Thai green curry paste recommendations

[HopelessLayout]

Can anyone please recommend a good mild green curry paste to make Thai chicken curry?

I've done the supermarket varieties (I find they usually have very little flavour) and recently gave in and ordered one from a specialist website. It cost over £5 just for four servings and was foul—smelled like rotten fish, burned our mouths and had very little flavour!

I always use Mae Ploy curry pastes. They come in big tubs that cost a couple of quid and last for ages. They're very strong so you only need a tablespoon or so for four people. You can find them online or in most Asian supermarkets.

www.amazon.co.uk/stores/node/19503904031?encoding=UTF8&ref=bl_dp_s_web_19503904031&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Mae%20Ploy

Thanks rbe! I had seen those ones on Amazon and wondered about them. I was worried the green paste might be a little too spicy going by the reviews but it's worth a go.

Red curry is milder than green, & might suit you better.
I now make my own, but Sainsbo red curry paste is fine - not much more than £1 for a jar I think.

This is the only one you need - it is the absolute best:

mythaicurry.com/blogs/recipe-blog/thai-green-chicken-curry

Also look at their guide to what kind of coconut milk to use - it is so important and can make or break a curry!

MuttsNutts That is the one I splashed out on! And followed her instructions about the coconut milk etc. I wonder if the one I had was "off" or perhaps they put the wrong label on the hot paste and sent me that one by mistake.

handbags I love the green curry I get in the local Thai place.

Kanokwan green curry paste. It is quite spicy, so I use half of the recommended quantity. i also like Ayam coconut milk, it is packed into 200 ml cartons, so convenient when you cook for 2.

@HopelessLayout Oh no! That is really strange because i’ve been using their pastes for ages and recommended to friends with never anything but excellent results.

@HopelessLayout I agree with MuttsNutts, have used the My Thai Curry pastes for years and have lost count of the friends that swear by them. However, we had a dinner party for around 12 people last year where we served the green curry and it was loved by everyone....except my niece who absolutely cannot stand the smell of fish sauce (I never knew!) and is hypersensitive to even traces of it. Personally I can't even smell it in the curry. Think you need to try a brand without fish sauce like the Mae Ploy you can buy in supermarkets, to me they taste waay too salty but each to their own:-)

Mae Ploy and Nisri are used by my Thai friend she says only Brutish people try and make their own paste

The green is a bit spicy though, my favourite is Penang red curry paste

Massaman also good for non-spicy Thai curry

British, not Brutish

@rbe78 me too they're great, I have a whole variety of them. If you have an Asian supermarket near you they usually sell them there.

Thanks everyone for chipping in—I will definitely check out all of those recommendations. Might try the MaePloy next and/or a red curry. @cookworksleep I don't normally have a problem with fish sauce at all. I love the green curry in my local Thai place and I know they use fish sauce as my vegan friend asked them. I'm really starting to wonder if the particular packet I bought from My Thai Curry was just "off".

It's true that Thai's don't often make their own curry paste, but it's not because they buy the packaged stuff, in 12 years living in Thailand don't think I ever saw one of those plastic tubs they sell here. The reason they don't make their own pastes is in the picture below; every market has stalls selling a far superior paste:-), maybe a bit too authentic for some as it's a very full on taste!

cookworksleep that looks amazing.
Sadly I once ate in a genuine Thai restaurant (menu not toned down for Western palates) and after one cautious sip of hot & sour soup my lips were on fire and my eyes and nose were streaming.

Mae Ploy green curry is excellent but also bastard hot. I like spicy and have a note on my tub to use one gently heaped teaspoon for two people.

Their other red/yellow/massaman etc pastes are nowhere near as hot.

Also note you can ignore the "use by" date - which is good, as the tub is huge given how little is used. My green is dated 2015 and still glorious.

Spoonblender Oh no… now I'm having second thoughts about the MaePloy. I know I could use a smaller amount of paste but presumably that reduces the flavour as well as the heat.
There must be a solution—what do the "westernised" Thai restaurants use?

No, it's fine - just go for the mae ploy. Or move over to red curry, which is less hot.

Try the hairy bikers recipe. Lovely and fresh and as mild or hot as you like.

You can now get mae poloy in asda!!! £1.80

Ahh, I came on to recommend the same as @MuttsNutts it’s the best that I’ve ever used, perhaps you did get an off sachet. All of this lady’s sauces and marinades are amazing, I do buy the super hot green curry paste, not sure if that makes a difference?
I totally agree with her coconut milk recommendation as well, since changing brand our curries have been so much better.

We as use the Mae Ploy (one full table spoon) to spice up the Blue Dragon Thai Green Curry kit

Pickachew It's all about the paste!

Right then… I'm going to give the MaePloy a try.

MelanieFrontage I was very surprised at how poor it was given the good reviews. It surely must have been off.