Green curry (, , , lit. 'sweet-green curry') is a variety of

curry Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...

originating from

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central Plain) (historically also known as Siam or Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by the Phetchabun Mount ...

Etymology

The name ''green'' curry derives from the color of the dish, which comes from green chilies. The "sweet" in the Thai name (, 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 (, ) 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 Indian subcontinent in their use of ingredients such as fresh rhizo ...

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 (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and promote Siamese national ...

Rama VII Prajadhipok (8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941) was the seventh king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VII. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and social changes during the Siamese revolution of 1932, 19 ...

, between the years 1908–1926.

Ingredients

Apart from the main protein (traditionally fish,

fish balls Fish balls are 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 potato star ...

, or meat), the other ingredients for the dish consist of

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

, green curry paste,

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

, 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, L ...

Thai eggplant Thai eggplant (, ') 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 in Sri Lankan cuisine. T ...

(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 bird's eye chillies,

shallots The shallot is a cultivar group 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 the difference was to ...

, garlic,

galangal Galangal () is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originating in Indonesia. It is one of four species in the genus ''Alpinia'', and is known for its pungent, aromatic flavor. Greater gal ...

lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, oily heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, 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, Thai 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 cr ...

peel,

cilantro Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the leaves as ha ...

roots (coriander),

cumin Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...

seeds,

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

corns,

shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...

and salt.

Cooking method

The paste is fried in split

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

and

. Finally, as garnishes,

Thai basil Thai basil is a type of basil native to Southeast Asia that has been cultivated to provide distinctive traits. Widely used throughout Southeast Asia, its flavor, described as anise- and licorice-like and slightly spicy, is more stable unde ...

, fresh

leaves, sliced (the common name means 'sky-pointing chilies', which refers to large mild chilies such as

Cayenne pepper The cayenne pepper is a type of ''Capsicum annuum''. It is usually a hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Cayenne peppers are a group of tapering, 10 to 25 cm long, generally skinny, mostly red-colored peppers, often with a curved ti ...

) are often used. For a more robust green curry, such as with seafood, julienned (fingerroot or Chinese keys), white turmeric, and

holy basil ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulasi'' or ''tulsi'' (), is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is widely cultivated throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. It is native to tropical and subtropical r ...

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 jeen'' 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 jeen'' 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