Red Curry Paste
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:½ cup
- 1tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3small shallots (each the size of a walnut), coarsely chopped
- 8 to 10fresh red Thai chiles, stems removed (see Tip)
- 1stalk lemongrass (use the lower 3 inches at the base), coarsely chopped
- 3pieces fresh galangal (each the size of a quarter), see Tip
- 2medium fresh makrut lime leaves, middle ribs stripped and discarded (see Tip)
- 1tablespoon shrimp paste or brown soybean paste (see Tip)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
182 calories; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 349 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is at the right temperature (usually takes 2 to 3 minutes), sprinkle in the coriander and cumin. Shake the skillet or use a spoon to stir the seeds around frequently until they are an even reddish-brown color with a scintillating aroma, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a small bowl or plate to cool. Once cool to the touch, transfer them to a spice grinder (or clean coffee grinder) and pulverize them until they have the texture of finely ground black pepper.
- Step 2
Pile the shallots, chiles, lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the ingredients to a coarse paste. Transfer the mixture to a mortar and pound it into a smoother paste with a pestle, using a spatula to contain it in the mortar’s cavernous center for a more concentrated beating. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, continue to grind the paste to a finer texture in the food processor.
- Step 3
Transfer this to a small bowl and stir in the shrimp paste and the ground spices. For all this mellow work, you will be gifted a reddish-brown paste redolent of chiles and fruity aromas. Store it in a lidded glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze it for up to three months.
Tips
- If you can’t find fresh Thai chiles, reconstitute dried red chiles (like chiles de árbol or bird’s-eye chiles) under boiling hot water for 30 minutes.
- Fresh galangal, makrut lime leaves and shrimp paste can be found in Southeast Asian markets, as can brown soybean paste (such as doenjang), which is made with salted and fermented soybeans.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Spiz
Confession, I have frozen a Thai red curry for a couple of years. I used a similar recipe to this by Rosemary Brissenden. It's easier to make a large batch when the ingredients are at their peak in season than make it now and then. And fresh like this is maybe 100 times better than anything in a jar I've encountered.
Mark
I love having homemade red curry paste in my fridge. This is very similar to the one I make except because my husband is Jewish I use anchovy filets instead of shrimp paste and it works great (I also add more cumin because, well in our house you can never have too much cumin!)
Arnie Oliver
Followed recipe exactly except I added a cup of peas. Delicious, very flavorful. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it and will make it again soon.
Emily in WA
There is no substitute for freshly toasted spices. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I'm willing to bet it will have more complex and subtle flavor than anything sold in a jar. I bought Iyer's 660 Curries when it came out, and it changed my culinary world. I've given away many copies, and even friends who don't enjoy cooking say the same.
ThreeCats
If your issue is FODMAP, which relates to foods containing certain sugars which are hard for some to digest, then you would have to eliminate the shallots and soybean/shrimp paste. Alliums (onion, garlic, shallots), soy, lactose dairy, wheat, barley, many fermented foods, some sweeteners are hard to digest. For the Tofu Curry, find an alternative for tofu like bok choy, eggplant, gr. beans.If this isn't your digestive issue, maybe find out what your issue is and eliminate or reduce those foods.
Rani
Excellent variation on spicy chicken curry. Relatively quick and easy to toast the spices for maximum taste! I used half coconut oil and half of the thick cream from the coconut milk can to sauté the onion mixture. 3 lbs of bone in chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. No pandan leaves but I added several thinly sliced makrut lime leaves instead. My husband was so happy! This will definitely be made again…and again!
Ellen
Can Chinese bean sauce - which is fermented yellow soybeans - be used instead of brown soybean paste?
Madeleine
I rarely change recipes, but, being familiar with SE Asian cooking, I know that the recipes are often a matter of family tradition. I ground the roasted seeds in the mortar and pestle and then added the other ingredients from the mini-foodprocessor. The fermented shrimp paste known as Trassi is way too strong to use in these quantities. I just chipped a bit off a pressed block. Added a chip of palm sugar and a few drops of lime juice as well. I fried it all up in some oil. It's delicious.
Mark
I love having homemade red curry paste in my fridge. This is very similar to the one I make except because my husband is Jewish I use anchovy filets instead of shrimp paste and it works great (I also add more cumin because, well in our house you can never have too much cumin!)
Colleen Glass
Thanks Mark, I am allergic to shrimp so the anchovy fillets an excellent substitution.
Doug In Arizona
Tucson has a good 6 Thai restaurants. My metric and favorite is there Tom Kha (Gai). I saw this Red Curry paste back in a couple kitchens. I found it a Thai store that supplies the restaurants and us folks. Along with adding lemongrass and fresh galangal, I make curries or Tom Kha my wife enjoys. I think while the enjoyment of making your own curry would be cool, the Mae Ploy gets you started nicely! Mae Ploy Thai Curry Red, Panang and Yellow Paste
Paige
I love curry, but curry doesn't love me. Do you have any suggestions on what spices to reduce (not eliminate) in this recipe in order to lessen the negative impact on my digestive system? For example: I have lemongrass, but I have no idea how it impacts food. Google offered that galangal is "ginger's more citrusy cousin" and that "makrut lime leaves" are connected to Kaffir lime, but beyond that? I want to make Pan-Fried Tofu With Red Curry Paste. Adjustment suggestions are most appreciated.
ThreeCats
If your issue is FODMAP, which relates to foods containing certain sugars which are hard for some to digest, then you would have to eliminate the shallots and soybean/shrimp paste. Alliums (onion, garlic, shallots), soy, lactose dairy, wheat, barley, many fermented foods, some sweeteners are hard to digest. For the Tofu Curry, find an alternative for tofu like bok choy, eggplant, gr. beans.If this isn't your digestive issue, maybe find out what your issue is and eliminate or reduce those foods.
Joe from Maine
Tell you what. When you’re at the Asian market searching for fresh galangal, makrut lime leaves, red Thai chiles, and shrimp paste, maybe just treat yourself to a jar of red curry paste instead. Just saying.
Emily in WA
There is no substitute for freshly toasted spices. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I'm willing to bet it will have more complex and subtle flavor than anything sold in a jar. I bought Iyer's 660 Curries when it came out, and it changed my culinary world. I've given away many copies, and even friends who don't enjoy cooking say the same.
Spiz
Confession, I have frozen a Thai red curry for a couple of years. I used a similar recipe to this by Rosemary Brissenden. It's easier to make a large batch when the ingredients are at their peak in season than make it now and then. And fresh like this is maybe 100 times better than anything in a jar I've encountered.
Arnie Oliver
Followed recipe exactly except I added a cup of peas. Delicious, very flavorful. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it and will make it again soon.
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