How to Make Red Curry Paste

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By Marie Price
eHow Contributing Writer

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Prig gang ped, or Thai red curry paste, is used mainly as a base in sauces and marinades. Along with its robust and distinct flavor, it lends a deep red color to any broth or sauce it is added to. Although packaged red curry paste is readily available in Asian grocery stores, homemade red curry paste provides a more complex and aromatic flavor than the store-bought variety. Preparing it yourself also gives you the power to control the intensity of the spices. Once you have found all your ingredients, making red curry paste from scratch is relatively simple.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Mortar and pestle or food processor 1 head garlic, peeled 2 fresh lemon grass stalks 10 finely chopped Kaffir lime leaves or 2 tablespoons lime zest 4 teaspoons chopped peeled galangal or ginger 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 5 shallots, peeled Dash of salt 15 to 20 prik haeng (dried Thai hot chiles) 5 to 10 red prik kii noo (fresh Thai bird's eye chiles) or Serrano chiles, chopped 1 tablespoon ga-pi (Thai shrimp paste) Coriander Black or white pepper Cumin

Step 1

Place the garlic in the mortar or food processor. Add the lemon grass, Kaffir leaves and galangal. Mash or process until a smooth paste is formed.
Step 2

Thoroughly incorporate the cilantro and shallots into the mixture.
Step 3

Add the salt, the dried chiles and the fresh chiles. Blend well.
Step 4

Stir in the shrimp paste. The mixture should now be smooth and thick.
Step 5

Season to taste with the coriander, pepper and cumin.

Tips & Warnings

Use the curry paste as a base in Thai sauces and dishes or to season meat and fish. You can adjust the spiciness of your curry by changing the amount of chiles. Remember, the heat from chiles comes from their seeds and pith, not the flesh itself. If you want the flavor but not the heat, remove some or all of the seeds before processing. Most of the ingredients can be found at Asian markets and specialty stores.