Green(s) coconut curry

Katerina written by

Use up your greens with this fragrant coconut curry

We had a pile of leftover greens to use up the other day and this Nigel Slater recipe for a 'Verdant' Coconut Curry caught my eye (I love Nigel Slater's recipes any day!).

I simplified it a bit to fit what I had to hand, but it still turned out absolutely delicious.

The thing with this type of East Asian curry (often coconut based): the 'fussy' bit is the curry paste, as it calls for a long(ish) list of ingredients. While you don't need to use the exact match, it is worth using as many on the list as possible, as this makes up the incredible flavour complexity you get from it. But, once you made a batch of spice paste, making the actual dish is very easy and quick. And so worth it!

The paste will keep in the fridge for a while (put in a jar with a layer of oil on top to seal it) or in the freezer for a lot longer.

YOU NEED

• mixed greens, at least 2 large handfuls per person, chopped or shredded (we happened to have asparagus and chard, but anything goes: spinach, spring greens, cabbage, peas, broad beans...)
• coconut milk
• vegetable stock
• nut butter (optional, for extra creaminess)
• green curry paste (see below)
• fresh green herbs - typically coriander/cilantro, but use what you have (I always have some in the freezer)
• seasonings: lemon juice, fish sauce (use miso paste instead for a vegan version), soy sauce, more fresh herbs (I used a bunch of basil), a squirt of maple syrup (or pinch of sugar)
• rice or noodles to serve (optional)

Curry paste ingredients:

• peppercorns
• coriander seeds
• turmeric (fresh or powdered)
• lemongrass
• olive oil (or any oil you prefer)
• garlic
• ginger
• fresh chillies (to taste, I used a mild-ish red chilli, or use some chilli powder)
• a small onion

HOW TO

• Combine all the curry paste ingredients in a blender and blitz to a paste (add extra oil or a bit of water if it's too dry)
• Fry the paste with a little oil for a minute or so until fragrant (Use approx two spoonfuls per person but you decide on how much flavour/spice you want.
  
• Add the stock, coconut milk and fish sauce (or miso) and simmer for a coupe of minutes.
• Add the vegetables and a squeeze of lemon juice and simmer for 5 more minutes or until tender.
  
• Season the curry with a squirt of maple syrup, fish sauce, and/or soy sauce
• Top with fresh herbs and another squeeze of lemon juice
• Serve with rice or rice noodles, or just as it is.

HACKS & TIPS

🔹 Lemongrass is often hard to find, but quite central to that 'Thai' taste signature. I grab it when I can find it, chop the stalks finely and freeze in a ziplock bag to use as needed.
Alternatives: a (single) drop of pure lemongrass essential oil / lemon zest / minced lemongrass from a jar / green curry paste from a jar

🔹 The spice paste can seem like a hassle to make, but it really only involves blitzing the ingredients together. 
The more ingredients you put in, the better it will taste, but don't worry too much if you leave out a couple.

🔹 Make a double/triple batch of paste and keep in the fridge or freezer to use as needed for a super quick curry. 
If freezing, use an ice cube tray, pop out the cubes when frozen and store in a ziplock bag, to easily take out as much as you need.

🔹 Alternatively, keep a jar of ready-made curry paste (green, red or yellow; the paste, not the sauce) for use in an emergency.
You can also use this add this to your home made spice paste to make up for missing ingredients.

🔹 The spice paste (home-made or otherwise) will keep in the fridge for a while if you seal the top with a good layer of oil.

🔹 For extra creaminess stir some nut butter (any type you have) into the sauce before adding the veggies.

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Btw, have you noticed how similar this is to the fish stew I shared the other day? It really does follow the same template!

How to use this recipe template in your everyday cooking?

1. Add the template to your favourites list or to your weekly/monthly meal rotation plan.
2. Keep the main elements to hand: tins of coconut milk in your cupboard and the made up curry paste in your fridge/freezer (or even Thai curry paste from a jar). Of course you can just make the paste on the day (I do) but you may want to check on the ingredients first (I keep most of these in my kitchen anyway).
3. Use the template with anything you have on the day: could be any greens, tofu, lentils or beans, fish, seafood or chicken (in Indonesia they also often just add hard boiled eggs to curries!)

Categories: : COOK