Not! Thai Green Curry
A homely Parsi green curry that has nothing to do with Thailand.
For my recipe lovers:
It’s 10.43 pm in Whakatāne. The boys have made the obvious joke about the town’s name (F**ktane) approximately 7,632 times today. It was funny the first 263 times, but I can’t understand how they’re still giggling about it as we wriggle into unfamiliar duvets in our holiday rental.
In the darkness, Narrator Man from Fun Fables comes on. ”Ahh grandma, left her false teeth in the jar,” he sings to the tune of Circle of Life. We’re listening to ‘Not! The Lion King’ on my phone. Also for the 7,632nd time. I’m horrified my kids have been awake for 17 hours and I wonder idly about the judgement the ‘in-bed-by-7pm-moms’ would pass about my parenting skills. Also for the 7632nd time.
But after nine years of being a mum, I know that what I really care about is that we’re done. The negotiations about the pillows, who sleeps where, does the light stay on or off have concluded.
No more “Mum I’m itchy,”
“Mum I need water,”
“Mum I need another hug.”
Just me, the darkness and the Goat King.
If you don’t know who the Goat King is and you have a child, you NEED to listen to the Fun Fables podcast. The creator wanted to make a Lion King episode because his listeners kept asking. Copyright said absolutely not. So he wrote about the Goat King instead. Same energy. Completely different animal.
As ‘Moovefastaa’ (incumbent goat king on farmer McDonald’s farm) and his son ‘Simbaaaah’ talk about how Simbaaaah must absolutely never go to the back paddock, my mind starts forming lists.
“We’re still on holiday brain”, I protest. But it won’t listen.
It’s back to work day after tomorrow. Back to routines. Back to trying to get the boys down at a reasonable time even if they are still on school holidays 26 more days. Back to writing. Sort out mom’s house packing. Book the annual planning meetings with the team at work. Figure out what to write for Lisa McLean and Annada D. Rathi’s curry night round-up submission.
As the ‘goat with a scar on his face who is not called on Scar’ plans his evil coup my phone pings with another reminder. Oh yes, back to planning next week’s dinner as well.
My brain brings up a grainy image of the inside of my fridge and I mentally scan the shelves. Tray of fish in the freezer, bunch of coriander I forgot about, frozen coconut, chillies from mum’s garden. Did I water my curry leaf plant before leaving for Whakatāne? On my phone, Simbaaaah has run away. Instead of cooking and worrying about baby goats he’s learning how to roll in the mud with the pig now that Moovefastaa is dead.
Maybe I should run away, take another week off and forget about the curry post too?
“You are the Goat King. Rememberrr, rememberrrr,” Moovefastaa chastises Simbaaaah in ghost form.
My brain remembers too. Parsi Green Curry.
That ticks all the boxes. Unique curry. Ingredients in the fridge. Funny story (if I listen to Moovefastaa). And easy to cook up as I head back into work.
In the bed, the boys have gone still. Not pretending-still. Real still.
Tomorrow they’ll wake up and make the same joke about Whakatāne. I’ll pack the bags, finish our four hour road-trip back home, put in a load of laundry without removing my travel shoes and head to the deck to water Arjun, my curry leaf plant.
He’s survived another winter like I’m surviving another school holiday. I’ll finish my cup of chai and then make some Parsi green curry. NOT for 7,632nd time. But, close enough.
What is Parsi green curry?
Ahh grandma, left her false teeth in the jar. It sounds nothing like Circle of Life, even if the beat is the same. That’s exactly how I feel about my Parsi green curry. When you hear “green curry,” your brain auto-completes to Thailand. Coconut milk. Lemongrass. Kaffir lime. The sweet-salty-spicy gravy coating your palate in comforting thickness.
Parsi green curry is none of that. It’s boring. Coriander, cumin, raw garlic, green chillies, and grated coconut blitzed into a paste. The kind of curry that doesn’t bother dressing up for guests.
In my family, this was always the fallback. Dolly Mumma’s red curry got the honour of being the heirloom dish. Green curry is the overlooked sibling of Parsi curries. We didn’t even give it a proper name, just calling it by its colour. When I don’t know what else to make and I don’t want Dahi Kadhi, the answer is green curry.
The paste is essentially a basic green coriander and chutney with coconut and a bunch of other spices. Taste umami-ish and confrontational when cooked with meat. Mellow and lazy when cooked with fish. Wholesome if you add in peas and carrots. Indulgent, if there are some boiled eggs floating in there too.
That’s why I love it.
Make Parsi green curry at home
Ingredients (for six)
For the curry paste
Half a coconut or 160gm frozen coconut, grated
1 large bunch fresh coriander
2 tsp cumin seeds
6 green chillies
1 tsp white sesame seeds
10-12 cloves garlic (10–12 cloves)
1 fresh or 200gm canned tomato
Approximately 1.5-2 cups water
For the curry
Generous glug of oil
1 heaped tbsp wheat flour or chickpea flour
2-3 stalks curry leaves
1.5 tsp turmeric powder
1.5 tsp red chilli powder
1.5 tsp curry powder
2 potatoes, cubed
Salt
Protein of your choice
For the protein marinade
If using fish, marinate with pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder and salt.
If using red meat, marinate with salt and 1-2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste.
If using paneer, no need to marinate but highly recommend pan frying them first so they retain their shape.
Method
In a small pan, lightly toast the cumin seeds and sesame seeds.
Marinate the protein of your choice.
In a food processor, add in the seeds, garlic, coriander, chillies and tomato. Give it a quick grind.
Then, add in the grated coconut, about half the water and grind. Keep adding water as needed. You want a smooth and green paste.
Next, we must fry the masala. This is an important step you often won’t see in reels which gives you a smooth, thick curry rather than something watery. To do this, heat oil to a saucepan and then flour. Fry the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs before adding the paste.
Add in the turmeric, chilli powder and curry powder as well as the ground curry paste. At this point, you might need a little more oil. Fry this paste until oil releases from the sides of the pan. It will smell sharp and pungent – that’s correct.
Add 2-3 cups of water, potates, curry leaves, and the protein of your choice .
Red meat requires longer to cook so I recommend adding more water. If you’re using fish, only add that into your curry once the potatoes are 3/4 cooked. Vegetables such as peas and carrots can be added the same time as your potatoes. For hard-boiled eggs, you can boil these inside your curry itself. as it simmers.
Cover and let your curry simmer for atleast 15-20 minutes until everything is cooked. If its too liquidy, uncover and allow the water to boil off.
Serve with steamed white rice and a simple onion/coriander/tomato salad. Don’t forget the squeeze of lemon.
Oh this is certainly a winning curry Perzen, I can tell just by reading your post. I love the distinction between pretend still and real still. Thankyou for sharing your family and this delicious curry.
I just read a short article recently on why newly hatched birds make such a ruckus when they see their mother....but not so much with their father. According to the article it's because the chicks or maybe kids feel safe with mom....so any behavior will be attended. And I thought it was just the food we bring to the table. Maybe both? Happy New Year!