In Thailand, green curry is made from lots of fresh herbs and fresh green chiles—it has nothing to do with the yellow-orange curry powder of India and the subcontinent. Green curry tastes wonderfully bright and vivacious in this potpie, especially up against the richness of coconut milk and the buttery puff pastry top crust. You can use just about any vegetable in this curry, so if you’re not down with eggplant and mushrooms, try any of the following (alone or in combination, cut into bite-size pieces) as a substitute for either or both: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, red bell peppers, small potatoes, and even Brussels sprouts.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 pound eggplant, stem end removed, flesh cut into ¾-
- inch cubes
- 8 ounces mushrooms (preferably brown mushrooms or shiitakes), stemmed and caps halved or quartered if
- large
- 1 small red onion, cut into bite-size pieces
- ¼ cup neutral vegetable oil (such as grapeseed or safflower)
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 lemongrass stalk, ends trimmed and tough outer
- layer(s) removed, tender reed halved lengthwise and
- then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
- Zest of 1 lime
- 5 serrano or 4 jalapeño chiles, stemmed (seeded for
- reduced heat, if you like) and roughly chopped
- 5 Thai bird’s-eye chiles (or 3 extra serranos or
- jalapeños), stemmed (seeded for reduced heat, if you
- like) and roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 5 scallions, roughly chopped
- 0.33 cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems
- 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) lite coconut milk
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, defrosted
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
How to Make It
- 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- 2. Toast the seeds for the curry: Place the coriander and cumin on a doubled piece of aluminum foil with the edges slightly turned up (so the seeds don’t spill over). Place the seeds in the oven and cook until fragrant and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a small plate and set aside.
- 3. Roast the vegetables for the potpie: Place the eggplant, mushrooms, and red onion in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Turn the eggplant mixture out onto a rimmed sheet pan and roast, stirring midway through cooking, until the eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400°F.
- 4. While the vegetables cook, make the curry sauce: Combine the lemongrass, ginger, and the toasted coriander and cumin seeds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to give it a rough chop. Add the lime zest, chiles, garlic, scallions, cilantro, remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Pulse three or four times to chop, then process, pausing occasionally to scrape down the side of the bowl, until the mixture is well combined. It won’t get smooth and creamy, but should be a rough-textured paste. Scrape the curry paste into a large bowl and whisk in the coconut milk. Set aside.
- 5. Place the puff pastry on a cutting board and prick it all over with a fork. Cut each sheet in half vertically, then into thirds horizontally so you have a total of 12 rectangles.
- 6. Remove the vegetables from the oven and transfer them to the bowl with the coconut curry, gently stirring to coat the vegetables with the sauce. Return the vegetables and sauce to the sheet pan, spreading them evenly across the entire surface.
- 7. Beginning at the left side of the sheet pan, place 2 pieces of puff pastry on top of the curry (with the long edge of the pastry parallel to the short side of the pan). Place another 2 pieces slightly overlapping the first 2. Continue, creating 2 rows with 6 rectangles in each row that slightly overlap. Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter.
- 8. Bake, rotating the sheet pan midway through cooking, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and divide among bowls, making sure a piece or two of puff pastry sits atop each serving.
