Thai Green Curry

We rarely go out to eat. The last time we had Thai at a restaurant it was $60 for two. I've had to come up with affordable alternatives, something out of the ordinary, but on the special side.

This is a nice at-home dinner for us which spans several meals. It takes about 30 minutes to make. I use one pan for the curry and another to make the rice.

Vegetable Oil 2-3 TBSP 0.15

Red Onion, 1/2 chopped 0.50

Garlic, Minced, 2 TBSP 0.30

Ginger Paste, 2 TBSP 0.60

Red Bell Pepper $0.83

Yellow Bell Pepper $0.83

Birds Eye Whole Green Beans, Frozen Vegetables, 10.8 oz. Bag $1.87

One Can of Chickpeas 15.5 oz $0.86

Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, 4 oz $4.39

GV Coconut Milk, 1 can 15.5 oz $2.12

1 Cup Long Grain Basmati Rice $0.50

About $13.50 with tax 

Prices are based on WalMart's multipack and bulk items where applicable. (03/25/2026 prices in my area)

1.68 per serving at 8 servings

2.25 per serving for 6 servings

We pair this with Pulmuone Plantspired Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings (15 count) with Savory Sweet Sauce, 9 oz for $4.28> $4.50 with tax

Altogether we are looking at $18.00 for several nice cozy meals for the two of us. While not cheap like many of our meals, when we get an urge to go out to eat, we opt to stay in for this instead.

Beautiful colors of the veg are a highlight of the meal

Thai Green Curry

Start with the rice. 

1 cup of dry rice and 3 cups of water. 

Do NOT add salt.

Microwave 18-20 minutes uncovered. 

 

Begin the curry with a base of chopped onion sautéed lightly in vegetable oil over medium heat. I use a very large non stick wok which has a glass lid. Cover the pan.

Vegetable Oil 2-3 TBSP 

Red Onion, 1/2 chopped

After the onion has softened and begins to brown mix in

Garlic, Minced, 2 TBSP 

Ginger Paste, 2 TBSP 

Cook covered about 3 minutes then add in 

1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced

1 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced

1 bag of Birds Eye Whole Green Beans, Frozen, 10.8 oz.

These frozen beans or fresh beans stay crisp and firm and do not overcook.

Do not use canned beans. 

Cook covered about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Next drain, rinse, and add

One Can of Chickpeas 15.5 oz

Mix well and add 

Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, 4 oz 

Rinse out the jar, shaking well using about a jar of water. Add the water to the dish.

Next, add

One can of Coconut Milk plus 1/2 can of water.

Uncover the mixture and allow to cook down for 5-10 minutes.

Start the dumplings if you opt for the side dish. They take about 3-4 minutes to cook on each side.

Serve curry over rice with an optional side of the Thai basil dumplings.

The frozen green beans stay nicely firm even as the peppers cook down. 

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The other week my warehouse store, Sam's Club, sent me this:

It was intended to say that you can feed your family a home cooked meal for under $20. I'm old enough to remember when you could also eat at a restaurant for that price too. As I considered the absurdity of the advertised price, I realized there are times when we splurge on our home cooked meals too. This go-to Thai Green Curry is one of those meals. 

The chick peas at less than $1/lb. are a great substitute for meat these days. The fat content with coconut milk is outrageously high. I use an entire container of the Thai curry paste which contains 8 servings. That matches the maximum servings in this dish when combined with rice. There are about 5 cups of vegetables in the overall recipe. The 1 cup of dry rice makes around 4 cups cooked. Edamame peas would bump up the protein content over chick peas but cost twice as much. It's a warm, cozy meal that ends up costing a lot less than dining out these days.