Is green curry not spicy?
It has heat. Even if the coconut milk makes it feel soft, the curry paste uses chilli. If you do not handle spicy food well, it helps to ask about the spice level before you order.
Green Curry
Kaeng Khiao Wan · แกงเขียวหวาน
If you want a fragrant curry with rice, choose green curry. Green curry paste is stirred into coconut milk and simmered with meat and vegetables. Basil-like herbs add aroma to the richness of coconut. The pale green colour looks mild, but it does have heat, so if you do not handle spicy food well, say so when you order.
Thai green chicken curry and roti · Takeaway · CC BY-SA 3.0
Resized for display · Photo provided under CC BY-SA 3.0
What does it taste like?
Behind the rich, soft coconut milk you feel the heat of the curry paste. The herb aroma is also clear, so it tastes different from the curries you may know from home. Eat it by putting a little curry and its pieces on the rice at a time.
Even with coconut milk, it has heat. Ask about the spice level when you order.
Dish basics
- Dish name
- Green Curry · Kaeng Khiao Wan
- Thai name
- แกงเขียวหวาน
- Type
- Soups and curries
- Region
- Central · Central food culture · eaten across the country
- Main ingredients
- Made with green curry paste and coconut milk, simmered with meat and vegetables. Herbs such as basil are sometimes added for aroma.
The dish and its region
Green curry is one of the signature dishes of central Thailand. In Thailand it is eaten not only with steamed rice but also with noodles such as khanom chin, or with roti. On a Bangkok trip, have a meal of curry with the meat you like and rice on the side.
How to order and eat it
- Choose the main ingredient you want, such as chicken, and order. If curry and rice are sold separately, order the rice too.
- Ask before the dish is made whether the heat can be reduced. Even with coconut milk, it is not a dish without heat.
- Put the curry broth and pieces on the rice a little at a time. If you are sharing several dishes, you do not need to pour all the curry over the rice at once.
Frequently asked questions
Is a curry with only vegetables a vegetarian dish?
Not necessarily. Animal-based ingredients can go into the curry paste or the seasonings. If you are vegetarian, ask whether the paste and the sauce can be eaten as well as the meat.
More dishes and cities to explore
Official sources and references
If you want to read more about these dishes and regions, these sources are a good place to start. Ingredients and cooking methods can differ from one eatery to another.
Sharing image credit: Takeaway · CC BY-SA 3.0