Everyday Thai Red Curry Paste
This recipe for Thai Red Curry Paste is the prelude to a recipe, well actually, many recipes before and after. A red curry paste is a classic paste in the Thai culinary repertoire. A complex blend that is an essential blend of aromatics and spices. This red curry paste uses a lot of pantry staples (at least from my pantry and gets to a great aromatic base for all things Thai Curry. In fact, most Thai cooks consider the red curry paste to be the basic paste. In fact, some variations of this recipe skip the cumin and coriander as well. I imagine like any spice base you have more than one variation.
About this Thai Red Curry Paste
My husband loves Thai food although over the years he has gravitated away from the richer dishes. Red curry still has a special place in his heart. Back in the day, I had made versions of the red curry paste from recipe books on hand. I ended up with various ingredients such as dried shrimp, fish sauce, etc some of which I did not later have much use for. For a while I used canned red curry pastes. Some of them worked pretty well, my favorite brand being the Mae Sri one.
Then thanks to H-Mart, I had a ready supply of ingredients such as lemongrass, kafir lime leaves and stuff. The quest for creating a practical reasonably authentic tasting curry paste began. And, then I wanted something that I could toss together on short notice. And with some trial and error, I have this variation. It is more flavorful than the canned stuff but uses substitutions.
There are some variations in techniques. I use a blender rather than the traditional mortar and pestle. Once again, I still hold that this is far more fresh tasting than canned varieties. Time aside, I actually do not own a granite mortar and pestle. This is great for recipes like my Thai Red Chicken curry. and broiled curry masala salmon.
It is perfect just to add a flavor boost to any dish on hand.
Since, I use dried red chilies, it is a little darker than some commercial varieties. The only drawback of using a blender is that you will need to add a little moisture (like the coconut milk) in my recipe to get a good smooth texture.
A beautiful easy to make fresh tasting thai red curry paste.
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 dried red chilies
- 4 to 6 dried red chilies
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- Zest of a markut or regular lime
- 2 shallots, peeled and chopped (can be substituted with 1/2 red onion)
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger or galangal
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemongrass, the bulb portion only
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander roots (base and stems of the cilantro)
- 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce or fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons to 1/3 cup coconut milk
Instructions
- Place the dried red chilies, coriander and cumin in a spice blender and grind to a powder.
- Add the red bell pepper, lime zest, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, brown sugar, coriander roots and tamari or fish sauce in a blender. Cover and pulse a few times to break everything down smaller.
- Add in the red chili powder blend. Add in the coconut milk and pulse a few more times and then set the blender on low and process until a smooth paste is formed.
- Remove and place in the refrigerator. This will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks, well covered or can be frozen in smaller portions and used as needed.
Victoria @ NatureImmerse
If you’re adventurous, want authentic flavour, and are willing to make the effort, this is a recipe for you. Store-bought curry paste pales in comparison. Everything from shopping for the ingredients, to prepping (including using a mortar & pestle) was a worthwhile learning experience. I’ve made it a couple times and the flavour is fantastic: complex, intense, delicious! Definitely will impress yourself and others once tasted.
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