Royal Thai Green Curry — Thompson-Inspired

About This Recipe

This recipe is inspired by Chef David Thompson's career-long dedication to Royal Thai cuisine — the refined palace tradition documented in his definitive book 'Thai Food.' His Nahm London was the first Thai restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star. Royal Thai green curry differs from the supermarket version in three ways: the paste is hand-pounded (never blended), it uses fresh holy basil (not Thai sweet basil), and it is finished on the brink of separating, not smoothly emulsified. This is our home interpretation of the palace tradition Thompson has championed.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 10fresh green Thai bird chilies
• 2 stalkslemongrass(white parts only, sliced)
• 3 cmgalangal(peeled and sliced)
• 5kaffir lime leaves(stems removed)
• 5 clovesgarlic
• 5small Thai shallots
• 1 tspwhite peppercorns
• 1 tspground coriander seeds
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tbspshrimp paste (gapi)
• 0.5 bunchfresh coriander roots and stems
• 600 gboneless chicken thighs(cut into chunks)
• 400 mlcoconut milk(well-shaken, full-fat)
• 200 mlcoconut cream
• 200 gThai pea eggplants(or quartered baby aubergines)
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbsppalm sugar
• 1 handfulfresh holy basil (bai krapao)(or Thai sweet basil)
• 2long red chilies(sliced lengthwise)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pound the paste

   In a large mortar, pound the chilies and salt to a paste. Add lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and coriander roots — pound 5 minutes until smooth. Add the dry spices, garlic, shallots and shrimp paste. Pound another 5 minutes until you have a smooth, fragrant paste. (Blender works but lacks fragrance.)

2. 2

   Crack the coconut cream

   In a wide pan, simmer the coconut cream over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the oil splits and you can see green-tinged coconut oil pooling at the edges. This is essential — it carries the curry's aroma.

3. 3

   Fry the paste

   Add 4 tablespoons of the curry paste to the cracked cream. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until intensely aromatic. Reserve the rest of the paste for future curries.

4. 4

   Add chicken and simmer

   Add the chicken and toss to coat. Pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer (never a vigorous boil) and cook 12 minutes until the chicken is just cooked.

5. 5

   Add eggplants and season

   Add the eggplants. Season with fish sauce and palm sugar. Simmer 5 minutes more. Taste — it should be salty, slightly sweet, deeply aromatic. Adjust.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Off the heat, stir in the holy basil and red chilies. Serve immediately in shallow bowls with steamed jasmine rice. The curry should look slightly broken — that's correct.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian Version: substitute extra-firm tofu and pumpkin for chicken; use light soy sauce instead of fish sauce.

• •

  Beef Version: substitute thinly sliced beef and cook only 5 minutes.

• •

  Massaman Curry: switch to a massaman paste and add slow-cooked beef + potato + peanuts.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Improves overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions