Thai Green Curry Paste

a bowl of green curry paste on a table with sliced chillies.

5 from 1 vote

This homemade Thai green curry paste makes meal prep easy! It comes together quickly with aromatic spices and fresh ingredients like lemongrass, green chillies, garlic and shallots. Bright and balanced, it’s the perfect flavour base for authentic Thai green curry, soups, marinades and more.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time12

Course: healthy, Main Course

Cuisine: international, Thai

Servings:

Calories: 95kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt regular table salt
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
35 grams galangal (approx. 5 cm piece), peeled and finely sliced. Or use equal quantities of ginger + a little lime zest
1 stalk fresh lemongrass 30 grams, peeled and finely sliced. Or use lemongrass paste.
7 cloves garlic peeled
2 shallots peeled and roughly chopped
5 kaffir lime leaves stem removed and finely sliced. If you can't find kaffir lime leaves, use 1-2 teaspoons lime zest.
1 tablespoon fresh coriander root/stems chopped
1 tablespoon dried shrimp paste 20 grams, crumbled
270 grams long, mild green chillies (Cayenne) mild (about 15 medium-sized chillies)
1-3 hot green chillies Thai green chilli, Birdseye or serrano or your preferred hot green chilli. Or adjust to use more or less, to taste. Leave the hot chillies out entirely for a mild curry paste.
2-3 tablespoons water if needed

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Lightly toast the spices (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, salt and turmeric powder), stirring in a small frying pan over low heat, until fragrant (around 1-2 minutes).
Grind the spices to a powder using a mortar and pestle or high powered blender/food processor.
Add the remaining chopped ingredients to a high powered blender, high powered food processor or large mortar and pestle with the spices and blend to a fine paste, scraping down the sides as you go.
Water can be added to help blend the paste, if needed. Start with 1 tablespoon and only add more if needed.
Once made, the curry paste can be used right away, or stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

The green colour comes from the Cayenne peppers, which are quite mild. The spiciness in the curry paste comes from the Thai green chillies or serrano peppers. For a mild curry paste, leave the hot chillies out altogether. For a medium curry paste, only add 1-2 hot chillies. For a hot curry paste, add hot chillies, to taste.

Where possible, use fresh ingredients for the best taste.

Thinly slicing the fresh ingredients releases their aromatic natural oils and makes it easier to form a fine paste.

Toast the spices before adding them to the paste, to enhance their flavour.

Use a high powered blender, food processor or mortar and pestle for best results.

Get the paste as fine as possible. Otherwise, there will be chunky bits of lemongrass or galangal in your curry. Grind or blend the paste as finely as you can.

Store the paste in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week if you’re not using it right away.

For convenience, the paste can be frozen in individual portions.

This recipe yields just over 1 cup of curry paste, which will make about 3-4 curries.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the curry paste being divided into 4 serves. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings, sides or dishes made with the curry paste.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition