Thai green curry is a rich creamy, delicious and flavourful curry. It is quite similar to our Indian vegetable kurma, but made with Thai based ingredients. The star ingredient of this curry is Thai green curry paste, which is made from fresh spices and herbs like lemon grass, kaffir lime, galangal, green chillies, ginger, garlic and other mix of flavourful aromatics.
Thai Veg Green Curry
I love Thai foods, they are so flavourful and has a complete different taste and aroma than our foods. I do make them quite often. The one thing that puts me off is the availablity of Thai ingredients in my place.
I couldn't get my hands on those beautiful galangal, lemon grass and stuffs like that. So when i want to create a Thai recipe, either have to purchase them online or modify the recipe according to the available ingredients. Also check my Thai Red Curry Recipe.
About Thai Green Curry
Thai veg green curry is a delicious curry made with colorful vegetables, coconut milk and green curry paste. Traditionally, Thai green curry paste includes shrimp paste and fish sauce for rich umami flavour. But if you want to make it vegetarian, prepare a homemade curry paste with soy sauce for the umami flavour.
Making the curry paste from scratch means you have control over the spices and flavours. You can make a bulk batch of green curry paste and bottle the sauce, use it whenever you need it to make rice, noodles, stir fries and soup.
The curry is super easy to make, and a perfect recipe that you can customize with your favourite vegetables. Whether for lunch or dinner, you can serve this flavourful curry with jasmine rice, rice noodles, basmati rice or even with chapati, naan.
Similar Thai Recipes,
Thai Red Vegetable & Tofu Curry
One of the best things about this recipe is that it is so simple and easy to make, especially if you have store bought Thai green paste on hand. With this, you can make this flavourful curry in less than 30 minutes. It is a perfect recipe for lunch, dinner or for weekend gatherings.
For this recipe, I have used store bought Thai green curry paste, instead of making it from scratch. Some traditional ingredients like galangal, kaffir lime, and lemon grass are quite tricky to find in my area. Using store bought paste makes the process quicker, easier and still tastes absolutely delicious ! When you want something comforting and tasty, but don't have a lot of time, then this is your go-to recipe.
Ingredients
Oil : Oil is used to saute the vegetables and use any neutral oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil
Thai green curry paste : This is the main ingredient that adds the authentic Thai flavour to the curry. This paste is a mix of herbs like green chilli, lemon grass, kaffir lime, ginger and garlic. I have used store bought curry paste.
Coconut milk : This makes a creamy base that balances the spice from the curry paste and gives a smooth texture.
Vegetables : Added vegetables like carrot, brinjal, beans, bell pepper and broccoli. These add a pop of color, nutrition and flavour to the curry.
Green chilli : If you want to make the curry extra spicy, add some green chillies or omit it.
Tomato : Tomato is added for mild tanginess and it forms the base of the curry.
Water : Water added to adjust the consistency of curry.
Salt : Salt is added for the taste and enhances the overall flavour.
Sugar : A pinch of sugar is added for seasoning and it creates a balanced sweet, spicy and tangy taste.
Green Curry Paste
Now lets talk about this curry. You can use homemade or store bought. For making homemade green curry paste. You need green chillies, shallots, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, lemon grass, kaffir lime, galangal, lemon juice, whole spices and soy sauce.
Homemade green curry paste : Grind all the ingredients given under the Thai green curry paste in a blender till smooth. In a pan, add oil, transfer the curry paste and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and for seasoning add fish sauce, shrimp paste or chicken stock cubes. You can also add vegetable stock to make it vegan.
Storing : Cool the cooked curry paste and store it in a bottle. It will stay good in the refrigerator for a week. Use it to make thai veg green curry, thai soup and thai noodles.
These are some of the Thai inspired recipes on my blog
Thai green pumpkin curry : This is a simple and flavourful pumpkin curry made with Thai green curry paste and coconut milk. It pairs perfectly with jasmine rice, basmati rice or with plain white rice.
Red curry chicken roast : This is a delicious baked chicken dish made with chicken and homemade Thai red curry paste. Serve this spicy chicken roast with mayonnaise, green chutney or tomato sauce.
Basil chicken : Thai basil chicken also known as Pad krapow gai. It is a popular Thai street style chicken stir fry dish made with Thai basil, minced chicken, hoisin sauce, Thai bird eye chillies, soy sauce, shallots and garlic. Serve this basil chicken with jasmine rice, basmati rice or with fried egg and salads for a comforting and satisfying meal.
Step by Step Pictures
1)I am making vegetarian Thai green curry. So I am using bunch of vegetables. You can use chicken or use sea food like prawns. I am using carrots, green beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, brinjal, broccoli, chillies.
2)Chop the vegetables to your preferred size.
