12 April 2024

Thai green curry

For many of us in the West, says Felicity Cloake in The Guardian, green curry was our “first taste of Thai cuisine”. It’s not as complicated as you might think to make it from scratch. Ahead of Songkran, the Thai New Year, on 13 April, this fresh and fiery modern take is a “wake-up call to the palate”.

Ingredients (serves 2)
For the curry paste:
20 green bird’s eye chillies
1 tbsp chopped galangal
1 tsp chopped red turmeric
4 lemongrass stalks
1 tsp fresh makrut lime zest, or 2 fresh makrut lime leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander root, or 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
4 small Asian or red shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp kapi (Thai shrimp paste), or dark miso for vegans
Salt and ground white pepper
Vegetable oil (optional)

For the curry:
200g chicken, seafood, pork, beef or tofu
100g pea aubergines, or chopped purple aubergine
5 tbsp coconut cream, or the bit scooped from the top of a tin of milk
1 tsp fish sauce, or vegetarian alternative
½ tsp palm sugar (optional)
180ml chicken or vegetable stock, or coconut milk (see step 6)
Jasmine rice, to serve
1 fresh makrut lime leaf, shredded, to finish

Method
1. Trim the chillies – leave in all the seeds and their membranes if you’re a fan of heat, or remove some or all of them if you’re warier of it. Roughly chop, then pound to a rough paste using a pestle and mortar. 
2. Roughly chop the vivid orange fresh turmeric root and the galangal – a pale, peppery root that looks a little bit like ginger and is sold in specialist east Asian stores and some large supermarkets. Add both to the chillies and pound again.
3. Remove the papery outer husks of the lemongrass stalks, then roughly chop the softer core. Zest the makrut lime, if you’ve managed to find one, or roughly chop the leaves, which are now sold in most big supermarkets. Add both to the mortar with the coriander root or stems, and pound again.
4. Add the chopped shallots and garlic to the mix, stir in the shrimp paste (vegetarians could substitute a dark miso, or more vegetarian fish sauce) and a good pinch each of salt and ground white pepper, then pound everything to a smoothish paste. If need be, add a teaspoon or two of oil to bring it all together.
5. Prepare the other ingredients – quick-cooking cuts such as boneless, skinless chicken, steak, prawns, pork fillet or firm tofu will all work well – and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Pea aubergines should be used whole, and larger aubergines in chunks. (You could also add other vegetables such as tinned bamboo shoots etc.)
6. Put the coconut cream and curry paste in a medium pan on a medium-high heat and fry until the cream splits and the oil begins to bead on top. Add the fish sauce and sugar, if using, then stir in the stock or coconut milk – use stock for a hotter curry, and coconut milk for a milder, sweeter one. Bring to a simmer, add your chosen protein and vegetables, then cover and turn down the heat.
7. Gently simmer the curry for about 10 minutes, or until the protein and vegetables are cooked through, then taste and add more fish sauce, palm sugar, etc to suit your palate. This curry should be fairly soupy, so if need be thin it out with a little water. Stir in the remaining shredded lime leaf and serve with jasmine rice.

While most Brits wash down their Thai food with beer, certain wines make excellent pairings, says Fiona Beckett, also in The Guardian. The main consideration is the level of heat in the dish: a crisp white or rosé generally go well with milder dishes like the above, but hotter food works better with sweeter, more aromatic whites. Red is generally a no-go. Here are three of the best to try:

Tukituki Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022, £8.50, Asda, 12% 
Crisp and fresh, this classic punchy Kiwi sauvignon would be spot on with a green curry or mild salad.

Zelna Olaszrizling 2022, £10.95, The Wine Society, 13% 
This “pretty, light, fragrant” Hungarian white with a touch of white peach is perfect for fish-based Thai dishes.

Steve Bird The Whanau Reserve Pinot Gris 2023, £14.99, Majestic, 14.5%
For hotter curries, try this pinot gris – it’s aromatic, with a touch of sweetness.

Elsewhere on The Knowledge Premium:

🐑 Slow-roasted lamb
🌙 The moon | 🇷🇺 Music | 👟 Rishi Sunak
🚂 Patricia Highsmith’s “exceptionally accomplished” debut