Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Aubergine

As we bid farewell to 2025, I wanted to share one last cherished Thai recipe with you: Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Aubergine (or Eggplant, as it’s more commonly known across much of the English-speaking world). While it doesn’t make an appearance quite as often as my Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Pineapple, it holds an equally special place in Marlini’s and my heart.
It’s the perfect midweek dinner—especially comforting during the colder winter months. With a little planning (such as defrosting chicken if fresh isn’t available), you can have it on the table in just over 40 minutes from scratch.

When I first ventured into making Thai curry (my Thai Green Curry with Prawn, Squid, and Butternut Squash from 2014 is a real trip down memory lane), I believed that using ready-made commercial curry pastes was nothing short of cheating. Back then, I would painstakingly blend my own paste from scratch—and don’t get me wrong, it tasted great—but I could never find a kitchen tool powerful enough to achieve that perfectly smooth consistency. Even today, I’m still searching for the ideal compact blitzer or blender. Tiny fragments of coriander seeds and stubborn lemongrass fibres always remained.

On top of that, sourcing the ingredients was a challenge. Many are imported and only available in speciality shops or large supermarkets. For example, since moving to Lincoln about four years ago, I still haven’t managed to find fresh galangal anywhere.

Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Aubergine recipe development

So, assuming this was as good as it gets, I kept making my own paste—until our trip to Thailand in 2018 changed everything. I discovered that it’s actually very common for Thai families to use ready-made pastes for everyday cooking. They’re a huge time-saver, deliver a consistent flavour profile, and, as a bonus, a tub stays fresh in the fridge for weeks. No more ingredient-hunting missions every time you crave curry!
Mae Ploy has become my go-to brand for both Green and Red Curry pastes (though I’m sure there are others just as good). It simply works.

There’s also a quicker version if you’re missing a few ingredients or pressed for time. While you can make the sauce with just Thai Green Curry paste and coconut milk, I truly believe it’s worth the extra effort to add fresh ginger (or galangal, if you’re lucky enough to find it), garlic, kaffir lime leaves, smoked salt, palm sugar, fish sauce (nam pla), and fresh coriander. And, of course, don’t forget the bright zing of freshly squeezed lime juice—it really brings the dish to life.

Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Aubergine

Richard Bewley

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Thai

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Large non-stick pan with lid
• rice cooker

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp organic sunflower oil
• 1 inch root ginger peeled and grated (or finely diced)
• 2 large garlic cloves peeled and grated (or finely diced)
• 50 g Thai Green curry paste * heaped
• 400 ml can light coconut milk
• 2 Kaffir Lime leaves Fresh or Dried
• 500 g chicken breast cubed
• 1 medium aubergine cubed or sliced into wedges
• 1 dash Nam Pla Fish Sauce
• 25 g fresh coriander
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tsp smoked sea salt
• 1 large lime juiced
• 3 cups Jasmine Rice rinsed

Instructions

 

• Measure, then rinse the Jasmine rice in a sieve. Allow to drain.
• Peel and grate or finely chop the garlic and ginger.
• Cube Aubergine or slice into 1/6 wedges (approximately 10-15 mm thick). Rub in the lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
• Trim the chicken breast and cut it into bite-sized pieces on a separate cutting board.
• Add rice, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the rice cooker bowl, stir, and start cooking.
• Pour sunflower oil into a large non-stick saucepan and heat it over medium-high temperature.
• Add garlic and ginger, then cook for two minutes.
• Add Thai Green curry paste to the ginger, and garlic. Cook for a minute. Add a dash of the coconut milk, mix, and increase heat.
• Add the cubed chicken to the mixture, coat evenly with the paste, and cook the chicken for three to four minutes, until there are no raw edges remaining.
• Add the smoked sea salt, palm sugar, Kaffir lime leaves, and Nam Pla Fish Sauce, and cook for one more minute.
• Add the remaining coconut milk and lime juice, fresh coriander, then mix well.
• Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover with lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• 20 minutes before the rice is cooked, add the aubergine, stir well, and cover.
• Transfer to individual service bowls, with a scoop of steaming hot jasmine rice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Notes

* In terms of Thai Green Curry paste, I currently use the Mae Ploy Brand. It is readily available for me in the UK – but always happy to try others. 

• You can substitute ginger with fresh Galangal if available. As I can never find it fresh, fresh root ginger has become a regular and versatile substitute.
• My rice cooker takes 40 minutes to cook white rice, which I use as a countdown for curry. If you do not have a rice cooker but enjoy rice and have the necessary space, it is highly recommended to obtain one. However, Jasmine rice can also be prepared in a standard pan with a lid.
• I have made this with both light and full fat Coconut milk, both work very well, but if you want the creamier version, ‘naughty’ is the direction of travel.