Yellow Curry Paste

This fragrant and savory yellow curry paste is the perfect base for all your homemade curries! It's versatile, flavorful and SO much better than all those store-bought curry pastes and powders you've been using all this while.

Best of all, it's adaptable for those with dietary restrictions, and is really easy to batch make too.

I've been on a mission to make healthier, preservative-free homemade versions of my favorite seasonings, spices and sauces, and my kitchen is busy with lots of experiments every single day.

Recently, I tried making some homemade chaat masala and a delicious vegan ranch seasoning mix at home, and they both turned out amazing, which inspired me to try a simple curry paste too.

What's So Great About the Recipe?

The fact that you can make a big batch of curry paste with just 15 minutes of kitchen time, and use it for months, is what I love the most about this recipe.

It's also such a great condiment to have at hand, to quickly put together a meal that tastes incredible and is great for your family! While this paste has predominant Thai flavors, it's actually perfect to use with quite a LOT of recipes, not just Thai food.

Recipe Ingredients

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Aromatics: The curry paste needs to pack in a lot of flavor, so I used a mix of shallots, garlic, ginger and galangal.

Whole spices: For the whole spices, I used cumin seeds, which peppercorns and some coriander seeds.

Cilantro: You'll need lots of fresh cilantro, for that pop of color and freshness.

Kaffir lime: For that tanginess and sourness.

Turmeric: For that pop of color and the earthy flavor and aroma.

Fish sauce: Just a dash, for that umami deliciousness.

Chilies: I used quite a lot of red chilies here, because I love a spicy curry paste. You can adjust this to your liking and tone down the spice if you want to.

Curry powder: Any classic curry powder should do the trick. If you don't have this, you can use vegetable or chicken stock powder.

Lemongrass: To get that aromatic, lemony flavor. If you don't have this, use some lemon or lime juice and some zest instead.

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

• I used a mix of dried red chilies and Thai bird eye chilies here, but you can totally use any other kind of chilies too.
• To make a vegan version of this recipe, simply skip adding the fish sauce, and add some mushroom powder instead.
• To make the yellow curry paste gluten-free, make sure you choose gluten-free curry powder.

How to Store the Leftover Curry Paste

Your leftover Thai curry paste should stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Make sure you use a clean jar or an airtight container to store it, and use a dry spoon to spoon it out whenever you want to.

If you've made a big batch and want it to last longer, you can freeze it too! Just use a freezer-safe bag or container, and it should stay good for up to 6 months.

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe

• To lend the curry paste that authentic flavor and texture, grind it using a mortar and pestle instead of using your blender. This may take a bit more time and effort, but it's totally worth it!
• For extra flavor, dry roast the whole spices in a pan over medium heat until they turn aromatic, then take them off heat and let them cool down completely before you use them for the recipe.
• When using lemongrass, make sure you chop out the tougher, fibrous portions of the stalks and just use the softer, white portion.
• If the paste seems too try, you can add a splash of water into it to get it to a smoother, pasty consistency.
• For extra flavor, you can also add some shrimp paste into the mix towards the end.

How to Use the Yellow Curry Paste

You can use this yellow curry paste as a base for your favorite curries and stews. I love using it as a marinade for your meats too! Just a spoonful should work well.

If you've used the paste to make a curry and it turns out too spicy or intense, you can tone it down by adding a splash of coconut milk into the curry.