Green Curry (Store-Bought Paste)

Name: Green Curry (Store-Bought Paste)
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 2–3
Ingredients: Boneless chicken thigh 1 (about 250 g); Eggplant 2 stalks; Green bell pepper (piman) 1; Boiled bamboo shoots 100g; Basil (fresh) About 10 leaves; Green curry paste 1 pack (about 50 g); Coconut milk 1 can (400 ml); Fish sauce (nam pla) 2 tsp; Vegetable oil 1 tbsp; Sugar 2 tsp; Water 100ml; Rice (cooked, warm) As much as you will eat

Serves 2–3 · About 30 min
A Thai curry: chicken and eggplant simmered with store-bought green curry paste and coconut milk. Spicy, with sweetness from the coconut. How spicy the paste is depends on the brand, so start with a little.

① Cut the ingredients→② Stir-fry the paste→③ Stir-fry the chicken→④ Simmer in coconut milk→⑤ Adjust the flavor

What to buy

Meat

Boneless chicken thigh1 (about 250 g)

Vegetables

Eggplant2 stalksGreen bell pepper (piman)1Boiled bamboo shootsOptional100gBasil (fresh)OptionalAbout 10 leaves

Canned goods & seasonings (international foods)

Green curry pasteSome are very spicy. Start with half1 pack (about 50 g)Coconut milk1 can (400 ml)Fish sauce (nam pla)If you do not have it, use 1/3 tsp salt2 tsp

Check what you already have

Vegetable oil1 tbspSugar2 tspWater100mlRice (cooked, warm)As much as you will eat

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How to make it

Cut the ingredients

About 8 min

Cut off the yellow fat sticking out of the chicken, and cut into bite-size pieces about 3 cm
Cut the stem off the eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, then cut on the diagonal 1.5 cm wide
Slice the bamboo shoots 5 mm thick. Take the seeds and stem out of the green pepper and cut lengthwise 1 cm wide
Pick just the leaves off the basil

How to tell it's doneThe chicken is cut to about the same size and set apart from the vegetables.

Be carefulWhen using a knife, curl the fingertips of the hand holding the food inward (cat's paw).

Be carefulWash your hands, knife and cutting board with dish soap after touching raw meat, before cutting vegetables.

Stir-fry the paste

Medium-low heatAbout 1 min

Put 1 tbsp vegetable oil and half of the green curry paste in a pot and put over medium-low heat
Stir-fry 1 minute, mashing with a spatula
If you like it spicy, add the rest of the paste now (you can also add it later)

How to tell it's doneThe paste bubbles and gives off a strong smell.

Be carefulStir-frying the paste can make spicy steam that makes you cough. Turn on the kitchen fan and keep your face away from the pot.

Be carefulDo not rub your eyes with hands that touched the paste.

Stir-fry the chicken

Medium heatAbout 3 min

Turn to medium heat, add the chicken, and stir-fry, coating it with the paste

How to tell it's doneThe outside of all the chicken has turned whitish (the inside can still be raw. It cooks through when you simmer it in step 4).

Simmer in coconut milk

Medium → Medium-low heatAbout 12 min

Shake the can of coconut milk well, open it, and add all of it and 100 ml water. Mix
Add the eggplant and bamboo shoots
When the edges start to bubble, turn to medium-low heat and simmer without a lid for 10 minutes. Stir from the bottom now and then

How to tell it's doneThe eggplant is soft enough to squash easily when you press it with cooking chopsticks. Take out the biggest piece of chicken and cut it: the inside is white with no pink.

Be carefulIf coconut milk boils hard on high heat, the oil separates and it gets grainy. Keep the heat so it just gently bubbles.

Adjust the flavor

Medium-low heatAbout 2 min

Add the green pepper, 2 tsp fish sauce and 2 tsp sugar, and simmer 2 minutes
Taste it. If bland, add fish sauce 1/2 tsp at a time. If not spicy enough, add a little of the rest of the paste and simmer 1 minute
Turn off the heat and add the basil. Serve in bowls with rice

ReadyThe green pepper is soft and bright green. The soup is light green and smooth.

Be carefulWhen serving, use a ladle. Do not tip the pot. The soup is very hot.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Chicken thigh

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)Hitokuchi-dai (bite-size)Naname-giri (diagonal slices)

If it didn't work out

Too spicyToo much paste (how spicy it is depends a lot on the brand). Add milk 50 ml at a time and warm it up to make it milder. Next time, start with half the paste.

Oil floats on the soup and it is grainyIt boiled too hard, so the coconut milk separated. It is still OK to eat. Next time, keep it on medium-low heat in step 4, just gently bubbling.

The flavor is flatNot enough salt and sweetness. Add fish sauce and sugar 1/2 tsp each at a time, tasting each time.

The chicken was pink insideThe simmering time was short, or the pieces were too big. Put everything back in the pot, simmer 3 more minutes on medium-low heat, and cut again to check.

The eggplant is hardNot simmered long enough, or cut too thick. Put the lid on and simmer 3 minutes on low heat. Next time, cut 1.5 cm wide.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me