green curry

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so how do you make the classic thai curry? so far ive got coconut milk (in a tin) and that green paste stuff.

thanks for any help.
Will

― willdabeast, Thursday, 11 November 2004 12:54 (twenty years ago)

lime
lemongrass
garlic
ginger
chillies (probably green I would guess)

― 3underscore (___), Thursday, 11 November 2004 12:59 (twenty years ago)

But then again - I have only made curries from raw ingredients (those little packs where you have to chop virtually everything finely)

― 3underscore (___), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:00 (twenty years ago)

Leave the can in the fridge for a bit. Scoop out the heavy coconut cream that will have settled at the top, and fry it for a bit until it looks manky. Bung a bit of curry paste in, then whatever meaty/veggie ingredients you want e.g. diced chicken, aubergine, broccoli etc., leaving easily-cooked ones for last. Add thin part of coconut milk can and simmer until everything's nice and tender. Serve with sticky rice. Chuck some shredded coriander over everything if you're feeling fancy.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:01 (twenty years ago)

what Liz said.

We've got Yellow curry paste at the moment (in big tubs - they're ecxcellent) and it's blooming good - hot mind.

things that ___ missed = fish sauce, shallots, candle nuts (or macadamia, galangal coriander stalks and kaffir lime leaves. Blend everything and use instead of the bought paste. It can be a bit of a bind though getting all that lot, but if you go to chinatown and find the cheap but good pastes, they're fantastic. Avoid Sharwoods/blue dragon/amoy

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:06 (twenty years ago)

this one in fact:
http://importfood.com/media/cpmp1405.jpg

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:08 (twenty years ago)

Cheers Porkpie. I need to make myself a curry. The fish sauce is the one I got stuck on.

Sorry for prooving unhelpful and trying to make the paste, which was about everything you didn't need!

― 3underscore (___), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:11 (twenty years ago)

It can be a bit of a bind though getting all that lot, but if you go to chinatown and find the cheap but good pastes, they're fantastic

who are you, and what have you done with chris? At least you didn't say "supermarket pastes are good too". WHICH THEY ARE

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:13 (twenty years ago)

oh god no, you need all you said too. It's a big old ingredient list. I think I missed belachan as well (shrimp paste, I'm always too scared to use it though - also very good used as a fishing bait apparently)

supermarket pastes = teh suck ;o)

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Ooh I like those Mae Ploy tubs, they're cheap as. Also hot as, oh my guts.

Shrimp paste smells v fishy but makes tom yam soup divine.

Re: above receipt - I normally chuck in extra ginger and some lovely fish sauce (nam pla) for good measure. Also lime leaves if available.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:17 (twenty years ago)

hahahaha, chris uses pre-made paste!!!!

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:24 (twenty years ago)

B-b-but what if you can't have fish sauce or shrimp paste?

― PinXorchiXoR (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:26 (twenty years ago)

Yeah be careful with old mae ploy, she can be a little....piquant

― choo choo the herky jerky dancer (papa november), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:28 (twenty years ago)

B-b-but what if you can't have fish sauce or shrimp paste?

Maybees quorn make a fish sauce substitute?! Made from cultivating algae or something...

― 3underscore (___), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:33 (twenty years ago)

shrimp paste is my problem, as I don't eat shrimp. Makes things v complicated.

Kaffir (sp?) lime leaves work a treat. Tip: a Thai friend also told us to bung a heap of brown sugar in the mix right at the start.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:34 (twenty years ago)

Pink, I'm sure you can substitute other strong (fermented?) veg flavourings.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:35 (twenty years ago)

Palm sugar is an important part of the recipe, JG.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:35 (twenty years ago)

fish sauce is LUBLY, but it's largely used instead of salt. i wouldn't put shrimp paste in a green curry either. paste, veggies, coconut milk (and water/stock to thin if you want), meat. add chillies if paste isn't as spicy as you'd like. coriander for garnish and lime juice to taste

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:37 (twenty years ago)

preserved vegetables might work as a substitute, mashed up with some soy sauce. fermented tofu exists, but it's REALLY pungeant.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:40 (twenty years ago)

The shrimp paste is too, though. I'm sure you can make it without anything fish-related, but it will lack that certain something and maybe taste a bit bland.

I like the preserved veg idea.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 11 November 2004 13:52 (twenty years ago)

fish sauce is definitely aromatic. fermented tofu is a whole other realm of stink, though!

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 11 November 2004 14:03 (twenty years ago)

I took up one of those great cooking courses when I was Thailand (which made me happier than going off to do some hilltrek which exploited the locals). I'm a veggie and this course catered to both meat and veggie types. We made our own curry pastes from the get-go and the veggie one you can make is darn amazing. This was ten years ago, and with some modesty, I can honestly say I'm proud of Thai cooking, as are many of my friends. It's 99 % vegan (I use egg in one dish for corn fritters) and by all accounts quite yummy.

My recipe:
2 stalks lemon grass,
5-6 shallots,
5-6 cloves of garlic,
10 black pepper corns
8 small green chilies (the spur kind. Adjust the number to heat. Remember the green chilies are hotter than the red ones)
1 tbsp galangal (ginger if you can't find this)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander,
1/4 cup coriander roots.

Grind this to a very fine paste (the chilies will be hardest to grind). A mortar and pestle is the best way to go. Easiest if you finely chopped everything before you start pounding.

Put a tablespoon of this in a frying pan with vegetable oil, and fry until aromatic. Add your coconut milk. Season this with palm sugar (brown if you don't have palm). Simmer slightly. When hot, add kaffir lime leaves, whatever veggies, tofu, bean curd you want. Coriander leaf and a bit of lime is good also.

So, if you're going to use a store bought paste, give your dish some depth with the aforementioned lemongrass, galangal, garlic, palm sugar, black peppercorns (crushed), kaffir lime leaf (if you can find those, just use lime rind). The lemon grass should be large enough to see. You're not supposed to eat it.

Enjoy.

― Guymauve (Guymauve), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:01 (twenty years ago)

guy, you didn't get a decent recipe for sweet glutinous rice while you were over there did you? I never went on a course (stupid stupid me) but the glutinous rice with mango was just the best desert ever

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:04 (twenty years ago)

fish sauce is definitely aromatic. fermented tofu is a whole other realm of stink, though!

-- lauren (warmleatherett...), November 11th, 2004 6:03 AM. (laurenp) (later)

fish sauce is great! like good cheese it may smell "off" but it tastes great. also, the vietnamese pineapple sauce with anchovies flavoring.

there is a "fermented tofu" restaurant in chinatown by one of the bakeries i go to. my friends call it "stinky tofu"... it is pretty pungent.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:23 (twenty years ago)

but thai green gurry with beef = yummy. i have no idea how to make it, there are so many great (and reasonably priced) thai places nearby it's not worth the kitchen experimentation.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:24 (twenty years ago)

remember when we ate pad thai in brooklyn? that was fun.

― lauren (laurenp), Thursday, 11 November 2004 17:26 (twenty years ago)

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