Green Curry with Celery Root
I’m the last person to claim expertise in Thai cooking. But there’s something about it – something about the way the flavors explode in your mouth and then coyly unfold – that piques my interest.
Lucky for me, there are some truly great Thai restaurants in Syracuse. I was lucky enough to speak to the owner of one of them about Pad Thai on an assignment last year. We sat and talked for hours about what makes Thai food so intoxicating.
“It’s a perfect balance of flavors – spicy, sweet and sour or acidic,” he had said. I thought back to every winning Thai dish I’ve eaten and had to conclude he was right. Even the spiciest green curry was tempered by the funk of fish sauce and creamy, sweet white coconut milk.
Ever since then I’ve been trying to learn more about Thai cooking in my tiny apartment kitchen. My shelves are suddenly lined with Jasmine rice, lemongrass and crunchy dried shrimp (delicious little things, in case you need convincing.) I haven’t yet mastered the art of crafting my own curry paste (but as I type this I have another browser open to a virtual mortar and pestle store, so that can’t be too far off); instead, I’ve relied on store-bought versions.
The easiest curry – to my mind – to make is a sweet red one that just whispers at heat. It feels soothing and warm to eat, so I’m quite fond of putting pumpkin or winter squash for an extra-cozy bowl.
But where my intrigue really lies is within the elegant, intense heat of a green curry. The authentic ones I’ve eaten leave me feeling shaken to the core, like I’ve experienced a culinary revelation, been let in on a great secret.
Hell if I know how to make one at home. I’ve certainly been trying. My best efforts have resulted in a less-than-traditional curry that, through some perplexing alchemy, achieved pretty lovely balance. I started with green curry paste (normal) and coconut milk (also normal), then added in chopped kohlrabi (not) and celery root (definitely not.) For good measure, I tossed in some yellow split peas that hungrily drank up the liquid and swelled gorgeously.
Consider it a very, very confused curry. But it’s delicious, I assure you of that. Fresh and vibrant with an insistent heat, this dish is no shrinking violet. It’s just that I think – no, I’m sure – I can get it to sing even louder. Probably best buy that mortar and pestle, no?
Green Curry with Celery Root
- 1 lemongrass stalk, chopped finely
- 2 generous tablespoons green curry paste
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk, plus the thick cream off the top of a second can
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 1/2 cup yellow split peas or lentils
- 1 cup celery root, chopped
- 1/2 cup kohlrabi, chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Heat a deep, wide saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the lemongrass, curry paste and the creamy upper portion of both cans of coconut milk (it separates in the can.) Whisk together, letting the mixture sizzle and bubble.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the rest of the coconut milk (the liquid of one can; reserve the second can for another use), the stock, the fish sauce and palm sugar. Add the lentils and simmer, partially covered, until swollen and almost tender – they should still have a bit of integrity.
Add the celery root and kohlrabi. Simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender.
The liquid will have reduced, at this point, to a creamy consistency. If it hasn’t, leave the curry uncovered as it simmers and thickens. Stir in the lime juice and taste, adjusting seasoning as needed. Serve over rice or simply as-is.