This Thai green curry featuring bright orange, sweet kabocha squash, tofu, mushrooms, and kale simmered in spicy, gingery homemade Thai green chili paste and luscious coconut milk come together quickly to make this dish the perfect choice for a warming winter weeknight dinner (or lunch!).
While you could use store-bought green curry paste for this recipe, there are so many reasons to make your own homemade green curry paste including but not limited to: fresher taste (in part because the potency of garlic decreases as certain phytochemicals break down), controllable spice level, and the space to customize it to your tastes. Homemade Thai curry paste the best and I can’t recommend making your own curry paste from scratch enough.
This curry is perfect for households with all sorts of dietary restrictions. It’s gluten-free and dairy-free. Although I call for fish sauce (it adds a wonderful umami to the curry), it can be easily omitted, making this recipe vegan and vegetarian friendly. This green curry recipe is also nut-free.
Which vegetables go best in Thai green curry? While my honest answer is any vegetables you might have (curry is perfect for using up any veggies that are at the end of their lives wilting or beginning to shrivel in the produce drawer of your refrigerator), in this recipe I suggest using kabocha squash.
Kabocha squash is a beautiful, bright orange winter squash. It tastes sweeter than butternut squash, perhaps more akin to a sweet potato. Unlike sweet potatoes, kabocha squash cut into half-inch cubes only takes about 10 minutes simmering to soften all the way through without falling apart. The sweetness of the kabocha squash compliments the heat of the fresh green chilis and the bite of the garlic and ginger, as well as the lemongrass, cilantro, and shallot in the chili paste. Besides being my new favorite winter squash (be gone, butternut and acorn!), I think kabocha squash has potential to replace sweet potato in sweet baking recipes and I’m eager to really test that theory.
Both warm, fluffy rice and light, chewy rice noodles make perfect accompaniments to this warming curry.
What goes into this Thai green curry recipe?
The short of what goes into this green curry recipe? A ton of aromatics blended into a paste, tofu and chickpeas for protein, veggies, and miso and fish sauce for umami. Plus potential for fresh green herbs (such as cilantro, basil, and mint) to garnish it with.
The specific list?
- Coconut, olive, or neutral oil
- Onion
- Homemade Thai green curry paste
- Miso paste
- Canned full-fat coconut milk
- Water
- Fish sauce
- Mushrooms
- Extra-firm tofu
- Canned chickpeas
- Cubed kabocha squash
- Fresh or frozen kale
How to prep the kabocha squash
The biggest prep task for this green curry is cutting up the kabocha squash. While I could write my own how-to, I don’t think I’d be adding anything groundbreaking to the food world. Plenty of posts and videos have been written and filmed on how to prepare kabocha squash. The only thing I have to give you is my favorite how-to cut kabocha squash from Nami’s blog, Just One Cookbook.
My favorite tip Nami gives is to microwave the kabocha squash for 2 to 4 minutes depending on the size of the squash. I tried cutting my extremely hard kabocha squashes without microwaving them and found that it was impossible. I haven’t injured myself in the kitchen in years, but breaking down that squash would have been my downfall if it hadn’t been for Nami’s tip. I broke the squash down and I still have all my fingers.
Tips for cooking this green curry
How much Thai green curry paste should I use?
The homemade Thai green curry paste recipe makes a little over 1/2 cup of spicy curry paste. I found that using all of the paste was the correct amount. It might seem like a lot of curry paste, but it makes the curry so much more flavorful and delicious.
Fry the curry paste
It’s important to fry the curry paste in the oil until it looks dry (non-stick pan and pot users) or sticks but doesn’t burn (for stainless steel users such as myself). This is because frying the paste allows the flavors to release the flavors and aromas of the curry paste. So have patience and don’t skip this step.
What if my curry is too thin and watery?
If your green curry is too thin, enjoy the soupiness of it! While this curry recipe is medium thickness-wise, I prefer most soups and stews on the soupy side.
However, if you prefer thicker sauce, you could always remove the tofu, chickpeas, and veggies and reduce the curry until it’s as thick as you prefer. But that takes time.
Another option for fixing thin and watery curry is to thicken it with a cornstarch slurry of 1 part cornstarch mixed with 2 parts cool water. To do so:
- Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cool water until there aren’t any lumps
- Pour the slurry into the curry and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the curry is boiling and nicely thickened.
It’s important to cook the curry for this 3 minutes to cook out the cornstarch taste. However, the coconut milk and curry paste itself will hide any remaining cornstarch taste.
Storing the curry
In the refrigerator
The shelf-life of this curry is about a week. I wouldn’t eat it past then so make sure you freeze it before. This recipe makes a smaller amount than other recipes I’ve seen (because it call for half a can of chickpeas, half a container of mushrooms, half a block of tofu, etc.) so I usually eat it all up before it expires though.
This curry easily reheats in the microwave or stove, so you could easily make it in advance for friends or yourself. The colors will loose a bit of vibrancy though.
In the freezer
Generally, this curry freezes very well and will last in the freezer for about 3 months. Keep in mind though that there’s a possibility that the coconut milk might split and the sauce might have a very slightly grainy texture when defrosted. Nothing inedible though.
When freezing soups, stews, and curries, I like to it into quart freezer bags of 1 to 1 1/2 cup portions. When I get bored of leftovers in my refrigerator, I love sifting through meals I’ve saved over the last month or so. The joy of eating a like new meal without having to spend money on takeout or spend time cooking!
Simple, homemade Thai green curry with tofu, kabocha squash, chickpeas, and mushroom
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 a small onion
- 1 recipe homemade Thai green chili paste *See Note 1
- 2 tsp miso
- 1 13.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 4 ounces mushrooms
- 7.5 ounces chickpeas (about half of a 15 ounce can)
- 7 ounces extra-firm tofu (about half a block)
- 1 cup kale fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp fish sauce plus more to taste
- 2 cups kabocha squash cut into half-inch cubes, skin on. See Note 2 for how to prepare your squash
- Cilantro, Thai basil, and/or mint OPTIONAL, for garnish
- Lime wedges OPTIONAL, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan or large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook until soft.
- Add all of the curry and miso paste and fry until it dries (if you're using a non-stick pan) or begins to stick (if you're using a stainless steel pan) a bit. This should take about several minutes.
- Add coconut milk, fish sauce, 1 3/4 cups water, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add chickpeas then simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and tofu. Continue simmering for 10 minutes.
- Add squash. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the squash is soft but not falling apart.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the kale. The residual heat will wilt it without making it too soft.
- Season with more fish sauce, salt, and lime juice to taste. Serve with rice or noodles, lime wedges, and the optional fresh herbs.
Notes
- Get the homemade Thai green curry paste recipe here.
- As noted above in my post, Nami at Just One Cookbook has the best how-to on cutting up kabocha squash so I recommend heading over there to learn her tips and tricks.