I worked on my green curry recipe last week, and I think I've improved it a little bit. It's still not like it is when I order it at my favorite Thai restaurants like this one and this one, but I think it's getting closer. I just can't figure out how to get it thicker, silky-smooth and buttery. I have tried several recipes for it, and this one, started by my sister Susie and tweaked by me, seems closer to me than any other, but if you are a Thai enthusiast, please advise if you have improvements here!
Alicia's Revised Version of Susie's Green Curry Shrimp
1 lg shallot, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, julienned then diced (no ribbing)
2 tablepoons butter
1 lg clove of garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 eggplant (Japanese, if you can get it), cut into 1" pieces
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 14-oz cans coconut milk
1 8-oz can of bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks
1 cup frozen green peasSaute shallot, onion, and red pepper in butter until translucent. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add about a teaspoon of salt and enough pepper so that you can see it freckling the onion-y stuff. Add curry and stir to coat. Add sugar and fish sauce. Add broccoli florets and saute until almost tender. Add shrimp and eggplant and cook until shrimp turns pink. Add coconut milk and stir until combined. Don't boil, just simmer until shrimp are fully cooked (just a couple of minutes at most). Add peas and bamboo shoots and heat through. Serve over hot jasmine rice.
This makes a huge pot. I would say it's medium-hot, in terms of the curry — if you like it milder, just use 1 tablespoon. So good for fall, as the weather gets colder. Let me know what you think!
I love curry!
I'm thinking if you would cut your eggplant first, salt it, and let it set to "weep" if might help. When cooked, eggplant released alot of moisture. I usually salt mine and let it set an hour or so before cooking. Might reduce your moisture just enough to get your sauce just right.
The recipe sounds wonderful by the way!
I would also add a small amount of cornstarch to the coconut milk at the end.
I do a lot of stir-fry and I agree with Trying Traditional's comment - do what you need to do to eliminate excess moisture. I much prefer the flavor and texture of roasted (baked) eggplant to sauteed, but you may want to keep this as one-pan meal... I've also started sauteeing the ingredients in batches, grouping things that cook in the same amount of time together, and then removing them from the pan (to a big covered bowl) as they are done. Then if there's any liquid left you can reduce it, incorporate it into the sauce, or drain it away...
Mmmmmmm, sounds good!
You could make a slurry, from your existing stock and then add in tapioca flour or arrowroot which would thicken the sauce and not compromise any other textures you are wanting.
Hi Alicia,
What brand of coconut milk are you using? I prefer Chaokoh. It's creamier than most others.
There's also coconut cream, instead of coconut milk if you want it particularly creamy.
How long are you simmering the curry for? I usually simmer mine for 15 to 20 minutes and only add the shrimp near the end.
Try this:
Saute the onions first. When they've softened, move them to the side of the pan.
Add the curry paste in the center and dry-pan-fry it with the coconut cream off the top of the can. That means don't shake the can of coconut milk, but spoon off the thick cream on top and pan-fry it with the curry paste. When that's all mixed, then add the rest of the can of coconut milk and the veggies that you want simmered for 15 minutes.
When the curry is about at the thickness and creaminess that you like, then add the shrimp.
Hope that helps.
PS I saw you, Andy, and his mom at Powell's when I was in Portland last month. (Hi, Andy!) Well, I saw his mustache first and kept wondering why he looked familiar. I would have said, "Hi," but by the time I realized who you were, you all had left. So, "Hi," anyway! :)
It's all in the coconut cream I think - cream, not milk. Also I don't buy it at the supermarket. You have to go to an Asian grocery to get the best stuff! They tend to have different grades of coconut cream at different prices, experiment a bit I guess!
Yeah, what Cathy said about the cornstarch. That thickens it without making it have a weird texture. Also, you could maybe try adding some whole-milk yogurt at the end.
Looks delicious. My daughter's favorite Thai restaurant in Portland is on Mississippi - don't know the name of it.
I agree with Wandering Chopsticks - to get it rich and creamy like at the Thai restaurant you have to cook the coconut milk and curry for a while before adding any veggies or shrimp...it helps it thicken up and gives it a really intense flavor.
wow, that looks really delicious! will definitely have to give it a try.
This looks so yummy! Can you tell me if it's spicy?
A friend, who worked in a restaurant kitchen that has a wonderful curry that I love (The Globe in Tuscaloosa, AL; not a Thai rest., but mouth watering curry still) told me that the quality of the curry matters, and that it's hard to find high quality in home kitchen amounts. He also said that this restaurant used heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk. So I'm going to try the cream next time.
oh man, I'm making cookie-monster noises in my head (AHM NUMNUMNUM) just looking at this.
please post some to me! =)
yummm...thank you for sharing your recipe! i will have to try it :)
I 2nd the coconut cream - here in Canada it is not sold in a tin - it is actually solid and looks like lard - it is sold wrapped in wax paper in a box about the size of a tin of sardines (does that make sense?) You just cut off how much you need or throw it all in and it melts - I find it less sweet then coconut milk too. This is what we use for Caribbean curries.
That looks amazing! Shrimp is my favorite. You are reminding me that I should go get some :)
I add basil [preferably Thai] and lime zest. Yum! Yum!
hmmm, the way i thicken my latest curry per the recipe is to add a few tablespoons of flour to the mix when i add the curry spices, stir and fry for a bit then add the liquids. it really brings a nice silky smoothness to the curry.
I forgot to add that I use brown or palm sugar instead.
That looks wonderful!
My best friend in high school was half Indian, so I'm so used to the Indian curries that her mom used to make. But, I just had my first Thai curry the other day, and I think I have a new favorite food. This recipe is def. going on my "to try" list.
How about a little lemongrass,lime leaves and thai basil. Our favorite place always has little sprigs of thai basil thrown in. Yum! Thanks alot! Now I gotta have thai tonight!!! Also, if you are serving noodles,take a little of the starchy water and add it to thicken your sauce. With cornstarch, I'm sure you already know to make a little slurry of it with cold water first before adding it. Have fun!
I know what I'm making for Sunday dinner!
That looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.