Enjoy the rich flavors of Thai cuisine with this homemade Thai Green Curry. It's a tasty blend of tender chicken, eggplant, and fragrant Thai herbs, all simmered in creamy coconut milk. This curry pairs perfectly with jasmine, white, or brown rice and is easy to customize for vegan or vegetarian diets.
What You’ll Find On This Page
In this recipe, you'll also learn how to make your own green curry paste, which adds a fresh and authentic taste. You can choose chicken, shrimp, fish, or tofu as your protein and enjoy the vibrant flavors with sweet basil leaves. Thai Green Curry is loved worldwide for its balance of spices and the slight sweetness from coconut milk.
Whether you use homemade or store-bought paste, this recipe brings out the best of Thai cooking. Let’s get started and make this flavorful curry from scratch!
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Ingredients and Substitutions Overview
For Thai Green Curry and Paste, you can grab the ingredients at your local Asian grocery store. If something’s hard to find, online stores are a great option too. Now, let's check out what you'll need:
Ingredients for Thai Green Curry Paste
- Chinese Shallots: These are a must for authentic Thai flavor, adding sweetness and depth to the curry.
- Ginger: Gives warmth and a little spice. For a more citrusy and intense flavor, you can swap it with galangal, which makes the curry taste even fresher.
- Garlic: Brings a strong flavor and helps with digestion. If you’re short on time, ginger garlic paste can be used as an easy substitute.
- Thai Green Chilies: These are the main source of heat. Adjust the amount to suit your spice level.
- Lemongrass: Adds a fresh, lemony taste. Fresh stalks are best, but lemongrass paste works if you need something quicker.
- Roasted Cumin & Coriander Seeds: Roasting these brings out a nutty, earthy flavor that blends well with the other spices.
- Fish or Shrimp Sauce: Fish sauce gives a rich, savory flavor. You can also use shrimp sauce for a slightly different taste.
- White Peppercorns: Optional, but they bring a sharper heat if you want a little extra spice. If the chilies are spicy enough for you, you can skip this.
- Kaffir Lime Zest: It adds a zesty, tangy touch that’s typical in Thai cuisine. If you can’t find kaffir lime, regular lime zest works too.
Ingredients for Thai Green Curry
Along with the green curry paste, here are the ingredients you’ll need for the curry:
- Coconut Milk: This is the base of the curry, giving it a creamy texture and adding a gentle sweetness that blends perfectly with the spices. Use full fat and unsweetend milk for the best flavor. Use reduced-fat if you prefer something lighter.
- Chicken: You can use curry-cut pieces, thighs, or breasts. Each option brings tenderness to the dish, so choose what you prefer.
- Eggplant: Chinese or Thai eggplants are ideal, providing a soft texture and mild flavor that complements the curry without overpowering it.
- Red Chili: Thai red chilies add just the right amount of heat. You can adjust the quantity based on how spicy you like your curry.
- Thai Sweet Basil: This herb brings sweetness and a fragrant aroma to the dish, rounding out the flavors nicely.
How to Make Thai Green Curry at Home?
Let's go ahead and make the Thai Green Curry! The process is simple and straightforward. First, we’ll prepare the green curry paste, then move on to the curry itself. I’ve included photos and a video to guide you along the way. Let’s get started!
Explore a World of Curry Recipes:
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- Japanese Chicken Curry
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- Chicken Curry
Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
For Green Curry Paste
- 3 Shallots, sliced
- 1 inch Galangal , chopped, or ginger if galangal is not available
- 8 Garlic
- 1 tbsp Lemon Grass, chopped
- 2 tsp Coriander Cumin Seeds, roasted, equal parts
- 1 Lime Zest, if available, use Kaffir lime for authentic taste
- 12 Green chili, adjust to your heat preferences
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce, or shrimp sauce
For Thai Green Curry
- 1½ cup Coconut Milk, full fat, unsweetened. Use 1 part to sauté the curry paste and 2 parts for the curry
- 1¾ lb Chicken, bone-in or boneless, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Salt, to taste
- ¼ cup Chinese Egg Plant
- 3 Thai Red Chili
- 1 cup Water
- 3 Lime Leaves, use Kaffir Lime Leaves if available
- ¼ cup Thai Sweet Basil
Instructions
Making Thai Green Curry Paste
- Add all the ingredients listed above for the green curry paste to a blender, including shallots, garlic, ginger, Thai green chilies, lemongrass, and roasted cumin and coriander seeds. For easier blending, chop larger or tougher ingredients like lemongrass into smaller pieces.
