Thai Red Curry Paste
Thai red curry paste is an intensely flavored paste composed of dried red chilies, fragrant aromatics, and dried spices.
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 35 dried red chilies, seeds removed
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp whole white peppercorn
- 6 tbsp shallots, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tbsp galangal, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp lemongrass (bottom part only), chopped
- 2 tbsp cilantro stems, chopped
- 2 tsp makrut/kaffir lime leaves, de-stemmed and chopped
- 2 tsp shrimp paste (Thai, Filipino, or Malaysian shrimp paste can work)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- 1
Soak the dried red chilies in warm water for at least 30 minutes to soften (you can soak these while preparing the rest of your ingredients).
- 2
In a pan over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and white peppercorns until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer the toasted spices into a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
- 3
Lightly oil your pan. Over medium-high heat, add the shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, cilantro stems, and makrut/lime leaves. Evenly spread the aromatics over the pan and allow to lightly char on all sides (we're not really sautéing or cooking the aromatics here, just simply browning them to achieve a deeper flavor). Be careful not to burn the aromatics or your paste will become bitter. Once deeply browned, remove the aromatics from the heat and set aside.
- 4
Into your food processor, add in the soaked chilies (without the water), ground spices, aromatics, shrimp paste, and kosher salt. *Process/blend the ingredients until you achieve a fine paste consistency.