Green curry ( th, แกงเขียวหวาน, , , literally "sweet-green curry") is a central Thai variety of

curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...

Etymology

The name "green" curry derives from the color of the dish, which comes from green chilies. The "sweet" in the Thai name (''wan'' means 'sweet') refers to the particular color green itself and not to the taste of the curry. As this is a

Thai curry Thai curry ( th, แกง, translit=kaeng, ) is a dish in Thai cuisine made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit, and herbs. Curries in Thailand mainly differ from the curries in India in their use of ingr ...

based on coconut milk and fresh green chilies, the color comes out creamy mild green or, as this color is called in Thai, "sweet green". Its ingredients are not exactly fixed. The curry is not necessarily sweeter than other Thai curries, but although the spiciness varies, it tends to be more pungent than the milder red curries. David Thompson, ''Thai Food'' (edition 2010), Pavilion Books, pages 218-220, Green curry evolved during the reign of

King Rama VI Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his effort ...

Rama VII Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

, between the years 1908-1926.

Ingredients

Apart from the main protein, traditionally fish,

fish balls Fish balls are rounded meat balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep fried. Similar in composition to fishcake, fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi, salt, and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour, corn, or ...

, or meat, the other ingredients for the dish consist of coconut milk, green

curry paste Indian curry pastes in a UK supermarket Curry paste usually refers to a paste used as a cooking ingredient in the preparation of a curry. There are different varieties of curry paste depending from the region and also within the same cuisine: *In ...

, palm sugar, and

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao ...

Thai eggplant Thai eggplant ( th, มะเขือ, ') is the name for several varieties of eggplant used in Southeast Asian cuisines, most often of the eggplant species ''Solanum melongena''. They are also cultivated in India and Sri Lanka and feature i ...

(aubergine), pea aubergine, basil leaves or other green or whitish vegetables and even fruit are often included. The consistency of its sauce varies with the amount of coconut milk used. Green curry paste is traditionally made by pounding in a mortar green chillies,

shallots The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as th ...

, garlic,

galangal Galangal () is a common name for several tropical rhizomatous spices. Differentiation The word ''galangal'', or its variant ''galanga'' or archaically ''galingale'', can refer in common usage to the aromatic rhizome of any of four plant spec ...

lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, oily heads, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some ...

kaffir lime ''Citrus hystrix'', called the kaffir lime or makrut lime, (, ) is a citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia. Its fruit and leaves are used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and its essential oil is used in perfumery. Its rind and crushed leav ...

leaves,

cilantro Coriander (;

roots (coriander), and cumin seeds,

white pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diam ...

corns,

shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed shrimp or krill mixed with salt, and then fermented for several weeks. They are ei ...

and salt.

Cooking method

The paste is fried in split

coconut cream Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food in ...

until the oil is expressed to release the aromas in the paste. Once the curry paste is cooked, more coconut milk and the remaining ingredients are added, along with a pinch of palm sugar and fish sauce. Finally, as garnishes, Thai basil, fresh

leaves, sliced ''phrik chi faa'' (the common name means "sky-pointing chilies," which refers to large mild chilies such as Cayenne pepper) are often used. For a more robust green curry, such as with seafood,

julienned Julienne, , or french cut, is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, similar to matchsticks. Common items to be julienned are carrots for , celery for , potatoes for julienne fries, or cucumbers for . Trimmi ...

krachai (fingerroot/wild ginger/Chinese keys), white turmeric, and

holy basil ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian ...

can be used as garnishes.

Serving

Green curry is typically eaten with rice as part of a wider range of dishes in a meal or with round rice noodles known as '' khanom chin'' as a single dish.

Gallery

File:Green curry ingredients.jpg, Ingredients for green curry paste File:Thai green curry paste.jpg, Freshly made green curry paste in a mortar File:Khanom chin kaeng kiao wan kai.jpg, Green chicken feet curry served with ''khanom chin'' File:Khao phat kaeng khiao wan.jpg, Rice fried with green curry File:Green curry (42296614864).jpg, Green curry with meat

References

External links

* {{Cuisine of Thailand Thai curries