Thai Green Curry with Beef

This Green Curry recipe features beef but could also be prepared with chicken, pork or fish. If sweet basil leaves are not available, you may substitute European basil, or leave it out altogether. You can serve this dish accompanied with a cooling soup, like Glass Noodle Soup (Gaeng Joot), stir-fry or steamed vegetables, and of course steamed jasmine rice.

Ingredients

• 400 grams beef (a little less then 1lb.)
• 3 tbsp green curry paste (see green curry paste recipe or use prepared curry paste)
• 2 1/2 cups coconut milk (1 1/2 cans Chaokoh brand coconut milk or squeezed out from 400 grams grated fresh coconut)
• 5 small fresh Thai eggplants, quartered
• 2-3 fresh red spur chilies, sliced diagonally
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup sweet basil leaf (optional)
• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp palm sugar
• 1 tbsp cooking oil (not olive oil, but corn, safflower or peanut oil)
• Sweet basil leaves and red chili slices for garnish

Preparation

1. Slice the beef into thin pieces, about about 1/3" (3 cm) thick.
2. Saute the green curry paste in oil over medium heat until fragrant, reduce the heat, gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the coconut milk a little at a time, stir until a film of green oil surfaces.
3. Add the beef and kaffir lime leaves, continue cooking for 3 minutes until fragrant and the beef is cooked through. Transfer to a pot, place over medium heat and cook until boiling. Add the remaining coconut milk, season with palm sugar and fish sauce. When the mixture returns to the boil add the eggplants. Cook until the eggplants are done, sprinkle sweet basil leaves and red chilies over, then turn off the heat.
4. Arrange on a serving dish and garnish with sweet basil leaves and red chilies before serving.

This recipe is taken from the publication Popular Thai Cuisine and is available in our cookbook section.

Comments about this Green Curry recipe: I finally managed to satiate my craving for Thai Green curry last night by cooking it myself using the recipe that I found on the Temple of Thai. It was awesome! It was thick, spicy and most importantly of all, green. In some places, I've seen that the green curry was not green but instead, it was yellow. Strange don't you think? Anyway, the curry was a success and approved by all. (Source: Oh Look, Krill!)

Preparing your own curry paste will give the best results for a really authentic and delicious thai curry. However, making your own paste can be time consuming and therefore not always possible. So if you need your curry in a hurry and don't wish to compromise on taste, we recommend our ready-made Nittaya brand Green Curry Paste.

Nittaya is an excellent quick and simple alternative to preparing your own curry paste. It is the best prepared curry paste we have tried here at Temple of Thai and as a fellow curry lover we're sure you'll agree.