Green curry combines the amazing flavors of shallots, garlic, ginger, cilantro, jalapeno, lemongrass, and lime and it a great compliment to many forms of seafood, especially shrimp in my opinion. This recipe uses both green curry paste as well as fresh aromatics to give a lot of flavor to the broth.
Aside from shrimp, you could also use any kind of white fish or chicken in this curry. It is best served with rice since it is almost like soup consistency and you need something to soak up all the wonderful sauce. I could really eat a bowl of rice with this sauce and be happy.
I use Maesri curry for both green and red curry because I like the strength of the pastes. You do need to simmer this curry for about 30 minutes at least, to give all the flavors time to meld and to let the flavor from the fresh lemongrass really permeate the broth. It is all and all a pretty quick dish though.
Lemongrass Green Curry Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 large shallot sliced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 2 lemongrass stalks tough ends removed and the tender bulb end very thinly sliced and minced, plus save the long pieces whacked with the back of a knife to add flavor to the broth
- 1 jalapeno stemmed, seeded and sliced
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp brown sugar more to taste
- 1 can coconut milk
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice more to taste
- 2-4 tbsp green curry paste to taste
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic, ginger, chopped lemongrass, jalapeno, spices and green curry paste (start with smaller amount and add more later if you think it needs more… it is quite spicy and you want to be careful to make to your tastes). Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add sugar, coconut milk, and 1 cup of water. Also add the lemongrass stalks that you have bruised with the back of your knife. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, tasting and adjusting the salt and pepper and amount of curry paste. Remove the lemongrass and add the shrimp and cook until just about done, then add the sliced red pepper and cook 1 minute more. Add the lime juice and further adjust the sugar, salt, and acid until it tastes very well seasoned.
- Serve over hot white rice with the chopped cilantro on top.