Check out the best green curry paste ever! Ready in only a couple of minutes, it’s a combination of fresh, aromatic and spicy. Each of the amazing ingredients, such as ginger, lemongrass, chili, cumin, coriander, lime and garlic, brings a different but perfectly balanced flavour to the paste.
Green curry paste is most commonly used in curries or stews. More, it pairs great with a steak, chicken (check my green curry chicken livers recipe), potatoes, shrimps or fish, too. Have you ever made it yourself? Once you’ll make it, you’ll never buy it again. All you need is some fresh ingredients, which I described in a couple of sentences further on.
One of them is lemongrass. You recognise the lemongrass by its pale yellow-green, almost woody, stalks and aromatic citrus scent. It looks like a thin spring onion because of the bulbous bottom. Wink. More, lemongrass is used for flavouring, either in food or beverages. Also, it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. I love the lemony fresh flavour.
Besides lemongrass, there are plenty of delicious and healthy components in this curry paste. Firstly, fresh ginger tastes slightly peppery and sweet, with a pungent and spicy aroma. As a personal experience, ginger is a great home remedy for the upset stomach, too. A cup of hot water, two ginger slices. Done.
Secondly, cumin seeds promote digestion, increase antioxidant intake and are rich in iron. It has a rich, earthy, bitter-sweet flavour and a great benefit to reduce bloating problems. Super! Thirdly, ground coriander and fresh coriander are delicious but they have a completely different aroma. Ground coriander is fragrant, spicy and floral. Fresh coriander, on the other hand, bursts with freshness and citrusy taste. I love coriander. For example, check this spicy shrimp recipe with coriander pesto.
Thai red chilis
Furthermore, when making a curry paste, you simply have to use chilis. They are a must! Depending on the heat level you prefer, you can either keep or remove the seeds and, more importantly, the white veins from the chilis. I used the red bird’s eye chilis or Thai chili because I find red looks great in the green paste.
To prepare this delicious curry paste you’ll need a knife and a food processor. Of course, you can use a mortar, too. But, it will take a bit longer and quite some strength to achieve the same smooth consistency.
Green curry paste is a wonderful addition to your dishes. I always fill up two glasses with it. In order to keep it fresh and green, add a thin layer of olive oil on top, close with a lid and store it in the fridge. It will last for a couple of weeks. But, it is too yummy to last that long. Wink. Also, I noticed, it gets spicier with each day. Woohoo. Hot hot hot.
Ingredients for green curry paste (around 300 ml jar):
- a piece of ginger (2-3 cm)
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1 stalk of lemongrass
- half a teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tsp of ground coriander
- 2-3 fresh chilis
- 3 spring onions
- a larger bunch of fresh coriander (min 20 stems)
- 1 lime (juice)
- salt
- 3 Tbsp of olive oil
To begin, peel the garlic by slightly crushing it with the back of a knife. Peel the ginger with a spoon and roughly chop it. Then, cut off the ends of the lemongrass, remove the outer layer and chop into larger chunks, as well.
Furthermore, wash, trim and roughly chop the spring onions, wash the coriander and the chilis. Also, now is the right moment to remove the seeds and veins. At this point, put everything in the food processor, sprinkle with salt, cumin and ground coriander. Last but not least, drizzle with olive oil, squeeze the juice of one lime and pulse for 40 seconds or until smooth and no larger chunks are left.
Finally, use it straight ahead or store it into a glass, covered with a lid and keep it in the fridge until the next use. Spice up your dishes by adding only a spoon or two of this delicious green curry paste.
Enjoy!
