Thai Curry Paste Base (Dried Chili to Fresh Aromatics)

2

Dried red chili (deseeded, soaked) — Prik haeng — Thai dried chilis soaked 20 minutes in warm water; deseed for less heat while preserving color

1

Lemongrass (tender inner stalk, sliced thin) and galangal (peeled, sliced) — Combine these two in equal sub-parts; lemongrass provides citrus brightness, galangal adds pine-camphor depth

1

Asian shallots (peeled) and garlic (peeled) — Combine in equal sub-parts; small Thai shallots are sweeter and more intensely flavored than Western varieties

0.25

Shrimp paste (kapi) — Roasted on banana leaf or foil before adding; critical umami anchor; omit for vegetarian version and add extra salt or fermented soy

2–4 tbsp

Finished paste per 400 ml coconut milk — 2 tbsp = mild, 4 tbsp = assertive; add more paste to coconut cream (not milk) for richest result

Toast dried chilis in a dry pan until fragrant (not charred), then soak 20 minutes in warm water; drain and squeeze dry. Using a granite mortar and pestle, pound ingredients in this order (hardest to softest, driest to wettest): dried chili, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, coriander root, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste. Pound each element to a paste before adding the next. Total pounding time is typically 20–30 minutes for a fully smooth paste. Alternatively, blend in a high-speed blender, adding a tablespoon of water at a time to facilitate blending. To build a curry: fry paste in the thick cream skimmed from the top of a can of coconut milk over medium heat until fragrant and the fat separates (5–8 minutes), then add remaining coconut milk.

• Always pound dried chilis first — they are the hardest to break down and must be completely smooth before softer aromatics are added, or lumps will remain.
• Lemongrass must be sliced paper-thin across the grain before pounding; fibrous strands that escape the mortar are unpleasant in the finished dish.
• If using a blender, freeze the lemongrass and galangal for 30 minutes beforehand — semi-frozen fibrous ingredients break down more cleanly.
• The paste-to-coconut-milk ratio is not fixed: richer results come from frying paste in coconut cream first, then diluting to taste with coconut milk rather than adding all the liquid at once.
• Freshly made paste keeps refrigerated 2 weeks or frozen 3 months; freeze in ice cube trays for measured single-use portions.

• Gaeng Keow Wan (Green Curry) Paste

  Fresh green chilis replace dried red; ratio of fresh green chili increases to 3 parts; kaffir lime leaf added fresh

• Gaeng Daeng (Red Curry) Paste

  Classic application of this ratio; uses prik chee fa (large dried red chilis) for color and prik kee noo for heat

• Gaeng Kua Paste

  Simpler paste omitting lemongrass and coriander root; ratio simplifies to 2:1 chili-to-shallot-garlic; used for crab and seafood curries

• Southern Thai Paste (increased chili)

  Southern Thai pastes often run 3:1:1 — more dried chili, with turmeric root added at 0.5 parts; notably hotter and earthier

• Massaman Curry Paste (Dried Spice to Fresh Aromatics)

  Builds on the same base but adds warm dried spices at a much higher proportion, shifting the flavor profile toward Persian-influenced complexity

• Coconut Rice (Coconut Milk to Water to Rice)

  The canonical Thai accompaniment; coconut fat in both paste and rice reflects the cooking culture's reliance on the whole coconut

• Nam Jim Jaew Dipping Sauce Ratio

  Shares dried chili and fish sauce but used raw as a dipping sauce rather than cooked into a fat-based curry medium

1. 1.Thai Food — David Thompson
2. 2.Simple Thai Food — Leela Punyaratabandhu
3. 3.Night + Market — Kris Yenbamroong
4. 4.The Food of Thailand — Murdoch Books

Confidence: high