Thai Shrimp Green Curry (Gaeng Keow Wan Goong): The Smell of Home in Every Kitchen
My mother and father loved this dish before I did. I was young and still learning which curry was mine. At the market in Thailand the vendors would have all different types set out, and green was theirs. In Maryland she made it whenever she wanted, lunch or dinner, and the smell would fill the house. That smell was her way of keeping Thailand alive in our home. I grew into loving this dish over time. It became mine the way things do when they have been around long enough and made with enough love. This is that curry.
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp green curry paste
- 1 can 14 oz coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup bamboo shoots drained
- 1 cup bell peppers sliced
- 1 cup eggplant cubed
- 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red chili sliced (optional)
- Steamed jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
- Preparing the Ingredients: Peel and devein the shrimp, slice the bell peppers, and cube the eggplant. Mince the garlic and ginger and cut the red chili.
- Sautéing Aromatics: In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and green curry paste. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and the curry paste has dissolved into the oil.
- Add liquids and vegetables:Pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth, stirring well to combine. Add the fish sauce and brown sugar, then bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the bell peppers, eggplant, and bamboo shoots, and let the vegetables cook for 5-7 minutes until they are tender but still vibrant.(Do not shake the coconut milk can. The thick cream off the top fries the paste and gives the curry its body).
- Cooking the Shrimp: Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until they turn pink and opaque. Remove from heat, then stir in lime juice and Thai basil. Taste the broth before serving and adjust fish sauce or lime as needed.
- Serve the curry: Serve hot over jasmine rice. Garnish with fresh Thai basil and sliced red chili.
Notes
The shrimp go in last and the heat goes off fast. Two to four minutes in a gently simmering curry is all a shrimp needs. It will continue to cook from the heat of the broth after the flame is off, and from the heat of the bowl after ladling. A shrimp that has been in a hot curry for five minutes is overcooked, rubbery, tight, its sweetness gone. Watch them. The moment the pink is complete and the shrimp has curled, the pot comes off the heat.
The Thai basil goes in off the heat. Heat applied to Thai basil after it goes in cooks off its fragrance and turns it dark and slightly bitter. Off the heat, folded in, served immediately. The basil should arrive at the table fragrant and just wilted, not cooked and dark.
Do not shake the coconut milk can. The thick cream off the top fries the paste and gives the curry its body. A paste fried in coconut cream produces a broth with depth. A paste added to shaken coconut milk produces something thinner and less developed no matter how long it simmers.
Green curry is the most fragrant of the Thai curries and it does not improve significantly with long simmering. It is a faster dish. From start to bowl in thirty-five minutes. My mother made it when she wanted Thailand in the house. Thirty-five minutes was enough for that.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 22gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 800mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g
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