Real Thai green curry paste is easier to make than you might think and tastes better than jarred. Just 15 minutes and a blender are all you need for this delicious homemade curry paste.
1inch squarepiece galangal, roughly peeled then finely chopped
4clovesgarlic, peeled
2teaspoonsdried shrimp paste
1teaspoonground coriander
1teaspoonground cumin
2tablespoonpeanut oil or veg oil
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
Coriander: Wash and give the roots a good scrub to remove the dirt. Roughly chop the whole lot and put it into a powerful blender (notes).
Add the remaining ingredients
- roughly chopped shallots, lemon grass and chillies,
- the finely sliced lime leaves and galangal,
- garlic cloves, shrimp paste, ground coriander, cumin and oil.
Blend to a paste. You may need to remove the blender from time to time and give it a good shake but it will start blending down after a while and turn to a paste. You'll want to get everything as fine as possible so you aren't left with big bits of fibrous ingredients. This takes 5-6 minutes with my Ninja blender.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze in ice cube trays, transferring to an airtight container to freeze for up to 3 months.
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Notes
Blender: You can also use a mortar and pestle to gradually blend it all together but just add one ingredient at a time and grind before adding the next one. Coriander / cilantro is used roots and all so make sure the roots are cleaned well.
Thai green chillis: This fiery little green chillis pack a lot of heat. Add however many you like to taste. I find 3 with the long green chilli adds enough heat to be spicy without working up a sweat but chilli heat varies from place to place too. Test the intensity once the paste is blended, then add more chilli if needed. You may need to visit an Asian grocery store for the small chilies.
Makrut lime leaves are also known as kaffir lime leaves available from many supermarkets.
Galangal: Available in many supermarkets these days, galangal is similar to ginger but more citrusy, sweet and bitter all at once. If you can find it, use ginger and add the zest of one lime as well.
Dried shrimp paste: Make sure to get dried shrimp paste, also known as belachan / belacan, and not the jarred paste. Here is the dried shrimp paste I use on Amazon. Some dried shrimp pastes are often found at supermarkets or you can find it in an Asian grocery store.
Oil: Don't use more oil than required to slowly blend this together. This paste does take a while to blend together and adding too much oil to get it going will just create a very greasy paste. See the post details for more information on everything.
Cooking the paste: In most instances, depending on how you're using the paste, it is best fried for a minute or two before adding to your recipe. For instance, in a Thai green curry, you would fry this off before adding any liquid to the dish.
Yield: This recipe makes about ⅔ cup.
Calories: 54kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Condiment, Dinner
Cuisine: Thai
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.