Maesri Green Curry Paste

Maesri Green Curry Paste Review

This will be the third review I have posted featuring Curry Pastes from the Maesri Company, the first being the Maesri Brand Panang Curry Paste, and the next being the Maesri Yellow Curry Paste. This current product, The Maesri Green Curry Paste, is every bit as good as the first two, and probably even more versatile than was contemplated by the manufacturer.

Well, the third and final of the three pastes was most notably different from the other two in that it was based on fresh green chili rather than dried red sort. This, along with the rest of the ingredients, was listed on the can as:

Fresh green chillies, garlic, wild ginger, shallot, lemongrass, salt, kaffir lime, sugar, galangal, spices (coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom, turmeric), pepper.

The raw paste was noticeably hotter than either the Panang or the Yellow variety, although the citronella impact of lemongrass and kaffir lime not quite as strong. It was still a very nicely balanced blend of aromatics and the aroma very pleasant all by itself.

Using Maesri Green Curry Paste in Recipes

To test this particular paste, I departed quite considerably from the usual Coconut Milk Curry recipe provided on the can and used it is a rub instead, rather as one might use a tandoori paste. Here you can see it applied to chicken thighs. I first slashed the skin and made sure that I worked the paste well under the skin as well as over it. I have to say, though, that I found the paste didn’t ‘stick’ too well to the outer surfaces and it was fiddly to apply. Still, I did get it applied, but I had a few misgivings and was afraid that this pungent and spicy paste might prove a bit to powerful for this sort of use…

Here is the finished dish after being baked for an hour so (and served on a bed of spiced, stir-fried cauliflower and red pepper). I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by the result. My misgivings over the paste possibly being to harsh and pungent when applied and cooked this way turned out to be for nothing. The end flavor was considerably mellowed and extremely tasty… It was an unorthodox use of the paste, but the experiment proved a success.

Finally, as I had some paste left-over from the baked chicken dish. I got to try a bonus cookery method, and used the paste (diluted with some lemon juice and a splash of rice wine), as the light ‘sauce’ for a stir-fry of pork (which I first velveted and lightly deep-fried), along with slivered Jalapeno and cashews. This was a bit more fiery than the chicken had been, but the flavor was again terrific and the dish went nicely with a ‘cool-down’ side salad with a store-bought peanut, sesame dressing.

Overall

Well, I am not entirely sure I would say that I prefer the Maesri Green Curry Paste better than I did the other two previously tested, but it is every bit as good and just as easy to use and versatile. As with others, it gets a resounding Sybaritica recommendation.

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