Green Curry Recipe with Zucchini, Bamboo Shoots, and Fresh Basil
From Thailand
This flavorful Thai green curry recipe with zucchini is good for anytime of the year. In the winter, try this vegetable curry with rice noodles instead of rice for a different experience. Green curry is generally considered the spiciest, due to the fresh green chilies that are used instead of dried chilies. You can add tofu of more veggies to this tasty vegetarian curry - it sure won't have you longing for meat!
Serves: 4 - 6 / Ready in: 1 hr
Great for: heart healthy, low cholesterol, vegan
Ingredients:
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 2 medium zucchinis, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, roughly cut
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
Ingredients for green curry paste:
- 5 fresh green serrano chilies or 10 fresh green thai chilies
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 5 black peppercorns or 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 stalks lemongrass
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup shallots, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh galangal root or fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime peel, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions for green curry paste:
- Stem the green chilies, chop them coarsely, and set them aside.
- In a small skilled over medium heat, dry-fry the coriander seeds until they darken a shade, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes. Place them on a saucer. Reuse the pan and toast the cumin seeds in the same way for 1-2 minutes. Then place the coriander, cumin, and pepper into a mini processor and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
- Trim the lemongrass and discard the root sections below the bulb. Cut off the top portion and leave the stalk at 6-inch lengths. Remove the dried leaves and then finely chop the stalk.
- Combine the lemongrass, chopped chilies, ground spices, and remaining ingredients in the food processor. Grind to a fairly smooth puree, stop occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add a few tablespoons of water if needed, to get a smoother paste. Put into an airtight container and store at room temperature until use (you can store the paste in the fridge for up to 1 month).
Directions for curry:
- Shake the coconut milk can well and spoon 1/3 of it into a wok or medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cool until it thickens and stir occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the green curry paste as per taste, and cook for about 3 minutes, whisking and stirring the paste so that it does not clump.
- Add the bamboo shoots and chopped onion and stir gently to cover it with curry paste. Add the remaining coconut milk, vegetable stock, sugar, soy sauce, and stir well. Bring to an active boil and reduce the heat to gentle boil, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender and the curry thickens, for about 15 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and basil leaves, and cook for another minute.
- Switch off the heat and add the cashews to the curry, stir gently. Let the green curry with zucchini stand for 5 minutes and then serve it with sprinkled cilantro leaves on top.
Find additional tasty Thai green curry recipes here. Or how about a great healthy red curry recipe?
Find more ideas for healthy meals and dinner entrees.