Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Gaeng Keow Wan Gai)
By Middagsarkivet
- Easy
- 4 servings
Green curry arrived in Nordic kitchens by way of the supermarket: once cans of coconut milk and jars of curry paste landed on the shelf next to the pasta, the dish quietly became a Tuesday staple from Odense to Tromsø. It asks for one pan, it uses whatever vegetables are in the drawer, and it tastes nothing like anything else on the weekly rotation, which is most of the point.
The Nordic version is gentler than what you would eat in Bangkok. Families here usually cut the heat with extra coconut milk and skip the Thai eggplant and tiny pea eggplants entirely, leaning on broccoli and bell pepper instead. Green curry paste is sold in jars and small cans in most American supermarkets, often in the international aisle; if you can only find red, the curry still works, it just turns a different color and tends to run hotter.
Fish sauce is what makes it taste finished rather than merely creamy. If you do not keep a bottle, soy sauce stands in, and the result is a little darker and less briny.
How to make it
- 1
Start the rice
Put the rinsed jasmine rice and the water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat until the water is absorbed, then leave it covered off the heat until serving.
- 2
Fry the paste
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the green curry paste, garlic and ginger and fry, stirring, until the paste darkens slightly and smells strongly fragrant.
- 3
Add coconut milk
Pour in the coconut milk and stir until the paste is fully dissolved. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 4
Simmer the chicken
Add the chicken pieces and simmer gently, uncovered, until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Stir once or twice.
- 5
Add the vegetables
Stir in the broccoli florets and the sliced bell pepper and simmer until the broccoli is tender but still has bite.
- 6
Season
Season with the fish sauce, the sugar, the juice of one lime and the sliced chili if you want heat. Taste and add salt if it needs it; the paste and fish sauce are already salty, so go carefully.
- 7
Serve
Fluff the rice and divide it among four bowls. Spoon the curry over the top and finish with cilantro leaves, sliced scallion and lime wedges.
A couple of tips
Frying the curry paste in oil before the coconut milk goes in is the step that separates a curry from a soup. Give it the full two minutes.
Use full fat coconut milk. Light coconut milk splits and thins out, and the sauce never clings to the rice.
Taste the paste before you commit to three tablespoons. Brands vary wildly in heat, from mild to genuinely fierce.
What you need
- Wide skillet or Dutch oven
- An instant-read thermometer
Serving
Serve over jasmine rice with lime wedges on the side. A cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar and a little sugar cools things down if the paste turned out hot.
Storing it
Keeps 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on the stove; the broccoli softens on day two but the flavor improves. Store the rice separately.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 990 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 58 g |
| of which saturated | 40 g |
| Carbohydrates | 74 g |
| of which sugars | 7 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 42 g |
| Salt | 3 g |
Questions and answers
- Can you freeze Thai green curry with chicken?
- Yes, up to 3 months, though the coconut milk can separate slightly on thawing. Stir well while reheating and it comes back together; the broccoli will be soft either way.
- What can I use instead of green curry paste?
- Red curry paste works in the same amount and is easier to find, it just gives a redder, usually hotter curry. Avoid yellow curry powder, which tastes nothing like it.
- Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
- Yes, but cut it into slightly larger pieces and simmer only 6 to 7 minutes, to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), or it turns dry.
- What else can go in besides broccoli and bell pepper?
- Green beans, snow peas, zucchini, carrots or baby corn all work. Add the firmer ones a few minutes earlier than the soft ones.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. Cook the curry a day ahead and reheat it gently, adding the vegetables only at the reheat if you want them crisp.
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- $0.241
- 1 min 26 sec
- 5
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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