Once you’ve mastered the steps, it comes together easily. First, spoon the solid top (cream) of the coconut milk to fry with the curry paste until it releases its aromas. Continue cooking until the oil separates from the cream. This process is called “splitting,” where you’ll see the fat forming cracks in your bubbling sauce. Now your curry is ready for vegetables. At the very end, you’ll add the remaining coconut milk. This will give your green curry a delicious, fresh smell. Cook, relax and enjoy!

What you need:

1 cup jasmine rice
9 oz zucchini
12-14 oz eggplant
2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 oz fresh cilantro sprigs
1 can coconut milk
2 teaspoons fish sauce
12 oz medium shrimp
1 lime
coarse salt
neutral oil, such as vegetable or safflower
sugar

Equipment:

small saucepan
large pot

Recipe steps:

1. Cook rice

   Combine rice and 1 ¾ cups water in a small saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

2. Prep vegetables

   Trim ends from zucchini and eggplant. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise then crosswise into ½ inch slices. Cut eggplant into ¼-½ inch slices then cut each slice into 1/4s to 1/8ths if large. Remove cilantro leaves from stems, finely chop stems. Open can of coconut milk and scoop off solid top and set aside (If top is not solid, simply spoon off top third of can).

3. Start curry

   Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot over medium. Add curry paste, cilantro stems and solid top of coconut milk and cook, stirring, until reduced and oils separate out, about 5 minutes.

4. Add vegetables

   Add zucchini and eggplant and season with salt. Raise heat to medium high and cook, stirring until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

5. Add coconut milk

   Add fish sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar and rest of coconut milk, bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

6. Add shrimp

   Stir in shrimp and ¼ cup of water and simmer just until shrimp is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Cut lime into wedges. Finely chop cilantro leaves. Stir cilantro into curry and serve over rice with a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!