Thai Green Curry

Easy, Paleo, Gluten-Free, One Pan Wonder

Makes 2 large servings

While in Thailand, my husband had the opportunity to attend a Thai Cooking class. We LOVE Thai food, especially curries and pad thai, so he jumped at the chance to learn how to make it from scratch. In the class they learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Pad Kra Pow (sliced chili and Thai Basil) and Som Tam (papaya salad) from scratch. The teacher provided the recipes and instructions for everything, and when he finally returned from deployment we set out to make the recipes ourselves! We ended up not being able to find some of the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce and curry paste, so we had to just buy the packaged sauces. The recipe turned out really well, and this is definitely a satisfying comfort food. The brown rice provides a better source of protein, and while the sauce does have sugar making it not the healthiest thing in the world, this version is healthier and cheaper then what we would buy at a restaurant. 
This recipe is straight from Thailand, and we didn't have to spend $9+ per serving! :) 

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 tbs. coconut oil 
• 2 tbs. Green Curry paste (we used Thai Kitchen brand)
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 lb chopped chicken, beef, seafood (optional, to make vegan you can use chickpeas as the protein source, or serve over quinoa)
• 2 tsp. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1.5 cups chopped vegetables: Thai eggplant, Pea eggplant
• 1/2 cup Thai Basil (find at farmer's market, looks more pointed and purplish than regular basil)
• 1 tbs. Fish Sauce

Steps: 
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the curry paste. Stir until you smell the curry (20 seconds). 

- Add 1/4 can of the coconut milk to the pan and dissolve the paste. Let it boil for 1 minute. 
Add another 1/4 can and wait until it's boiling. Repeat until the measured coconut milk is emptied. 

- Add the meat and wait until it's cooked. Do not stir until chicken is 80% cooked. Wait until everything is boiled evenly, and add water if the coconut milk is too thick. 

- Add vegetables (Thai eggplant and Thai basil), and stir occasionally until they are cooked. The Thai eggplant should have the consistency of a cooked potato once it is ready. 

- When the vegetables are cooked, stir in the brown sugar and fish sauce. Serve garnished with red chili and Thai basil leave. 
Enjoy!

Green Curry & Pad Thai!