If you’re a Thai food fan, you understand the romance of a dangerously creamy, spoon-cloaking green curry that only restaurants seem to hold the secret to.
On our trip to Thailand last winter, we had our share of good and bad bites (not all roadside dumplings are created equal), but one of those memorable bowls we had was the green curry on our first night in Koh Phagnan.
After days dragging our bags around a bustling and sweaty Bangkok, sitting beachside and diving into a milky bowl of Thai’s finest green curry definitely made the highlight reel.
Fast forward a year and many attempts later, this little guy started out as an experiment.
When cooking Thai, I have always paid attention to buying quality, full fat coconut milk with plenty of the fatty cream on top. On this particular night where green curry was requested, I only had a tiny coconut milk to work with. Oh the terror!
Enter almond butter. In our house its always hanging around, waiting to be scraped on toast for a late evening’s snack. With one spoonful of the stuff, my curry was transformed from good enough, to great. Are we that surprised though? Is there anything nut butter cannot do?
This recipe is fast, simple and very customizable. But I do recommend you source a good curry paste to make your life easier. They pretty much do all of the work!
Ingredients
- 2-3 heaping tsp green curry paste (I enjoy Arroy-D brand..it's spicier so add more or less depending on your preferences)
- 1 tbsp of coconut oil or neutral tasting oil
- 1.5-inch knob of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1 can of full fat coconut milk (400 ml)
- 1-2 cups of seasonal/your favourite veg (I used snow peas and baby bok choy here)
- zest from 1/2 a lime
- fresh basil or cilantro
- cashews or peanuts
- lime juice
- noodles: ramen, rice noodles, soba or linguine will all work here*
Method
- In a large pot, add the coconut oil, green curry paste, ginger and garlic over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 min, stirring all the while, until aromatic. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, tamari and almond butter and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low.
- Whisk well to dissolve the almond butter. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, until reduced slightly and the curry is thickened to your liking. Add the vegetables you're using and continue simmering until they are just-tender. Squeeze in the lime juice.
- When ready to serve, spoon into bowls over noodles. Top as you like with fresh herbs and nuts.
Notes
*If you're saving some for later, keep the noodles and the soup separate. The noodles don't retain their shape if suspended in liquid for too long.
Jack Smith says
This curry looks soooo delicious, Meredith! I absolutely LOVE Thai food and I can’t wait to give this a try. So many flavors going on here. Yummy
Meredith | Earth & Oven says
Hi Jack! Thank you so much 🙂 After finding a standby curry paste, the rest is a breeze. Plus you can customize it to your level of love for spice 😉
Becky says
This is our favorite go to curry now! I always double though because there’s never enough for leftovers!