Khao Pad Gaeng Kiew Wan (Green Curry Fried Rice)

After a rather busy last few days for me I'm ready to get back writing again, It's been my birthday weekend and we decided to take a trip down to see my parents near the south coast. We ended up having an impromptu night in Brighton, a full on day in London (involving a rapid trip to Brick Lane for Indian food supplies, amongst other things, a days walking in the Ashdown Forest and an equally full on day getting gooey-eyed at the amazing Bodleian Library and various colleges during a stop off in Oxford before the long drive back to Lancashire.

It's taken another couple of days getting back in the swing of things but I've finally found time to post this recipe for Khao Pad Gaeng Kiew Wan (Green curry fried rice). Now we're well into April it's now getting so much easier to take photos again as there is still daylight when I'm cooking, Long way it continue!

Like the last recipe I posted (Chicken stir fried with ginger) this is also a common restaurant dish found here in the UK. The red curry paste version is equally common. If you're not in the mood for sharing a bowl of curry or you need to take a portion for the next day, this fried rice version is definitely the easy option and dare I say it, preferable to the usual curry.

It still has all the same flavours that you would expect from a green curry, just in a neater package.

For two large portions use:

• 2 cups of cooked, cold rice (ideally cooked yesterday)
• a tablespoon of green curry paste (I use Mae Ploy brand)
• 2/3 skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into cubes (i've also used up some pre-fried tofu pieces cut into small cubes)
• your choice of crunchy vegetables, cut into inch long pieces- I've used baby corn, green beans and pea aubergines
• a small handful of Thai sweet basil (or tarragon as a substitute- never Mediterranean basil!!)
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• a big splash of fish sauce
• a big pinch of sugar
• 4/5 limes leaves, finely shredded
• 4/5 small red chillies or 1 large, finely sliced
• (optional) a few stalks of green peppercorns

In a large wok, heat the coconut milk until it bubbles, add in the green curry paste and stirring regularly, fry for a few minutes until you can see some oil separating.

Pop in the chicken and cook in the sauce until nearly cooked (2/3 minutes). 

Add in the seasonings- lime leaf, sugar, fish sauce, then the crunchy vegetables, cook for 3/4 minutes until they lose their rawness but not soft.

It should still resemble a very thick green curry at this stage- now tip in the rice and gently mix so everything gets well coated in the sauce. there will no longer be any obvious sauce.

Mix through the basil leaves, chillies and (if using) green peppercorns. Sprinkle over any remaining chillies, shreds of lime leaf or Thai basil for decoration.

Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai (Sweet green chicken curry)

It’s a toss up between this and Pad Thai as to the most widely eaten dish found in Thai restaurants worldwide. It’s just as popular in Thailand, particularly with tourists and it’s a recognisable and very tasty dish. Strangely though, despite it being the Thai dish I’ve been cooking the longest, it’s also the one that has taken me the longest to get right. Like any Thai recipe, there’s a lot of personal preferences involved but I like my green curry with a thin sauce, not too sweet, pretty hot and with an equal balance of salty and sour.


For three portions, use:

• a small amount of vegetable oil, for frying


• two medium chicken breast, finely sliced


• a handful of bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks


• a handful of green beans, trimmed and cut into two


• your choice of extra veggies- I’ve used carrots cut into rounds, some pea aubergines and some water chestnuts that were leftover


• a big handful of Thai basil, or use tarragon


• 200ml of coconut milk (it freezes well if you end up buying a 400ml can)


• 50g of Thai green curry paste (If you can get it, use Mae Ploy brand which is excellent)


• 100ml- 200ml of water


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla) all supermarkets have it


• a big pinch of sugar


• 3 or 4 red chillies,cut into slivers


• 4 or 5 kaffir lime leaves (bigger Sainsburys sell them fresh and most other supermarkets sell them dried) rolled up in a cigar, and finely shredded 


• a wedge of lime

Heat the oil in a wok and when it’s hot, add in the green curry paste, stir fry for just 30 seconds, otherwise it’ll burn before adding in the coconut milk. Stir and after a few minutes you start to see the oil separating from the sauce- this is a good thing! Add in half of the water, the fish sauce and sugar and the chicken. Stir and cook for 5 minutes or so until fully cooked before adding in the veggies. Cook these for five minutes more before having a taste; if you think it needs it, add more water, sugar and/or fish sauce. Once the curry is cooked, turn off the heat and stir through the kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil for a few seconds. Turn the curry out into a serving dish, top with the chilli slivers and squeeze over the wedge of lime.