Gretchen’s notes:
We first tried green curry spaghetti in Lima, Peru of all places! And when we had it there, it tasted just as odd as it sounds. I wasn’t sold on the idea, and had no plans to ever eat it again.
But a year or two later, in Bangkok, Aey made us some of her curry spaghetti. And this time, it suddenly made sense. I never would have guessed that curry and spaghetti could work together so well, but when it’s done right, this dish is absolute magic. And, of course, Chef Aey does it right!
When we had Aey’s version, it was during part of a collaboration that we were doing with her. We didn’t have time then to really focus on learning the recipe. So I’m absolutely thrilled that she chose to contribute it to this project, because now we can make it again! I think you’ll love it as much as I do, and I can’t wait to hear your reactions once you try making it.
This is a fantastic option during these odd times of quarantine, because it’s a pantry-friendly recipe that lets you use normal dry spaghetti as its base. If you have coconut milk and green curry paste lying around, or can get your hands on some at the store, you can make a variation on this dish using what you have at home. And at least here, stores that are sold out of pantry staples like flour and yeast are still fully stocked with curry pastes, coconut milk, and other international ingredients.
Important Note on Inedible Aromatics:
In Western cuisine, it’s customary to remove any inedible aromatics before serving. In other words, everything that shows up on your plate is generally edible. This isn’t the case in many other cultures, including Thailand. The aromatics (such as large pieces of lemongrass or ginger, and flavorful but inedible leaves) stay in the dish when you serve it. Eat around these – you aren’t meant to eat the Makrut lime leaves, for example!
Servings Per Recipe and Cooking Style:
Aey’s cooking style involves making one portion at a time over very high heat. She has all of her ingredients ready to go, so she can just dump them in as necessary and have the whole dish done in a couple of minutes.
Depending on your home kitchen, this might not be practical, or you might want to make multiple portions at once. Feel free to double the recipe, but be aware that your cooking times might be noticeably longer than Aey’s as a result.
Can You Make This Vegetarian?
Absolutely! To create a vegetarian version of this dish, simply replace the chicken with bite-sized pieces of hearty mushrooms or tofu. You’ll also need to substitute for the fish sauce. Use soy sauce, plus mushroom steeping water if you have it on hand, or even a pinch of mushroom powder.
Substitution Options
Palm oil: substitute an equal amount of vegetable oil.
Pork: substitute mushrooms or tofu for a vegetarian version of the dish!
Fish sauce: substitute an equal amount of soy sauce, a combination of soy sauce and rice vinegar, a combination of soy sauce and mushroom water (from steeping dried mushrooms), or soy sauce and a finely minced anchovy. If you have mushroom powder, add a pinch to help boost that umami flavor in the dish!
Tamarind paste: substitute an equal amount of a half-and-half mixture of lemon or lime juice and brown sugar.
Finger ginger: substitute an equal amount of fresh ginger.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons palm oil
- 1/2 cup chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon green curry paste
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup water
Vegetables and aromatics:
- 1 Thai eggplant, cut into wedges (if you can’t find the small, round, green Thai eggplants at your store, substitute any other eggplant)
- a few slices of carrot
- 1 red Thai chili, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 Makrut lime leaves, center stem removed
- 2 pieces of finger ginger, cut in half lengthwise
Seasonings:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
To finish:
- small handful of fresh sweet basil leaves
- 1 serving of cooked spaghetti
Instructions:
Get all of your ingredients ready to go! This recipe moves quickly, so prepare all of your ingredients and have them next to you so you can add them easily when it’s time.
Add the palm oil, chicken, and green curry paste to a hot wok over high heat. Fry until you smell the curry paste, about 40 seconds. Add the coconut milk and water, then simmer for a minute or two.
Add all the vegetables and aromatics (eggplant, carrot, chili, Makrut lime leaves, and ginger) and cook for a minute or so.
Add all of the seasonings (sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind paste). Fry over high heat until rich and creamy, stirring frequently. When it’s a rich sauce, add the sweet basil and stir just to coat, then remove from the heat.
Scoop over the spaghetti to serve.
Leave a Reply