If I don’t travel, I cook! I love to bring 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 ensures the proper spiciness in a curry! After it is fried in the pan, the aromas of the spices such as chilli, lemongrass, coriander and many more exotic ingredients will unfold. Coconut milk is then used to regulate the spiciness: The more coconut milk you use, the milder the curry gets. Then vegetables and meat or tofu are added.


Recipe for red and green curry paste

Green and red Thai curry paste (Nam Phrik Kaeng Khiaw Whaan + Kaeng Ped)
Ingredients
- 7 small green chillies (for green curry paste)
- 1 tbsp dried red chillies (for red curry paste)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 stalk of lemongrass
- 1 pc galangal (approx. 2-3cm long piece)
- 3 Kaffir lime leaves
- 1 handful fresh coriander
- 1 pc fresh turmeric (approx. 2-3cm long piece)
- 1/2 tsp white pepper (whole)
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
Instructions
- Peel garlic cloves, galangal and turmeric.
- Chop garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, coriander, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric into small cubes. (For green curry, add the green chillies).
- Roasted peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds briefly in a pan without oil.
- Put all ingredients (except the shrimp paste) in a mortar and crush everything until a paste is formed.
- Finally add the shrimp paste and crush everything in the mortar until the paste becomes fine.
Notes

Where to get the ingredients?
While turmeric and lemongrass are now also found in traditional supermarkets, the other exotic ingredients are more difficult to find.In any case, you will find everything in the regular selection of an Asian grocery store.

Tip: You can usually find the kaffir lime leaves deep-frozen in the freezer.
Did you get a taste for Thailand? Then have a look at my articles about Thailand with many pictures and helpful travel tips!
You can learn more about my cooking course in the north of Thailand here: Learn Thai Cooking: A cooking course in Chiang Mai
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