Thai Green Curry Without Paste – Green Curry From Scratch
Up until now, I have usually used a shop-bought curry paste when making a Thai green curry with chicken breast. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, but it’s actually very easy to make a Thai green curry without paste, using simple ingredients and the taste is amazing.
Recipe Overview
Skill Level:
SKILLED BEGINNER
Prep Time:
15 MINUTES
Cook Time:
20 MINUTES
What Makes This Recipe Great
We have kept the spice level quite mild so the whole family can enjoy this curry recipe. However, it’s really easy to adjust the heat level according to your own tastes and preferences.
You can blend the homemade curry base and freeze it for future use.
We use easy to find and simple ingredients without having to compromise on that authentic Thai green curry flavour.
If you’re looking for a simple way to make an Authentic tasting Thai Green curry without using paste, then I have the perfect recipe for you!
Takeaway curry is great, but I do like to know what goes into my food. Making your own curry means there’s no hidden ingredients and it’s much easier to make a Thai green curry from scratch than you might think.
With simple ingredients that are easy to find in most supermarkets and grocery stores, you can whip up this easy green curry in no time at all. We have substituted harder-to-find authentic Thai ingredients so you don’t need to go searching for them in specialist stores.
This mildly-spiced Thai green curry recipe is packed with plenty of vegetables and fresh chicken breast. The whole family can enjoy the tastes from Thailand with this heat adjustable curry recipe.
What is Thai Green Curry?
Over the years, Thai food has become increasingly popular around the world with their green curry being a top dish served in many Thai restaurants.
Green curry originates from central Thailand, it is coconut based with the green colour coming from the use of green chillies and fresh coriander.
The spiciness can vary greatly and if you eat this in Thailand, the spiciness can be a little overwhelming if you’re not used to it. It is usually considered spicier than red and yellow Thai curry varieties.
The great thing about making your own Thai green curry is that you can choose just how hot it is. Meaning, the whole family can enjoy a green curry without the need for a litre of water on the side.
Equipment Needed:
- Food Processor/Blender: We use this to create our very own smooth homemade curry paste from scratch.
- Sharp Knife and Chopping Board: For slicing and dicing the chicken.
- Large Frying Pan: Ensure you use a frying pan big enough to fit all the ingredients inside without them spilling over the edge. You can also use a large wok if you have one at home.
- Wooden Spoon Or Spatula: For stirring the Thai curry as it cooks.
Ingredients:
- Lemongrass: You can usually find fresh or jarred lemongrass in most supermarkets these days. Either one is fine to use.
- Coriander Seeds: We are using dried coriander seeds in this recipe.
- Fish Sauce: This strong-smelling sauce add a deep flavour to the homemade curry paste.
- Anchovy Fillet: Use a preserved anchovy fillet in the mixture.
- White Sugar: Used to balance the flavours.
- Green Birdseye Chilli: These chillis are hot so if you want things mild, remove all the seeds and wear disposable gloves when doing so. Avoid touching your face when prepping chillis as the oil can irritate your skin.
- Garlic: Use large, fresh garlic cloves in this recipe.
- Fresh Ginger: It’s easiest to peel fresh ginger using a small spoon. Simply scrape the spoon over the skin. Alternatively, you can use prepped lazy ginger that can be found in jars.
- Lime Zest: Be sure to obtain your lime zest from an unwaxed lime and save the rest of the lime for use in another recipe.
- Dark Soy Sauce: Adds more of that authentic Thai flavour.
- Fresh Coriander: Wash and dry the coriander well and then use both the leaves and stalks in this recipe.
- Coconut Milk: Full fat coconut milk gives the richest flavour, but you can also use a low-fat version.
- Chicken Breasts: Use large skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
- Frozen Peas: Garden peas or Petit Pois are fine. You can also use fresh peas too.
- Mange Tout: Simply wash and dry the mange tout before use or use sugar snap peas instead.
- Baby Corn: Baby sweetcorn can be added in whole or chopped into bite-sized pieces.
Substitutions for a More Authentic Green Curry
The original recipe usually contains shrimp paste instead of anchovy, galangal in place of the ginger and kaffir lime leaves instead of lime zest. But I wanted to make a recipe that is easily accessible for everyone, without having to buy any special ingredients.
You can, of course, use the more authentic ingredients if you can get hold of them. Substitute them as follows:
- Use a teaspoon of shrimp paste to replace the anchovy.
- Add 4 Kaffir lime leaves to replace the lime zest, dried or fresh ones are both fine.
- Use the same amount of galangal instead of the ginger.
You can also use a white, firm fish such as cod or bass in place of the chicken or try turkey steak. If you go with a fish curry, you can also add in some prawns too.
Add or omit your vegetables depending on what you prefer. You can add in some green pepper, aubergine, green beans, broccoli, courgette or sugar snap peas.
Step-By-Step Guide – How To Make Thai Green Curry Without Paste
Prep-Ahead Time Saving Tips for Thai Green Curry Without Paste
Planning ahead makes this recipe even faster! Here are some ways to streamline your prep:
TOTAL TIME SAVED:
15 MINUTES
Prepare The Base (Save 10 minutes): Blend the curry base ingredients together and store for future use. The homemade curry paste can be stored in the fridge for 2 days or frozen for 3 months.
Dice The Chicken (Save 5 minutes): Dicing the chicken before will save on time and washing up. You can store it in the fridge or freeze it in an airtight container for 3 months.
Frequently Asked Question
You can freeze the paste. Once you have added a 1/3 of the coconut milk and blended the ingredients together, you can freeze the paste for future meals for up to 3 months.
