ABOUT LIFE IN ALL ITS COLORS

THE COLOUR GREEN OF THAI GREEN CURRY

No, I am not a "foodie", I will not start blogging about food or recipes, but yes, here and there I might post a dish or recipe, as it is connected to my inspiration, my love for food, my love for other cultures and countries, my love for special people, my love for flavors and scents of exotic kitchens.

Some years ago, while still working as Moto GP Coordinator for Yamaha Racing, I had dinner with my Japanese colleagues at the Movenpick Towers Hotel in Doha - Qatar. In their Asian Fusion restaurant I had an amazing Thai curry. So I wanted to ask the chef for the recipe. The waiter went to the kitchen and came back and said that he would not give me the recipe in detail, nor written on a paper, but that the chef allowed to mention the ingredients he was using.
So it was up to me to remember what he said, to play with the quantites, to work with my own taste or availability of ingredients.

And so I started to make my own Thai Green curry paste from scratch. much better than the already-made-pastes in the shop, as with the homemade paste, you also add as extra ingredients care, love and time.
And no, it is not difficult.
No, it is not a lot of work or time.
Yes, it is a bit of a mess, compared to buying the already made paste......but it is so worth it.

WHAT YOU NEED (OR THE SUBSTITUTES)

I will not give you exact quantities of the ingredients, play with your own taste buds and keep adding things to your own taste. Start with the basics, let it simmer and then you can add more of the spices or ingredients.

I use:

2 shallots or half a big (red) onion
3 gloves of garlic (or more, up to you)
One chunk of ginger (like a thumb) or ginger powder
2-3 hands full with fresh Thai Basil (or regular fresh Basil)
1 hand full with coriander / cilantro (more or less to your own taste, I am not a big fan of it, so I keep it low, I just like the finesse of it, not the overwhelming flavor.
The juice of half a lime (or more if you like the fresh lime taste)
Some pepper / salt
Some olive oil

Put all in a kitchen machine and blend it till you have the fresh green paste.

Then you can use the paste for chicken, shrimps or only vegetables (for example courgette, broccoli, green beans, green peas, green paprika / peppers, mushrooms etc.)

When you have your choice of chicken / shrimps / veggies in a pan with the green paste, you add a can of Coconut milk (I normally do a little more than a can, because I like the coconut taste).
2 table spoons of Thai fish sauce (it is a bit like soy sauce, so if you can not find the fish sauce, you can also use soy sauce)
1 small spoon of Cardamom powder
2 small spoons of Cumin powder
A chunk of lemon grass (or replace it with some lime zest). If you can find lemon grass, you can keep it in the freezer.
Some kaffir lime leaves if you can get them. If hard to find, you can always buy it on the internet)
Add spicy red pepper powder to your own taste or add fresh green/ red peppers in the paste ingredients.

Let it all simmer for quite a while. I also add a small piece of lime in the pan. But don't let that sit too long, the freshness will change in bitter after a while.

​Of course you can work with substitute ingredients, but the fresher and more original the ingredients, the better.

THE FINISHING TOUCH

Cook Thai jasmine rice, Basmati rice or regular rice with some dried  jasmine flowers added.

I normally cook the curry mix already the day before, so the ingredients can do their work better and you only have to warm it up while you cook the rice. Or at least prepare it in the morning of the day itself, the longer it stands, the better the taste.

Serve rice and curry with a wedge of lime (to be squeezed over the dish) and some fresh basil and cilantro sprinkled over the dish.

NOTE:
If the dish is too spicy, add more coconut milk and / or lime
If the dish is too mild, add more Thai Fish sauce or spicy pepper
If the dish is too sour, add more coconut milk.

Keep trying till you have it the way you like. 

In Qatar they served it with Amla berries (or Gooseberries) in the curry, that really gave it a special touch.