Most of my experience with Thai curries come from eating them at Thai restaurants. Thai restaurants are great, but the quality of ingredients they use are moderate to fair and they are a restaurant, so hidden fat, sugar, and sodium abound. I wondered, how easy could it be to make Thai curry at home?

There are several pre-made curry pastes on the market that will do in a pinch, but curries are the best when the curry paste is made from scratch. Don’t worry, it sounds more complicated than it is. As long as you have a food processor, or blender, and access to a few Eastern ingredients, fresh curry pastes are as simple as hitting a button.

Curry sauces may be spicy or mild depending on how much curry paste you use. If you elect to use the jarred curry paste (Mae Ploy is a good brand), start off slow. You can always add more, but it’s tough to take the powerful heat away. If you’re making curry paste from scratch, use caution with the amount of chilies, perhaps tasting the chili prior to using it to gage its spiciness.

This vibrant green curry is filled with cilantro, ginger, lemongrass, chilies and spices. It is a natural compliment for seafood, chicken, and vegetables. Curries reheat well and can be just as delicious after a few days, so make the sauce when you have some time, and reheat as necessary for a nearly instant meal.

Green Thai Curry
Serves 4

2 tsp. grapeseed oil
4 cups assorted vegetables, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, eggplant, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, etc., cut according to your liking
1 recipe Fresh Green Curry Sauce, below
1 1/2 to 2 pounds white fish, shrimp, chicken, or tofu -or- add another few cups of vegetables for vegetarian version, cut into even bite sized pieces

Steamed sushi rice, cilantro, and lime wedge for serving

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a medium dutch oven or saucepan. Add vegetables in order of how long they will take to cook, and sweat until water is released and vegetables are crisp tender.

Add fresh green curry sauce and bring to a simmer. Next add protein, cover pot with a lid, and gently cook until meat is just cooked through and tender. Fish will take no longer than 3 minutes, shrimp will cook in under a minute, chicken will take about 5 minutes, and tofu just needs to be reheated.

Serve immediately over rice with cilantro and lime wedge or store up to 4 days tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Fresh Green Curry Sauce
Recipe Courtesy Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten

2 cups packed chopped cilantro leaves and stems
3 green Thai chilies, thinly sliced
1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (3 tablespoons)
2 stalks of fresh lemongrass, tender inner cores only, thinly sliced crosswise
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup water
One 13 1/2-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt

In a food processor, combine the cilantro, chilies, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, coriander, cumin and water and process to a fine paste.
In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, chicken stock and the spice paste and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and season with salt.