Thai Green Curry
Fakeaway Favourite, Ready in 25 Minutes
A proper Thai green curry should be fragrant, slightly sweet, and have a gentle heat that builds. Most takeaway versions drown everything in coconut cream. This one gets the balance right: punchy paste, tender chicken, crisp vegetables, and enough sauce to soak into jasmine rice.
YIELD: 4 servings PREP TIME: 10 minutes COOK TIME: 20 minutes TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes DIFFICULTY: Easy COST PER SERVING: £2.10
Nutritional Information (Per Serving)
| Calories | Protein | Carbohydrates | Fat | Fibre | |----------|---------|---------------|-----|-------| | 445 kcal | 34g | 22g | 26g | 3g |
Ingredients
For the Curry
| Ingredient | Amount | Cost | |------------|--------|------| | Chicken breast | 500g | £3.00 | | Thai green curry paste | 3 tbsp | £0.60 | | Coconut milk (full-fat) | 400ml | £1.00 | | Baby sweetcorn | 100g | £0.60 | | Mangetout | 100g | £0.70 | | Green beans | 100g | £0.50 | | Red chilli | 1 | £0.10 | | Garlic cloves | 2 | £0.05 | | Vegetable oil | 1 tbsp | £0.05 |
For the Sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
To Serve
- 250g jasmine rice (dry weight)
- Fresh Thai basil or regular basil
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Sliced red chilli (optional)
Total: £8.40 | Per serving: £2.10
Equipment Needed
- Wok or large deep frying pan
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Saucepan for rice
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Method
Step 1: Prep Everything
Slice the chicken breast into thin strips (about 1cm thick). Trim the green beans and cut in half. Slice the baby sweetcorn lengthways. Have the mangetout ready. Slice the red chilli. Mince the garlic.
Step 2: Cook the Rice
Get your jasmine rice on first. Rinse it twice under cold water, then cook according to packet instructions. It takes about 12 minutes so time it with the curry.
Step 3: Bloom the Paste
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the curry paste and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. It should become very fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Step 4: Add Coconut Milk
Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine with the paste. Bring to a gentle simmer. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir well.
Step 5: Cook the Chicken
Add the chicken strips to the simmering sauce. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through. Don't have the heat too high or the coconut milk will split.
Step 6: Add Vegetables
Add the green beans and baby sweetcorn first (they take longest). Cook for 2 minutes. Then add the mangetout and sliced red chilli. Cook for another 2 minutes. The vegetables should be tender but still have bite.
Step 7: Finish and Serve
Squeeze in the lime juice. Taste and adjust. It should be a balance of salty (fish sauce), sweet (sugar), sour (lime), and hot (paste). Tear over fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately over jasmine rice with lime wedges.
Cost Breakdown
| Item | Cost | |------|------| | Chicken breast 500g | £3.00 | | Thai green curry paste | £0.60 | | Coconut milk | £1.00 | | Vegetables | £1.80 | | Storecupboard (sauces, sugar) | £0.30 | | Jasmine rice | £0.40 | | Fresh herbs, lime, chilli | £0.30 | | Total | £8.40 | | Per serving | £2.10 |
Pro Tips
Use full-fat coconut milk. Light versions produce a thin, watery sauce. The fat is what carries the flavour and creates that silky texture.
Fry the paste first. This is the most important step. Frying the paste in oil before adding liquid blooms the aromatics and intensifies everything. Skipping this gives you a flat-tasting curry.
Don't overcook the veg. Add them late and keep them crisp. Soggy mangetout ruins the texture contrast that makes Thai curry great.
Chicken thighs work too. If you prefer dark meat, use boneless thighs. They take 2-3 minutes longer but have more flavour and are harder to overcook.
Meal Prep Option
Thai green curry stores well but the vegetables soften over time.
- Fridge: Keeps for 3 days. Store curry and rice separately.
- Freezer: Freeze the curry (without rice) for up to 2 months. The vegetables will be softer when reheated but the flavour holds.
- Reheat: Gently in a pan over low heat. Add a splash of water or coconut milk if the sauce has thickened.
- Prep tip: Make the curry base (paste, coconut milk, chicken) and freeze. Add fresh vegetables when reheating.
Variations
Prawn version: Replace chicken with 400g raw king prawns. Add them with the vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes until pink.
Vegetarian: Skip the chicken. Use 400g firm tofu (pressed and cubed) and swap fish sauce for light soy sauce. Add butternut squash for bulk.
Red curry: Use red curry paste instead. Add bamboo shoots and baby aubergine for a more traditional red curry.
Extra hot: Add 1-2 bird's eye chillies (finely sliced) with the paste. These are significantly hotter than regular red chillies.
Common Mistakes
Splitting the coconut milk. This happens when the heat is too high. Keep the curry at a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil. If it does split, stir in a tablespoon of cold coconut milk to bring it back together.
Bland curry. The paste does most of the heavy lifting, but you still need the fish sauce, sugar, and lime to balance it. Taste before serving and adjust. Most people don't add enough lime juice.
Rubbery chicken. Slicing too thick means the outside overcooks before the centre is done. Keep strips to 1cm and they'll cook evenly in the sauce.
Soggy vegetables. Adding everything at once means the delicate veg overcooks while the dense veg stays raw. Stagger: beans first, mangetout last.
Shopping List
□ Chicken breast (500g) □ Thai green curry paste □ Coconut milk (full-fat, 400ml) □ Baby sweetcorn (100g) □ Mangetout (100g) □ Green beans (100g) □ Red chilli □ Garlic □ Fish sauce □ Light soy sauce □ Lime (2) □ Jasmine rice □ Fresh basil
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Last updated: April 2026