Thai Green Curry

Ingredients

• Coconut Milk
• 1 cup scraped fresh coconut
• 1 teaspoon soaked and drained rice
• Rice
• 1½ cups short grain rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
• 8-10 pandan leaves
• Salt to taste
• Thai Green Curry Paste
• 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 3 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 8-10 black peppercorns
• 1 inch lemongrass stalk, chopped
• 1 inch galangal, chopped
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 15-20 shallots
• 15-20 fresh coriander stalks
• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 lemon
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves
• 10-15 fresh coriander sprigs
• Tempering
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2-3 spring onion bulbs, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 6-8 cauliflower florets
• 3-4 small brinjals, stem removed and halved
• 5-6 French beans, stringed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt to taste
• 1 medium green capsicum, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1-2 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves
• Fresh basil sprigs for garnish

Method

1. Take coconut in a bowl, add ½ cup water hot water and mix well. Transfer this mixture into a grinder jar and add rice and 1 cup water and grind to fine paste.
2. Strain through a fine muslin cloth, gather the edges of the cloth together and squeeze well with your hand into a bowl. This is the first extract.
3. Transfer the coconut residue back into the grinder jar, add ½ cup water and grind to fine paste.
4. Strain through a fine muslin cloth. Rinse the jar with ½ cup water and add to the mixture in the muslin cloth. Gather the edges of the cloth together and squeeze well into another bowl. This is the second extract.
5. Take rice in a pan and add 3-4 cups water and switch on the heat. Tear pandan leaves and add along with salt and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat.  
6. Dry roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black peppercorns lightly in a non-stick pan. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool.
7. Put lemongrass in a grinder jar, add galangal, garlic, shallots, coriander stalks and kaffir lime leaves. Remove the skin of lemon and add to the jar. Add roasted spices and ¾ cup water and grind to a coarse paste.
8. Add basil leaves, coriander leaves and ¼ cup water and grind to a fine paste.
9. The rice is done. Keep the pan covered and let the rice rest for 10-15 minutes.
10. To make the gravy, heat oil in a deep pan, add garlic and spring onion bulbs, mix and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
11. Add most of the ground paste, mix and saute till oil separates.
12. Add carrot, cauliflower, brinjals and French beans and mix well. Add salt and mix well. Add thin coconut milk and mix well. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 minutes.
13. Add green capsicum and kaffir lime leaves, mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
14. Add thick coconut milk, mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
15. Add sugar. Tear basil leaves, add to the curry, mix and cook for 1 minute.
16. Discard pandan leaves from the rice.
17. Transfer the curry into a serving bowl and garnish with basil sprigs. Transfer the rice into another serving bowl and serve hot with the curry.