Thai Green Curry

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Thai

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Servings:

Calories: 562kcal

Author: Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju

My Thai green curry with tofu uses the coconut bloom technique — frying paste in separated coconut cream. Works with any paste, 40 minutes, vegetarian.

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Equipment

Wok or large deep skillet

Ingredients

2 (13.5-oz) cans full-fat coconut milk unshaken
3 tablespoons neutral oil such as avocado or vegetable, divided
2 (14-oz) blocks extra-firm tofu pressed and cut into ¾-inch cubes
¼ cup green curry paste 4 tablespoons
6 fresh galangal thinly sliced
2 stalks lemongrass bottom third only, bruised with the back of a knife
4 makrut lime leaves bruised and torn, fresh or frozen
2 medium Thai eggplants about 8 oz total, quartered
1 (15-oz) can baby corn drained and halved diagonally
1 cup vegetable broth low-sodium preferred
1 cup long beans cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 tablespoons vegetarian fish sauce
1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves plus more for garnish
1 medium lime cut into wedges, for serving

Instructions

Without shaking the cans, open both. Scoop the thick cream from the top of both cans into one bowl — about 1 cup total. Pour the remaining thin milk into a separate bowl. Set both aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, add tofu in a single layer — don't crowd or it'll steam. Cook undisturbed 3–4 minutes until golden on the bottom. Flip and cook another 2–3 minutes until golden on multiple sides. Remove to a plate.
In the same wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the green curry paste and fry 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant and slightly darkened.
Pour in the thick cream only. Cook 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and the coconut oil begins to separate and pool at the edges — this is the bloom. Don't rush it!
Stir in the galangal, lemongrass, and makrut lime leaves. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the eggplant and baby corn. Pour in half the thin coconut milk and all the vegetable broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 8–10 minutes until the eggplant is just tender when pierced.
Add the tofu, long beans, coconut sugar, and vegetarian fish sauce. Pour in the remaining thin coconut milk.
Simmer 4–5 minutes until the long beans are tender but still have bite and the tofu has absorbed the curry.

Taste and adjust — more fish sauce for salt, more coconut sugar to balance, a squeeze of lime for brightness.

Remove from heat. Fish out and discard the lemongrass and galangal. Stir in the Thai basil — it will wilt in the residual heat within 30 seconds.
Serve immediately over jasmine rice with lime wedges and extra Thai basil on top.

Notes

Don't shake the coconut milk cans. The thick cream on top is what blooms the paste in Step 4. Shaking collapses this and produces a noticeably flatter curry.
Watch for the oil separation in Step 4. If you don't see oil pooling at the edges after 5 minutes, keep going — undercooked paste tastes raw in the finished dish.
Thai basil goes in off-heat only. Even 30 seconds of boiling turns it black and bitter.
Paste recommendations: Mekhala is vegan and gluten-free (my standard). Mae Ploy has better flavor but contains shrimp paste, so it's not vegetarian.
Vegetarian fish sauce: Ocean's Halo or Tiparos. No sub? Use 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice.
Storage: Refrigerate curry and rice separately up to 3 days — flavor deepens overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth or water. Don't boil, or the coconut milk will separate.

Nutrition