Campfire Recipe: Propane Fire Pit Green Curry

From The Streets of Bangkok to the Backroads & Backcountry; Propane Fire Pit Green Curry is quick, easy, & camper approved

You’ve heard of whipping up chili on the campfire. . . But I’m about to show you how to kick cozy, warming, campfire comfort food up a notch. 

Why is making curry so awesome (and surprisingly easy)? It’s like chili — dump all the good stuff in a pot (or wok!) and let that baby simmer. 

However, there are two key differences that you’ll need to know to nail down a colorful, cozy, caliente Propane Fire Pit Green Curry. 

1. Your green curry base is coconut milk instead of, say, bouillon. 
2. You don’t have to measure anything, but you do have to make sure to incorporate a finely tuned balance of sweet, salty, sour, spicy, and creamy. These 5 flavor profiles are present in all great Thai dishes and are, in my humble opinion, the reason Thai food is the superior cuisine. 

Can a green curry campfire recipe still give that “authentic” taste?

As the person who created the recipe, I might be biased. However, as someone who has also eaten (copious amounts of) Thai street food and was raised by a Thai mother and grandmother who fed me (copious amounts of) Thai food, I’ll make the claim that this recipe checks the “authentic Thai flavor” box. 

This recipe produces a perfectly balanced bowl of warm, creamy, curry with a punch. 

The kind where you hold a spoon up to your nose and take a whiff and suddenly you’re transported to a street market in bustling Bangkok. You have one lick and every taste bud in your mouth lights up with joy as you experience a masterpiece of flavor.

Then you open your eyes. . . And you're not in bustling Bangkok after all. You’re cozied up in your camp chair huddled around the campfire in the sweet, serene wilderness. For a curry recipe you can make on the summit of a mountain in the Tetons or at the bottom of a Canyon in Canyonlands, it’s pretty dang authentic.

Whip this recipe out on your dinner night while camping with friends and they might never let you get out of being the camp chef again. 

Campfire Recipe: Propane Fire Pit Green Curry

The first principle of Leave No Trace is to Plan Ahead and Prepare! It applies to cooking in the backcountry too (or a state park. . . Or parking lot! Whatever floats your boat). 

Here’s everything you’ll need to pack if you plan on cooking propane fire pit green curry on your next adventure. 

Feeds: 5-10 

Ingredients

Ingredients with an * are “nice to have” but not necessary

• 2-3 cans of full-fat coconut milk (depending on how much liquid you like in your curry and how many mouths you’re feeding. More than 5 adults? Go with 3 cans.)
• 3 spoonfuls of Coconut oil
• 2-3 spoonfuls of green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen or World Foods. You can prep your own ahead of time if you’re really ambitious.)
• 1 green bell pepper 
• 1 cup-ish sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 white onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 fat chunk of ginger root (you can also use squeezable minced ginger if you don’t want to deal with peeling and mincing while cooking outdoors.)
• 1 can (15oz) cut baby corn
• 1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts
• 1 can (14oz) bamboo shoots
• Juice of 1 lime
• Cilantro* (Measure to your taste. I use 1 handful chopped.)
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Thai bird's eye chili* (You can sub serrano peppers, habanero, or even jalapeno. Or omit the added heat altogether.)
• Red chili flakes*
• Turmeric* (Adding turmeric will turn your green curry yellow! If you’re adamant about keeping your green curry green, skip the turmeric.)
• Pepper* (Just a dash if you do.)
• White pepper or mustard powder*
• Dried lemongrass*
• Protein* (Add any protein you like to this recipe if you so desire! I recommend frozen prawns. Chicken or tofu also mix in well.)

Serve with

• Jasmine rice, long grain rice, white rice. Rice however you like it. I prefer the jasmine variety with propane fire pit green curry. You can get it in instant rice packets. They can be thrown in a pot and warmed up in minutes!

Camp Cookware

Utensils with an * are “nice to have” but not necessary

• LavaBox Portable Campfire with Over/Under Grill Thingy or a similar portable propane fire pit with a compatible grill 
• Wok* (If you don’t want to pack a wok for this recipe alone, you can use a large cast-iron skillet or even a saucepan or a pot. The curry isn’t picky. It will cook when heat is applied.)
• Cutting board
• Knife
• Can opener
• Heat resistant mixing spoon
• Handheld citrus juicer*
• Vegetable peeler*
• Pop-up silicon strainer* 
• Garlic press* (Highly unnecessary, but if you’re overlanding and have extra space or just like to be boujee and want to spend less time mincing, it’s nice to have one.)

Get cookin’!

1. The most work you’ll do when cooking propane fire pit green curry is chopping vegetables. Get that out of the way first! Chop the green bell pepper and white onion into rectangular (I like 1” x ½ ” sized) strips. If your mushrooms aren’t pre-sliced, slice them to your preferred thickness.
2. If you’re using a bird's eye chilis or other peppers, chop them up nice and tiny. How much you use is totally based on how much heat you can handle.
3. Peel your ginger using either a vegetable peeler or a knife. Mince the garlic and ginger. If you packed a garlic press, it works great on peeled ginger as well!
4. Place your Over/Under Grill Thingy on top of your LavaBox and fire it up. Begin heating the wok or pot/pan of your choice on the Over/Under with a low-medium flame.
5. Add coconut oil to the wok, let it melt, and then give it a few swirls to coak the sides of the heating surface. 
6. Keep the flame low-medium. Add minced ginger, garlic, and white onion to the wok. Coat it in the coconut oil and sauté while stirring for about 5 minutes. 
7. Here’s where things get easy. . . Go at it with reckless abandon. Pour all your cans of coconut milk into the wok. 
8. Throw in the rest of your vegetables (mushrooms, bell peppers, baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo, and bird’s eye chilis). Remember to drain water from canned vegetables before adding them to the wok.
9. Add your lime juice.
10. Get wild with your spice rack! Add a hefty pinch of salt. I go light on black pepper or omit it altogether. Add a good dose of lemongrass if you’re using it and white pepper or mustard powder. Cayenne? Can’t get enough! Sprinkle in some red chili flakes if you want EVEN MORE HEAT. Seriously, go wild. Taste. Alter. Repeat. 
11. Crank up the flame on your LavaBox or similar portable propane fire pit until you achieve a nice simmer. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
12. Once your curry is finely balanced and tasting like an orchestra of heavenly angels sounds. . . add cilantro if you so choose, give it about another 3-5 minutes to simmer, and viola!
13. Serve over rice. Enjoy, you master backcountry chef, you.