Here’s a photo of the ingredients I was able to find at the moment in lockdown for a green curry paste. The recipe’s from a cookbook I was given almost thirty years ago when Thai food was really popular in Sydney – still is! Each page gives evidence of how often it’s been used, splashed with sauce from my beaters or from sticky fingers mid-read.
So much better – & healthier – making your own base as there are no preservatives and you can add and subtract to suit your own taste. I couldn’t get some of the ingredients as the Thai store is currently closed. I’ll make mention of the ones I’ve not included (in italics in brackets) and how I replaced them. This recipe as is definitely stands alone, it’s delicious! And a great base for any green curry dish whether vegetarian or with fish, chicken, lamb, duck.
Next month I’ll try to post a recipe for a chicken curry dish where I’ve used this as the base.
Enjoy and stay safe!
Ingredients:
Makes about 8 tablespoons
(I used 5 tbsp for 4 servings)
1 tsp cumin seeds (I only had ground cumin powder which was fine)
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
8 fresh green chillies, seeded and chopped
2 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 stalks lemon grass, outer hard leaf removed, flat-knife-crushed then chopped
3 dried large kaffir lime leaves, chopped, central stem removed
(3 coriander roots, chopped) I added 3 extra tbsp chopped coriander leaves & stems instead)
(3 cms galangal) I used 3 cms fresh ginger, chopped & would probably stick to it, delicious
(2 tsp shrimp paste) I used a dollop of fish sauce instead. for a vegetarian version you can get that extra layer with miso paste or even a splash of tamari
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Method:
Heat your pan and add the coriander and cumin seeds (or powder) until you have aroma. Then crush them in a pestle and mortar or a small blender together with the peppercorns.
Now add the rest of the ingredients and blend anyway you can. I use a hand held stick blender and it works fine as long as I chop the coriander leaves small. You can also pound it all by hand.
This is a great starter for any green curry and can be stored in the fridge up to 4 weeks.