- Secure the lid and blend until you get a smooth, thick paste. If needed, add a little water or oil to help the mixture blend smoothly. Set aside the freshly made paste for the curry. If you're short on time, store-bought green curry paste works too.
Making Thai Green Curry
- Start by heating ⅓ of the coconut milk in a pan over medium heat. Let it cook until the coconut milk starts to separate, and you can see the oil release at the surface. This step is key for unlocking the rich flavor of the curry.
- Once the coconut milk has separated, add the green curry paste. Fry the paste for a few minutes, stirring constantly until it becomes fragrant. You should notice a strong, aromatic scent at this point.
- Add the chicken along with a pinch of salt. Stir it well to coat the pieces in the curry paste, allowing the chicken to absorb the spices as it cooks.
- Cover the pan and let the chicken cook gently for 7 to 10 minutes over medium heat.
- After the cooking time, remove the lid and pour in the remaining ⅔ of the coconut milk, along with some water to adjust the consistency. Add the Thai red chili and eggplant, and stir everything together to combine the flavors evenly.
- Cover the pan again and let it simmer on medium heat for another 10 to 12 minutes. This allows the eggplant to soften and the chicken to cook through completely, infusing the whole dish with the rich flavors of the curry.
- Once the curry has simmered and the chicken is fully cooked, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the lime leaves and sweet basil leaves. These will add a fresh, fragrant finish to the curry. Remove the pan from the heat, and your Thai Green Curry is ready to serve!
Serving
- Enjoy this aromatic Thai Green Curry over your choice of rice, paired with your favorite Thai side dishes for a complete and flavorful meal.
Recipe Video
Chef's Notes and Tips
- Green Curry Paste: For the best flavor, I recommend making your own green curry paste. But if you're pressed for time, a good-quality store-bought paste will do the job too.
- Achieving Rich Flavor: To avoid any bitterness or raw taste, make sure you fry the green curry paste well in the creamy top layer of coconut milk or in some coconut oil. This step is key to releasing the full flavors and removing any strong, raw aromas.
- Coconut Milk vs Coconut Oil: I use coconut milk to sauté the green curry paste, but if you want to reduce the amount of milk, you can swap it for a bit of coconut oil during the initial sautéing step.
- Balance the Spice Level: You can adjust the heat of Thai Green Curry by adding more or fewer green chilies. If it’s too spicy, you can tone it down with extra coconut milk or serve it with more rice to balance the heat.
- Fresh Herbs for Maximum Flavor: Always go for fresh Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves if you can. Dried versions won’t give you the same bold aroma and flavor.
- Cooking Vegetables Just Right: Add vegetables like eggplant halfway through cooking, so they turn tender without becoming mushy. For faster-cooking veggies like zucchini or snow peas, toss them in during the last few minutes to keep their texture.
- Protein Variations: While I’ve used chicken in this recipe, feel free to switch it up with shrimp, tofu, or a mix of vegetables, depending on your preference.
- Vegan-Friendly Adaptations: For a vegan option, replace the chicken with vegetables like zucchini, snow peas, or squash. You can also use a vegan fish sauce substitute to maintain the authentic Thai flavors.
- Make It Ahead: Thai Green Curry actually gets better after a day because the flavors deepen over time. If you’re prepping for an event, consider making it a day ahead and reheating it before serving.
Nutrition Info
Disclaimer
We're not nutrition experts, and the nutritional information provided is an estimate. Please use it as a guide. For precise details, it's best to consult a professional. To learn more, please view our Detailed Disclaimers.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy your Thai Green Curry with jasmine, white, or brown rice. You can also pair it with your favorite side dishes to make it a complete and satisfying meal.
Storage Suggestions
While Thai Green Curry is delicious fresh, it often tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to blend and develop. If you need to store it, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will stay good for up to 2 days. Reheat and enjoy an even richer taste!
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