This Thai Green Curry recipe is made with homemade Thai Green Curry paste that can be easily customized with your favorite veggies. Spicy hot and wonderfully saucy this Thai Green Curry is delicious to enjoy over rice for a satisfying plant-based meal.
Take the following chopped ingredients in a mixer-grinder jar or a small blender - thai red chilies, green chili, coriander leaves, soy sauce, shallots, galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and lemon zest.
Grind these ingredients to a semi-fine or fine paste without adding water.
If the mixture is too dry and not getting ground, then add a few tablespoons of water and grind the curry paste ingredients. You could also grind it with some coconut milk instead of soy sauce. I won't recommend grinding the paste in a mortar and pestle as its too much of hand work .
Grind to a semi-fine or fine paste. The curry paste made with this recipe is perfect for the this thai curry recipe.
Making thai green curry
In a pan, heat coconut oil or sesame oil. Gently heat the oil on a medium-low heat.
Add the green curry paste. Sauté the paste for 1 minute on low to medium-low heat.
Add all the chopped mix vegetables. You can add your choice of veggies.
Add 2 cups of water and mix well.
Cover and cook till the veggies are almost done. But don't overcook the veggies.
Add the thick coconut milk and mix it thoroughly.
Also add salt as required. Mix again very well.
Bring the entire curry to a gentle simmer on a low to medium-low heat. Lastly add some chopped Thai basil leaves. Stir to mix and switch off heat.
Serve the Thai Green Curry hot with steamed jasmine rice or basmati rice. While serving garnish the green curry with some chopped spring onion greens or Thai basil or a few sliced Thai red chillies.
Notes
Ingredients Swaps
Spices and Herbs: The taste and flavor of an authentic Thai Green Curry comes from using the special and unique Thai herbs and spices. If you cannot source these, there are some everyday herbs and spices that you can include, but the taste and flavor of the curry changes and is not quite like the traditionally made Thai red curry.
Galangal: you can add ginger instead
Kaffir lime leaves: add some more lemon zest or use regular lemon or lime leaves.
Thai chillies: swap with green chillies
Pearl onions or shallots: use small onions instead
For lemon grass: There is no substitute. But you can use lemon zest, but note that it will not have the same vibrant flavor as traditional lemon grass.
Cilantro: Instead of cilantro leaves, you can also blend or grind in some coriander roots (cilantro roots) or stems to add a bit of fresh flavor.
Thai Basil: You could swap Thai basil with the Italian basil. Even though both have different flavor profiles, but Italian basil can be used instead.
Vegetables: Add your favorite veggies. I like to include carrots, green beans, baby corn, bell pepper, cauliflower and potatoes. But feel free to use other veggies like broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, etc or the ones which you like.
Soy Sauce: Instead of soy sauce, you can use tamari or coconut aminos or Bragg's liquid aminos.
Recipe Notes
More Protein: Add some healthy plant based protein to the curry by including cubes or chunks of extra firm tofu.
Consistency: Adjust the consistency of the curry to your liking. I prefer slightly thin curries, so I add a bit more water. Use less and your curry will be thicker.
Liquids: Easily add homemade vegetable broth instead of water. For a thicker consistency add a bit of coconut milk.
Spiciness: If you like very spicy food, you can increase the heat by adding a few more chilies. For a slightly milder use only 1 small Thai green chili or 1 bird's eye chilli.
Scaling: You can double or triple only the green curry paste recipe to make a large batch of green curry paste. Store unused portions in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.