How to Make Thai Red Curry Paste
In my small town, finding good Thai red curry paste is impossible, which is why I learned to make my own. This recipe is wonderfully flavorful and uses ingredients that are easy to find in most North American grocery stores.
Ingredients
- 5-20 dried chili de arbol, see notes
- 5 guajillo peppers, see notes
- 1 cup chopped shallots
- ¼ cup chopped lemongrass, white parts only or lemongrass paste
- ¼ cup cilantro stems
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger, see notes
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce, see notes
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 10 cloves garlic
- Zest from 1 lime
Instructions
- Remove the stems, seeds, and membranes from the chili peppers - both chili de arbol and guajillo chilis. Soak the chilis in hot tap water for 20 minutes.5-20 dried chili de arbol, 5 guajillo peppers
- Place all the ingredients into a medium-sized food processor.1 cup chopped shallots, ¼ cup chopped lemongrass, ¼ cup cilantro stems, 2 tablespoons chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, 10 cloves garlic, Zest from 1 lime, 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- Pulse to combine, then scrape the sides of the food processor and continue pulsing/ scraping until a paste forms.
- Transfer the curry paste to a clean glass jar and store it in your fridge for up to 1 week or your freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Chili de arbol: These are spicy chili peppers, and you can adjust the heat of the curry by using more or less. Use this as a guide, and always be conservative. You can add more heat later, but you cannot take it away.
1-2 chilis = mild
5 chilis = medium
10 chilis = hot
20 chilis = very hot Guajillo chili peppers: I like them because they add flavor without much spice. You can also use prik yuak chilis, which are more common in Thailand. Ginger: This is not an authentic ingredient in Thai curry. If you want an authentic flavor, look for fresh or frozen galangal. I use ginger as it is similar, and galangal is nearly impossible to find outside of big cities and isn't available anywhere in my little town. Lemongrass: If you are lucky enough to find fresh lemongrass, remove the tough outer leaves and then thinly slice the tender (bottom) part. You can save the tough upper part for stock or discard it. Lemongrass paste also works great. It's usually found in the produce section of your grocery store. Lime: Makrut limes (which is the politically correct term for kaffir limes) are less tart than standard North American limes. If you can find them, do use them to make this recipe. But if you can't, a standard lime will work well. Fish sauce: An authentic Thai curry should be made with fermented fish paste, and if you can source it, I highly recommend it. In Thailand, I could tell when the touristy restaurants didn't use it - the curry was just not as tasty. But fish sauce makes a decent substitute and is widely available. Servings: This makes about 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of curry paste.
5 chilis = medium
10 chilis = hot
20 chilis = very hot Guajillo chili peppers: I like them because they add flavor without much spice. You can also use prik yuak chilis, which are more common in Thailand. Ginger: This is not an authentic ingredient in Thai curry. If you want an authentic flavor, look for fresh or frozen galangal. I use ginger as it is similar, and galangal is nearly impossible to find outside of big cities and isn't available anywhere in my little town. Lemongrass: If you are lucky enough to find fresh lemongrass, remove the tough outer leaves and then thinly slice the tender (bottom) part. You can save the tough upper part for stock or discard it. Lemongrass paste also works great. It's usually found in the produce section of your grocery store. Lime: Makrut limes (which is the politically correct term for kaffir limes) are less tart than standard North American limes. If you can find them, do use them to make this recipe. But if you can't, a standard lime will work well. Fish sauce: An authentic Thai curry should be made with fermented fish paste, and if you can source it, I highly recommend it. In Thailand, I could tell when the touristy restaurants didn't use it - the curry was just not as tasty. But fish sauce makes a decent substitute and is widely available. Servings: This makes about 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of curry paste.
Serving: 1 serving = ¼ cup, Calories: 39kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 355mg, Potassium: 172mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 164IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg