Thai Green Rice, an original Thai Recipe from LinsFood

Thai Green Rice recipe, an original Thai recipe from LinsFood, this is perfect with so many Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Burmese recipes.

First published August 2012. Updated June 2017.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Thai Green Rice

This Thai Green Rice recipe is an original Thai recipe I created for a charity cooking class many years ago. It’s a rich and creamy rice dish, and I drew inspiration from 2 favourite rice dishes: the Mexican Green Rice (Arroz Verde) and the Malay Nasi Lemak (recipe soon).

In Arroz Verde, the colour is achieved by puréeing fresh coriander leaves and green capsicum (bell pepper) and in the Nasi Lemak, lemak refers to the coconut milk the rice is cooked in, so it’s Coconut Rice. I borrowed the coriander (cilantro) from Arroz Verde and added Green Thai Curry paste to the mix and took the coconut milk idea from Nasi Lemak.

The result? A phenomenally flavoursome and aromatic rice that is good enough to eat on its own with just some salad or a fried egg. In Thailand and other parts of Asia, it is not uncommon to have a bowl of plain rice with just one side dish.

Thai Green Rice

A quick note on some of the Ingredients used

Coconut milk: In Thai cuisine, the thick, creamy “head” of the coconut milk is used to sauté spices at the start, much like using oil. As many of us in the West have no choice but to use canned coconut milk, the thick part of the milk will be right at the top, so don’t shake the can before opening it when cooking Thai.

Usually when I cook Asian rice recipes, I don’t stir it at all. But because of the coconut milk and paste in this Thai Green Rice, I do it twice while it’s cooking. That’s to prevent a crust from forming at the bottom. Of course, if you are a fan of Persian Rice and Tahdig, as I am, you might want that burnt crust! But be warned, you’ll have to increase the recipe proportions, so as to have enough actual rice for everyone!

Green Thai Curry Paste: Now I am going to assume that you will be using a shop bought paste here, which, in this day and age, should be readily available. However, if you are feeling adventurous, you can make your own, just click the link above for the recipe.

Lemongrass: Always use the bottom half only. Click on the link for more info.

Kaffir Lime Leaves: These guys are an indispensable herb in much of South East Asia. There is no substitute for them. If you can’t get them, leave them out and finish off your rice with the coriander leaves (cilantro). You could drop in a bay leaf for some fragrance instead. Click on the link above to read more about Kaffir Lime leaves.

How to serve this Thai Green Rice?

It goes with any number of dishes from South East Asia. So you can look for recipes from the following pages:

Thai Recipes

Vietnamese Recipes

Singapore and Malaysian Recipes

Burmese Recipes

Bonus Step!

I love to serve this on a plate lined with banana leaves. If not serving immediately, line a deep dish all around with banana leaves, pile the green rice in, cover with another layer of leave and place a lid/plate over. The hot rice will absorb the flavour of the leaves and the resulting dish is like nothing you’ve had before!

That’s it. Any questions, just ask, I’ve just opened the comments on his post!

Shall we get our aprons on?

If you like the recipe and article, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!

And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood.

Lin xx

Thai Green Rice

Thai Green Rice recipe, an original Thai recipe from LinsFood, this is perfect with so many Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Burmese recipes.
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: rice
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 550kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Ingredients

  • 300 g Jasmine Rice, rinsed and left to drain
  • 500 ml coconut milk
  • PLUS 3 Tbsp of the thick/creamy part of the milk
  • 1 Tbsp green Thai curry paste
  • 2 handfuls fresh coriander leaves cilantro with stalks
  • 2 stalks lemongrass bruised
  • 4 Kaffir lime leaves
  • 2 tsp Thai fish sauce
  • fresh coriander / cilantro leaves chopped, to serve

Instructions

  • Puree the coriander leaves in a food processor, using as much or as little coconut milk as needed.
  • Heat the 3 tbsp of thick coconut milk in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat.
  • When it starts to bubble, add the Thai green paste and lemongrass, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes until the oil from the milk separates and is visible as a transparent greenish liquid. There won’t be much of the oil, but you will notice it.
  • At this point, add the drained rice and stir to coat.
  • Make up 500 ml (2 cups) in total of liquid using the pureed coriander leaves and the rest of the coconut milk. Add this to the rice, along with the lime leaves and fish sauce.
  • As soon as the coconut milk starts to bubble, stir well and reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir well at the 5 and 10 minute mark.
  • At the end of the 15 minutes, take it off the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
  • Scatter the coriander (cilantro) all over and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 591IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 5mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @azlinbloor and tag #linsfood!
Made it? Upload your photosMention @azlinbloor and tag #linsfood!

Share this with someone who'll love it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating