Thai green curry paste
Non-vegetarian
พริกแกงเขียวหวาน · phrik kaeng khiao wan
Fresh green chillies pounded with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime zest, coriander root, shallots, garlic, white pepper, toasted seeds and shrimp paste into a vivid, herbal paste for central Thai green curry.
Thai green curry paste is a Thai condiment from Thailand, ready in about 30 minutes and made with green chilli, galangal and lemongrass. It serves 7 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 7
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 14
Method
Step 1
Dry-roast the coriander seeds (opens in a new tab), cumin and white peppercorns over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant; toast the foil-wrapped shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) alongside. Cool the seeds on a plate, then pound them to a powder and set aside.
- 4 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Mortar and pestle (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Toast shrimp paste wrapped in foil with the fan on — it is pungent — and note that it makes the paste unsuitable for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
Step 2
Pound the green chillies with the salt to a coarse mush. Add galangal (opens in a new tab), then lemongrass (opens in a new tab), lime (opens in a new tab) zest and coriander root, pounding each to a paste before adding the next.
Food safety: Wear gloves or wash your hands well after handling chillies, and keep them away from your eyes.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels Step 3
Add the shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) gradually and pound until fine and smooth, then work in the shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) and ground spices. (Or blend everything in a food processor (opens in a new tab) with 1–2 tbsp water, scraping down often.)
Step 4
Use at once for the brightest colour, or jar and chill. Fry 3–4 tbsp in cracked coconut cream for 3–4 minutes until fragrant before adding the rest of the curry.
About this dish
- Origin
- Central Thailand, Thailand · Well documentedFollows the standard central Thai formula; green curry is thought to be a relatively recent (early 20th-century) member of the Thai curry family.Also popular in United Kingdom, United States, AustraliaMore food from Thailand
- Dish
- Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Raw, Toasted
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), herby, aromatic / warmly spiced, fresh
- Diet
- Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Green chilli · Galangal · Lemongrass · Lime · Coriander leaves · Shallot
- Techniques
- Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)
Allergens
- Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
14 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 16 g · recipe makes 7
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 13%
- Carbohydrate 81%
- Fat 6%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 14 kcal | 87 kcal |
| Protein | 0.5 g | 3.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 3 g | 19.4 g |
| Net carbohydrate | — | — |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | — | — |
| Fat | 0.1 g | 0.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 0.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 252 mg | 1606 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 4 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 69 mg
- Calcium
- 14 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 8 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 5 µg
- Vitamin C
- 10 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 5 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Galangal: Fresh ginger used as a stand-in: no galangal entry in FDC SR Legacy, and galangal is a closely related rhizome used in similar small amounts.
- Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- A handful of coriander or Thai basil leaves pounded in at the end deepens the green colour, though it shortens shelf life.
- The paste darkens to olive within a day or two; this is normal and does not affect flavour much.
Common mistakes
- Using only mild long green chillies — the curry will be pale in flavour as well as heat.
- Over-blending in a hot food processor, which dulls the colour.
Serve with
- Thai green curry with chicken or fish balls, green curry with roti, and green curry fried rice.
Food safety
- Toast shrimp paste wrapped in foil with the fan on — it is pungent — and note that it makes the paste unsuitable for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
- Keep refrigerated; fresh garlic pastes must not sit at room temperature.
Storage
- Pack into a clean jar, press cling film onto the surface or cover with a thin layer of oil, and refrigerate; or freeze in tablespoon portions in an ice-cube tray and bag them. Keeps about 7 days in the fridge and 3 months frozen.
Variations
- Green curry paste without shrimp paste: Replace the kapi with 1 tsp fermented soybean paste (tao jiao) or extra salt for a shellfish-free paste.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
About this masala
- Type
- Curry paste
- Texture
- Smooth paste
- One batch makes
- about 110 g
- Keeps
- 7 days
- Store
- Covered, in the fridge
- Recipe
- Traditional
Central Thailand. Makes Thai green curry paste, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas
Used in
Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.
- Thai green curry with chickenMade fresh in the recipe (pounded from fresh green chillies and toasted seeds before frying in coconut cream) · 217 g for 4 servingsMake enough
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Green chilli, raw; a mix of green bird's eye and long green chillies, stemmed and chopped (deseed the long ones)25 g
- Galangal, raw, peeled and finely chopped8 g
- Lemongrass, raw, tender lower part, finely sliced15 g
- Lime, raw zest only — makrut lime zest if possible2 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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