Green Thai Curry
(Gaeng Kiow Wahn Goong)
Ingredients
- 2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk, unshaken
- 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon green curry paste, or to taste
- 4 small green Thai eggplants, halved***
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined*
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or light brown sugar
- Ginger (optional)**
- Garlic (optional)**
- Lemon grass (optional)**
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
- Fresh lime juice (for garnish)
- Jasmine or sticky rice
Instructions
- Carefully open coconut milk cans, spoon thick coconut cream from top and put in wok, frying pan or medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until bubbly.
- Add curry paste and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until an oily sheen comes to the surface. Optional additions: If adding ginger, garlic and lemon grass, add with curry paste. Add remaining coconut milk from cans and eggplants. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Add shrimp, fish sauce and palm sugar, and simmer gently 3 to 4 minutes, just until prawns are cooked.
- Stir in basil and fresh lime juice to taste.
- Serve with jasmine rice or sticky rice.
Yields 4 servings.
* To substitute for shrimp use: 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken cut into bite-size pieces; or 1 pound beef or pork cut into thin slices.
** To enhance flavors, add one or more of the following to curry paste and stir-fry: 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 slices ginger, crushed; 1 stalk lemon grass, peeled and sliced diagonally, using lower third of stalk only. Remove whole spices before serving.
*** Thai eggplants are available at some supermarkets and at Asian grocery stores.
