gently. Taste the mix. If you like you can add a pinch or two of palm sugar at this stage to sweeten the soup and balance out the flavours.
Pour into a bowl and decorate with bean sprouts, sliced red chilli and big handfuls of fresh herbs. Serve hot with rice for a delicious, spicy winter warmer.
This recipe is easily made vegetarian or vegan friendly. The chicken can be omitted and vegan friendly fish sauce is available at many specialty stores, alternatively fish sauce can be substituted with a mild unsweetened soy sauce.
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This post was sponsored by the team at Target Australia. Target gifted to me all of the beautiful crockery and tableware that you can see featured in the photographs. You can purchase all of these products in store, and some online.
- Acacia salt and pepper grinder (available in-store only)
- Acacia chopping board
- Jamie Oliver large terracotta plate in cream (available in-store only)
- Marrakesh dinner plates in Plum
- Jaimie Oliver Glazed Tapas dishes (set of four).
Lilybett - Curry looks yum, although I’d have to omit the fish sauce if I didn’t want Lovely Husband to make very loud gagging noises as soon as he walked in the door (wussy). I’ve seen this type of curry with flat stick noodles as well; is one more traditional than the other?
Oooh, I’d been eyeing off those Marrakesh dishes (but in the greeny-blue) in one of Target’s previous catalogues. But I’m also in love with your big ol’ battered timber table. Love your eye, Sash.
Sash - Thanks Lilybett, I too love the old timber table (which is actually an old balinese bed) I wish it was mine! It’s my mothers, and it’s beautiful!
You can swap the fish sauce for soy sauce, it’s just about balancing the flavours. x
Rosie - Sorry just letting you know a typo in method – add green curry paste not ‘red’.
Sash - haha! thanks 🙂
BERTHhandmade - Looks soooo good!!!
Wonderful 🙂
veggie mama - I make curry all the time and it NEVER looks this nice!
Joshua - Yum… Vegetarian these days but i do treat myself with fish occasionally. I will try your recipe soon!
Joshua