Easy Thai Curry Paste - My Way

Updated: Sep 18, 2023

By Savini Gauri

This Thai Curry paste recipe is simple, easy, and fun to make at home. You can use it to make classic Thai curry, stir fry, soup, or other many other dishes.

I make and use this Thai Curry paste every week. Because one can never have enough curry, obviously. Imagine getting bored of it. Impossible!

Why Make Thai Curry Paste at Home

Red, Green, and Yellow Thai Curry are great. But this Thai curry paste is for the days when you can't decide which one you want.

Here are a few reasons why you'll love this recipe:

It's super quick and easy. You need a food processor (or blender) and 10 minutes of your time. Throw all the ingredients in the processor and grind them into a paste. And that's it.
Insanely flavorful and versatile. This paste is packed with bold flavors. Adding a teaspoon of it to any dish will instantly liven it up. In fact, it tastes great in Thai curries, soups, veggie stir-fries, or as marinades.
Simple ingredients. You don't need any fancy ingredients like shrimp paste. All the ingredients used can be easily found in any Asian grocery store or the Asian aisle in your regular supermarket.

Ingredient Notes

Easy Thai Curry Paste - My Way Ingredients

Birds Eye Chili - They are small and add a kick of spice. You can also use regular red chilis or any other variant you like.
Ginger - Make sure you use fresh ginger. Just wash, peel, and roughly chop it.
Galangal - Dont confuse it with ginger because the two look quite similar. but galangal has a more citrusy taste.
Garlic - use freshly peeled garlic.
Lemon Leaves - Make sure you don't skip them as they give the Thai curry its signature flavor.
Lemongrass Stems - Use the stems and not the grassy green part as most of the flavor is concentrated in the stem.
Fish Sauce - It gives the curry paste an umami flavor.
Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Turmeric Powder
Salt
Coriander Stems - Make sure you use the stems and not the leaves. Most people throw away the stems but the maximum flavor is in the stems.
Onions - Preferably red onions. but you can use whichever ones you find.

Easy Instructions

Prep. Wash, peel, and chop all the ingredients.
Grind. Using a food processor, grind into a coarse paste. And Done!

Expert Tips and Tricks

Don't skip ingredients. All the ingredients used to make this curry paste add a unique something to it. Try not to skip any ingredients or else the curry paste's flavor will change drastically.
Make it less spicy. Replace the bird's eye chilis with red bell peppers to make the curry paste mild and kid-friendly.
Make it vegan. Simply replace the fish sauce with soy sauce or tamari. It will make the recipe vegan and still have the umami flavor.
How to use it. This curry paste is perfect for making classic Thai curry, stir-fry Thai veggies, coconut curry with chickpeas, Thai curry ramen, and soup.