Green Curry Paste

When Pop, our wonderful exchange student from Thailand, lived with us I became hooked on making curry pastes from scratch rather than buying the little bottles in the store. Pop is a terrific cook and spoiled us well with her delicious food! I took notes when she was cooking, and green curry paste was something she made fairly often.

Fresh curry paste is vibrant and flavorful. By making your own, you can tweak the ingredients (I leave out the traditional shrimp paste) and the spice levels. No cooking is involved and it's a quick one to make.

You can whiz the ingredients together in a food processor, or my favorite way is to use a mortar and pestle. This method takes time, and there is something quite satisfying about pounding away and creating the bright green paste. The lively scents of lemongrass, basil, cilantro, chiles and lime coming together are intoxicating. As I pound away, I inhale deeply, my spirits lift and I feel awake. My eyes water, too!

When mixed with coconut milk and veggies, simmered and then ladled over rice, this curry paste transforms into a simple, spicy stew. It warms and soothes on a cold winter night when the snow is falling. And if you’re looking for a unique gift to bring your hosts on New Year's Eve, just spoon some into a little jar with a ribbon around it. I wish you a happy, healthy, and delicious new year!

Green Curry Paste
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon lime zest
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 ounces green chiles (Thai or Serrano chiles are good), stems removed and roughly chopped (remove seeds if less heat is desired)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro stems (save the leaves for another use)
1 large shallot (about 3 ounces), coarsely chopped
1 ounce fresh galangal root, finely minced
2 ounces Thai basil leaves, slivered
2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Stir all the ingredients except the water the lemon juice together in a bowl. Depending upon the size of your mortar, you may need to make this in batches. Place your mortar on a folded kitchen towel to secure its base and protect your kitchen counter. Scoop the spice and chile mix into the mortar and begin mashing with your pestle. Add a couple drops of water and lemon juice to moisten and help it come together. Continue mashing and bashing until a rough paste is formed. This may take about 15 minutes and will give you a bit of a workout.

If you would prefer a quicker method, you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor until a rough paste forms, adding the water and lemon juice to help it come together.

Scoop the paste into a jar and cover. The paste keeps well in the fridge for a couple of weeks or can be frozen, so it's great to make extra to have on hand.

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) and Pop

Seven years ago our family had the pleasure of hosting our first exchange student from Thailand (we have since hosted students from Norway, Germany and Saudi Arabia). Her name is Pop and she was a junior in high school at the time. In addition to being a sweet, lovely girl, she is an outstanding cook. Her parents own a restaurant in Bangkok and she truly spoiled us with all she had learned from them.

Prior to Pop living with us, we enjoyed what we thought was spicy food ... that changed after we marveled at Pop’s spice level! Sam and Isaac fondly recall watching in amazement as Pop would cover her pizza slice with a solid layer of crushed red chili peppers. We all increased our love for hot chili peppers, but none of us could ever match Pop!

These days, it's rather hard for us to eat out in Thai restaurants due to the memory of Pop's incredible home cooking. She was a patient, gracious teacher and shared an amazing array of recipes with me. We are fortunate to have some terrific Asian grocery stores in Seattle, and shopping with Pop was quite a fun adventure. And what better way to learn Thai cooking than to watch firsthand in your own kitchen!

My favorite Thai salad that Pop prepared for us is Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam). It is bright, refreshing, spicy and perfect for a warm summer day. If green papaya is unavailable (do not use the yellow/orange sweet fruit papaya), shredded carrots can be substituted. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of Thai chili peppers to your taste.

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
Adapted from Pop’s notes
Serves 6-8

1 medium sized green papaya (roughly 2 pounds), peeled, seeded and shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
10 cloves garlic
10 small, Thai chili peppers
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound fresh green beans, ends snipped off and cut in 1 inch lengths
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Combine shredded green papaya and carrot in a medium sized mixing bowl (you can shred with a hand grater or with a food processor).

With a mortar and pestle, pound the chilis and garlic together until soft. Scrape into a small bowl and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and salt until well mixed. If desired, you can process in a food processor until smooth. Pour into the green papaya and carrot mix and toss well.

With the mortar and pestle, gently pound the green beans until they are bruised and slightly smushed. Add to the papaya mixture. Sprinkle in about 3/4 cup of the peanuts and toss.

Mound the salad on a serving platter and surround with the tomato and lime wedges to serve. Scatter reserved peanuts on top. Enjoy with a chilled glass of Singha.