# Anyone with a Good Thai Green Curry Dish



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Hello....Wondering if anyone has a recipe for a good, authentic, Thai Green Curry Chicken dish? I love the flavor of spicy, hot, silky coconut smooth Thai curry.

Thank you in advance!!!

Paul :chef:


----------



## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

First thing to do is to empty a tin of coconut milk into a wok, or similar and cook on a steady heat till it seperates.
Add a couple of heaped tspns of green curry paste and cook till the fragrance is intense. You can make your own, but the tubs you can get at asian supermarkets are terrific. I'll get a recipe if you'd rather
Add chicken strips and cook for a while. Add ****** lime leaves. Or some grated lime zest and a bruised stick of lemon grass. 
I add a cup of water to loosen it but recipes dont say to.
Cover and simmer till cooked. 5 mins before serving I add small chuncks of aubergine (eggplant) and green beans.
Just before serving, Check seasoning and add fresh coriander (cilantro)

This is my bog-standard method. serve with sticky rice. Something I cant quite perfect according to instructions, so I just make sushi rice and it works fine.


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Bughut...Thank you! I didn't realize that coconut milk would actually seperate. Is it more a solid/liquid reduction of sorts?

That is the only part that kind of trips me up. 

Thank you again.
Paul


----------



## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Thats the way i do it now Paul, but you can just fry off the curry paste in a wee bit of oil and add the coconut milk after the chicken.

Its the fat that actually separates. so you are actually sort of frying the curry paste in it


----------



## oahuamateurchef (Nov 23, 2006)

Which place makes your favorite green curry now?

I really like the green curry at the Thai place in the Pearl Highlands food court. If only they'd serve something other than chicken. I'm willing to bet 99% of all Thai places here use canned curry paste and canned coconut milk in their recipe. Making curry paste from scratch isn't all that hard, but the stuff in the can really does taste excellent as is.


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Well I am military and within 2 months of arriving on island I was off to Iraq. Still there but while on mid-deployment leave my wfie and I went to Hawaii and "discovered" Thai Thai Restaurant in Hilo. Absolutely LOVE the food there and their Green Curry bowl was one of the best tasting curry dishes I have ever had :bounce:...in fact we ate there all 3 nights we were there visiting the volcano! Other than Pearl Highlands where do you recommend on Oahu?

Paul


----------



## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

I haven't tried using the green curry paste yet; I've hardly cooked anything Thai. As a simple but tasty dish, I buy cans of green curry sauce (which include ****** lime leaf and coconut milk) and, at the same Asian grocer, frozen packages of assorted seafood--shrimp, squid, octopus, oysters and other things. I heat the green curry sauce, simmer the seafood in it for about 15 minutes, then serve it over "sushi rice". It's good.


----------



## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

The splitting of the coconut milk is the sign that it's cooked properly...although it looks like it has gone wrong, this is how it is meant to be. 

If you can get your hands on any fresh Thai basil, tear it roughly and add it when serving.Yum! But be careful, it is much stronger than "normal" basil, so start with a little, add more if you like it stronger.


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Thanks for the recommendation....but I have to be honest, as my skill in the kitchen has increased I have found using "canned anything" as a turn-off. I don't want to sound snobbish, but if I can make it myself I am willing to spend the extra time (and in some cases the extra money) to do so, I will. Over the past 30+ years of cooking I have found that there are very very few ingredients that I cannot find or concoction that I cannot create to justify buying a "readi-mix". Though I do understand speed and convenience at certain times.


----------



## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

Just curious, do you make your own coconut milk and green curry paste?


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Point taken, though now living where I do it is not in the realm of the impossible to make my own coconut milk....or at least try to do so. There is a certain level of satisfaction in doing things from scratch first, at least to see if one can do it.

Thanks all for the recommendations!

Paul


----------



## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

You should try making your own coconut milk and green curry paste, not all that difficult and amazingly fresher taste. Worth the effort in my opinion.


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Chef Layne....awesome idea. Frankly I never really thought of concocting my own coconut milk. Thus another experience to try! 

How do you do yours?

Thanks again!


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Hold on to your shorts for this one !!!!

To make the classic Thai Green Curry Paste this is your basic recipe , you can go to any Hindu Market or store or Chinese for that matter and buy these products. *This is your authentic Thai Green Curry Paste* which you will need for the following recipe. So make this paste ahead of time.

