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Thai Curry Spice Paste

Thai Curry Spice Paste recipe image
This vibrant Thai curry spice paste is the secret weapon for bringing restaurant-quality flavor to your home kitchen. By grinding fresh aromatics like lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime zest together with fiery dried chilies and savory shrimp paste, you create a deeply aromatic foundation that transforms simple ingredients into extraordinary dishes. The texture is rough and rustic, allowing the flavors to bloom slowly in hot oil or coconut milk. This versatile paste is essential for green, red, or massaman curries, but it also works beautifully as a marinade for grilled meats or a stir-fry booster. Make a large batch and store it in the fridge for quick, flavorful weeknight meals that taste like they came from a street food stall in Bangkok.
Cooking Method: ,
Cuisine: ,
Courses:
Difficulty: Intermediate
Calories: 486
Dietary: Vegan
Description
This vibrant Thai curry spice paste is the secret weapon for bringing restaurant-quality flavor to your home kitchen. By grinding fresh aromatics like lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime zest together with fiery dried chilies and savory shrimp paste, you create a deeply aromatic foundation that transforms simple ingredients into extraordinary dishes. The texture is rough and rustic, allowing the flavors to bloom slowly in hot oil or coconut milk. This versatile paste is essential for green, red, or massaman curries, but it also works beautifully as a marinade for grilled meats or a stir-fry booster. Make a large batch and store it in the fridge for quick, flavorful weeknight meals that taste like they came from a street food stall in Bangkok.
Ingredients
  • Dried red chilies, seeded and broken into pieces
  • Cayenne pepper (if chilies not available)
  • Whole black peppercorns (or 1 tsp ground black pepper)
  • Whole coriander seeds (or 1 tbsp ground coriander)
  • Whole caraway seeds (or 1 tsp ground caraway)
  • Zest, minced
  • Ginger root, peeled and minced
  • Garlic, peeled and minced
  • Shallots, peeled and minced
  • Anchovy paste (or anchovy fillets)
  • Fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Vegetable oil
Directions
  1. 1
    If using whole spices (black peppercorns, coriander seeds, and caraway seeds), lightly toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then grind them into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
  2. 2
    Place the ground whole spices (or pre-ground substitutes) into the bowl of a food processor.
  3. 3
    Add the dried red chili pieces (or cayenne), minced lemon zest, minced ginger, minced garlic, minced shallots, anchovy paste, chopped fresh coriander, and salt to the food processor.
  4. 4
    Pulse the mixture several times to combine the dry and wet ingredients.
  5. 5
    With the processor running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to help form a paste.
  6. 6
    Process until the mixture is as fine as possible, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure even grinding.
  7. 7
    Using a spatula, transfer the finished curry paste into a clean glass jar.
  8. 8
    Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over the top of the paste to create a seal and help preserve the flavors.
  9. 9
    Seal the jar tightly and refrigerate.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 486kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 45g70%
Saturated Fat 8g40%
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 1200mg50%
Total Carbohydrate 25g9%
Dietary Fiber 5g20%
Sugars 10g
Protein 5g10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Keywords: thai, curry, paste, spice, chili, garlic, shallot, ginger, lemongrass, homemade, aromatic, condiment, marinade, authentic, flavorful, spicy, base, cooking, asian, food processor
Read it online: https://www.chefs-mate.com/recipe/thai-curry-spice-paste/