Thai Green Curry Paste
This detailed tutorial for authentic Thai Green Curry Paste is spicy and flavorful, plus it freezes well for quick and easy dinners. Makes enough for about 3 large batches of curry.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 pint
- Category: curry
- Method: blended
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds or ground coriander
- 6 serranos chiles or 3 jalapeños, seeds removed
- 12 Thai bird chiles, use less for less heat
- 3 large shallots, peeled
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 large lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh keffir lime lime leaves (about 4), or 1 teaspoon kefir lime zest
- 4 tablespoons galangal (about a 4-inch place), roughly chopped* (see note)
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro roots or stems
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- If using whole seeds, add the cumin and coriander to a small saute pan and toast over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add to the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulverize. If using ground spices, just add them to the food processor and skip the toasting.
- Add the chiles, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal, cilantro, nutmeg, white pepper, and salt. Pulverize on high speed until as smooth as possible, stopping every so often to scrape down the sides. If the paste is not blending, add a little bit of water in small increments just to get things moving, especially if using a blender.
- Depending on your food processor or blender, this will probably take several minutes to achieve. Ingredients like lemongrass and galangal are very fibrous and tough to break down, and it will still have some grit left to it, but try to get it as smooth as possible. Chances are your paste will still have a bit of fibrousness to it. I don't mind it, but if you find this problematic you can pass it through a fine mesh strainer.
- Use the paste in curry or as a marinade. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze in a zip-top bag for longer storage.
Notes
- * I created this recipe using frozen whole pieces of galangal, not fresh, as I don't have access to any. I imagine it's flavor is a bit dulled compared to fresh galangal, so if using fresh, you may want to start with less and add more after tasting. By all means, do not substitute with ginger.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 159
- Sugar: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 615.1 mg
- Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.9 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Find it online: https://coleycooks.com/thai-green-curry/