Thai Green Curry in 30 minutes made by freshening up store bought curry paste OR with a homemade green curry paste! Whichever way you go, the one essential step to make a really great green curry is to fry off the curry paste.
Make this with chicken or even entirely meat free. With a sauce this good, you can put anything in it – and it will taste amazing!
Thai Green Curry recipe
The single most requested recipe is finally here!! We love the colour, the spiciness, and how fragrant the creamy sauce is.
Along with Pad Thai, Chicken Satay and Thai Red Curry, green curry is the gold standard by which we rate Thai restaurants.
It’s the curry we sweat and swear our way through, guzzling down water and wiping our brows when we confidently tell the waiter “give it to us the way it should be – extra spicy!!”
Luckily, when we make it at home, we can dial back the spiciness substantially. 😂 Whether made with curry paste in a jar OR homemade green curry paste!
“This can be a quick 30 minute Thai Green Curry made with store bought curry paste – OR go all out with a homemade curry paste!”
The BEST Green Curry Paste
With the fresh aromatic ingredients used in South East Asian curries, I’ll always be an advocate of making the curry pastes from scratch because it’s not possible to capture that flavour in jars. But it’s just not viable to do that every time I have a hankering for curry.
So I’ll reach for curry paste in a jar. I think the best green curry paste is Maesri (which also happens to be the cheapest at around $1.20). It’s sold at Woolies, Coles (I’m in Australia) and Asian grocery stores. (here it is on Amazon US).
Maesri yields the closest result to homemade green curry paste. I find the other brands to be too sweet with less green curry flavour – and strangely, they are spicier!
Pimping up curry in a jar
It’s inevitable using any curry paste out of a jar rather than making it from scratch that the curry will be lacking a certain freshness.
So what I do is freshen it up using fresh garlic, ginger and lemongrass.
Because “quick and easy” is the go here, I usually don’t even use fresh lemongrass, I use lemongrass paste. It works a treat!
What goes in green curry
The most popular version of green curry is Chicken, so that’s the base version I’m sharing today. While there’s no set rules about what goes in a Thai Green Chicken Curry, the most common combination seems to be chicken, eggplant and snow peas which is what I’ve gone with.
But it’s very easy to switch it out for another protein of choice, or to make it meat free so I’ve included directions in the recipe.
In addition to the curry paste (and pimping it up, if using jar paste), there’s actually not that many ingredients in Thai Green Curry.
Coconut milk – full fat please! Fat is where the flavour is, if you use low fat coconut milk the sauce will lack flavour. You could even use coconut cream, if you want a richer version!
Chicken or vegetable broth – chicken is better (deeper flavours) but vegetable is fine if making a vegetarian version.
Chicken – Thigh is best because it stays juicy even after the requiring simmering time to thicken the sauce
Asian (Japanese) Eggplant – brilliant sponge for soaking up the sauce. The small eggplants are ideal because the eggplant is cooked until soft and the skin holds it together. Sub with small normal eggplants, or if you dislike eggplants, try zucchini!
Snow peas – for colour and freshness
Sugar – for extra sweetness
Fish sauce – may not be needed if using paste from a jar. Yes it’s stinky but it’s essential for Thai curries and once cooked, it doesn’t taste fishy at all
Kaffir Lime leaves – it provides a earthy citrus fragrance to the sauce that’s inherent to green curry. It’s readily available in Australia nowadays, but if you can’t find it, then a lemongrass stalk will be a decent substitute. Freezes great – I almost always have some in the freezer.
Finishing:
Thai Basil – essential for a true green curry experience! Tastes like Italian basil with a slightly more aniseedy flavour
Lime juice – just a squeeze, for freshness!
What makes green curry green?
The colour mostly comes from large green chillies which aren’t that spicy, they are mostly for colour and flavour. The curry paste also has small Thai chillies which provide the fiery heat that green curry is known for.
If you make your own green curry paste, you can skip the spicy chillies without compromising on flavour!
How to make Thai Green Curry
The making part is very straightforward which is why if you use curry paste from a jar, green curry is something you can have any night of the week.
The essential step here is to fry off the curry paste, whether using store bought or homemade. This is the equivalent to sautéing garlic until golden, a step used in virtually all my savoury recipes.
Homemade vs curry in a jar
Here’s a comparison of the two. Flavour wise, it’s inevitable there is a difference but the curry in a jar version is still very, very good. Certainly better than many local Thai restaurants which are often far too sweet, weak, or watery.
The homemade curry paste version is also slightly greener – owing to the fresh chillies and coriander/cilantro blitzed into the paste.
Thai Green Curry is….
Very fragrant – from all the herbs and aromatics in the curry paste. It has a less “in your face” flavour compared to Thai Red Curry but it’s more fragrant with chilli than Thai Yellow Curry.
