Homemade Thai Green Curry deserves respect when making it. Good thing it's actually very easy and just requires a little elbow grease.
INGREDIENTS:
Green Curry Paste:
2 teaspoons (4g) coriander seeds
1 teaspoon (2g) cumin seeds
1 teaspoon (3g) white peppercorn
3 serranos, thinly sliced
9 Thai chilies, thinly sliced
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, rough chopped
2-inch Galangal, finely chopped,
3 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
7 cloves garlic
4 springs cilantro stems
zest of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon (4g) dried Thai shrimp paste
Curry:
2 tablespoons (28g) oil
All of the green curry paste
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup (177ml) chicken stock
13.5oz (400ml) full fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce
1 tablespoon (17g) palm sugar
3 kaffir lime leaves
3/4 lb. (340g) chicken thigh, 1” cubes
1.5 cups (160g) snow peas
1/2 bunch Thai basil leaves
2 Thai eggplants, slice ½.”
juice of 1 lime
steamed rice, for serving
fried shallots, for garnish
Thai basil, for garnish
3 Serrano chilies, thinly sliced, for garnish
lime wedges, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
Green Curry Paste:
Pre-heat oven at 350F. Place coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and white peppercorn on a small baking dish; then put into the oven for 5 minutes or lightly toasted. Let them cool down completely.
In a large mortar and pestle, add spices, grind those until you get a powder, followed by your Thai chilies, and grind those into a paste. Next, add your serrano peppers, grind them down; then add your galangal and keep grinding. (Note.- use your grinder to press it along the wall as you gently twist your pestle.)
Add lemongrass and grind until pestified, about 3 minutes. Next, grind in your kefir lime till smooth, followed by coriander stem until soft, grind shallots until smooth, next grind garlic until smooth, the zest of one lime, and finally shrimp paste, blending all that.
Curry:
In a medium-size pot, add oil, heat that over medium heat until hot, then add all of your curry paste. Cook it down, often stirring until it is relatively dried out, about 3 to 4 minutes; then add garlic, let it cook for 25 seconds or until fragrant, add your chicken stock, and stir that to dissolve the curry paste.
Add palm sugar, fish sauce, stir until dissolved; then add coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, bring it to a light simmer, and reduce the heat to low. Blend with a hand blender until as smooth as you like.
Add in your chicken thigh, stir that, and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Add eggplant and simmer for four minutes or until soft, then follow that with snow peas, simmer them until softened to your liking; one or two minutes is usually enough.
Season it to taste with lime juice, additional fish sauce, and palm sugar if you feel like it needs it—steep two springs of Thai Basil in the hot curry to release some of that flavor.
Serve with white rice, garnish with fried shallots, freshly serrano chili, and fresh Thai basil leaves.
