Thai Green Curry (Chicken & Eggplants)

How to get your spouse to eat eggplants?

Yes, you heard me right. Spouse. Not kid.

But wait… not just to eat.. but to ask for more.

Yes.

This is real. And easy too.

Make Thai Green Curry.

At least in my case that did it.

Mr. V didn’t use to like eggplants. In fact, he didn’t like many things. He’s picky. But in my home, we couldn’t afford to be picky. We had to eat everything on our plate. If we even dare mention the thought of not wanting to eat something, a full fledge discussion on the starving children in Africa will begin.

Mr. V’s case is a tricky one. He’s an adult. A full grown one. I can’t make him stay at the dining table until he finishes his dinner or threaten him with no desserts after. He can very well just order take out and enjoy a box of cherry pie any damn time he wishes.

I had to outsmart his memory.

For some reason, he has always loved Thai curries. Malaysian curries, not too much. Why? Apparently they’re too spicy. But Thai curries… especially the green curry, oh he loves them. Aren’t Thai curries spicy too? Yes. I don’t get him either.

Once (a year ago), I asked him what he felt like eating. He emailed me with a list of the food he wanted. Thai Green Curry was on the top of the list. No, we don’t have communication issues in our home. He could have just told me face to face, but I’m guessing he wouldn’t remember the list if he had to communicate them verbally.

So, one year later, here it is. Thai Green Curry for Mr. V. And a non spicy version too. It’s so creamy and packed with so much flavor that you’re going to have a hard time not being able to stop eating. No kidding. Lucky for me, eggplants go very well with Thai curries. The trick to Mr. V eating… and completely loving the eggplants is to sear them beforehand. This gives the eggplants a texture you won’t be able to get if they’re just dumped into the curry to simmer.

This homemade curry paste is VERY easy to make, provided you can get your hands on the ingredients. Best part is, you control the spiciness and the sodium… and there’s no funky chemical stuff. Make a large batch of paste and freeze it up, a Thai green curry’s just 15 minutes away from your tummy.

Can’t get enough of Thai food? You’re going to love this Pad Thai. Soft & chewy stir-fried noodles in a perfectly balanced sweet, savory & sour sauce. So good & addictive. I included some helpful tips on how to cook the perfect pad Thai as well.

Also, if you haven’t already, check out my last post. Nasi Lemak w/ Mamak Fried Chicken. The Ultimate Malaysian Food. Fragrant coconut rice with sambal (a spicy sauce), eggs, cucumber, crispy anchovies & peanuts and a special crispy curried fried chicken. Heaven on earth.

How do you make someone love something they hate?

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Thai Green Curry                      Serves 4

Curry Paste:
6 oz (10 – 12) green chilies (See notes on tips for spiciness)
4 shallots (short variety), peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1″ galangal (blue ginger root), peeled & sliced
1 lemongrass stalk (white parts only), sliced
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro roots (or stems – bottom 2″ only)
1 Kaffir lime’s zest (opt out if can’t find this)
1 1/2 tsp Thai shrimp paste
1 tbs ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
Pinch of ground mace
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cinnamon

1/3 cup oil
1 can 13.5 oz coconut milk , divided
2 lb chicken breast or thigh, sliced or cubed
1 1/4 cup water
1 tbs fish sauce or to taste
1 tbs palm, brown or coconut sugar or to taste
1 tsp salt or to taste
3 large Japanese eggplants, cubed, seared until blistered and soft (see notes)
10 kaffir lime leaves
2 sprigs Thai basil leaves (or more for garnishing)
1 red chili, thinly sliced

directions:

1. Add all the ingredients for the curry paste in a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes a smooth paste.

2. Over medium heat, add the curry paste and oil to a wok or a large skillet. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk. Fry the paste for 10 – 15 minutes. You’ll start to see a thin layer of green color oil on the surface. Lower the heat slightly if it’s getting too hot. We don’t want to burn the paste. Add more coconut milk 1 tbs at a time if the paste is drying out. We want to keep it moist.

3. Turn the heat to high and add the chicken pieces. Fry them for a couple minutes to seal the flavor. Add the water and the remaining coconut milk and bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiled, add the fish sauce, sugar and salt. Turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

4. Add the eggplants and let simmer for another couple minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

5. Turn the heat off and add the kaffir limes leaves and basil leaves.

6. Garnish with basil leaves and red chilies. Serve immediately with coconut rice. It tastes even better overnight.

Notes:

1. Green Chilies – Use green Korean chilies for a non spicy curry and green Holland, Serrano or Jalapeno for a spicy curry. Or use a combination of non spicy and spicy chilies or deseed half the spicy chilies to get the level of heat you want. For this recipe, I used all green Korean chilies to remove the spiciness without sacrificing the ‘green’ color. Not spicy therefore not my kind of curry, but definitely Mr.V’s kind.

2. Shallots, galangal (blue ginger root), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar and shrimp paste can be found in Thai Markets or most Chinese markets. Kaffir Limes and cilantro roots are harder to find. Don’t sweat it if you can’t.

3. Shrimp paste: If you’ve been to an Asian market before, you’ll see a myriad of shrimp paste. They come in bottles and block forms. When in doubt, buy the one made in Thailand and in a bottle form for this recipe. The ingredients should only contain shrimp and salt. If it has bean oil or chili, that’s not the kind we want for this recipe.

4. Color: If you want to make the curry look greener, place 1/4 cup Thai basil or chili leaves and some water into a blender or food processor. Blend and let it sit in the water for a couple minutes. Strain the leaves and add the ‘green’ liquid to the curry. Do this before adding the basil and kaffir lime leaves.

5. Eggplants: Generously coat a wok or pan with oil and sear the eggplants on medium high heat until blistered and soft. Add a tad more oil if it gets too dry.

6. Coconut rice: To make coconut rice, replace half the water with coconut milk when cooking rice. Optionally, add two slices of ginger, some salt and screw pine leaves (can be found in the frozen section of most Asian markets).

7. Meat: Substitute pork or beef or even fish for chicken if you wish.