Ideally, I would love to source the freshest ingredients to make up a beautiful green curry paste and I’d even go so far as to add the milk made from fresh coconuts or tofu that’s freshly handmade by a lovely old lady who pours her heart into the very long and precise process.

There was a time when I would spend hours experimenting with creating the perfect green curry sauce, but so much has changed since I was younger and had A LOT of time on my hands… haha! We stayed near local markets that would stock all the freshest ingredients, there was time to go out and spend hours in the veggie aisles, just enjoying the sights and smells of fresh produce, and then even more time to come home and make a fresh sauce from scratch.

A lot has changed since then, so I go with what resources are available to me and try to balance the whole meal with fresh vegetables and steamed rice. It’s not often that we use canned/packaged ingredients in our meals but we try our best not to make the canned/packaged ingredient the majority of our meal. History has taught us that the best food that you can put into your body is that which is in its natural state, without going through a whole lot of processing and mechanical manipulation. So next time you opt to use a packaged/canned item, remember to add in as much of the fresh stuff as you can :) Hope you try out and enjoy the recipe I’ve shared below.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 bay leaf
2 pieces galangal
1 small onion/shallot, sliced
½ cup peeled and sliced carrots
½ cup cauliflower florets
½ cup sliced green beans
½ sliced mushrooms
½ cup sliced tri-colour peppers
1/2 cup water (warm or room temp.)
100g Thai Green Curry Paste*
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup fried tofu blocks
1 sliced fresh green chilli
1 heaped tsp freshly grated ginger
1 heaped tsp freshly grated garlic
2 Tbsp Tamari sauce
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp spring onions
2 Tbsp freshly chopped basil

*There are a number of Thai Green Curry Pastes available on the market. I used on ethat contained the following ingredients: Fresh Green Chilli, Lemon Grass, Garlic, Shallot, Salt, Spices, Galangal and Citric Acid.

Serves 4-6 people

Method

Heat 2 Tbsp coconut oil in a large stainless steel pot, with bay leaf and galangal.
Then add onion/shallot and cook till slightly browned.
Add carrots, cauliflower, green beans, mushrooms and peppers in this same order, while allowing each one to stir-fry for 30sec to 1 min before adding the next. Then add water to allow ease of cooking.
Make a space in the centre of the cooked veggies and add the Thai Green Curry Paste. Slowly pour the coconut milk into the centre and mix with the paste till it’s well combined.
In another fry pan, add 1 Tbsp coconut oil with tofu blocks, green chilli, ginger and garlic. Once the flavours are released drizzle on some Tamari sauce.
Add the tofu to the veg curry. Toss gently and add salt to taste.
Finish with spring onions and basil.
Serve hot with Thai Jasmine rice.