Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste Recipe- Paleo and Vegan

I went out for dinner recently and ended up ordering two different Thai style dishes- one a noodle dish, and one corn soup, and they both were utterly amazing, making me want to recreate them both at home. When attempting to do so, I realized that the base ingredient for both of them was Thai green curry paste, something I was sure I could make at home.

I got fixated on this recipe so much that I did something I never do- I went to three different stores on the same day to look for the ingredients, because I just had to make it, it was that good. 

I am really thrilled with this recipe- it makes enough for a few different dishes- I recreated the delicious soup in addition to a giant batch of the noodle dish (enough to fit a dutch oven to the very top) and I still have a little bit left. I'll be sharing those recipes soon, but they are delectable and heavenly. Here are some other ways to use green curry paste if you want more ideas. 

Yes, the recipe has lots of different ingredients, but it is very worth it. (The hardest for me to find was the fresh basil.) Authentically Thai green curry paste would also have kafir lime leaves, but I don't have those, and left them out easily. It also is supposed to have fish sauce, but you can use soy sauce to keep it vegan, and I used coconut aminos to keep it Paleo in addition to vegan. While lime is traditional, lemon tastes similar enough that it can be used in its place if you don't have limes. (I happened to have some limes in my freezer so that worked for me.)

I didn't follow or alter a specific recipe for this, but looked at many recipes to get a basic idea for this one, and then compiled this recipe according to my tastes.

Just a note- this recipe doesn't have any preservatives in it, so use it immediately or freeze it until you use it, so it doesn't go off.

I do find it amusing that I am sharing this recipe the day after I posted the Yemenite zhug recipe because I find them to be relatively similar- both heavy on the cilantro and garlic and spicy with cumin...  of course they aren't identical, but it reminds me how much overlap there is in various cuisines' main dishes, that the difference in proportion and a few ingredients can change it from one culture's food to another... (I was thinking that when making various spice mixes, that chili powder and ras al hanout and curry powder and hawaij and baharat seem to have lots of similarities, but the difference in small ingredients and proportions is what sets them apart.)

Anyhow, here's my recipe and hope you like it!

Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste Recipe- Paleo and Vegan

Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh basil (leaves and soft parts of the stem)
3/4 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and stem)
2 inch piece of ginger
7-8 cloves garlic
3 lemon grass leaves or 1-2 tablespoons dried lemongrass
1 teaspoon coriander seed ground
Zest and juice of one lime or lemon
1 tablespoon coconut aminos, soy sauce, or fish sauce
1-2 hot peppers or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

Instructions:
1. Put your basil, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass in a food processor and blend up as much as possible.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding a smaller amount of hot pepper at first, blending up, and then if you want it spicier, adding more hot pepper.

3. Voila- that's it! Super easy recipe once you obtain all the ingredients.

4. Store in the fridge or freezer until use.

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of Thai food? Do you buy green curry paste or make it yourself? What is your favorite way to use it?
Does this look like a recipe you'd try?