Tulo

Red Curry Paste Recipe

A rough, deep reddish-orange curry paste pounded in a granite mortar, flecked with lemongrass and chile seeds, with whole dried chiles and lime leaves scattered beside it.
Photo by Melike B on Pexels

Soaking the dried chiles softens them enough to grind smoothly, while toasting the coriander and cumin seeds before grinding wakes up their oils so the paste tastes deep and layered instead of flat and raw. Pounding or blending the aromatics with the ground spices, rather than just chopping them, breaks down the fibrous lemongrass and galangal into a paste that dissolves fully into coconut milk instead of leaving stringy bits behind.

Prep
30 min
Cook
10 min
Total
40 min
Servings
16

Ingredients

Servings16
  • 12 chiles dried Thai chiles, stems removed
  • 1/2 cup shallots, roughly chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup lemongrass, tender core only, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons galangal, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon kaffir lime zest, finely grated
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro root (or stems), chopped
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon shrimp paste (kapi)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Nutrition per serving

Calories
14
Protein
1g
Carbs
3g
Fat
0g

Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.

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Instructions

  1. 1Cover the dried chiles with hot water in a small bowl and let them soak for 15-20 minutes, until fully softened. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the soaking liquid, and roughly chop.
  2. 2Toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and white peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan often, until fragrant and a shade darker. Let cool, then grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar.
  3. 3Wrap the shrimp paste in a small piece of foil and toast it in the same dry skillet for 1-2 minutes per side, or hold it directly over a low flame with tongs for 20-30 seconds per side, until it smells toasty rather than raw.
  4. 4In a mortar and pestle or a food processor, combine the softened chiles, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime zest, and cilantro root with the ground spices and salt.
  5. 5Pound or pulse the mixture, working in stages and scraping down the sides often, until it breaks down into a coarse paste, about 8-10 minutes by hand or 3-4 minutes in a processor.
  6. 6Add the toasted shrimp paste and continue pounding or pulsing until the mixture forms a smooth, uniform, deep reddish-orange paste. If it's too dry to come together, add the reserved chile soaking liquid a teaspoon at a time.
  7. 7Use the paste immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Tips & variations

  • For a milder paste, remove the seeds and ribs from half the chiles before soaking, or use fewer chiles and add a diced red bell pepper for color without as much heat.
  • A stone mortar and pestle produces a more textured, oilier paste than a food processor because it crushes the fibers rather than shredding them; either works, but the flavor is noticeably rounder from the mortar.
  • Freeze the paste flat in a zip-top bag or portioned into an ice cube tray, then break off only what a recipe calls for.
  • If kaffir lime zest isn't available, regular lime zest is an acceptable substitute, though the flavor will be milder and less floral.
  • For a vegan version, omit the shrimp paste and add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt plus a small piece of toasted seaweed or a splash of soy sauce to make up for the lost savoriness.

Storage & reheating

Store the paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; a thin film of oil on top helps keep air off the surface and extends its life a few days further. For longer storage, freeze for up to 6 months in a sealed bag pressed flat, or in ice cube trays for pre-portioned amounts. There's no reheating step; the paste is added directly to hot oil or coconut milk at the start of cooking a curry.

Tips from the Tulo kitchen

  • A splash of oil worked into the paste after pounding helps it keep longer in the fridge and also makes it easier to fry off in the first step of a curry without sticking.
  • If the paste seems bitter, it usually means the spices scorched during toasting rather than just turning fragrant; pull them from the pan the moment they smell nutty.

FAQ

How is red curry paste different from green curry paste?

Red curry paste uses dried red chiles for its color and a deeper, more concentrated heat, while green curry paste uses fresh green chiles, which gives it a sharper, grassier flavor and a milder color base before other ingredients are added.

Is homemade red curry paste very spicy?

With 12 dried Thai chiles it lands solidly medium-hot; the heat is easy to scale down by deseeding the chiles or using fewer of them, since the other aromatics carry plenty of flavor on their own.

Can I substitute store-bought red curry paste in a recipe?

Yes, though jarred pastes are often saltier and less aromatic, so start with about two-thirds the amount called for and adjust to taste once it's cooked into the dish.

What can I use instead of galangal?

Fresh ginger is the closest common substitute, though it has a sharper, hotter flavor than galangal's more citrusy, piney profile; use about half as much ginger as the galangal called for.

Why does the recipe call for toasting the shrimp paste?

Raw shrimp paste has a strong, almost fishy edge that mellows and turns savory once it's briefly heated, which is why Thai cooks always toast or fry it before adding it to a paste rather than using it straight from the jar.

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