As it is for many people, Thai green curry was my introduction to Thai cuisine and it’s still one of my firm favourites. This comparatively mild and herbaceous curry is a Thai restaurant menu staple for a reason – you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t like its gorgeous, well rounded flavours – spiciness soothed by cooling coconut and set against the freshness of coriander, lemongrass and lime leaves. The last two blew my mind the first time I tasted them and I have been hooked on their unique flavours ever since.
When we lived in London, going out for Thai food was probably a bi-weekly ritual and it’s something I am keen to resume here in Bristol (as you can imagine, there wasn’t any decent Thai food to be had on Paros, where we lived before moving back to the UK). Being vegan complicates things slightly as shrimp paste and fish sauce are such essential Thai ingredients that often people forget that they render a veggie-packed dish not suitable for either vegans or even vegetarians. Well, once we move house, I will be on a mission to find a good Thai restaurant that is willing to tweak things a little if we ask nicely and you’ll know if I succeed, as hardly anything gets me as excited as finding a new favourite place to eat. Meanwhile, here is my take on Thai green curry. I’ve had trouble finding fish-less green curry paste so I’ve decided to make my own, especially that things like lemongrass or lime leaves are now fairly easy to get hold of – they can both be found in large supermarkets (although I prefer to get them from the Asian store in town). I make my own fish sauce (I promise to share the recipe with you at some point) and you can buy it online too but if you don’t have any to hand, adding ground up nori seaweed to the paste imparts a ‘fishy’ taste without harming a thing. I grind the sheets in my spice grinder and keep them in an air sealed jar on my shelf until they are summoned to help out in the flavour department 😛 .
3 tbsp / 45 ml neutral tasting oil (I used rice bran) 400 ml / 14 oz full fat coconut milk (from a tin) 6 fresh Makrut (previously known as Kaffir) lime leaves 360-480 ml / 1½-2 cups veggie stock (or water) 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce OR vegan fish sauce*, more to taste juice of half a lime approx. 2 tsp sugar (I used coconut sugar), adjust to taste ½ small butternut squash or a sweet potato, cubed a small aubergine / eggplant, cubed 50 g / 1.5 oz sugar snap peas, sliced on the diagonal 100 g / 3.5 oz tenderstem broccoli a handful of bean sprouts, blanched