Creamy, sweet, and salty. But all too often, Thai takeout places make it far too sweet!
Spicy – it’s meant to be! Green Curry is spicier than most popular Thai curries, such asThai Red Curry, Yellow Curry, Massaman Curry. It’s about as spicy as Panang Curry – maybe even a wee bit spicier!
Sauce is not as thick as Thai Red Curry, it’s meant to be a thinner sauce. My theory is because if you simmer the sauce too long to make it thicker, the sauce turns dark and loses the fresh green colour. It kind of looks like spinach soup!
Completely addictive
Serve green curry with jasmine rice for a true Thai restaurant experience. And don’t forget some ice cold beer to temper the heat! – Nagi x
Make a meal out of it – try these on the side
Crunchy Asian Slaw on the side – great all rounder Asian salad that goes with all Asian foods
Asian Sesame Dressing for any fresh salad or steamed vegetables
To start – Chicken Satay Skewers or Thai Fish Cakes
Thai Green Curry
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Thai Green Curry
Ingredients
Curry – use ONE:
- 4 – 6 tbsp Thai Green Curry Paste (Maesri best) OR (Note 1)
- 1 quantity homemade green curry paste (Note 1)
Extras – for jar curry paste (Note 2):
- 2 large garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger , finely grated
- 1 tbsp lemongrass paste (Note 2)
Green Curry:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
- 400 g/14oz coconut milk , full fat (Note 4)
- 1 – 3 tsp fish sauce *
- 1 – 3 tsp white sugar *
- 1/8 tsp salt *
- 6 kaffir lime leaves , torn in half (Note 5)
- 350 g/12 oz chicken thigh , skinless boneless, sliced (Note 6)
- 2 Japanese eggplants, , small, 1cm / 2/5″ slices (Note 7)
- 1 1/2 cups snow peas , small, trimmed
- 16 Thai basil leaves (Note 8)
- Juice of 1/2 lime , to taste
Garnishes:
- Crispy fried Asian shallots , high recommended (Note 9)
- Thai basil or cilantro/coriander , recommended
- Green or red chillies slices , optional
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy based skillet or pot over medium high heat.
- Add curry paste (and garlic, ginger and lemongrass Extras, if using) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it mostly “dries out” – see video. Don’t breath in the fumes!!
- Add chicken broth and coconut milk, mix to dissolve paste.
- Curry in a jar seasonings: Add 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, no salt.
- Homemade curry paste seasonings: Add 3 tsp fish sauce, 3 tsp sugar, 1/8 tsp salt.
- Add kaffir lime leaves. Mix then bring to simmer.
- Add chicken, stir then lower heat to medium so it’s bubbling gently. Cook 7 minutes.
- Add eggplants, cook 5 minutes until soft.
- Taste sauce. Add fish sauce or salt for more saltiness, sugar for sweetness.
- Add snow peas, cook 2 minutes until a bit softened, then stir through basil and lime juice. Sauce should have reduced but will still be a be on the thin side, not thick – that’s how it’s should be. DO NOT keep simmering – sauce will darken.
- Serve curry over jasmine rice with garnishes of choice.
Recipe Notes:
* Vegetarian – Asian eggplant, green beans, zucchini (pictured in post). Other vegetables that go great: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, sweet or normal potato, pumpkin, mushrooms (cook to soft, great sponge!)
* Prawns / shrimp or fish pieces instead of chicken – add towards end, 3 to 5 min cook time
* Beef or pork – Use a quick cooking cut, cut into strips or cubes. I sear beef and pork first before adding into curry sauces, the flavour is better. Use any quick cooking cut, sprinkle with salt and pepper, sear to brown outside but leave inside uncooked. Then add into sauce just to finish cooking through. 11. Nutrition excludes rice and toppings.
Nutrition Information:
I adore Thai curries!
Proof:
And more Thai food favourites
Life of Dozer
He high tailed it out of the house pretty quickly when I started frying off the curry paste – he can’t handle the heat!! (Neither can I – I always forget not to breath in the chilli fumes!!)
So good and easy to make
forgot to give it a well deserved 5 star rating 🙂
This is hands-down the best green curry I’ve ever made at home. It was AMAZING! Thank you Nagi for the great recipes and the very informative step-by-step process. I really appreciate learning as I go! This curry will definitely be on repeat in our house from now on 🙂
Thank you Eloise! N x
So simple and so tasty! I used water instead of broth, tofu instead of chicken and regular eggplant. It turned out great.
I recently tried green curry for the first time. It blew me away. And when I decided to make it myself I knew Nagi wouldn’t let me down! Love this recipe, especially the addition of lime juice at the end. I used mushrooms and green beans because my fiance doesn’t like eggplant. Thank you!
