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Thai

Thai yellow curry paste

Non-vegetarian

พริกแกงกะหรี่ · phrik kaeng kari

A mild, golden paste of dry-roasted shallots, garlic and ginger pounded with soaked dried chillies, lemongrass, turmeric, toasted coriander and cumin, curry powder and shrimp paste. The gentle, Indian-influenced base for Thai yellow chicken and potato curry.

Thai yellow curry paste is a Thai condiment from Thailand, ready in about 40 minutes and made with dried whole chillies, shallot and turmeric. It serves 7 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
15 min
Total
40 min
Serves
7
Level
Intermediate
Calories
22

Ingredients

7 tablespoons (about 15 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the deseeded chillies in just-boiled water for 15 minutes; squeeze dry and chop.

    • 15 min

    Food safety: Wear gloves or wash your hands well after handling chillies, and keep them away from your eyes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile roast the unpeeled shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger slices in a dry pan over medium heat, turning, for 8–10 minutes until the skins are blackened in patches and the flesh is soft. Cool slightly and peel.

  3. Step 3

    In the same pan, dry-roast the coriander and cumin over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant, and toast the foil-wrapped shrimp paste (opens in a new tab). Cool the seeds and pound to a powder.

    Food safety: Toast shrimp paste wrapped in foil with the fan on — it is pungent — and note that it makes the paste unsuitable for anyone with a shellfish allergy.

  4. Step 4

    Pound the chillies with the salt, then the lemongrass (opens in a new tab), then the roasted ginger, shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) until smooth. Work in the turmeric (opens in a new tab), curry powder (opens in a new tab), ground seeds and shrimp paste (opens in a new tab). (A food processor (opens in a new tab) works well here because the roasted aromatics are soft; add water only by the teaspoon.)

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Jar and chill. Fry in coconut cream for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and golden before adding chicken, potatoes and coconut milk.

About this dish

Origin
Thailand · Commonly attributedKaeng kari shows Indian and Malay influence (the name comes from 'curry' and it uses curry powder). Roasting the shallots and garlic before pounding is the characteristic technique.More food from Thailand
Dish
Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Roasted, Toasted
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury, sweet, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Dried whole chillies · Shallot · Turmeric · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Lemongrass
Techniques
Roasting · Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste
  • May contain: Mustardfrom curry powder
  • May contain: Celeryfrom curry powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

22 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 15 g · recipe makes 7

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 71%
  • Fat 14%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy22 kcal147 kcal
Protein0.9 g5.8 g
Carbohydrate4.5 g30.1 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat0.4 g2.8 g
Saturated fat0 g0.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium253 mg1689 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g4.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
116 mg
Calcium
22 mg
Iron
1.1 mg
Magnesium
12 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
15 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
5 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Roasting mellows the shallots and garlic; it is what makes yellow curry taste rounder and sweeter than red.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the roasting and using raw shallots, which makes a sharper paste closer to red curry.

Serve with

  • Thai yellow chicken curry with potatoes, yellow curry with fish, and as a seasoning for curry-fried crab.

Food safety

  • Toast shrimp paste wrapped in foil with the fan on — it is pungent — and note that it makes the paste unsuitable for anyone with a shellfish allergy.
  • Keep refrigerated.

Storage

  • Pack into a clean jar, press cling film onto the surface or cover with a thin layer of oil, and refrigerate; or freeze in tablespoon portions in an ice-cube tray and bag them. Keeps about 10 days in the fridge and 3 months frozen.

Variations

  • Southern Thai yellow paste (kaeng lueang): A different, sour southern curry: fresh turmeric and bird's eye chillies with garlic and shrimp paste, no dry spices — used for fish and green papaya soup-curries.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Curry paste
Texture
Smooth paste
One batch makes
about 105 g
Keeps
10 days
Store
Covered, in the fridge
Recipe
Traditional

Central Thailand. Makes Thai yellow curry paste, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Shallot, unpeeled; dry-roast in a pan until charred and soft, then peel30 g
Used in steps 2, 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

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