Thai Green Curry with Chicken, Broccoli, and Mushrooms
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Green Curry Paste
30 Thai green chiles, or 15 green serranos, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse (about ¾ cup)6 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse (about ¾ cup)3–4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced (about ½ cup)2 shallots, chopped coarse (about 6 tablespoons)20 garlic cloves, minced (about ⅓ cup)¼ cup minced cilantro stems 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoons ground coriander 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil 4 teaspoons grated lime zest 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon table salt ½ teaspoon ground white pepper ½ teaspoon anchovy or shrimp paste (optional)Thai-Style Green Curry
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk, not shaken, divided½ cup Green Curry Paste 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced thin ½ teaspoon table salt 2 ½ cups broccoli florets 4 ounces white or shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered (about 2 cups)1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise (optional)1 tablespoon lime juice from 1 lime½ cup fresh basil leaves ½ cup fresh mint leavesBefore You Begin
This paste is most often used in poultry, seafood, and vegetable curries. Small green Thai chiles are less than an inch long and provide the best combination of heat and herbal flavor. This recipe is designed to be prepared in a food processor. See the illustrations below for tips on handling lemongrass. A glass container is the best option for storing curry paste. If using store-bought curry paste, use 2 tablespoons. Freeze the chicken for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut.
Instructions
- Pulse all ingredients in food processor 10 times, each pulse lasting 4 to 5 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl between pulses. Once ingredients begin to form paste, process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed, about 3 minutes. Store in covered glass container or bowl in refrigerator for up to 1 month or in freezer for several months. (If freezing, divide curry paste into ½-cup amounts so that one portion will make one recipe, and freeze individually.)
- Carefully spoon off about 1 cup of top layer of cream from 1 can of coconut milk. Place coconut cream and curry paste in large Dutch oven and bring to simmer over high heat, whisking to blend, about 2 minutes. Maintain this brisk simmer and whisk frequently until almost all liquid evaporates, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and whisk constantly until cream separates into puddle of colored oil and coconut solids, 3 to 8 minutes. (You should hear curry paste starting to fry in oil.) Continue cooking until curry paste is very aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk in remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring back to simmer and cook until flavors meld and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with salt and add it to pot, stirring until pieces are separated and evenly coated with sauce, about 1 minute.
- Stir in broccoli and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and jalapeño, if using, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in lime juice, basil, and mint. Serve immediately.
for the green curry paste
for the thai green curry
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
Green Curry Paste
Thai-Style Green Curry
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Green Curry Paste
Thai-Style Green Curry
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Green Curry Paste
Thai-Style Green Curry
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Like most Thai food, Thai curries embrace a delicate balance of tastes, textures, temperatures, and colors that come together to create a harmonious whole. Thai curries almost always contain coconut milk and tilt the spice balance towards fresh aromatics, which are added in the form of a paste. We wanted to create versions of both kaeng phet, red curry, and kaeng khiao wan, green curry, perfumed with lemongrass, hot chiles, and coconut milk.
A food processor made quick work of blending together both curry pastes. For the kaeng khiao wan, we favored Thai green chiles (although serrano or jalapeño chiles make great substitutes). Shallots, lemongrass, cilantro stems, garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin rounded out the flavors of the paste. And to approximate the flavor of makrut lime leaves, we added grated lime zest. To make the curry, we skimmed the coconut cream off the coconut milk and cooked it with the curry paste—this gave our curry silky body and intense, rich flavor. We paired the kaeng khiao wan with chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, and bell pepper. All that we needed now was rice to soak up the flavorful sauce.
Before You Begin
This paste is most often used in poultry, seafood, and vegetable curries. Small green Thai chiles are less than an inch long and provide the best combination of heat and herbal flavor. This recipe is designed to be prepared in a food processor. See the illustrations below for tips on handling lemongrass. A glass container is the best option for storing curry paste. If using store-bought curry paste, use 2 tablespoons. Freeze the chicken for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut.
Instructions
- Pulse all ingredients in food processor 10 times, each pulse lasting 4 to 5 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl between pulses. Once ingredients begin to form paste, process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed, about 3 minutes. Store in covered glass container or bowl in refrigerator for up to 1 month or in freezer for several months. (If freezing, divide curry paste into ½-cup amounts so that one portion will make one recipe, and freeze individually.)
- Carefully spoon off about 1 cup of top layer of cream from 1 can of coconut milk. Place coconut cream and curry paste in large Dutch oven and bring to simmer over high heat, whisking to blend, about 2 minutes. Maintain this brisk simmer and whisk frequently until almost all liquid evaporates, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and whisk constantly until cream separates into puddle of colored oil and coconut solids, 3 to 8 minutes. (You should hear curry paste starting to fry in oil.) Continue cooking until curry paste is very aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk in remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring back to simmer and cook until flavors meld and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with salt and add it to pot, stirring until pieces are separated and evenly coated with sauce, about 1 minute.
- Stir in broccoli and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and jalapeño, if using, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in lime juice, basil, and mint. Serve immediately.
for the green curry paste
for the thai green curry
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