This is really quite the best green curry recipe we have tried, Nagi. Simply delicious.
A tip – the way the recipe is presented is confusing; maybe post as two separate recipes – one for store paste, the other for made from scratch.
I love Thai green curry and this was the first time I tried making it at home– this is delicious! I couldnt find lemongrass or lemongrass paste but it was still so fragrant and bright! At first I thought it was a bit salty but after adding the vegetables (I used eggplant, carrot and round beans) it was just the right amount of salty and tastes perfect with rice. I only made 2-3 servings so I still have half a tin of the Maesri curry paste left, can’t wait to make this again!
Absolutely Love your recipes and i totally agree with you that the Maesri Green Curry Paste is the best! Not susure f you are aware but its also one of few that is Vegan friendly as it doesn’t contain shrimp paste like most others.I like to add tofu puffs as my partner is Vegan ,for the fish sauce i use a vegan one made from fermented soy beans.
Its the Vegan fish sauce from Vincent Vegetarian Food brand incase others neededa substitute,i found its just as good if notbetter than regular fish sauce.
Made the chicken for my meal prep and I can’t wait to taste it. Easy recipe thanks for posting it!
This was AMAZING! Used 5 tablespoons of the maesri green and still found it a little too spicy so added a tad more coconut milk. Really though, the lime and the basil leaves at the end beautifully balance the flavour. I don’t think i can bring myself to buy another Thai curry from the shops!
To use what was in the fridge I used pumpkin (popped it in with the coconut milk at the start), snow peas and broccoli. Perfect combo for me.
Now to discover the rest of Nagi’s Thai curries.
You have the best recipes Nagi!
Green Thai Curry is my fav and this is the best version!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful gift =)
Nagi, your website it amazing! It has become my trusted source for asian cooking 🙂
Thanks for another stunner recipe
Shabbir
I am so glad you enjoyed it Shabbir! N x
This was the bomb!! The flavour, the aromas and the colour were all a treat for the senses. Making the paste was a journey but well worth it, and one that i’ll get used to I’m sure. I reluctantly used all of the green paprika but left out the Thai chillis… because I don’t like a hot curry, just spicey. I had fresh lemon grass and Kaiffir lime leaves and limes in my garden and sourced some very fresh galangal. I was also unsure about making a paste and using it to cook straight away, but it was perfect. I used broccoli, zucchini and snow peas because that’s what I had. It was delicious and will be going straight into my recipe tin. I once did a cooking class in Thailand and the chef told us how to make the paste but said to “forget it and use the jar paste, it’s just as good” !!! Never again will i make green curry with paste from a jar. Thanks Nagi !!!!
So happy that you made the paste and enjoyed it so much, Tracey! N x
Very good!! I happen to get the same brand of green curry, after being in Thailand for a while my husband and I have found this to be closest to the same flavor we had over there. Delicious, thank you!
It is such a good paste! I am so glad you enjoyed it Mitzy! N x
This is my go to green curry recipe!
I mix up the veg depending what’s in the fridge. Zucchini, peas, capsicum etc.
Also good with bamboo shoots or water chestnuts.
Yum! Thanks Nagi
This is one of the best Thai Green Curries I’ve ever had….and definitely the best one I’ve ever made!
Perfect amount of kick and so, so delicious.
Amazing recipes! tasty, lots of tips, short enough videos! everything you need to learn, improve, and enjoy with yours! (including French recipes, my home country)
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them Dominique! Yes, lots of traditional French recipes these days, I have a French Chef as part of my team who is teaching me the proper ways of French cooking! 😇 N x
Never made a curry before but felt like trying out my hand at a Thai green curry. I went with this recipe because Nagi’s mac and cheese (which is pretty much the only thing I ever cook) is my go to and that recipe is so easy she has my full trust. This turned out to be equally easy and enjoyable to make 🙂
I’m in New Zealand and couldn’t find the premade paste used here so I went with Ayam paste + coconut milk which did the job. I switched out chicken for paneer and used zucchini and green beans for the vegetables.
American living in South America and I love everything I’ve made from this website. I can’t always get all the Asian ingredients so I really appreciate when you list alternatives. Many of your recipes are on a regular rotation in my family. I had a visitor bring me the Maesri curry paste from the US to make this one. Loved every delightful bite. Thank you !
Hi Nagi, thanks for the great recipe. Just wondering if you use that asian technique of silking the chicken. If so, can you explain it to me? 🙂
Hi Julie, it’s called velveting & I have a post here that should answer your questions: https://salesdock.info/velveting-chicken-chinese-restaurant-tenderise-chicken/%3C/a%3E 🙂 N x