Lemongrass is almost impossible to find in rural Andalucía. I've come across it once – at El Corte Inglés in Jaén city centre – but parking a 6-metre campervan in Jaén is its own kind of adventure, and not one I recommend. So I grow my own in pots on the terrace at Casa Adora, where it thrives like a weed for most of the year. In high summer it needs watering — which is a problem when the van is away for long stretches between June and October. When UK visitors ask if they can bring anything, the answer is usually lemongrass. It freezes beautifully.

Home-grown lemongrass at Casa Adora — harvested for Thai lemongrass curry paste – The Flexible Chef

This Thai lemongrass curry paste uses the first harvest. It's best made in a pestle and mortar — the slow grinding releases the oils in a way that a blender doesn't quite replicate. That said, sometimes life is too short, and a food processor works perfectly well.

The Thai Lemongrass Curry Paste Recipe

Ingredients

• 4–5 stalks fresh lemongrass, trimmed, bruised and roughly chopped
• 50g fresh red chillies, roughly chopped
• 50g dried red chillies, rehydrated and roughly chopped
• 50g garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 50g fresh ginger, grated
• 50g shallots or red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 50g turmeric powder
• Zest of ½ lime
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp shrimp paste — available online. One mashed anchovy works as a substitute
• ½ tsp sea salt

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients and grind together in a pestle and mortar until you have a smooth, fragrant paste — this takes patience but the result is worth it.
2. Alternatively, blitz in a food processor until smooth.
3. Use immediately or store in a sterilised jar in the fridge with a slick of oil on top. Use within 2 weeks.

How to use it

Add to curries, soups and casseroles — a few tablespoons is enough to transform a dish. It works particularly well in the Easy Prawn and Mango Red Thai Curry and the Pork Massaman Curry on this site.

A note on growing lemongrass in Spain

If you're in a similar climate – hot, dry summers and mild winters – lemongrass is straightforward to grow in pots. It behaves like a weed for most of the year and asks very little. The one exception is high summer, when it needs regular watering. Harvest the outer stalks as needed and the plant will keep producing. If you can't grow your own, fresh lemongrass freezes well — it's worth stocking up when you find it.

Footnote This Thai lemongrass curry paste recipe is part of my Curry Recipes collection — the complete guide to curries, spice blends, bases, chutneys and sides from The Flexible Chef. Explore the full Curry Recipes hub.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef