Thai Vegan Green Curry

This Vegan Green Curry was made from scratch – by getting the ingredients for the paste and blitzing them together in a chopper. It’s a lot easier than you think and makes such a difference!

Thai Green Curry is a mainstay in any Thai kitchen, including my very Indian kitchen. I made this a Vegan Green Curry simply because you don’t always have to put meat in a curry – it can be enjoyed as a side as well. In this case, I recommend Thai Basil Minced Chicken on the side, if you’re looking for meat.

Making the Green Curry Paste

I am a huge proponent of store-bought pastes. In fact if you’re looking for a recommendation, try Mekhala’s pastes. Of all the brands I’ve used, I find theirs to be closest to the real thing (made in Thailand, no less!). I never made the curry paste on my own, dismissing it to be too laborious. A couple of years ago, I joined a Thai cooking class where I made green curry paste from scratch. It didn’t seem like too much work, but that’s also because there was a group of people working on one master-paste recipe.

This curry paste can be whipped up in 10 minutes, you just need the right ingredients to get you going. Making this is similar to the Lemongrass Sambal I made. I used the same food chopper for this and again you are more than welcome to use a pestle and mortar if you feel that’ll be better suited. It is, after all, how the Thais make this at home (I’m almost certain). The key ingredient here is a bunch of green chillies, without which you cannot make this.

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For the curry paste

• Zest of 1 Lime

• 1-inch piece Galangal, peeled and chopped

• 6 Fresh Green Chillies, stemmed and chopped

• 4 Cloves Garlic, peeled

• 1 Lemongrass, chopped

• 2 Coriander Roots, cleaned

For the Curry

• 1 – 2 Tbsp Oil

• 1 Onion, peeled and sliced into semi-circles

• 200 ml coconut milk

• ½ Large Brinjal, cut in any way your prefer

• 2 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed

• Salt to taste (fish sauce if you prefer to  make this non-vegan)

First, par-boil the potatoes by placing them in a large pot of water over high heat. This will take anywhere between 2 to 5 minutes once the water starts boiling. Keep testing the potatoes. Once they have lost some dexterity of form when pricked with a fork, but not falling apart, drain them. You can rinse them with iced or tepid water to stop the cooking process altogether while working on the other stuff.

Then, make the curry paste. Place all ingredients for the paste in a food processor or mortar, and pulverise till you get a fine paste. Don’t be too fussed if this doesn’t make a smooth paste, I rather like it slightly rough and lumpy. This is home cooking, after all. Once the curry paste is prepared, set it aside and get to work on putting the curry together.

Place the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil heats up, add the onions. Allow the onions to sweat in the pan for around 2 minutes, till the soften. Then, add the prepared green curry paste. Stir this around till the onions become one with it. However, don’t brown the curry paste. You want it to have it’s gorgeous jade-green colour all the way through. Then, add the brinjal and potatoes. Stir together, cover and cook for about 2 minutes, till the aubergine pieces soften. Then, add the coconut milk and salt. Stir through and let the curry come to a boil. Test the potatoes to see if they are cooked through when the gravy boils. When the potatoes are cooked, your curry is ready. Serve warm with rice, or with my Thai Basil Chicken.