Spices, stories and the secrets of a Thai chickpea curry: Inside the kitchen with Alexandra Green
Curator Alexandra Green opens her kitchen and collection, revealing how spices, stories and a simple curry connect continents and centuries.
Step into Alexandra Green’s Oxford kitchen and you are greeted by the heady aroma of garlic, coriander, and coconut milk. As curator for Southeast Asia at the British Museum, Alexandra is no stranger to the extraordinary journeys objects—and ingredients—make across the world. But today, the story unfolds over a bubbling pot of Thai chickpea curry, a dish as full of history as it is of flavour.
Listen to the full episode with Alexandra Green from the 5 O'clock Apron podcast then delve into the podcast archive for more culinary adventures.
A curator’s culinary roots
Alexandra’s passion for Southeast Asian food is rooted in childhood memories. Growing up in Malaysia, she recalls, “We ate entirely Asian food. I still feel more satisfied if I eat Asian food as opposed to western food—potatoes never quite do it for me.” Rice and rice noodles remain staples in her home, a culinary echo of her upbringing.
Her professional journey has been just as rich, leading her from Malaysia to Sydney, and finally to the British Museum in London, where she became the first curator dedicated solely to Southeast Asia. The region, she explains, stretches from Myanmar and Thailand to Indonesia and the Philippines, and the museum’s collection boasts over 33,000 objects from these diverse cultures.
The art of a quick curry
On this particular afternoon, Alexandra demonstrates her go-to Thai chickpea curry—a dish that, while not strictly traditional, embodies the adaptability and creativity of home cooking. “Chickpeas aren’t very standard in Thai cooking,” she admits, “but it’s actually a dish that I really like. It’s easy, and you can make it as fancy as you like.”
The recipe is flexible, catering to busy schedules and varying tastes. “If you’re just trying to get dinner on the table, you can mince the garlic and coriander and use a black pepper grater. But today, we’re going for authenticity—pounding everything by hand.” The kitchen fills with the rhythmic sound of ingredients being crushed, releasing their oils and fragrances.
The spice route: A journey through history
The conversation soon turns to the spices themselves—those aromatic treasures that have shaped cuisines and economies for centuries. “Southeast Asia is the source of lots and lots of spices,” Alexandra explains. “Cloves, nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon all came from Southeast Asia initially and then have been planted elsewhere.”
She describes how the spice trade fuelled global connections long before modern supermarkets made coconut milk and curry powder household staples. “Europeans only made it out to Southeast Asia about 500 years ago. Before that, there was a huge ocean trade route, sailing around Africa and across the Indian Ocean into the South China Sea and the Indonesian archipelago.”
“Spices are a way of building bridges and engaging with other people,” Alexandra reflects, highlighting the power of food to connect cultures.
A quirky twist on tradition
As the curry simmers, Alexandra points out its unusual blend of spices. “What’s unusual is the curry powder, made up of cumin, coriander seed, turmeric, and paprika. Thai cooking tends to use more ginger, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and peppercorns, usually pounded into a paste.” In Thailand, she notes, curry pastes are often bought fresh from the market, pounded before dawn and sold in fragrant mounds.
The dish is finished with coconut milk, potatoes, chickpeas, and a generous handful of Thai basil. “If you can’t get Thai basil, put in some mint or coriander leaves,” she suggests. Flexibility is key: “You can leave the potatoes out if you want fewer carbs, or add more liquid from the chickpea tin and serve it with rice noodles.”
A collection beyond the plate
Alexandra’s expertise extends far beyond the kitchen. At the British Museum, she cares for thousands of objects, from fish traps and mortars to baskets for steaming rice and tools for scraping coconut flesh. “We have some fabulous fish traps from northern Thailand, gorgeous wood mortars and pestles, and baskets for steaming things,” she shares.
The museum’s collection reflects the region’s colonial history, with richer holdings from areas where the British were present. Alexandra is passionate about making these collections accessible, ensuring that records are detailed and available online. “More people look at our collections that way than in any other way,” she notes.
She is also actively involved in curating exhibitions and collecting new objects, including contemporary art and diplomatic gifts. “Collecting those, they might not be the most gorgeous things, but actually they document quite an interesting moment and interaction.”
Food as connection
For Alexandra, food and objects are both vessels of memory and connection. “Objects don’t have to be contentious—they can be a way of building bridges,” she says, referencing the museum’s upcoming exhibition celebrating 170 years of diplomatic ties between Thailand and Britain.
As the curry is served, the kitchen is filled with warmth and laughter. The tomatoes are added just before the end to keep their crunch, and the final dish is declared “exceptional” by her guest. Alexandra’s recipe is more than a meal—it is a story of movement, adaptation, and shared heritage.
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