Green curry

Green curry

Green curry with chicken, served with roti
Type	Curry
Place of origin	Thailand
Main ingredients	Coconut milk, green curry paste, palm sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil

Green curry (Thai: แกงเขียวหวาน, rtgs: kaeng khiao wan, pronounced [kɛ̄ːŋ kʰǐaw wǎːn], literally sweet green curry) is a Central Thai variety of curry.

The name "green" curry derives from the color of the dish, which comes from green chillies. The "sweet" in the Thai name (wan means "sweet") refers to the particular color green itself and not to the taste of the curry. As this is a Thai curry based on coconut milk and fresh green chillies, the color comes out creamy mild green or, as this color is called in Thai, "sweet green". Its ingredients are not exactly fixed. The curry is not necessarily sweeter than other Thai curries but, although the spiciness varies, it tends to be more pungent than the milder red curries. Green curry was invented during the reign of King Rama 6 or Rama 7, between the years 1908-1926.

Apart from a main protein, traditionally fish, fish balls, or meat, the other ingredients for the dish consist of coconut milk, green curry paste, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Thai eggplant (aubergine), pea aubergine, or other green or whitish vegetables and even fruit are often included. The consistency of its sauce varies with the amount of coconut milk used. Green curry paste is traditionally made by pounding in a mortar green chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime peel, cilantro roots (coriander) and cumin seeds, white peppercorns, shrimp paste and salt.