How to Make Your Own Thai Curry Paste: Original Recipe from Thailand

When I’m not traveling, I’m cooking! My favorite thing to bring back is recipes from the road, like this original recipe for red and green curry paste from Thailand! The right curry paste is the essence of a good Thai curry!

Curry paste in Thai cuisine

The curry paste adds the right amount of spice to the curry! After it is fried in the pan, the aromas of the spices such as chili, lemongrass, coriander and many more exotic ingredients unfold. The spiciness is then regulated with coconut milk: The more coconut milk, the milder the curry. Then vegetables and meat/tofu are added.

Welcome to my travel blog

Hey, I’m Tatiana and I’m the blogger behind The Happy Jetlagger. Since 2014, I’ve been sharing my personal travel stories on this blog. I don’t have a big team behind me, so I’m pretty much a one-person show: I’ve researched and tested all recommendations myself.

Recipe for red and green curry paste

Green and red Thai curry paste (Nam Phrik Kaeng Khiaw Whaan + Kaeng Ped)

Original curry paste recipe from Thailand!

• 7 small green chili peppers ((for green curry paste))
• 1 tbsp dried red chilli peppers (for red curry paste)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 shallots
• 1 stalk of lemongrass
• 1 piece of galangal (approx. 2-3 cm long)
• 1 handful of fresh coriander
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 piece of fresh turmeric ((approx. 2-3cm long piece))
• 1/2 tsp white pepper ((whole))
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp shrimp paste

1. Peel the garlic cloves, galangal and turmeric.

2. Chop the garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, coriander, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric into small cubes. (For green curry, add the green chili peppers).

3. Roast the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds briefly in a pan without oil.

4. Place all the ingredients (except the shrimp paste) in a mortar and grind everything until a paste forms.

5. Finally, add the shrimp paste and grind everything in a mortar until the paste is fine.

This quantity is enough for a curry dish for 2 to 3 people, depending on the desired degree of spiciness. You can also make a little more in advance: The paste will keep for a few days in the fridge if well sealed.

Where can you get the ingredients?

While you can now find turmeric and lemongrass in conventional supermarkets, it is difficult to find other exotic ingredients. In any case, you will find everything in the standard range of an Asian store.

Tip: You can usually find frozen kaffir lime leaves in the freezer.

Have you got a taste for Thailand? Then take a look at my articles about Thailand with lots of pictures and helpful travel tips!

About my cooking course in the north of Thailand: Learn to cook Thai: A cooking course in Chiang Mai