Thai Green Coconut Curry

Cut by lime and fragrant with cilantro, this bright vegetal curry comes together in around 30 minutes. The subtle sweetness of the coconut, bamboo, and sugar snap peas is balanced by fiery green peppers and the deep umami of fish sauce and white miso.

This recipe uses chicken as a protein, but any firm fish would work just as well. This recipe adapts easily to a fully plant-based meal: just sub out the fish sauce for a vegan Worcestershire sauce and use your vegan protein of choice.

Serve over white rice along with a flatbread (such as naan) to mop up any of the luscious coconut broth that remains in the bottom of the bowl.

Ingredients

1. 3 tablespoons coconut oil
2. 2 medium/large shallots, finely minced
3. 4 green serrano chili peppers, thinly sliced into rounds (or Thai chiles, if you can find them – see note)
4. ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
5. ¼ teaspoon MSG
6. 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
7. 2 inch knob of fresh ginger, finely minced
8. 4oz can of Green Curry Paste (Maesri is my preferred brand, but any brand is fine – see note)
9. 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce – or Anchovy paste
10. 1 tablespoon White Miso Paste
11. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
12. Approx 1.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
13. 2 14.5 oz cans full fat coconut milk
14. Large sprig of fresh basil
15. 1 bay leaf
16. 1 lime, sliced into 6 wedges)
17. 1 zucchini, slice on the bias into ¼ rounds
18. 8oz bag sugar snap or snow peas
19. 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin, 2 inch strips
20. 8oz sliced bamboo shoots (must have!)
21. 3 chicken breasts, sliced against the grain on the bias into ¼ thick strips
22. White rice, remaining lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and torn basil leaves – for serving

Prep

1. Mince shallots and slice green Serrano/Thai peppers; combine in a medium bowl
2. Finely mince garlic and ginger – you can actually mince them together once you’ve got them sliced up; combine in a medium bowl
3. Open can of curry paste
4. Umami Bomb: Mix together in a small bowl: 1 tablespoon Asian Fish Sauce (or anchovy paste), 1 tablespoon White Miso Paste, 2 tablespoons brown sugar
5. Open cans of chicken broth and coconut milk
6. Slice lime into wedges
7. Pick large sprig of basil and locate bay leaf
8. Prep zucchini, sugar/snow peas, bell pepper; combine in a medium bowl
9. Open and drain can of bamboo shoots
10. Slice chicken

Cook

1. Heat a 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet or Sauté Pan over medium heat; add coconut oil and melt until it coats the bottom of the pan
2. Add shallots, Serrano/Thai peppers, Kosher salt and MSG (if using) and sauté until shallots are soft, 3 to 5 minutes
3. Add garlic and ginger; continue to sauté until very fragrant – 2 or so minutes
4. Add can of curry paste and continue to sauté until curry paste begins to break down and is well incorporated into the mixture – 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat and add a splash of water or broth if stuff starts to stick too much to the bottom of the pan
5. Add Umami Bomb (fish sauce or anchovy paste, miso paste, brown sugar) and stir well to incorporate
6. Add chicken broth; bring to a simmer and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan
7. Add coconut milk; turn heat up to high and bring to a boil; then reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer
8. Add basil sprig and bay leaf; continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by a third to a half, about 7 to 10 minutes (You can prep your veggies and chicken during this time if you didn’t do it already)
9. Fish out basil sprig and bay leaf
10. Stir in juice of ½ lime – about three wedges
11. Balance Your Flavors: Taste for seasoning and balance accordingly – you may need additional pinches of salt, sugar, or acid (vinegar or more lime juice) – read this short post to learn more about how to do this
12. Once balanced, add chicken and bring back to a simmer
13. Add zucchini, sugar/snow peas, bell pepper, and bamboo shoots
14. Cover, and reduce heat to low – allow everything to cook through, 5 to 7 minutes. You want the chicken just barely cooked through, and the veggies to still have some snap to them

Serve over white rice and garnish with remaining lime wedges, torn basil, and chopped cilantro

Notes:

Serrano chiles are easier to find than Thai chiles, so use these if you don’t want to make an extra trip to an Asian or specialty grocery store. They are slightly less spicy than Thai chiles and produce a slower heat that builds over time whereas Thai chiles more or less punch you in the face – they are both wonderful

Yes, you can make your own curry paste – but that would take this meal outside the scope of a weeknight meal… plus, one time when I reverse engineered a yellow curry paste from an outstanding Thai restaurant in Bend, OR they told me that my recipe was fine, but that they just use Maesri!

If you’re short on time and are confident in your prep skills, you can prep your veggies and chicken (steps 6 – 10 under “Prep”) while your coconut broth reduces

---