Thai Curry Paste Recipes

These authentic recipes will teach you how to make Thai curry pastes from scratch. Packaged curry pastes are convenient and time saving, but they tend to be less fragrant, lack freshness, and may not always suit your personal taste. The biggest challenge of making these curry pastes (if you are not in Thailand) is probably to gather all the exotic ingredients. An Asian or Indian market should be the place to find them. Some ingredients can also be substituted. For example, if you cannot find cilantro roots, just use cilantro leaves and stems. Or if Thai green chili peppers are not available in your local Asian store, jalapenos will be a good substitute.

Understanding the fast pace of modern lifestyles, I adapted the following recipes to make them consume as little time as possible by using ground spices and a mini food processor. If you have time and would like to cook your curry paste the authentic way, however, toast whole spices on the stovetop, then grind them in a Thai-style stone mortar and pestle. Whole spices' favors are very long-lasting, and you can also toast them longer than ground spices, which allow them to develop their maximum fragrance.

Green curry paste is made with Thai green chili peppers or prik kee noo, which has a very distinctive spiciness. They are very small, only about 1 - 2 inches long, but they're more spicy than any other Thai chili peppers. So if your palate is not used to fiery hot food, just use a tiny amount of prik kee noo.

• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsps minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 3 tbsps water

• Trim lemongrass stalks by discarding all the hard outer layers and leaves. Thinly slice each stalk crosswise and mince. Set aside.
• Toast coriander and cumin together in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 1 - 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant and slightly darkened. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Blend all the other ingredients and toasted spices in a small food processor until smooth. Add a bit more water if the blades do not move or the paste looks too dry.

This green curry paste can be refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to a month.

Yellow curry is milder than other Thai curries in terms of spiciness. It gets its golden, slightly orange color from the ground turmeric mixed with dried red chili peppers. To make red curry paste, you can use this same recipe, but omit the use of turmeric and add a few more red chili peppers.

• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsps ground turmeric
• 3 tbsps minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 7 dried red chili peppers

• Remove the chilis' stems and thinly slice them. Soak them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes or until soft. Drain well. Set aside.
• Prepare lemongrass (look at the above recipe).
• Toast coriander and cumin together in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 1 - 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant and slightly darkened. Remove from heat and stir in salt, turmeric, pepper and cinnamon.
• Blend all the other ingredients and toasted spices in a small food processor until smooth. Add a bit more water if the blades do not move or the paste looks too dry.

This yellow curry paste can be refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to a month.

There are several versions of panang curry paste. I got this one from my mother (still living in Thailand) who got it from my grandmother who got it from my great-grandmother, therefore I like to believe it is an authentic one.

• 10 - 15 dried red chili peppers
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsps ground cumin
• 1 1 /2 tsps salt
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1 tsp shrimp paste

• Prepare red chili peppers and lemongrass, as in the recipes above. Set aside.
• Toast coriander and cumin together in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 1 - 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant and slightly darkened. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper. Mix together.
• Blend all the other ingredients and toasted spices in a small food processor until smooth. Add a bit more water if the blades do not move or the paste looks too dry.

This panang curry paste can be refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to a month.

Massaman curry is usually not something you can find at a street vendor or on a restaurant menu in Thailand. It is a special dish for special celebrations such as a wedding, the birth of a baby, Buddhist monk ordination and other Buddhist festivals. Unlike other Thai curry pastes, massaman curry requires many more spices. But if you have tasted it, you will know that it is totally worth all the effort.

• 10 - 15 dried red chili peppers
• 3 tsps ground cumin
• 2 tsps ground coriander
• 2 tsps salt
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 4 tbsps minced garlic
• 2 - 3 stalks lemongrass

• Prepare red chili peppers and lemongrass, as in the recipes above. Set aside.
• Toast coriander and cumin together in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 1 - 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant and slightly darkened. Remove from heat. Add pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, turmeric and salt. Stir together.
• Blend all the other ingredients and toasted spices in a small food processor until smooth. Add a bit more water if the blades do not move or the paste looks too dry.

This massaman curry paste can be refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to a month.