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This recipe highlights all that is sexy about Thai food: the contrasts in texture, layers of aphrodisiac herbs and spices, and an abundance of coconut. This prawn Thai green curry will awaken your senses with the exotic flavors of Southeast Asia. Yet it’s surprisingly easy to make and it’s so much better than takeout.

Best of all, this green Thai curry prawns recipe offers plenty of flexibility. You can use shrimp instead of prawns, (or chicken instead of seafood), and either make your own green curry or, if you want your curry in a hurry, use pre-made curry paste. Adjust the level of spice to suit your taste, garnish with chopped peanuts, or don’t.

This no-stress green Thai curry prawns recipe is designed to give you an easily customized Thai green curry experience.

Table of Contents

Ingredients in this homemade green Thai prawn curry recipe

As you might expect, this recipe calls for several ingredients common in Asian cuisine. But don’t worry, the majority, if not all, can be found on the shelves of your local grocery store.

These ingredients include some you probably already work with regularly if you’re an avid cook, including:

Coconut oil
Fresh ginger root (Ginger is great to keep around in case of an upset stomach. You can steep it as a tea or add it to the blender with water and honey to make a soothing ginger drink.)
Fresh garlic
Scallions (Note that you will use the white and green parts separately.)
Red bell pepper
Cauliflower
Yam (sometimes mistaken for sweet potato)
Light coconut milk (Did you know that coconut is one of the 10 Best Foods for Men?)
Soy sauce
Zest and juice of a lime

That’s the easy part. Some of the other ingredients in this Thai green prawn curry may stump you if you don’t make a lot of homemade Thai food.

Prawns vs shrimp

The recipe calls for prawns but you can use the same amount of shrimp. Which probably makes you wonder, “What is the difference between prawns and shrimp?”

Both are 10-legged crustaceans. But prawns live in fresh or brackish water. And they are usually larger than shrimp. Prawns tend to have a slightly sweeter flavor than shrimp, which is part of the reason they’re usually more expensive.

For this recipe, you can use either prawns or jumbo shrimp. Just get what’s most fresh.

A closer look at typical Thai ingredients

You may never have worked before with some of the ingredients common in Thai and other Southeast Asian cuisines.

Lemongrass – Lemongrass is a tall grass common in tropical regions. It is typically sold in small bundles in the produce section of grocery and gourmet stores. Choose lemongrass with firm stalks and no brown leaves.
Green curry paste – You can either make your own or use prepared green curry paste to make this green curry prawns recipe. I like Mekhala Organic Green Curry Paste. It’s a great time-saver. But here’s a recipe for homemade green curry paste from Recipe Tin Eats, if you want to try your hand at curry paste from scratch.
Thai chile – Thai chiles are hot. (There are actually over 70 varieties of Thai chiles but what is sold in the U.S. as a Thai chile is typically a small, red, waxy chile with serious bite. If you don’t like your curry too spicy, this ingredient is totally optional. (I’ve touched on other optional ingredients below.)
Kaffir lime leaves – The leaves of the Kaffir lime are what give this curry its distinctively citrus-y/herbal flavor. You can find this ingredient at many Asian food stores or gourmet grocers. They’re frequently found in the freezer section or fresh produce section.
Fish sauce – This unique Southeast Asian ingredient is made from salt-packed, fermented fish. Red Boat is a good brand.
Coconut sugar – This is a sugar made from coconut palm sap. The flavor is similar to brown sugar and it has smaller granules than table sugar. Use turbinado sugar as a substitute.

Optional ingredients

Because I believe that you should always make a dish to suit your flavor preferences rather than those of a chef, I’ve made several ingredients optional, including the Thai chile discussed above.

To garnish, you may want to include cilantro (sometimes called fresh coriander), chopped peanuts and or extra lime wedges but don’t feel like you need to all or any of these garnishes.

Additionally, if you want to make this a chicken Thai green curry, just use cubed, white meat chicken in place of the prawns. (Or make it a have prawn, half chicken green curry.)

How to make this a vegan Thai green curry

If you want to make a vegan green curry, just swap out the prawns or shrimp for tofu and eliminate the fish sauce. (Just use vegetable broth for the stock and adjust the spices accordingly to make up for the intensely salty, umami note of the fish sauce.)

