Thai curry paste

A pack of red curry paste

Curry paste is a moist blend of ground or pounded herbs and/or spices and other seasonings. Curry paste is an important ingredient in Thai cuisine, and can also be a generic commercial product that replaces curry powders or spice blends in other cuisines.

Varieties

Various types of freshly made curry paste are sold at Thai markets, such as at this market in Hat Yai

There are many types of Thai curries and curry pastes. The following are well known outside of Thailand:

• Red curry paste: This curry paste includes red chili peppers (fresh or dried), shallots, garlic, galangal, lemon grass, coriander roots, peppercorns, salt, shrimp paste and kaffir lime leaf.
• Green curry paste: The ingredients are similar to those for red curry paste, except green chilies are often used in place of red.
• Yellow curry paste: It is also similar to both red and green curry pastes, but it is made with turmeric, which gives it its yellow colour, and occasionally yellow chili peppers.
• Massaman curry paste: It is an Indian influenced curry, and unlike other Thai curries it contains many ground dry spices as ingredients, including cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
• Phanaeng curry paste: This paste is generally more mild than the other types of Thai curry.