Thai Yellow Curry Paste
Make yellow curry paste at home, and you can customize by adding or reducing the number of chili peppers.
Servings: 1 cup
Cost: $3.00
Equipment
- Food Processor or Mortar and Pestle
- Skillet
- Kitchen Shears
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 large dried red chili peppers (if you are in the United States, New Mexico or California dried peppers are a good option)
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (see note)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns (sub pre-ground white pepper)
- 3 inches fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced (see note)
- 3 Tablespoons very thinly sliced lemongrass
- 1 Tablespoon diced galangal
- 1/4 cup diced shallots
- 3 Tablespoons thinly sliced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Instructions
- Use kitchen shears to chop chili peppers into large pieces (about 4 pieces per pepper). Shake the seeds out of the peppers (the more seeds you remove the less spicy the curry paste will be). Soak peppers in warm water for 10 minutes to soften.
- While peppers soak, place shrimp paste on a small piece of foil and then fold the foil up to form a packet that completely encloses the shrimp paste.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp paste packet onto heated skillet and toast for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until fragrant. Set aside.
- Turn heat under the skillet down to medium and add the coriander and cumin seeds. Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- In a clean spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle, grind the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and white peppercorns until very fine.
- Return to dried peppers and drain off as much water as possible.
If using a mortar and pestle:
- Combine soaked chili peppers and salt in a mortar and pestle and grind until smooth.
- Add lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, shallots, and garlic. Grind again until smooth.
- Add shrimp paste, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, white peppercorns, and curry powder. Continue to grind / mix everything together until even.
If using a blender or food processor:
- In a blender or food processor, combine soaked chili peppers, salt, lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, white peppercorns, and curry powder. Blend until the mixture forms a paste that still has a small amount of texture, pausing to scrape down the sides as needed. (Note: if the mixture does not blend easily, add water a bit at a time, as needed, to help it blend.)
- Taste curry paste and season with some additional salt, if needed.
- Curry paste can be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 week or frozen for up to a year.
Notes
Shrimp paste - Typically labeled as “kapi” or “gapi”. This can be found at an Asian / international grocery store. It is most often sold in a jar with a good amount of oil. It can sometimes be found in firm blocks that might need to be slightly hydrated before using. Jarred or tinned anchovies are the Western equivalent and could be used as a substitute to give the curry paste the same rich, seafood, umami flavors. To make Thai curries, the shrimp paste is always roasted before cooking to release its flavor. For simplicity, we wrap the paste in foil and just toast it in a skillet before using it.
Want to make a vegan or vegetarian curry? Just skip the shrimp paste.
Turmeric - You can substitute 1 1/2 Tablespoons of turmeric powder for the fresh turmeric here, but the curry paste will have more flavor if you use the fresh variety.