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What first caught my eye was the picture and the title Thai Shrimp Curry. It did not look like a green curry. But then when you see the ingredients, poblano chilies, jalapeno chilies, lemongrass, cilantro, basil, and kaffir lime leaves, how could it be anything but a green curry.
The recipe explains that the difference between Indian curries, which are a powder, and Thai curries is that you work everything together into a paste. Usually green curries are hotter than red curries. But this recipe strays from traditional versions by using poblano peppers that provide a lot of flavor without overwhelming the dish with heat.
--Tom
Thai Green Curry with Shrimp
(adapted from Simply Shrimp)
Serves 4
3 poblano peppers, charred and peeled and chopped (or 6 ounces frozen chopped, charred and peeled poblano peppers which worked just fine)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, chopped
1 large stalk lemongrass about 6" of white soft part
3 shallots, chopped roughly
3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
1 medium bunch of cilantro, chopped, leaves and stems
8 kaffir lime leaves
one 1" piece of galangal sliced thinly (optional)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups fish stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1.5 limes)
30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
steamed jasmine or basmati rice (for serving)
The first step is to make the curry paste.
In a food processor, combine the poblano and jalapeno peppers, the lemongrass, the shallots, garlic, cilantro bunch, 2 kaffir lime leaves (save the others to put in later), the galangal, the coriander, cumin, white pepper, and 1 cup of the fish stock. Puree for at least one minute until smooth. If the mixture gets too stiff, just add a bit more fish stock.
Transfer to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer gently for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, and work the mixture through a strainer into a clean pot large enough to hold the finished shrimp curry. Save the solids from extracts from the curry paste for future use in another recipe.**
Add the remaining ingredients (fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, basil, unsweetened coconut milk, lime juice, remaining fish stock). Simmer for about 7 minutes so that it thickens just a little bit.
Add the shrimp and continue to simmer for another 3 minutes or so until the shrimp turn pink. That is when you will know they are cooked.
If the curry needs salt, add more fish sauce which will provide the salt and more flavor. Serve with plenty of steamed jasmine or basmati rice that you have prepared using the packages instructions.
---Tom
** Barbara creatively added this green curry paste to scrambled eggs. She served it over a flour tortilla, which we folded into a wrap. It was delicious.