Thai green curry is a popular dish with many, and it’s also fairly simple to make. Feeling bullish about our prospects in the kitchen, TOAD went to the Royal Orchid on Salaam Street to learn how.
One of the most commonly ordered dishes at a Thai restaurant is green curry. It’s often people’s go-to option when they aren’t sure what else to have. The curry is often varied and can take several different forms and flavours. We spoke to chef Prachuap Natuai at the Royal Orchid on Salaam Street to learn how it’s done properly.
Chef Prachuap has been working at the Royal Orchid for nearly seven years. Before that he worked as a chef in his home country, Thailand, for 29 years.
As a staple dish, Thai green curry is based on coconut milk and fresh ingredients. Chef Prachuap explains, ‘At Royal Orchid, we prepare the sauce first; this can take up to one hour. Once the sauce is done, the curry only takes around ten minutes to make.’
The restaurant sources some of the products needed to make the dish from overseas, as chef Prachuap’s preferred spice mix is Mae Ploy – which the restaurant ships from Thailand. He says this one is best, but if you can’t source it for your home cooking, try to make your own, ‘The brand is important, the sauce is what defines the dish,’ he explains. The sauce is the base for the dish, which then gets vegetables and meat added in. ‘This one is best served with jasmine rice, but it’s okay with Chinese noodles too.’
‘This dish traditionally is served quite spicy but of course we offer it mild for customers’ preference,’ chef Prachuap explains. ‘We can make it to taste.’ And why is it that green curry is such a popular dish on a Thai menu? Chef Prachuap’s theory is it’s the ‘aromatic flavours make this dish unique.’
Royal Orchid, Salaam Street, behind ADCB head office and ADNOC on Electra Street (02 677 9911).
Chef Prachuap’s Thai green curry
This recipe serves four
Ingredients
• 1 stick lemongrass, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 piece Thai ginger, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 green chillies, minced
• 4 Kaffir lime leaves, minced
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 4 sweet basil leaves
• 150ml coconut milk
• ½ tbsp fish sauce (optional)
• ½ tbsp coconut sugar
• Seasoning to taste
• 2 Sliced chicken breasts
Method
1. Brown off the chicken slices and keep aside.
2. Take lemongrass, garlic, Thai ginger, shallots, green chillies (red chillies can also be used) and Kaffir lime leaves, mince all together in a blender. This is your green curry paste. Make a larger amount and it can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge, ready to be used any time you want to make green curry.
3. Heat a little oil in the pan, add the paste above and heat through over a low flame.
4. Add coconut milk and vegetable stock and cook for ten more minutes on a low heat.
5. Add chicken to the mixture.
6. Add fish sauce (optional), coconut sugar, seasonings and let the ingredients come to a boil.
7. Serve hot in a curry pot.
8. Garnish with drops of coconut milk and sweet basil.
