"Thailand's green curry paste — ground fresh daily — is fried in coconut cream until the fat splits, releasing all the aromatics. The colour should be deep moss, not bright lime."
About Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan)
Thailand's most complex curry — a paste of green bird's eye chillies, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, coriander root, shrimp paste and white pepper ground by hand with a granite mortar; fried in coconut cream until it splits and the oils emerge, then simmered with the remaining coconut milk, Thai basil, aubergine and chicken or fish balls; the colour should be deep moss-green, not bright lime.
A paste of green bird's eye chillies, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, coriander root, shrimp paste and white pepper ground by hand in a granite mortar. Fried in coconut cream until it splits and the oils emerge, then simmered with coconut milk, Thai basil, pea aubergines and chicken or fish balls. The colour should be deep moss-green, not bright lime.
Frying the paste in coconut cream until the fat separates (splits) is the step that releases the paste's aromatics. Skipping this step produces a flatter flavour.
What to Expect
The green curry arrives in a wide bowl, the coconut cream slightly pooled at the surface, the Thai basil floating. The first spoonful is creamy and fragrant, the chilli heat arriving 10 seconds later.
Why Try It
Green curry demonstrates Thai cooking's most important principle: the fresh paste, ground that morning, is the entire dish. Jarred paste is a different preparation.
Insider Tips
Fresh paste ground that morning is the standard to look for — ask at market restaurants.
The pea aubergines (makhuea phuang) are slightly bitter and provide essential contrast.
Eat with jasmine rice, not sticky rice — the sauce requires plain rice to absorb it.
