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Who are my Thai Green Curry lovers out there?! For some reason, and maybe you’ll agree, home cooked Thai tends to get the thumbs up when it’s as good as your favorite local Thai restaurant(s). Am I right?

While it’s been my mission to transform my old meals to clean eating favorites (in either grain-free keto or paleo versions), homemade “clean” green curry has posed its challenges. For years I’ve used the Mae Ploy brand curry pastes that are common to Asian food markets. I have found this brand to have the best combined flavors and preferred spice level, but due to a lack of more Asian food merchants that still have not made the switch to GMO-free ingredients, I’ve had to try other curry paste brands. And, well, this is where the struggle comes in.

From left to right are several common eggplant types in traditional Thai curry: turkey or pea eggplant and Thai “apple” eggplant (in the fuchsia or green color)

Getting the curry taste right highly relies on the curry paste it’s made from. And, while I have considered making the paste on my own, I’ll have to admit that getting all the ingredients in a clean form, much less even fresh or locating all the ingredients in one place, can be a huge struggle. At times, some of the ingredients, notably Thai basil leaves, just look like they’ve been sitting out a bit too long or are unavailable altogether, depending on the store you go to. And, at other times, when you realize buying a fresh pack of Kaffir lime leaves will last you longer than what you might want to store, this may not seem like it’s worth all the effort. (Note: Kaffir lime leaves are used like bay leaves so a little goes a long way.) However, if you live near an Asian community where Asian markets are about as numerous as Starbucks are everywhere else in the world, you may reconsider some of your options. But overall, it is for these reasons I find using a good curry paste an easier option.

Below, I have included three non-GMO curry pastes I have used with varying success and options. It’s a toss up between my top two picks for either the Thai Kitchen or Mekhala brands. Next to try on the list is the Mike’s Organic Curry Love and a couple other cleaner brands I’ve spotted on Amazon. I’ll update this post when I have tried these other brands.

Mekhala Organic Green Curry Paste (Gluten Free)
Taste: Has a slight, yet distinctive pickled smell (from the jar) and taste, which may or may not be your personal preference
Spiciness: Moderate, with a 3 or 4 level spiciness (this is my preferred level spiciness)
Amount to use: Use the whole 3.53 ounce jar for a full-flavored curry
Where to get it: Amazon

Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste (Gluten Free)
Taste: Has a decent amount of flavor, compared to my old favorite (Mae Ploy) brand that I still use now and then
Spiciness: Mild, a 1 or 2 on my spice-level scale
Amount to use: Use the whole 4 ounce jar for four to six servings, considering you may want to experiment with adding a few sliced Thai red chilis (like shown in the photo below), red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to kick up the spiciness a notch or two. I prefer adding cayenne pepper to mine for simplicity.
Where to get it: Amazon, Sprouts Farmers Market (Southern California)

World Food Thai Green Curry Paste (Gluten Free)
Taste: Very mild in flavor
Spiciness: Mild, I believe this also fits in with a lower spice level of maybe a 1 or 2
Amount to use: Use the whole jar for four to six servings, taking into consideration you may want to add squeezed lime juice from quartered lime slices, lemongrass puree, and other ingredients to bring in more flavor.
Where to get it: Amazon, Sprouts Farmers Market (Southern California)

Now, while all is said and done, if Thai food is about as diverse as Vietnamese food–meaning, styles for the same dish can vary from one region of the country to the next–I can’t speak to those differences. But, like yourself, I know what I like! And, a good full-flavored curry that might have me grabbing for that extra glass of water every now and then for its spiciness often gets my thumbs up!

Green Curry with Thai chilis, pea eggplant, coconut oil, brown clamshell mushrooms, Thai basil,
round Thai eggplant (looks like green olives in this photo), and chicken

However, there are certainly times when it might be good to try new things… Funny enough, though, last month I decided to be adventurous in trying a new curry dish, and I was not happy with the outcome. Lol. I tried “Jungle Curry,” which is supposedly a more traditional style dish that was a new item at Bua Thai, one of a handful of favorite Thai restaurants nearby to our home. And, I was quite bummed to find this curry dish didn’t taste anything like what I was expecting. All I could think about was the delicious Green Curry my husband got… I was totally fine with the idea that the soup base was more like a broth, rather than a thicker coconut-milk base curry. What made the difference was the combination of spices I don’t think I’ve ever tasted before so honestly my craving for what I expected just wasn’t met.

