Red Curry Paste

Name: Red Curry Paste
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1/2 cup
Cuisine: thai
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 3 small shallots (each the size of a walnut), coarsely chopped; 8 to 10 fresh red Thai chiles, stems removed (see Tip); 1 stalk lemongrass (use the lower 3 inches at the base), coarsely chopped; 3 pieces fresh galangal (each the size of a quarter), see Tip; 2 medium fresh makrut lime leaves, middle ribs stripped and discarded (see Tip); 1 tablespoon shrimp paste or brown soybean paste (see Tip)

Recipe from Raghavan Iyer

Adapted by Kim Severson

Published Feb. 22, 2023

Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 4(78)
Comments: Read comments

Raghavan Iyer created this version of Thai red curry paste for his 2023 book, “On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced The World” (Workman Publishing). Curry pastes make up the soul of Thailand’s regional curries. In his recipe for Pan-Fried Tofu With Red Curry Paste, Mr. Iyer uses coconut milk to mellow the heat. The red curry is part of a trilogy in his cookbook, which includes green curry paste (with cilantro leaves and fresh green Thai chiles) and yellow curry paste (which relies on fresh ginger and turmeric and yellow aji amarillo chiles). Red, green and yellow curry pastes are nice to have on hand to give complexity and depth to meat, vegetable and grain dishes. —Kim Severson

Featured in: He Taught Americans to Cook Indian Food. Now He’s on His Final Chapter.

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

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

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

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.

Ratings

4 out of 5

78 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Spiz2 years ago

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.

Mark2 years ago

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 Oliver2 years ago

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.

Rani1 year ago

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!

Ellen1 year ago

Can Chinese bean sauce - which is fermented yellow soybeans - be used instead of brown soybean paste?

Madeleine1 year ago

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.

Private comments are only visible to you.