Green Curry

An easy meal that is cooked quickly, is very filling and using the right coconut cream, delicious! I used to buy any coconut milk or cream, mostly the ones on special, until I discovered the difference. A lot of brands are watered down and don't taste as good as Ayam Brand. These days, if I cannot get Ayam coconut cream, I won't make a curry! It is a bit more expensive, but once you cooked with it, you will be happy to spend the extra money-

I also cheat here with the curry paste I am using, due to not being able to find plant-based curry paste in Saigon.

The paste I am using is not plant-based, due to containing shrimp paste. Aren't I lucky to be flexitarian and don't mind this little bit of cheating. The brand I really like is Mae Ploy.

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Lemongrass

I am adding more lemongrass to this dish, and kaffir lime leaves. The trick I have learnt with lemongrass is that you have to bash it, before cutting it finely and then crushing it even finer in a small food processor. I usually take 3 stems, peel out the white parts, bash them with a hammer (covered in cling wrap or a plastic bag), chop and crush them and store them flat in a zip-lock freezer bag. When you need lemongrass next time you just break off the amount you need. 

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​Kaffir Lime Leaf

Kaffir lime leaves are usually only available in a bag of 10 or so. I find they store really well in the freezer. Before I use them, I remove the harder centre part and chop the soft leaf parts very thinly. 

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​Veggies

I use potatoes in my curry because I love the texture and they add to the filling component. I pre-boil bite sized chopped potatoes for approximately 3-5 minutes, then add them to the curry. I try and use fresh peas, and they need pre-boiling too for a few minutes. What ever green ingredients you use, make sure they are roughly of the same softness when added, as per your liking. If you use frozen peas, they can be thrown in frozen. My favourite vegetable in this recipe is broccolini, which I have not been able to find here. So broccoli had to do. You can use the stem, peeled (if necessary) and finely sliced and added first to the curry paste. Because the stem is quite hard it needs a longer cooking time than the florets. If the stem seams woody, don't use it.

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​Asafoetida

The unusual looking yellow powder in the photo is a powder I often use instead of garlic. It is called asafoetida.

This powder smells a little odd uncooked, but develops a garlicky taste when cooked. My gut is not always keen on onion and garlic, so I avoid it sometimes and use asafoetida instead.