Name: How To Make Thai Red Curry Paste
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 generous tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 generous tablespoon coriander seeds; 1½ tsp white pepper; 12 cloves garlic – peeled and rougly chopped; 2 medium shallots – finely chopped; 1 thumb sized piece of galangal - thinly sliced; 2 fresh red chillies - thinly sliced; 1 stalk of lemongrass – tough outer part removed and thinly sliced; 12 red dry chillies soaked in water for 30 minutes and then cut into small pieces; 10 thick coriander stems – about 1 generous tablespoon; Zest of ½ lime; 1 tsp shrimp paste

This homemade Thai red curry paste will get you amazing results!

I highly recommend making your own Thai red curry pastes! There are some good red curry pastes available at supermarkets and online but you will notice the difference.

When I’m feeling lazy, I use this brand or Thai red curry paste.

That said, never use the same amount of commercial pastes as you do your own homemade Thai red curry paste.

Commercial brands usually taste a lot of chilli and salt and can be quite overpowering if you use too much.

You are going to love your next Thai red curry if you use this paste!

There are several ways to make this Thai red curry paste…

For best results, you will want to pound the ingredients in a pestle and mortar.

Warning… this can take over 30 minutes of pounding but breaking those fibers down into a paste makes a curry paste like nothing you can purchase.

You could also pound the ingredients for about ten minutes and finish up in a blender which will be almost as good.

If you don’t want to do any pounding, take the ingredients and blend with just a drop of water in a food processor. This will still be better than anything you can purchase!

Thai red curry paste isn’t just used in Thai red curry!

There are so many other recipes you can make with this Thai red curry paste and I will be adding them to the blog very soon.

They are also featured in my new cookbook ‘The Curry Guy Thai’.

Working ahead…

You can make this Thai red curry paste a couple of days before using it.

Just place it covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Following are a few step by step photos for you…

It’s always a good idea to get all of your ingredients together before starting.

Toast the whole spices until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking

Grind the whole spices in a pestle and mortar and then transfer to a bowl. Stir in the ground white pepper.

Pound the ingredients into a paste. I usually add each ingredient separately.

After 15 to 20 minutes, it should look like this.

After 40 minutes it looks like this.

Add the spices and shrimp paste. The curry paste will darken when you do this.

Love Thai food? Try some of these delicious recipes!

Thai Green Curry
Thai Red Curry
Beef Massaman Curry
Chicken Satay and peanut sauce
Thai Drunken Noodles
Steamed Sea Bass with Garlic and Lime Sauce
Tom Yum Gai
Tom Kha Gai
Hot and Sour Prawn Soup

All ready!

You will love having this on hand. One batch makes a curry for four people.

Yield: 1 cup

How To Make Thai Red Curry Paste

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 generous tablespoon cumin seeds
1 generous tablespoon coriander seeds
1½ tsp white pepper
12 cloves garlic – peeled and rougly chopped
2 medium shallots – finely chopped
1 thumb sized piece of galangal - thinly sliced
2 fresh red chillies - thinly sliced
1 stalk of lemongrass – tough outer part removed and thinly sliced
12 red dry chillies soaked in water for 30 minutes and then cut into small pieces
10 thick coriander stems – about 1 generous tablespoon
Zest of ½ lime
1 tsp shrimp paste

Instructions

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant and warm to the touch but not yet smoking. Transfer to a pestle and mortar to cool and then pound to a fine powder. Stir in the whit pepper. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Now place the rest of the ingredients up to and including the lime zest and pound for 15 to 20 minutes into a buttery paste. You could use a blender but the flavour won't be as intense.
When you have a good paste, add the shrimp paste and ground spices and pound for another five minutes or so. This paste can be stored in the fridge for up to a week and it also freezes well.

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I hope you enjoy this authentic Thai red curry paste recipe. If you do try it, Please don’t be a stranger. Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.