Thai Green Curry Paste

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Course: Miscellaneous

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

4 Green Cayenne Peppers Chopped & Deseeded
2 to 6 Thai Green Chilis Chopped (See Note 1)
2 Shallots Chopped
2 1/2 to 3 Tablespoons Lemongrass (Tender White Parts) Finely Chopped
2 Tablespoons Galangal Grated
5 Cloves Garlic Minced
2 1/2 Teaspoons Dried Shrimp Paste (Belacan, See Note 2)
2 Teaspoons Lime Zest Grated
1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Cilantro Stems (or Roots if available) Chopped
1/4 Cup Cilantro Leaves Loosely Packed
2 to 3 Tablespoons Water As Needed

Instructions

Combine all ingredients, except water, in a powerful blender or food processor. If you have a Vitamix, it will give you the best results. Blend ingredients to as smooth a paste as possible. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, if needed to help it blend.
Use this to make one recipe Thai Green Curry.
Can be made ahead up to 2 days or frozen for 1 month.

Notes

Note 1: The advantage of using this recipe is that you can adjust the spice level to taste by increasing or decreasing the number of Thai chilis. I don't handle spicy that well and found that 2 Thai chilis worked well for me. I also deseeded them, as that is where a lot of the spice comes from. You can experiment to find your ideal level of spice.

Note 2: Use only dried shrimp paste (comes in a block), if you use shrimp paste in oil (from a jar) it will turn your green curry brown.