Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Gaeng Keow Wan Gai)
A fragrant homemade green curry paste of green chillies, lemongrass, galangal and coriander, fried in coconut cream and simmered with chicken, Thai aubergine and basil. Hot, sweet, salty and aromatic all at once.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the curry paste
Blend or pound the chillies, , , shallots, garlic, coriander, cumin, ground coriander, and 2 lime leaves with a splash of water until smooth and bright green.
- 8 bird's-eye chillies
- 2 long green chillies
- 2 stalks
- 3cm
- 4 shallots
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 small bunch coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp
- 2 lime leaves
- 1 splash water
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth and bright green
Cook the coconut cream
Spoon just the thick cream from the top of the unshaken can into a wok or large pan. Boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes until it looks oily and slightly separated.
- thick cream from top of can (about half) coconut milk
✅ Done when: oil separates and the surface looks glossy
Fry the paste
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Add the chicken
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Simmer
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Balance and finish
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Make the curry paste
Blend or pound the chillies, , , shallots, garlic, coriander, cumin, ground coriander, and 2 lime leaves with a splash of water until smooth and bright green.
- 8 bird's-eye chillies
- 2 long green chillies
- 2 stalks
- 3cm
- 4 shallots
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 small bunch coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp
- 2 lime leaves
- 1 splash water
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth and bright green
Cook the coconut cream
Spoon just the thick cream from the top of the unshaken can into a wok or large pan. Boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes until it looks oily and slightly separated.
- thick cream from top of can (about half) coconut milk
✅ Done when: oil separates and the surface looks glossy
Fry the paste
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Add the chicken
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Simmer
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Balance and finish
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The Story Behind the Dish
Green curry — gaeng keow wan, "sweet green curry" — is one of the younger Thai curries, appearing in Bangkok cookbooks in the early 1900s. Its colour comes from fresh green chillies and herbs rather than dried red chillies.
The "sweet" in its name refers to the soft, bright green colour, not to sugar.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's one of the most recognisable Thai dishes in the world, loved for its fresh, herbal heat balanced by creamy coconut.
💡 Fun Fact
Thai cooks "crack" the coconut cream — boiling it until the oil splits out — so the curry paste fries rather than stews, which deepens its flavour.
Central Thailand
13.76°N, 100.50°E
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