Thai Green Curry Paste

Store-bought curry pastes may be convenient but they just don’t have the same brightness and unique taste of one that’s homemade. While looking for a homemade green curry paste, I came across  this recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.  I made just a few slight  variations to the recipe and was left with a spicy, and delicious curry paste that’s relatively simple to make. After toasting the seeds, you just have to pulse all of the ingredients together in a food processor. You should be able to locate some of the more exotic ingredients like lemongrass in a gourmet grocery store or Asian market. Try stirring a  tablespoon or two of this versatile paste into a dish that needs a bold punch of flavor or simply use it tp swap out the store-bought curry paste in a recipe.

Thai Green Curry Paste
Adapted from  Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Gluten Free
Makes approximately 1 cup
Click Here for Printable Recipe



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1.5 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 jalapeno peppers, stems removed and roughly chopped
3 stalks lemon grass, white part only, chopped
1 shallots, peeled and cut into large pieces
8 cloves of garlic garlic, peeled
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh parsley
3 tablespoons water

1. Preheat a small, dry skillet to medium high heat. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and fennel seeds to skillet. Toast seeds, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.



2. Transfer seeds to a mortar and pestle, then crush seeds until a powder is formed (it takes a little while to crush the seeds; don’t worry about making an ultra fine powder ,just try to crush the seeds as much as possible).




3. Place the crushed seeds in a food processor, then add all remaining ingredients to food processor. Pulse mixture until a relatively smooth paste is formed, stopping to scrape the sides of food processor as necessary. If paste seems too dry, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time.





4. Scoop curry paste in a covered container or jar, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.


Nutrition Information--approximately 10 calories per tablespoon