Thai recipes: Green curry with chicken
Green curry is a Central Thai recipe and widely used in the Thai cuisine. The name is derived from the color of the dish, which comes from green chillies. The curry is normally sharper than the milder red curries. The ingredients – especially the vegetables – are not necessarily fixed in advance.
The Thai curry or kaeng (pronounced 'gkeng') is actually a collective name for dishes made with Thai curry paste, coconut milk, meat, fish and/or vegetables and herbs. A curry dish gets its essence in the first place from the curry paste (kreung kaeng). It is red, yellow or green. Traditionally, these three types (colors) of curry only differ in one ingredient: the type of chili pepper they contain.
- Red curry (kaeng phed, pronounced 'gkeng p-hed' or 'spicy curry') contains red chillies; there are sometimes twenty pieces in the curry paste.
- Green curry (kaeng khiao wan, pronounced 'gkeng ki-jo waan' or 'sweet green curry') contains green chillies.
- Yellow curry (kaeng kari, pronounced 'gkeng gka-die') is, indeed, made from yellow chillies.
In addition to chili peppers, the curry pastes all contain the following seasonings and spices: lemongrass, shallot, galangal (also called Thai ginger or galangal), garlic, coriander seed, cumin seed, white pepper, fish sauce, shrimp paste, sugar and lime juice.
Apart from one protein-rich ingredient – traditionally fish, meat, or fish balls – the other ingredients of the dish consist of coconut milk, green curry paste, palm sugar and fish sauce. Thai eggplant (eggplant), eggplant peas, or other vegetables and even fruits are often included.
The consistency of the sauce varies with the amount of coconut milk. The spice of the curry paste consists of green chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, lime zest, coriander root, red turmeric, roasted coriander, roasted cumin seeds, white peppercorns, shrimp paste and salt.
Green curry is usually eaten with jasmine rice or with rice noodles known as "khanom jin".
Recipes:
- Main dish.
- Ready within 30 minutes.
- Recipe for 4 people.
Ingredients:
- Chicken fillet: 500 grams
- Corn Cobs Young: 125 grams
- White Aubergine (egg plant): 125 grams
- Coconut milk: 500 ml (more = less spicy)
- Rice bran oil: 2 tablespoons
- Green Curry Spice Paste: 2-3 tablespoons (more = spicier)
- Fish sauce: 2 tbsp
- Palm sugar: 2 tablespoons
- Long red chili, (Thai) basil and lemon leaves (optional)
- Jasmine rice
Preparation method:
- Heat oil in a wok or frying pan using a high temperature. When the oil is up to temperature, add the green curry spice paste.
- Stir-fry for a short time and then add all the chicken. Heat the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes and then add the aubergine (egg plant) and corn cobs.
- Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes and then add all the coconut milk. Immediately lower the temperature of the cooker and add the fish sauce and palm sugar.
- Keep stirring and taste the curry soup. If saltier, add extra fish sauce and consider using extra palm sugar if sweeter. If the curry is too spicy, add extra coconut milk and taste the result.
- Let it simmer until everything is cooked. Optionally add long red chili, (Thai) basil and lemon leaves and stir well.
Serve it in bowls with steamed jasmine rice (pandan rice) on a plate.
Kaeng (เเกง) is not a collective name for curries, but a collective name for many other soups, or stewed dishes. For example, the kaeng jeut (a light, non-spicy vegetable soup with waxy meat, fish or tufu), kaeng som, prik kaeng, etc.
And then you can also ask for clear soup called sǎi or thick soup (usually with coconut milk) called khôn.
Dear Tino, this is about curries and not about soup. Actually, only with a tom yam (soup) can you choose nam sai or nam khon (the first clear version was labeled as Thai cultural heritage by an expert Thai food panel about 16 years ago). Making a tom-yam nam khon is also not done with coconut milk but with unsweetened 'condensed milk' (white-red can, brand Carnation, also available at the better shops in the Netherlands).
Kaeng can indeed be translated as curry, although it should be noted that curries do not only exist in liquid form, but also in dry (stir-fry) form.
Always nice to see recipes.
If you can get it (good stores do have it), the small aubergines and pea aubergines are almost necessary! It is also delicious to add 4 small (red) shallots finely chopped and mushrooms.
A tasty addition (not common) to the green curry is a lemongrass stalk cut into large oblique pieces, which you can heat while stir-frying. Remove later for convenience with eating.
And because it was Thai class again today, below all ingredients also in Thai + the pronunciation.
coconut milk/cream น้ำกะทิ. (name kà-thí)
large red pepper พริกชี้ฟ้า. (phrík chíe-fáa)
aubergines small round (8) มะเขือ (เปราะ) (cut into quarters) má-khǔah prò
pea eggplants มะเขือพวง (má-khǔah phoewang)
{lemongrass stem ตะไคร้. (tà-khrái)}
garlic กระเทียม. (krà-thiejem)
shallots (red) หอมแดง (hŏhm dae:ng)
kaffir leaves (3) (ใบ)-มะกรูด ((bai) má-kròe:t)
chicken feet น่องไก่ (nôhng kài)
mushrooms (mushrooms or chinese mushroom) เห็ด (hŏm) or เห็ดหอม (hŏm) .
Dear Ronald Schütte,
I discussed this with my wife (she is a chef).
She had to say that chicken leg is personal and prefers to use file.
Two, you don't need the garlic, it's already in the curry.
Three mushrooms or Chinese mushrooms are not necessary (also personal).
Nice recipe but of course everyone has their own taste.
Yours faithfully,
Erwin
correct, they were possible additions. also from a Thai chef.! Everything is very personal indeed.
มะเขือ(เปราะ) (má-khǔah prò) (was dropped)
Good recipe. But we are dealing with a Thai recipe, ie Kati in it and that is squeezed coconut meat in a cloth. Not necessarily 500ml from a can. Good chefs are severely punished for this.
Kati (Santen in Indonesia) is widely used in Thai food. So much that it threatens to come out of your ears.
This is completely different in the border areas. They live from what nature offers. Kati kidney is used for this.