Date Published: July 29th, 2020 | Last Updated: July 29th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces/dips, asian
Serves: 1 large bowl, enough for ~4-5 curries (at 4 portions each)
Prep time: 20mins | Cook time: 5mins

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Thai curries. They’re fantastic. They’re amazing. They’re so flavourful that I can never pass it up when I visit a Thai restaurant. The actual process of making a good Thai curry isn’t all that complicated as long as you have the curry paste, which is where most of the flavour comes from (and also the most effort). You can buy packaged Thai curry pastes from pretty much any supermarket these days and for pretty cheap too, but if you’re like me and have the need to conquer seemingly complex recipes, then this is the recipe for you!

Thai curries come in a wide variety, but the most common ones you’ll see are red and green curries. Traditionally the main difference between these two are the colour of the chillies that are used. The red curries are usually spicier by using red chilli peppers and chilli powder whereas the green curry colour comes from the more mild green chilli peppers and other green ingredients like kaffir lime leaves, coriander/cilantro and sometimes basil.

Brace yourself. There are a BUTTLOAD of ingredients that go into this Thai green curry paste (17 to be exact) but it’s packed with flavour and beautiful aromas. It does takes some time to gather and prep all the ingredients, but the end result is a wonderfully fragrant and flavourful paste that’s well worth the effort. Since this paste does require a bit of effort and time, I’ve adjusted the recipe to yield a large portion so you only need to make this once and be able to use it again and again. ✌🏻

The actual process is pretty simple – just chop and blend, but the sheer number of ingredients required to make this paste takes time. If you don’t have access to an Asian grocer, it may be pretty challenging to gather some of these ingredients.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

*Note: all of these ingredients are going into a food processor/blender, so you only need to roughly chop them to fit into the processor!

• 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, roughly chopped – I usually buy a large pack of frozen lemongrass stalks since it’s harder to come by near my area, but feel free to use fresh ones!
• 4 long green chillies, roughly chopped (keep the seeds in for extra spiciness)
• 5 red shallots, roughly chopped
• 7 cm piece of ginger, chopped
• 2 Tbsps grated galangal (or sub with 2 Tbsp ginger + zest of 1 lime)
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 Tbsps of coriander/cilantro roots and stems, washed – roots have a milder flavour than stems. If you prefer a stronger coriander flavour, have more stems than roots or all stems
• 6 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or dry)
• 2.5 tsps dried shrimp paste (belachan)
• 2 Tbsps fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (or 1/8 tsp table salt)
• 2 tsp palm sugar syrup (or equal amount of brown sugar or maple syrup or 1/2 tsp molasses)
• 2-4 Tbsps coconut milk (or water) as needed to help the paste blend

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, combine all of these ingredients except the coconut milk and blend until you get a thick paste.

Tip: if any of your ingredients have excess moisture (ie. thawed lemongrass stalks), squeeze out the extra liquid before blending to prevent having an excessively wet paste.

Add in the coconut milk one tablespoon at a time to help your ingredients blend to a smooth paste.

Taste and adjust flavours. If it’s too spicy or salty, add more coconut milk. Adjust sugar and salt as needed. Remember that this is a paste to be used in recipes, so getting the perfect balance isn’t as important at this stage unless you’ll be eating this paste on its own. You can always adjust the flavours in your actual recipes later.

Storage:

• Refrigerate: you can keep this paste in an air-tight container (I usually use a glass jar) in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
• Freeze: if you’re not going to use the paste anytime soon, you can freeze it in ice cube trays and take them out as needed (roughly 1 Tbsp of sauce per ice cube). Will freeze well for several months.

Recipes that use this paste:

Summarized Recipe: