Thai Yellow Curry Paste

A delicious Thai yellow curry paste made from scratch that rivals your favorite Thai restaurant. You can make this in 20 minutes and have enough to use in 10 different curry recipes

4.82 from 11 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Servings: tablespoons

Calories: 50kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

30 dried red chiles stemmed and seeded
3 tablespoons coriander seeds see notes
2 tablespoons cumin seed the whole seed
1 tablespoon fennel seed the whole seed
1-1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
30 garlic cloves
3 shallots peeled and quartered
3-1/2 tablespoons curry powder
3 tablespoons lemongrass paste or fresh lemongrass finely chopped see notes
2 inch section of fresh galangal root chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 pieces of fresh turmeric peeled (see notes) or 2-1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons shrimp paste see notes

Instructions

Soak the dried chiles in hot water for about 15 minutes or until they are soft.
Place the coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds in a dry skillet and heat them over medium low heat. Stir frequently for 2 to 3 minutes until you can smell the toasted spices.
Place the toasted spices in a food processor (fitted with a chopping blade) along with the peppercorns. Process the spices until they are powdery.
Drain the chiles and place them in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Puree everything until it reaches a creamy paste. You may need to turn the processor off a couple of times and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Notes

Shrimp paste adds a depth of flavor that really gives this recipe 5 stars. It really makes all the difference in this recipe. It can be found in the Asian sections of most grocery stores. If you can not find it, you can substitute with equal amounts of fish sauce. The shrimp paste has a strong odor that may make you think it has gone bad. The strong fermented odor is normal for shrimp paste and will not ruin your curry. The finished curry will not taste or smell like the shrimp paste. Trust us on this. Add the shrimp paste! Just make sure you store leftover shrimp paste in a well sealed container so it does not make the fridge smell.
If you can not find whole seeds for the coriander, cumin, or fennel you can substitute 2-1/2 tablespoons of ground coriander, 1-1/2 tablespoons of ground cumin, and 2-1/2 teaspoons of ground fennel.
Lemongrass can be found in the produce section of the grocery store. To prepare it, cut off the root and the green part, leaving only the white part of the lemongrass. Peel off the outer layers and chop it.
Galangal root can be found in the produce section. It looks like ginger but it has a ‘zippy’ earthy-citrus like flavor that is unique to Thai food. Peel it with a vegetable peeler or scrape the skin off with a spoon then chop it into small cubes.
Fresh turmeric is in the produce section of most grocery stores. The skin is soft and scrapes off easily with a spoon. We recommend wearing gloves because the orange color will stain your hands. The turmeric will also stain the work bowl of your food processor. A soak in diluted bleach water will remove the stain. If you can not find fresh turmeric, substitute with dried ground turmeric.

How to make Thai yellow curry sauce:

Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a hot skillet then add two to three tablespoons of curry paste to the hot skillet.
Cook the curry paste for a couple of minutes then add 2 cups of coconut milk, 2 teaspoons of sugar and a dash of fish sauce.
Cook the sauce until it is heated all the way then serve it as desired. It is delicious on rice.