Thai Green Curry Paste

Thai green curry paste is surprisingly easy to make, and it's so much healthier & fresher-tasting than the store-bought variety. Added to your favorite meats or seafood, noodles, vegetables, tofu, or wheat gluten, this paste will create sumptuous curries. Or use it to make delicious soups or noodle dishes. Cook with the paste right away, or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and use it as you need it. The paste can also be frozen for future use. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• YIELDS: approx. 1 cup fragrant Thai Green Curry Paste (enough for 1 large curry)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, minced (see below), OR 3 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass (available at Asian stores)
• 1-3 green chilies, sliced (if you can't find Thai green chilies, use jalapeno chilies)
• 1 shallot, sliced (OR 4 Tbsp. minced purple onion)
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-size piece of galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh coriander leaves & stems, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (available in most supermarket spice aisles)
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce - if vegetarian: 3+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian stores) - if vegetarian: substitute 1 additional Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp. coconut milk (enough to blend ingredients & keep blades moving)

Preparation:

For complete instructions on how to buy and cook with lemongrass, see: All About Lemongrass: Your Guide to Buying, Preparing, and Cooking with Lemongrass.

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, chopper, or blender. Then simply process well to form a fragrant Thai green curry paste!
2. If using a pestle & mortar (as pictured): pound all herbs & spices together into a green paste, then gradually add the wet ingredients, stirring until smooth.

To Make this Paste into a Thai Curry, + More Cooking Tips:

• Heat a wok or large frying pan or pot over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add the green curry paste. Stir-fry until fragrant (1 minute), then add 1 cup stock plus your curry ingredients (meat, seafood, or tofu/wheat gluten + vegetables). Simmer until ingredients are cooked, gradually adding more coconut milk until you're happy with the taste/thickness/amount of sauce.
• As you're cooking, you can also add 2-3 kaffir lime leaves (left whole) as well as any leftover lemongrass stalk pieces for even more flavor.
• When your curry is done, always perform a taste-taste for salt and spice. Add more fish or soy sauce if not salty enough, or some fresh-cut Thai red chilies if not spicy enough (OR add some dried crushed chili). If too spicy, add more coconut milk. If too salty or sweet, add a squeeze of lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add a touch more sugar. Finish your curry by sprinkling over some fresh basil & coriander.
• Store your green curry paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for use later. Paste will keep 2 weeks; freeze thereafter.

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