Thai Green Curry Paste

Recipe from Renu Kaewdulduk.

Homemade curry paste is a bit of work, but it will enhance your Thai dishes tremendously — it’s so much more flavorful and bright than curry paste from a jar. Curry paste freezes well in an airtight container.

½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 green chilies
3 shallots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves
1 stalk lemongrass
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
4 Makrut lime leaves, fresh or dried
Thai basil leaves, handful

The convenient method for turning these ingredients into curry paste is to put them all into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade, then pulse and process the ingredients into to a paste. You may need to stop and scrape the bowl with a spatula.

The authentic way to make curry paste is in a mortar and pestle. It’s more work, but we’re fans, in part because we think more flavor is released and the finished texture is superior. Start by grinding the dry spices and salt in the mortar, then add the fresh ingredients a few at a time, pulverizing them well until you have a thick, chunky paste.

Makrut lime is a relative of the common lime but is known for its highly aromatic leaves instead of its fruit. Fresh leaves can be found at Asian markets (or you can grow your own!) and we offer top-quality dried leaves from California.