Curry Paste (Thailand)
Submitted by Joanna
Thai red or green curry paste: a homemade aromatic blend of chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, shrimp paste, ginger, and coriander. The from-scratch base for authentic Thai curries.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
20 minREADY
15 minThis is the foundation of every great Thai curry, and it’s worth making from scratch at least once to understand why jarred pastes always taste flat by comparison. Dried red chilies (or fresh green chilies for a green paste) blend with shallots, garlic, lemongrass (sereh), shrimp paste (trassi), ginger, and toasted spices into a fiery, deeply aromatic base. A spoonful sauteed in coconut oil at the start of a curry releases all those flavors into your kitchen and tells you immediately why this is the proper way.
The shrimp paste is non-negotiable for authentic flavor, despite how strong it smells out of the jar. Once cooked, it adds an indescribable umami funk that ties everything together. Don’t substitute fish sauce.
For a milder paste, brush out all the chili seeds before blending. For full Thai-restaurant heat, leave them in. Adjust to your tolerance.
Pro Tips
- Wear gloves when handling chilies, especially if leaving seeds in. Capsaicin transfers easily.
- Toast caraway and coriander seeds in a dry pan for 30 seconds before blending for deeper flavor.
- For green curry paste, swap the dried red chilies for 6 fresh green chilies and skip the paprika.
- Store in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge up to a month, or freeze in ice cube trays for portion control.
Variations
- Add 2 to 3 lime leaves and a knob of fresh galangal for a more authentically Thai flavor.
- Add a tablespoon of palm sugar for a sweeter, more rounded paste.
- Include 1 teaspoon white peppercorns for traditional Thai heat (different from chili heat).
Ingredients
Directions
Under cold running water, wash the chilies and remove their stems.
Brush out any seeds that cling to the skin and break the pods into small pieces.
To make red curry paste: combine the chilies, shallots (or scallions), garlic, paprika, sereh, trassi, laso, caraway, coriander, lemon peel and salt in the jar of an electric blender and blend at high speed for 20 to 30 seconds.
Turn off the machine, scrape down the sides of the jar and blend again until the mixture is a smooth paste.
Tightly covered and refrigerated, the paste may be safely kept for a month or so.
To make green curry paste: substitute 6 fresh hot green chilies (about 2 inches long) for the dried red chilies and omit the paprika from the recipe.
Then follow the above directions precisely.
Green curry paste may be covered and refrigerated for about a month.
For a more fiery paste, include some seeds - the hottest part of the chili.
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