Why this prawn green curry is a date night dish

I created this green curry shrimp recipe years ago when I was cheffing in a remote, middle-American destination, as far as one could be from the exotic flavors of Southeast Asia. This curry, layered with Thai ingredients, was the meal I would make myself on my night off. It would awaken my palate and maybe stir a few amorous feelings as well. And it tended to do the same for anyone lucky enough to share the meal with me.

What is it in this dish that makes my prawn green curry recipe a potential aphrodisiac? I layer the dish’s flavors with aphrodisiacs including garlic, ginger, chiles. Then, of course, it’s all combined with the star of this Thai curry, shrimp.

If you didn’t already know, shrimp is one of the most popular aphrodisiacs of the sea. (This goes for prawns, too!)

For reasons I won’t have to explain once you’ve tried my delicious homemade Thai curry recipe, this seafood curry is one sensual dish.

More great Thai-inspired recipes

Spicy Thai Fish Cakes

Cockles, Mussels and Clams with Green Cabbage and Coconut Curry

Easy Chicken Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce

Healthy Mussels with Sriracha

Prawn Thai Green Curry

Print Recipe

This fragrant curry will fill your house with the mouthwatering aromas of Thai - and it sure beats takeout!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings 4

Author Annette Tomei

Ingredients

Prepare in advance

2 cups cooked rice prepared as desired (use fragrant Thai rice or brown rice if you prefer)
24 raw prawns or jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined – Optional: shells reserved for stock*
1 small head cauliflower separated into florets tossed with coconut oil, salt and pepper, roasted to golden brown, or half a large head
2 in medium-large yams peeled, cut into half-moons, and blanched in boiling salted water until just tender

*Optional Shrimp stock

cups Sauté the shells from the prawns in 1 teaspoon coconut oil until they turn pink then add 1 1/2 c vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes then strain.

To prepare the curry

3 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp freshly chopped ginger
2 cloves fresh garlic chopped
1 tbsp chopped tender lemongrass
1/8 cup chopped scallion whites (from 1 bunch greens sliced thin and reserved for garnish)
1 tbsp prepared green curry paste
1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch strips
yams from above
cauliflower florets from above
1 can light coconut milk
1 1/2 cups light stock (prawn stock from above vegetable, or chicken)
1 Thai chile optional
2 Kaffir lime leaves
1-2 tbsp Thai fish sauce nam pla
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp coconut sugar or to taste, or turbinado sugar
prawns or jumbo shrimp from above
zest and juice of 1 lime
greens from 1 bunch scallions from above
1 bunch cilantro cleaned and roughly chopped, optional
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts optional
1 lime quartered, optional

Instructions

Heat a wok or large straight-side skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil and heat for a minute.
Add the ginger, scallion whites, garlic, and lemongrass. Sauté until tender (1-2 minutes).
Add the green curry paste, sauté for 30 seconds.
Add the red bell pepper and sauté for a minute.
Add the yam. Brown slightly.
Add the cauliflower florets. Heat through.
Add the coconut milk, stock, kefir leaves and chile. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the liquid reduces by 25%.
Season to taste with fish sauce (the key to authentic flavor), soy, coconut sugar, and lime zest while maintaining a simmer.
Add the prawns or shrimp and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through (approximately 3-5 minutes).
Add the lime juice and remove the kefir lime leaves. At the same time, warm the cooked rice (if necessary).
To serve: place 1/2 cup rice in a bowl. Top with 6 prawns, 1/4 of the vegetables and broth as desired (careful for the chile, if used). Garnish with scallion greens, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and a lime wedge.

Author
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Annette Tomei

Chef, Wine Educator & Culinary Consultant at Wander, Eat and Tell

Annette Tomei is a chef, educator, writer, and cultural tourism consultant. She has a Master of Arts in Gastronomy and extensive education in wine and spirits including Italian Wine Scholar with Highest Honors. She is a classically trained chef and former restaurant owner. As a sought-after cooking instructor, she has created popular Port to Table cooking classes for Holland America and has contributed to several food books including Culinary Careers for Dummies. She currently works as a food, wine and spirits educator and consultant though her company, Wander, Eat and Tell. Learn more at http://wandereatandtell.com.

Homemade Prawn Thai Green Curry Recipe