Thai green curry from Ottolenghi’s Plenty

December 12, 2020 at 2:38 pm (B plus (3.5 stars, like a lot), Cruciferous rich, East and SE Asia, Ottolenghi)

This recipe was based on the recipe for “Purple sprouting broccoli with rice noodles” from Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty. It’s basically a green thai curry served over broccolini and rice noodles. We made the sauce and served it with brown rice and whatever vegetables we had around. (We couldn’t find broccolini, so used tofu, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini….) I thought the recipe for the spice paste worked well. I’d make it again. I am curious, however, to compare it to our old recipe for green curry paste from Nancie McDermott’s Thai Vegetarian cookbook. Derek said he thought the paste turned out smoother than that one, probably because I blended it up with coconut milk to get the spice grinder to blend.

Ingredients:

Spice paste:

  • 3/4-inch piece of galangal or fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 1.5 medium fresh green chilies, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1.5 lemongrass stalks, outer layer and tough ends removed, roughly chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1/2 shallot, roughly chopped
  • 3/4 Tbs. coriander seeds, finely ground
  • 12/ tsp. cumin seeds, finely ground
  • grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 small bunch of cilantro (with stalks and roots)
  • 2 Tbs.
  • vegetable oil (I used maybe 1 to 2 Tbs. of coconut milk instead, just enough to get the mixture to blend)

Rest of sauce:

  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbs. vegetable oil (I used maybe 1 tsp.?)
  • salt
  • 1 tsp. palm sugar
  • 7 kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 3/4 cups coconut milk

Instructions:

  1. Place all the ingredients for the paste in the small bowl of a food processor. (I used a spice grinder.) Blend to a paste. You might need to stop once or twice to scrape the mixture back down from the sides of the bowl or add a little extra lime juice or oil. (Instead of oil I used coconut milk.)
  2. Saute the onion in 1 Tbs. of oil in a medium saucepan for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent. (I used less oil than this since the sauce is rich enough from the coconut oil.) Add the spice paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp. salt, the palm sugar (I used a natural brown sugar), lime leaves, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. To serve: He says to drizzle 3 to 4 Tbs. of the sauce over warm rice noodles tossed with toasted sesame oil and lime juice and the broccolini, and finish with fresh basil or cilantro and a squirt of lime juice.

We had to add quite a bit more lime than the sauce calls for. But otherwise we thought the recipe was good, and actually pretty easy, especially if we can freeze the paste. Next time I will make a double batch maybe, eat 1/3, and freeze the rest in two portions.

Alma (age 5.75) wouldn’t even try the curry sauce. She had her rice and veggies and tofu plain.

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