A simple equation: thai cousine = use curry paste. You use green, yellow or red but I prefer meal with thai homemade red curry paste. I’m happy to share recipe for homemade thai red curry paste which you can add into soup, noodles or other thai dishes with veggie, chicken, coconut milk and serve with rice. This flavour is so good and of course spicy. You can buy packaged red curry paste or challenge yourself and make your own. You can kept in a sealed glass jar in a refrigerator for up to 4 months. If you want to prepare authentic thai curry paste use mortar and exercise your muscels. Or place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process well to create a fragrant Thai red curry paste.

Homemade Red Curry Paste (Namphrik – Gaeng – Phet)

Ingredients:

• 5 big type red dried chillies, soak in water
• 3 tbsp. chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic (don’t need to peel small thai garlic)
• 50 g. chopped galangal (thai ginger)
• ½ tbsp. chopped lemongrass (only white part)
• 1 tsp. lesser ginger
• 1 tsp. shrimp paste (possible substitute salt)
• ½ tsp. chopped kaffir lime peel
• 1 tsp. coriander root (possible substitute coriander stem)
• 1 tsp. turmeric root (possible substitute turmeric powder)

Preparation:

1. Soak the dried red chillies in the hot water for 10 minutes
2. Put garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime peel, galangal, coriander root into the mortar and pound well. Or place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process well to create a fragrant Thai red curry paste. But it is not the same as handmade crushing.
3. Add lesser ginger, turmeric root, shallot and pound well
4. Add red chillies and pound well
5. Add shrimp paste and pound until smooth and fine

Tip:

To make yellow curry paste use the same method but add indian curry powder and leave out the shrimp paste and lesser ginger.