The thing with curry, which is evident by the list above, is that there are many varieties. Though curry as a seasoning blend refers to the yellow curry many of us know and love (yellow due to the turmeric), curry can vary completely and have no turmeric at all. Recently, I photographed an event for caterers, and chatted with an attendee briefly about curry as one of the dishes was described as having a curry flavor. Now, given the description was used generally, this may have meant there was actually turmeric in the dish. But the person said, "I don't like curry. I don't want to try it if it tastes like curry." Of course, I had to step up to the defense of the dish, and inquired "What kind of curries have you tried? There's a lot of different kinds." Her reply? "I don't know. I just don't like curry." That's an unfortunate view as she is missing out if it's a mere seasoning issue.
My first experience with green curry is likely one you wouldn't expect, and one I noted in my Red Curry post. It all started with a frozen meal, which led to me ordering it out and sub-sequentially falling in love. Say what you will about preserved foods; they're handy for a quick meal in a hurry and with all the varieties available, it's possible to learn to love a new dish altogether. Who knew?
So if red curry is made with red peppers, what do you presume green curry starts out with? You got it, kid.
As I've covered before, I prefer whenever possible to do the from scratch version of recipes. I don't want a pre-made mix to add coconut milk to and take credit for a recipe. No, no. Let's do some work.
It all starts with a paste; this is the part that people often grab in a can or jar to use as the curry base. I tossed 8 serrano peppers into my food processor to get the ball rollin'.
I added the lemongrass, galangal, garlic, oregano, cilantro, cumin, coriander, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar, then pulsed it together for a few minute to create a repulsive little green mess. But man did those peppers smell good!
After sauteing some zucchini, yellow squash, mushroom, and sweet potato for a few minutes until the veggies softened slightly.
The last step was adding the coconut milk and simmering for a couple minutes. I then served the curry over rice.
Spicy! I've made this a couple of times trying to get the flavor. Once with a different type of pepper, and another with 4 serrano peppers. Both times resulted in a sweeter sauce, but not one with the lil kick in the ass I was hoping for. So this time I doubled up and wound up with a nice level of the capsacin kick, but still a lot of flavor. For my version, I used cauliflower rice and would up with a flavorful, veggie-loaded dish.
I took this to work a couple of times for lunch and man oh man, the sting was real. I loved this dish, though, and it may be my favorite curry yet. Go green or go home.
Green Curry Recipe
Ingredients:
8 green serrano peppers
2-3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass (or 1 stalk fresh lemongrass)
1 thumb-sized piece of galangal (or ginger)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon avocado oil (or cooking oil of choice)
1 sweet potato, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 can coconut milk (15.5 ounces)
2 cups cooked rice
Instructions:
Add peppers, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, oregano, cilantro, cumin, coriander, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar into a small food processor. Pulse for 1-2 minutes until you have a thick sauce. Add diced vegetables to a large pan with cooking oil and saute over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, then toss in green curry sauce. Continue cooking for 5-7 more minutes, until potatoes are soft enough to be punctured by a fork. Stir in coconut milk and heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then serve over rice.
adapted from thai green curry paste
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