GREEN CURRY PASTE

Green curry paste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
8-10 fresh small green chillies, seeded
2 lemon-grass stems, white part only, finely sliced
2.5 cm piece of fresh galangal, finely chopped or 1 1/2 tsp ground galangal
1 tsp very finely chopped makrut (kaffir lime) zest or 4-5 makrut leaves
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 red Asian shallots, chopped
6 coriander roots, finely chopped
1 handful Thai basil, finely chopped
2 tsp shrimp paste
vegetable oil for blending

METHOD:
If you are making your own green curry paste, start by dry-frying the coriander and cumin in a small frying pan for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant, then remove from the pan.

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the chillies, lemongrass, galangal and makrut zest or leaves into a paste. Add the garlic, shallots and coriander roots and pound together. Add the remaining ingredients and dry-roasted spices and pound until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
Alternatively, you can use a food processor o blender to blend all the ingredients into as smooth a paste as possible. Add vegetable oil as needed to assist the blending.

Use as required or keep in an airtight jar. The paste will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge. You can also freeze it to use another time. It makes about 3/4 cup.

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