I am getting ready to make some Green Curry Paste แกงเขียวหวาน . I do not have much galanga to harvest but might harvest it all and use it up. After I return from Thailand maybe I can get some fresh from Houston. Making your own curry paste is not something you should do at the last minute. It is very time consuming. In a mortar it requires lots of work. Start it no later than noon the day you are serving. Generally I try and make it the day before. I store it tightly sealed in the fridge. It is great for a few weeks, after a few months it is no better than the store bought paste. The more ingredients that you can get fresh, the better, but it could be made from dry except for the basil and peppers.
The recipe I have been using for years is:

• 3 pieces dry galanga or equivalent Fresh or frozen (3 inches??) ข่า
• 1 teaspoon dry lesser ginger กระชาย (Also available frozen)
• 2 corriander roots รากผักชี (cilantro)  Sometimes you can by fresh cilantro with roots attached
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds เมล็ดยี่หร่า (this really adds character to this)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds เมล็ดผักชี
• 4 whole cloves กานพลู
• 1 nutmeg pod ลูกจันทน์เทศ (everyone should buy nutmeg whole and grate it when needed)
• 2 stalks lemon grass minced as fine as you can.  ตะไคร้
• 12 black pepper corns พริกไทย (unless you have fresh)
• 2 T shallots หอม
• 2 T garlic กระเทียม
• 1 t shrimp paste กะปิ (keeps years out of the fridge)
• 1 t kaffir lime zest ผิวมะกรูด (freezes well, you can sub regular lime zest)
• 8 whole green serrano chillies พริก เขียว (If you want less heat substitute a strong flavored but less hot chilli like mild poblano, but it takes a little more to get the flavor.)
• 4 t vegetable oil น้ำมัน (this can be coconut, olive or whatever) Don’t worry about the taste, its gonna be covered.
• I hav  in the past added basil to the paste but put it into the curry. It still needs fresh basil leaves at the end. I would leave this out. 1/2 Cup fresh basil leaves โหระพ
• also some recipes call for fresh coriander ( why not) 1/4 cup ผักชี
• 1t salt (OK to omit if you are going to use this fresh, if you are going to store this, include it)

The best way to get this all into a fine paste seems to be to:

• Break up the nutmeg into small chunks, and if dry the break the galanga into pieces first.
• Take the dry stuff and grind it in a blender, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
• Peel the outside tougher green leaves off the lemon grass. As a group tie them in a big knot and reserve for Tom Yum stock if you are making it or discard, if you use outside leaves your paste will be hairy. Cut the lemongrass across the grain very VERY finely. Then chop. Do the same if using fresh galanga or frozen. If you do not get it fine enough your paste will be hairy.
• If the lime zest is fresh, chop it.
• Chop the peppers and any other fresh ingredients (lemon grass, galanga, lime zest) and grind or pound until smooth.
• blend and/or pound until smooth. Its OK to add a little extra oil, but no water unless you are not keeping some of the paste.
• After all the fresh ingredients are added add the dry ones and blend until homogenious

Sweet Green Curry with Chicken

• 3 pounds chicken cut into chunks. Legs should be cut through the bone.
• 3-4 cups coconut milk (make sure it is NOT sweetened)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (other oil may be substituted)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 3 slices Galangal
• 3 T green curry paste approximately
•  a few basil leaves if using the above paste, otherwise 1/2 cup
• 6 fresh Kaffir Lime leaves or other citrus leaves, frozen or dried are OK
• 1-2 cups pea eggplants (one small purple eggplant cut or some Thai eggplant are OK too). I have been using Tomatillo in this because they are good, down here in Texas they are cheap, and they look right. มะเขือพวง
• 6 Serrano peppers

Boil the chicken, 2 cups coconut milk, fish sauce and galangal until the meat is tender. Remove the meat. Add the oil. Boil down until the liquid thickens, add the curry paste (blend into some liquid) and cook while stirring 5 minutes. Pour in remaining coconut milk (and purple eggplant if you are using them) and return to boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes. Add basil (reserve a few for garni), citrus leaves, pea or Thai eggplant and chili peppers. Increase heat and bring to low boil for 5 minutes. Garnish with Basil and serve over rice.