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Thai green curry

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International

Thai Green Curry

By Matt Crombie | February 12, 2026

⏱ 30 minutes 🍽 Serves 4 🔥 520 kcal per serving

Thai green curry is a study in balance—the sweetness of coconut milk against the heat of green chillies, the aromatic complexity of curry paste against the clean simplicity of Thai basil. Get the balance right and you have something that tastes like it came from a Bangkok street stall. Get it wrong and you have coconut soup with chicken in it.

The key is good curry paste. Make your own if you have the time and a mortar and pestle. Buy the best quality jar you can afford if you do not. The difference between mediocre and excellent curry paste is the difference between a forgettable meal and one that makes you close your eyes when you taste it.

Coconut milk provides the base, but it needs balancing with fish sauce for saltiness, palm sugar for sweetness, and lime leaves for that distinctive Thai citrus note. The vegetables—bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant—add texture without overwhelming the curry. This is not a stew. The vegetables should still have bite.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the thick coconut cream from the top of the can in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and fry for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the oil begins to separate.
  2. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the pieces are sealed and coated in the paste.
  3. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
  4. Add the bamboo shoots and Thai eggplant. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender but still firm.
  5. Taste and adjust the seasoning—it should be a balance of salty, sweet, and hot. Add more fish sauce for salt, palm sugar for sweetness, or curry paste for heat.
  6. Remove from heat and stir through most of the Thai basil, reserving some for garnish.
  7. Serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice, garnished with the remaining basil leaves.

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