Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan)
Coconut, green chile paste, Thai basil and chicken.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
The single biggest move with any Thai curry is cracking the coconut milk - that 3-minute step where the fat splits out and you fry the paste in it. Skip it and the curry tastes flat; nail it and you get the deep restaurant flavor at home.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 1¼ lbboneless skinless chicken thighssliced into bite-sized strips
- 3 tbspgreen curry paste
- 1 canfull-fat coconut milk
- 1 cupthai eggplant or japanese eggplantquartered (Thai) or half-mooned (Japanese)
- ¾ cupbamboo shootsdrained and rinsed
- 4kaffir lime leavestorn in half, central stem removed
- 1½ tbspfish sauce
- 1 tbsppalm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2thai bird chilessliced (optional, for serving)
- 1 cupthai basilleaves only
- 3garlic clovesminced
- 1 tbspneutral oil
- 1½ cupsjasmine ricerinsed
- ½ tspkosher salt
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 520calories
- 30gprotein
- 38gcarbs
- 28gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Slice the chicken into bite-sized strips.
- Quarter the Thai eggplant (or half-moon a Japanese one).
- Drain and rinse bamboo shoots. Tear kaffir lime leaves.
- Mince garlic. Pick Thai basil leaves from stems.
- Start rice in a covered pot or rice cooker per package directions.
Crack the coconut milk
Scoop the thick top layer of coconut milk into the saucepan over medium heat (about 1/3 cup). Cook 3-4 minutes until it splits and you see clear oil rising - this is the flavor base.
4 min · hands onFry the paste
Add green curry paste and garlic. Fry in the coconut oil 2 minutes, stirring constantly - you want it dry, fragrant, and a shade darker. This is the step most people skip; don't.
2 min · hands onBuild the curry
Add the chicken and stir to coat in the paste, 2 minutes. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and 1/2 cup water. Add eggplant, bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer.
3 min · hands onSimmer
Simmer uncovered 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and eggplant is just tender - it should still hold its shape, not collapse.
10 min · hands offFinish and serve
Off heat, stir in thai basil leaves and salt to taste. Ladle over jasmine rice. Top with sliced Thai chiles for anyone who wants it hotter.
2 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Slice thin against the grain; simmer 6 min instead of 10 to avoid drying. Saves about 3 minutes.
Press 10 min, cube, add at the same time as eggplant; no sear needed. Saves about 2 minutes.
Add peeled shrimp in the last 3 min - they go from raw to overcooked fast. Saves about 5 minutes.
Saute riced cauliflower 4 min in sesame oil while curry simmers.
What keeps
Curry holds 4 days; flavor deepens overnight. Cook rice fresh per serving - leftover rice gets gummy under hot curry.
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