In general, though, Thai Green Curry often includes anti-inflammatory ingredients that we can recognize, such as green Thai “apple” eggplant or Chinese eggplant (purple and long in shape like zuchinii), carrots, bell peppers, onions, Thai basil, and mushrooms.

If you get a chance to try any of these Thai Green Curry Pastes, or additional combinations, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts with a comment below. Thank you for reading!

Green Curry with Chicken

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Enjoy a quick and easy Thai dish that’s nearly all anti-inflammatory with curry, red bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, and eggplant (optional), with a good source of fat from organic, full-fat coconut milk.

Common Ingredients to add to your preferred curry paste

1.5 to 2 pounds 1.5 to 2 organic free-range chicken breasts
13.5-20 ounces 13.5-20 unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk (roughly a can to a can and a half for 4 to 6 servings)
4 ounces 4 approximately (one jar), non-GMO Thai green curry paste; I use one of either Thai Kitchen, Mekhala, or World Foods brands to make 4 to 6 servings
4 ounces 4 mushrooms, chopped in small bite-sized pieces–I like brown clamshell ones in Asian soups, but any standard ones (cut into quarters or halves) from the grocery store will do
1 1 red bell pepper, 1/4″ slices cut into quarters
1 1 yellow onion, sliced or diced into 1″ chunks
1 1 medium carrot, cut on a diagonal 1/8″ thick
1 tablespoon 1 coconut or avocado oil for sautéing vegetables
1 1 Thai eggplant (apple shape), Chinese / Japanese eggplant (zucchini-like shape), or the standard “gourd” shape eggplant–organic options for the Chinese and standard eggplant can be found at Jimbo’s Naturally (Southern California), cut into 1″ pieces
24 ounces 24 frozen cauliflower rice
Optional Items for Additional Flavor + Spiciness
1 1 bunch Thai basil leaves, typically found at your local Asian food market (not organic) or can be grown organically from seeds purchased from Sprouts or Jimbo’s (in Southern California)–you only need enough to garnish or to add extra flavor, typically a small number of leaves shredded per bowl will do, which is why
1/2-3/4 cup 1/2-3/4 organic free-range chicken broth for more of a broth-based curry, or use if you’re trying to make the curry go further or are running low on coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 cayenne pepper for more spiciness
7-14 ounces 7-14 organic bamboo shoots (often only comes in a can)
1 1 lime, sliced into eighths or quarters for squeezing into personal servings or as a garnish
1 stalk 1 lemongrass, pureed in a food processor with several tablespoons of avocado or coconut oil
1 to 2 1 to 2 Thai chilis, cut into fine strips and used sparingly for added spiciness

Directions

Cook your cauliflower rice as directed on the packaging. Then remove from heat and cover, as you begin to cook your curry with the instructions below.
In a large skillet, add one tablespoon of avocado or coconut oil, and sauté on medium heat your onions, eggplant, and carrots until almost tender. You may add mushrooms to your sauté as well, if you’re using them.
Next, add the sliced chicken, bell peppers (I like mine to be slightly crisp when eating curry), and curry paste. Mix well and sauté until the meat is fully cooked.
Add the coconut milk, any other optional ingredients a little at a time for tasting, and mix well with the other ingredients until it is to your liking. Then, turn the heat down to medium low until the curry is ready to be served.
Once the curry mixture nearly comes to bubbling, remove from heat. Add about 3/4 to 1 cup of cooked cauliflower rice to a serving bowl, then the green curry mixture, and garnish with Thai basil or cilantro, lime slices, and enjoy! (Note, all the garnishes are optional.)