Red curry paste is one of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. Despite its vibrant colour it’s not too spicy, as it’s mainly made from dried chilis. In Thailand they always make it fresh, so it tastes rather different to the jarred products sold in our supermarkets in the West. So if you like Thai cuisine, it’s worth making your own, which is not only simple, but the paste can be stored for a long time. Here are some easyThai red curry paste recipes.

Classic Thai red curry paste

Ingredients:1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon crushed peppercorn, 15 pcs dried red chili, 1 fresh red chili, 2 cm galangal, 3 kaffir lime leaves, 5 garlic cloves, 5 shallots, 2 tbsp coriander stalks, 2 pieces of lemongrass, 1 tbsp shrimp paste, 2 tsp salt. Preparation:soak the dried chilies until soft, then drain. Chop the vegetables. Toast the seeds in a pan. In a food processor blend everything into paste. Note:this version contains shrimp, so it’s not suitable for vegan-vegetarian dishes.

Ginger red curry paste

Ingredients:12 pieces of dried red chili, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp crushed peppercorn, 6 tbsp water, 2 shallots, 2.5 cm ginger, 2 lemongrass, 4 pieces kaffir lime leaves, 1 tbsp chopped coriander root (or 1 tsp seeds), grated zest of 1 lime, 1 tsp salt. Preparation:Put the chili in hot water, leave to soften for 15 minutes, then drain. Toast the spice seeds, then crush to a powder together with the peppercorn using a pestle&mortar. Peel the vegetables, then crush or blend with the spice powder and other ingredients.

Simple red curry paste

Ingredients:3 Thai red chilis, 3 garlic cloves, 3 shallots, 2 cm ginger, juice & zest of 1 lime, 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegan version), 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground peppercorn, 1 lemongrass Preparation:Remove the chili seeds and veins, roughly chop the vegetables, then blend everything into a thick paste.

Paprika red curry paste

Ingredients:4 medium red chilis, 4 tsp coriander seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 4 lemongrass, 2 tsp grated ginger, 4 shallots, 6garlic cloves , juice & zest of 2 limes, 2 tsp hot paprika Preparation:Cut the chilies in half, remove the seeds. Toast the seeds, then crush to a powder in a mortar. Put everything in a small food processor and blend into a paste.

Tips

• All ingredients are easily available in Asian grocery stores, most are sold in bigger supermarkets too.
• Always clean the vegetables thoroughly – peel the ginger and galangal roots, remove the outer, hard skin of the lemongrass. Of course, the onions and garlic also need to be peeled –  it’s even worth chopping them roughly before blending.
• Toasting the spice seeds should be done dry –i.e. without any fat, while stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn them, otherwise they will give the paste a bitter taste!
• The above pastes are sufficient for making several curries and other dishes, so should store them in a refrigerator in airtight,sterilized jars. They can also be frozen (put them in ice cube tray moulds, then one portion should be enough for a meal).
• Homemade curry paste do add authentic flavours to dishes, but they are more intense than ready-made jarred products. So do use less of it when following recipes!
Thai red curry pastecan be used to make Thai and other Southeast Asian dishes. It’s not really suitable for Indian, Japanese and Chinese dishes.Green curry paste recipes>>