This easy green Thai curry dish will shock you how much flavor you can get out of a can of curry paste and a few aromatics. I regularly keep my pantry stocked with a few staple Asian ingredients and I often make this with whatever I have in the fridge.
This recipe will use left over pork from my Seriously Easy Overnight Pulled Pork Recipe but feel free to use any protein you have around the house.
Ingredients for Green Thai Curry
For the vegetables you can use anything that you like. I like to use bok choy you can get it as a large head or as baby bok choy. It's a type of Chinese cabbage you can find in any Asian market that gets super creamy and tender when cooked down. In this recipe we will also include mushrooms and baby bell peppers but they're not necessary to the dish.
The other ingredients you'll need from the Asian grocery store are kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, and green thai curry paste. The leaves you can usually find in the frozen section I always keep some in my freezer. Lemongrass is exactly what it sounds like it's the stalk of a grass plant with a lemony aroma.
You prepare lemongrass by cutting off the bottom root end and removing the tough outer leaves. I smash it with the side of my knife before chopping to release more aroma. Try to slice it as thin as possible or you may feel a fibrous texture in the final dish.
For the green thai curry paste you should be able to find the Maesri brand. It's a high quality paste that comes in small 8oz cans or large pint containers. If you can handle spicy food use a whole can, if you like it milder only use half.
How to Make it
First heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add oil and sear the mushrooms until they are golden brown.
Next add your aromatics, the lemongrass, ginger, garlic and lime leaf as well as the curry paste.
You only want to sauté these for 30 seconds or less to avoid burning them. Once you smell them become very fragrant you can go ahead and add in the coconut milk, chicken stock, and fish sauce.
Bring this to a boil over high heat and then reduce to a slow simmer. Add the fish sauce as well. Next add the baby bok choy.
Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes or until the bok choy is tender. This is where I add the puled pork. If you're using a raw protein like chicken or something else you can add it at this point as well.
While that is cooking broil the peppers. Simply preheat the oven to broil over high. Coat the peppers with a little oil and salt and pepper. Broil for up to 8 minutes or until they are heavily charred and softened.
Add the peppers to the broth.
At this point you can adjust the seasoning and add lime juice. If you're only using half of the curry paste you may need salt at this point. If you're using the whole can it should be seasoned very well.
Serve with Thai basil and white rice or Som Tum Green Papaya Salad
Easy Green Thai Curry
Equipment
- Large Sautee Pan
- Sheet tray (if using peppers)
Ingredients
- 2 ea coconut milk cans
- 1 ea lime plus another for serving
- 1/4 lb oyster mushrooms
- 2 cup baby bell peppers
- 1 lb pulled pork or other protien
- 2 tbs oil plus 1tsp for peppers
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock or water
- 1 ea bunch Thai basil
Aromatics
- 2 tbs ginger peeled and minced or grated
- 1 tbs garlic minced
- 8 ea lime leaf
- 1 ea lemongrass stalk tough outer leaves removed, then minced
- 8 oz maesri green curry paste This is very spicy only use half if you don't like spicy foods
Instructions
Making the Curry
- Gather all of your ingredients before you begin. Mince the ginger, garlic, and lemongrass.
- Heat a pan over high heat. Add oil and sear the mushrooms until golden brown.
- Next add the aromatics the ginger, garlic, lime leaf, lemongrass and curry paste. Sautee for thirty seconds or until it smells very fragrant. Be careful not to burn.
- Next add all of the liquids, the coconut milk, chicken stock, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Add the baby bok choy as well as your protien and cook for 10 minutes until cooked through.
Broiled Peppers
- Preheat the oven to broil on high.
- Season with salt and pepper and 1 tsp oil.
- Broil for 8 minutes or until the peppers are charred and softened. Add to the curry.
- Serve finished curry with white rice, fresh limes, and Thai basil.
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