3)Heat coconut oil in a pan.
4)Add in the vegetables.
5)Stir fry the vegetables separately for added flavour. I like to cook them for 5 to 7 minutes until it gets slightly tender and little colour.
6)Now the vegetables are slightly cooked.
7)Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
8)Now you can use store bought green curry paste or make your own. Recipe is given in the recipe card.
9)Add good amount of green curry paste in the pan.
10)Add in 1 cup of the coconut milk. You can use ½ can of coconut milk if using canned.
11)Mix it really well. We are going to cook the green curry paste in the coconut milk.
12)As you can see, the oil from the coconut milk will start to come out. Let the green curry paste cook in this for maximum flavour. You have to cook the green curry paste until you see oil floating on top.
13)Now add in the vegetables.
14)Toss the vegetables with the green curry paste.
15)Now pour in remaining coconut milk to form the sauce.
15)Season with salt and sugar.
16)Now cook on low heat until the vegetables is cooked completely.
17)Just couple minutes before add in cubed tomatoes.
18)Simmer for couple of minutes so the tomatoes soften just a tad bit.
19)Mix well. Thats it green curry is ready.
20)Serve.
21)Cook some jasmine rice and serve hot green curry over rice.
22)This taste amazing hot with rice.
Expert Tips
- To make a fresh and amazing flavourful curry, source Thai ingredients like lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime.
- You can make the curry with paneer, tofu or with meat.
- To get the authentic Thai umami flavours, add fish sauce or shrimp paste while cooking green curry paste.
- Add chicken or vegetable stock for more flavour.
- Use full fat coconut milk for rich, smooth and creamy curry.
- The vegetables should be cooked till soft and slightly crunchy, don't overcook them.
Storage & Serving
Store the homemade green curry paste in an airtight container or glass jar. It lasts up to a week in the refrigerator.
The leftover curry can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Reheat them gently over medium heat by adding a splash of water or coconut milk or reheat using a microwave oven.
Serve this Thai green curry with jasmine rice, basmati rice, hot steamed plain rice or even with noodles.
FAQ
Q. Can I use the green curry paste for other recipes ?
Definitely, the green curry paste is a versatile ingredient that can be used to make stir fries, soups, noodles and for marination.
Q. Is it very spicy ?
It totally depends upon how much green curry paste you add. If it is too spicy, add more coconut milk to balance the spice.
Q. What vegetables work for this recipe ?
You can add any flavourful and seasonal vegetables of your choice like mushroom, zucchini, pumpkin, eggplant, potato, cauliflower, bell pepper and many more.
Q. Can I add canned coconut milk ?
Canned coconut milk can be used instead of fresh coconut milk. Use full fat coconut milk and shake the cane well before using as the cream often separates from the liquid.
📖 Recipe Card
Thai Green Curry Recipe (Vegetarian Green Curry)
Equipment
- cooking pan
Ingredients
For Stir Frying Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 1 medium Carrot cubed
- 2 no Green Beans chopped
- ¼ no Bell Pepper cubed
- 1 cup Broccoli cut into florets
- 1 medium Brinjal or Eggplant cubed
- ½ cup Thai Eggplant optional
- 2 no Green Chilli slit
For Thai Green Curry
- ¼ cup Thai Green Curry Paste i used store bought
- 1+1 cup Coconut Milk use 1 can coconut milk
- 1 cup Water or as needed
- 1 small Tomato cubed
- 1 teaspoon Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Sugar or to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add in all veggies and toss well for 5 to 7 mins till the veggies are half cooked and got little color. Remove them to a bowl.
- Now in the same pot, add in green curry paste. Pour in 1 cup of coconut milk. cook this till oil separates from this. or till the base darkened and oil separates from this.
- Add in the veggies and stir that in the curry. Now add in remaining coconut milk and water if needed and mix well. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Bring to a simmer and mix well. Cook till veggies are done.
- Now add in the tomatoes and simmer for further 2 mins. Turn off heat and serve hot with rice.
Nutrition
If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @aarthi198689@gmail.com and I'll help as soon as I can.
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Vijaya
I am silent reader and never comment now i really love it ,I have been thinking about cooking Thai food for so long and
now i will do it after seeing This post .I just have one Query is this
Thai curry Paste is spicy ?how does it taste? does it taste like our indian curry ? Go green keep posting Vegetarian dishes. Love your Blog and Ideas !!!! 🙂
Aarthi
@Vijayait is similar to indian curry but it has lots of unique flavours in it
Betty Johnson
This curry looks really good. I've been wanting to branch out with my cooking lately, so maybe I'll try making this. Is it hard to find green curry paste? I might have to take my husband out to a few thai restaurants first and make sure that he likes that food. http://www.laperlerestaurant.ca/en/