Green curry pasteis one of the basic ingredients in Thai cuisine. Its colour is provided by the coriander leaves and green chillies. It is the most spicy of all curry pastes and has intense flavours, so very little needed for most dishes. There are plenty of versions; here are some basic green curry paste recipes– from classic to super easy versions.

Classic green curry paste

Ingredients: 1 tsp coriander seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp peppercorn, 2 tsp shrimp paste, 8 green chilli, 20 shallots, 5 cm galangal, 10 garlic cloves, 100g coriander leaves, 6 kaffir lime leaves, 3 lemongrass, 2 tsp grated lemon/lime zest, 2 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp oil Preparation:finely chop everything. Dry-fry the spices in a pan for a couple of minutes. Grind the toasted seeds and peppercorns in a stone mortar. Fry the shrimp paste in a pan for a minute, then pour it into a food processor. Add all other ingredients and blend into a smooth or coarse paste. Tips: this version is not vegan, not even vegetarian, as it contains shrimp! The peppercorn can be white or black.

Green curry paste  with ginger (vegan)

Ingredients:4 Thai green chilli, 3 shallots, 4 garlic cloves, 2 lemongrass, 4 kaffir lime leaves, 2 tsp ground coriander seeds, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 cm galangal root, 2 cm ginger, 1 handful of coriander stem, 2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 1 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp peanut oil Preparation:cleans and chop everything, then blend in a food processor

Simple green curry paste (vegan)

Ingredients:1 tsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 10 mini Thai green chilli, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp crushed white peppercorn, 2 lemongrass, 5 kaffir lime leaves, 1 lime zested, 4 Tbsp water, 50g coriander leaves Preparation: toast the spice seeds in a dry pan for a couple of minutes and grind the pepper to a powder with a pestle & mortar. Blend with the other ingredients in a food processor.

Tips

• Always clean the vegetables thoroughly – peel the ginger and galangal root, remove the outer, hard skin of the lemongrass. Of course, the onions and garlic must also be peeled!
• Most ingredients are easily available in most supermarkets, the  unusual ones can be found is Asian grocery stores and delis.
• Always toast the spices without fat – and stir constantly! Be careful not to burn the seeds, otherwise they will give the paste a bitter taste!
• The above paste recipes are enough to make several curries, so store them in a refrigerator in airtight, sterilized bottles. It can also be frozen (for example in an ice cube tray, then just squeeze out one or two portions when needed).
Homemade curry pastenot only adds fresh and authentic flavours to dishes – it also has a more intense taste and aroma than any ready made product. When you follow a recipe, always add less of homemade curry paste! Remember – the green curry paste is super spicy!
• Use Thai green curry paste to make Thai and other Southeast Asian dishes. It’s not suitable for Indian, Japanese and Chinese dishes.
• Red curry paste recipes>>