15 large fresh green hot chilies
3 shallots, sliced
9 cloves garlic ( I like 12 )
1 1/2 tsp finely sliced fresh galangal
2 tbsp sliced fresh lemon grass
9 tsp finely sliced ****** lime rind
1 tsp chopped coriander root
5 white peppercorns
1 tbsp roasted coriander seeds*
2 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp shrimp paste
Preparation
Combine coriander seeds, cumin and peppercorn in a mortar, pound well. Transfer to a bowl and put aside.
Pound hot chilies and salt together well. Add the remaining ingredients except shrimp paste, pound until mixed well.
Add the cumin mixture and shrimp paste, continue pounding until smooth and fine. Refrigerate.
*NEXT : My Thai Special
400 grams beef (a little less then 1lb.)
3 tbsp green curry paste (see green curry paste recipe)
2 1/2 cups coconut milk (1 1/2 cans Chaokoh brand coconut milk or squeezed out from 400 grams grated fresh coconut)
5 small fresh Thai eggplants (or small regular), quartered
2-3 fresh red spur chilies, sliced diagonally
2 ****** lime leaves, torn
1/4 cup sweet basil leaf
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp palm sugar
1 tbsp cooking oil (not olive oil)
Sweet basil leaves and red chili slices for garnish
Preparation
Slice the beef into thin pieces, about about 1/3" (3 cm) thick.
Saute the green curry paste in oil over medium heat until fragrant, reduce the heat, gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the coconut milk a little at a time, stir until a film of green oil surfaces.
Add the beef and ****** lime leaves, continue cooking for 3 minutes until fragrant and the beef is cooked through. Transfer to a pot, place over medium heat and cook until boiling. Add the remaining coconut milk, season with palm sugar and fish sauce. When the mixture returns to the boil add the eggplants. Cook until the eggplants are done, sprinkle sweet basil leaves and red chilies over, then turn off the heat.
Arrange on a serving dish and garnish with sweet basil leaves and red chilies before serving
This dish is terrific with Jasmine rice or Basmati. Make a Raita as well as it takes the heat of the tongue....but then again you must love heat if you like these dishes.

I hope you give this a try, it looks complicated but it really is not. You will not forget it.

Petals
*


----------



## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

Well Petals . . . about time you showed up with that recipe


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

I was waiting then finally I couldn't take it anymore....hahah

I am crazy about Raita, this dish is great with carrot pickle and a long tall cold glass of Mango Lassi.


Petals


----------



## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

What cut of beef do you use?


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Nothing fancy, stewing beef, it falls apart when cooked very slow ...


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Petals...oh dang, now I am seriously hungry and ready to get back to the kitchen. This is now my first dish I am going to make when I get home. 

Is the beef cut cross grain? What cut do you recommend?

Thanks Petals! Paul


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

I hope you give this recipe a whirl, you will be all the more richer for the time and effort to make it and then, la piece de resistance, to eat it !

Well , the Short Plate is best used for stew meat, its rich with a beefy flavor.

Then you have the Foreshank, its an excellent stewing meat.

Take the time to know your butcher, if you don't, "chat him up". Ask "His" opinion on a good piece of stewing beef. More than likely he will give you a good deal. And do not be afraid to ask for a sale and to see the meat, never buy sight unseen.

This is my humble opinion , 

*Petals*


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

Yup...in a prior life I was a butcher (about 23 years ago). I am assuming that a richer texture is desired, thus maybe some marbled chuck would be best? Short Plate in my experience can be hit or miss with the ajoining cuts and depending on the butcher can be stringy if one doesn't have an eye out for what is being "lumped" into the tray or "paper". 

Though if the intent is to have less fat, plate cuts are better....THANKS Petals!

Appreciate your expertise

Paul


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

ACK...one last question Petals.

I am assuming you can use Chicken as well right?

Your recipe, how many servings? 2-4?

 Cheers!


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Absolutely, nothing wrong with chicken, and it serves 2-4 as you noted. I am glad to know a butcher now, thanks for sharing that.

Petals


----------



## buellride (Sep 2, 2009)

I hope I can live up to expectations!!

Cheers


----------

