Thai Fish Curry or Kaeng Khieu Wan Pla

The previous post I shared a deliciously spicy Thai green curry paste form the "The Complete Asian Cookbook" by Charmaine Solomon. In her book she also shares a fantastic, super easy and very quick meal to use this curry paste with, Kaeng Khieu Wan Pla or green curry of fish.I love to make this light curry on a hot summer day, because it's so quick and I don't have to be in the kitchen too long. But now that I think about it this hassle free dish is a great dinner year round.
In addition to the ease involved in this meal, it's also a healthy dinner,because fish is lower in calories than meat and it's cooked without oil. Unfortunately the coconut milk will add some calories to the dish but I think just being mindful of this will help us make better choices when it comes to dessert or maybe taking in less calories the following day. All that being said the taste of this fish curry is well worth the coconut milk calories.
The recipe in the book is pretty much the way that I cook this fish curry, with the exception of a few things. I will post her version and my slightly different version, so you can choose what works best for you.


Your Ingredients:
(serves 4)
Charmaine Solomon's Version:
*1 lb or 500 grams fish steaks
2 1/2 cups coconut milk
*2 tablespoons green curry paste
*2 sprig citrus leaves
1 tsp salt
1 TB fish sauce
*1 or 2 small green chillies, seeded and chopped(optional)
*2 TB finely chopped fresh basil,finely chopped

*My variations:

1 lb or 500 grams fish fillets (pangasius catfish)
-Green curry paste, I make my own

I exchange the citrus leaves for 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice
-For a milder version omit the chillies
-exchange the fresh basil for fresh coriander
-add a piece of ginger either sliced into thin strips or finely diced

1. Wash the fish well , slice the ginger and chillies. Bring coconut milk to a slight boil with curry paste, stirring constantly. Add the fish, reduce heat and simmer with ginger, citrus leaves, salt and fish sauce until the fish i cooked through, about 15 minutes. If exchanging the citrus leaves for the lime/lemon juice, wait until the fish is cooked all the way through to add the juice otherwise it will slow down the cooking.
2. Once the fish is cooked through, add chillies (optional) and fresh basil, and cook for another 5 minutes. I you are exchanging the basil for the fresh cilantro, add the cilantro on top when serving, or you can add both the basil and cilantro they go well together.

Serve with steamed white rice and you're ready to enjoy!