Yes, simply add more chillis to the paste, but don’t go overboard. Birdseye chillis are about 50,000-1000,000 on the Scoville scale, making them very hot.
All types of green beans work great with this dish, but you could also try adding aubergine, courgette or broccoli.
This curry pairs well with jasmine or sticky rice. You could also try it with noodles or treat it more like a soup and have it with naan or bread.
Mastering This Recipe – Expert Tips
- Alter The Spiciness: I’ve kept this paste on the milder side, so that children will be able to enjoy it too. To alter the spiciness you can add another chilli or two or leave in some of the seeds. Be aware that chillies holds most of their spiciness in the seeds, so unless you’re used to eating super spicy food, I wouldn’t advise you do this.
- Blend Thoroughly: Make sure to blend the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and other ingredients into a smooth paste. This helps to release their full flavours and ensures an even distribution in the curry.
- Vegetable Crispness: Add vegetables like peas, mange tout, and baby corn towards the end of cooking to keep them crisp and vibrant. Overcooking can make them mushy and lose their colour.
- Monitor Coconut Milk: Add the remaining coconut milk towards the end of cooking and keep the heat low to avoid curdling. Coconut milk can separate if boiled too vigorously.
How to Prevent Coconut Milk from Separating When Cooking.
When cooking with coconut milk, you may find that it has a tendency to separate and curdle. It will still taste great, it just may not look as appealing, so don’t throw it away. However, there are some things you can do to try and avoid this happening.
I find that the likelihood of canned coconut milk separating can be down to the ingredients that it contains. Some brands of coconut milk contains a number of chemical emulsifiers and stabilisers, which prevent the water and coconut cream from splitting. You will notice that upon opening a can of coconut milk, sometimes it has already separated, which usually means less of these added ingredients have been used. This is actually a good thing, it indicates a better quality of coconut milk, so think of it as a positive.
If this happens, the coconut milk is still absolutely fine to use, it hasn’t expired, so don’t worry about this.
To reconstitute the coconut milk that has separated in the can and give it some stability, place a teaspoon of cornflour or corn-starch in a bowl, add a little of the coconut cream (the solid, white part) and mix it into a paste. Once it is smooth, add the rest of the coconut milk slowly, in parts, mixing together as you go. Ensure everything has amalgamated each time, before adding more. Once you have combined your can of coconut milk completely, it is ready to use.
Adding cornflour to coconut milk will not only stabilize it but it will also make your curry sauce thicker and creamier. Traditionally, Thai Green curry can be quite watery. So, if you’d prefer a thinner, more authentic Thai curry, shake the can well before opening it, omit the cornflour, mix it well before adding to the pan and exercise caution when cooking.
The key to helping prevent coconut milk from separating when cooking with it, is similar to when cooking with cream. You want to make sure you add the coconut milk to the curry last, cook it over a low heat, avoid boiling it at this point and stir the curry gently until the curry is warm and ready.
The separation can also occur if you reheat your curry. Again, it will be fine to eat and will still taste great, but it’s good to know that this can happen. Try reheating it more gently until it is completely cooked through and stirring it well. Avoid a microwave to reheat it, if you’d rather the sauce doesn’t separate.
Storage
Storing the Curry Paste Before Adding Chicken and Vegetables:
- Refrigeration: Store the blended sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezing: The sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. Transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. When ready to use, defrost before using.
Storing Cooked Thai Green Curry:
- Refrigeration: Store any leftover cooked chicken and vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating Cooked Thai Green Curry:
- Reheat in a pan over medium heat until warmed through. I recommend to avoid the microwave to prevent the coconut milk in the sauce from separating.
Thai Green Curry Without Paste – Green Curry From Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 Stalk of Lemongrass
- 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 Anchovy Fillet
- 1 tsp White Sugar
- 1 Green Birdseye Chill, deseeded
- 3 Cloves of Garlic
- Thumb size piece of Fresh Ginger
- 2 tbsp Lime Zest
- 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 Cup Fresh Coriander, (including stalks)
- 400 ml Coconut Milk
- 3 Chicken Breasts
- 100 g Frozen Peas
- 100 g Mange Tout
- 100 g Baby Corn
Instructions
- Peel the fresh ginger and garlic cloves. Place them in a food processor along with the lemongrass (cut into pieces), coriander seeds, fish sauce, anchovy fillet, sugar, green bird’s eye chili (deseeded), and lime zest. Add 1/3 of the coconut milk to the food processor.
- Process the mixture until it is smooth and well combined.
- Transfer the blended mixture to a pan and heat over medium heat until it becomes aromatic, stirring occasionally.
- While the mixture heats, cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks.
- Add the chicken chunks to the pan with the aromatic mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and well coated in the sauce.
- Prepare the vegetables: prepare the frozen peas, wash the mange tout, and wash and cut the baby corn into bite-sized pieces (you can also keep them whole if you prefer).
- Add the prepared vegetables to the pan with the chicken and sauce. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but still crisp.
- Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and stir gently. Cook until the curry has thickened slightly. Avoid boiling at this stage to prevent the coconut milk from separating.
- Serve the curry hot with jasmine rice.
Recipe Notes
- To prevent your coconut milk separating, stir in slowly over a low heat.
- You can use a firm white fish or turkey steak instead of chicken. If using fish, try adding some prawns too.
- This curry has been made to be on the milder side for everyone to enjoy. If you’d like it more spicy add extra chillies or leave some of the seeds in the paste.
- You can use different vegetables if you’d prefer. Most green beans, broccoli, aubergine, courgette and green pepper will work well with this dish.
- The curry paste is freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
