I developed my Love for curry on my travels through India. I will always associate the warm smell of curry with the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. Even somthing as simple as the texture of rice takes me to the street vendors in Delhi, their magnificent rolled rice got me through many cricket matches. While in india I was lucky enough to study under chef Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Chef N, as I called him, was a master of curry preparation, he taught me a great deal, and I owe him a large debt of gratitude.

Ok, so I never traveled to India, a chef can dream can’t he. Here’s the real story. I developed my Love for curry working for Bon Appetit at Intel in Chandler, AZ. Our cook, Jim a nice Jewish man from New York, made some good stuff, but mostly he just used the pre-packaged curry paste that you can pick up anywhere. He did, however, have a great recipe for a green curry paste that I just loved and this is the recipe that I’d like to share with you today.

Here’s what you need:

3 bunches cilantro-You can throw the whole bunch in there, stems and all, just make sure you wash it first.  I used the Leftover stems from the Chimichurri.

1 Serrano Pepper (Optional, but recommended)-Cut the Stem Off.

1 Tablespoon Curry Powder or Garam Masala

2 Tablespoon Coconut Milk (Optional)

2 Tablespoons Oil

1 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

2 Bunches Green Onions-Just the green part.

Chopped Ginger

2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger-Chopped

1 teaspoon salt

Here’s how you make it:

Just Throw it All In

Place all the ingredients in your food processor and let it co until you have a paste. Its Done.

Pasty

A few things:

The serrano pepper makes the whole dish, if you don’t mind spicy, add it (and another). I leave the pepper out so the kids can eat the curry. If you want to use the pepper but you also want to cut back on the spice try cutting off the tip, removing the seeds and the ribs. The heat in hot peppers is concentrated mainly in the tip, but it travels down through the ribs and the membrane on the inside of the pepper. The seeds themselves are not spicy, but they tend to rub against the membrane of the pepper and accumulate spiciness that way.

The coconut milk is not necessary, but it does give the paste a great texture. When we make our curried sweet potatoes you’ll need coconut milk anyway so you might as well buy a can.

I’l post some recipes to use this paste, but feel free to improvise with it. While sauteeing some veggies toss in 2 tablespoons of paste for a nice curry flavor. Rub it on your tofu (or chicken) before baking, or simply mix it in with some cooked rice for an easy meal.