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 pimp 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 pimped up 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.
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.
- 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 the other two popular Thai curries – Thai Red Curry and Massaman Curry
- 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
- Steamed Jasmine rice, Thai Fried Rice or Coconut Rice
- 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
More Thai takeout favourites
- Pad Thai – truly just like takeout!
- Thai Red Curry
- Massaman Curry
- Starters – Chicken Satay and Thai Fish Cakes
- Thai Fried Rice
- Pad See Ew – Thai stir fried noodles
- Browse the Thai recipe collection
Thai Green Curry
Watch how to make it
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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
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:
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!!)
I used store bought green curry paste but I must say this was some of the best green curry I have ever had. I made some personal changes and used fresh garlic and ginger thinly sliced and diced. I used lemon zest instead of kaffir lime leaves/lemongrass. I sliced a spicy red pepper as well and added to it. Also added some cilantro. Squeezed half a lime at the end. Truly top 5 I’ve ever eaten. Enjoy!
Perfect Danny!!!!
Hi Nagi! I did this Recipe for dinner today… I have a packet of Mae Ploy sauce that need using so I chose to jazz it up like in your instructions… and my husband loved it… next time I will do it from scratch as I have the complete spices down to the Coriander Roots, it doesn’t cost much here in England, I ordered 2 packs and when it came there’s a lot per pack so I portioned, vacuum sealed them and stored in the freezer… thank you for all the meal inspirations ❤
You’re so welcome Joyce, thanks so much for taking the time to let me know what you thought!
Made this twice now including the homemade curry paste. It’s just a flavour sensation and totally worth the effort. The second time I used broccolini instead of snow peas but I cut into small lengths and put it in first, a couple of minutes before the eggplant. Delicious!
I made this yesterday and it was a hit. Loved the rich flavours. Thank you so much for the recipe. We loved it.
Hi Nagi,
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I made this tonight for my family and my sons girlfriend, and we all loved it. It was spicy, but in the very best way. I’m from Canada As well. It used to be difficult to find lime leaves but many places have them frozen or dried now. Again thank you!
Loved this! Very complex flavour and more delicious than my local takeaway places! The flavour for me was slightly sweet, so I would probably use a bit less sugar next time. I made a meat free version with eggplants, snowpeas, canned baby corn & bamboo shoots. I added about a half cup of water as there were so many veggies and it turned out nice 🙂
Hey Nagi,
I plan to make this this week. But I’m a huge chicken when it comes to spice/chilli. I can’t handle too much but don’t mind a little hit. How would you recommend I adjust the recipe?
Hi Zeinab, green curry is renowned for being spicy – are you going to use store bought paste – as there are some that aren’t as hot 🙂
I bought the Maesri brand that you recommended 😊 should I put fewer tablespoons?
Where can we get Thai basil leaves in India ? Nice recipe.
This recipe really does rival our favorite Thai restaurant! Maesri paste makes this super easy and living close to two Asian markets doesn’t hurt either. We prefer cream vs milk, full-on spiciness, and palm sugar.
Thank you for making this available! I’ve been the hero of the kitchen lately.
Wahoo! That’s so great to hear Michael!
This recipe was awesome!! I loved the extra stuff to buff up the canned curry paste. Instead of snow peas we added mushrooms and red pepper and it was absolutely delicious! Also we could’nt find the kaffir lime leaves (we’re in Canada) so we didn’t use them. We used the whole can of the Maesri (8tbsp) and found the spice level spot on!
Woot!!! I’m so glad you loved it Lucia!
This recipe was amazing! I used snapper fillets and added them just at the end. For veggies I used sugar snaps, baby corn and pumpkin. I couldn’t find that brand of curry paste at Coles so I used “Ayam”, along with ginger in a tube and garlic- the flavour was great. Thank you Nagi! ⭐️
Krista from Canada…you can find dried Kaffir lime leaves wherever Presidents Choice products are sold. You’ll find it in the Spice aisle . PC brand in a jar. Otherwise you can use lime zest. In Ontario you can find fresh or frozen at B & T grocer or T & T Asian grocer
Just made this scaled up to 8 servings. Smells and tastes great, but is way too spicy! I read all the reviews that said it was to spicy so I used 6 tbsps instead of the 8-12 tbsps the recipe calls for the 8 servings. Still, it was super spicy (even for someone that loves spice!). I put double the amount of coconut milk it required but still too spicy. Worried that adding more coconut milk will make it bland. How can I make it less spicy without also making it more bland? Otherwise, amazing recipe!!
Hi Ruth, sorry you found it too spicy – true Thai green curry does have a good kick of heat. You can always reduce the chilli paste if you prefer though. – N x
This is a fantastic recipe. Used
a whole tin of the Maesri paste plus Lemon grass paste. The flavour was incredible but very spicy hot the way we like it.
Thanks so much for letting me know Denise!
Sorry, I forgot to give this recipe the 5 stars it deserves.
I did this last night and scaled the recipe down to 2 servings but even with half the Maesri curry paste (I used 2 tbsp) it was so strong and bitter I had to use the whole 400ml of coconut milk plus extra sugar (balanced with a touch more fish sauce) to get it to a point where it was edible – so even though this is a great recipe I’d strongly recommend going very easy on the paste to start. Lesson duly re-learned for next time – you can add more of something but not take it away!
Another fantastic recipe !!
I used the Maesri curry paste and swapped the eggplants for 1/4’d button mushrooms and sliced carrots .
I also used the lower fat Ayam brand coconut milk and was delicious.
Will be my go to green chicken curry recipe from now on . 😄
I’m so happy you loved it Sue – you won’t go back to take out again!
Yet another amazing recipe! It is difficult to find kaffir lime leaves here in Canada, especially during the colder seasons. Luckily my local Asian grocer carries some in the freezer section. I’ve tossed those and the basil leaves in my freezer for future use. The aroma of this dish is amazing. I threw in a lime leaf, whole chilli, and 1 tbsp of chicken stock in my rice cooker – wow, just so aromatic! THANKS AGAIN. Your recipes are spot-on!
I’m so happy you loved it Agill, yes I always have lime leaves in my freezer – I never use a whole bag when I buy them – N x