Indian Red Curry Paste Recipe

This homemade Indian red curry paste is a cooked blend of tomato, garlic, ginger, and warming spices. It’s mild by default, freezer-friendly, and ideal for curries, marinades, soups, or rubs.

It simplifies cooking Indian favorites, such as butter chicken or coconut chicken curry. Not only that, but it's a 100% Authentic mild red curry paste, and you can choose how hot or not you want it. Use as a wet spice rub for whole baked fish or roasted leg of lamb.

Jump to:

• What is Indian curry paste made from
• Is it spicy?
• What makes a good curry paste
• Why make your own curry paste
• Ingredients
• Quick steps for making curry paste
• Instructions
• Tips for success
• Variations
• How to cook with curry paste
• Frequently asked questions
• Related recipes
• Useful equipment for this recipe
• Recipe
• Comments

What is Indian curry paste made from

Recipes for Indian curry paste are not set in stone. Usually, a blend of garlic, ginger, and spices is fried with tomato purée.

This is the most basic form of curry paste. Other ingredients like onion powder, soaked dried chillies, black salt, and tamarind can also be added.

Is it spicy?

Curry paste is full of spices, but it does not have to be hot and spicy. You can adjust any curry paste recipe to suit your heat tolerance level.

You can decide to use or omit chili altogether and just have a fragrant, mild, and tasty curry paste that anyone can enjoy.

What makes a good curry paste

Good curry pastes are the ones with a depth of flavor and also the correct intensity of flavor.

When you make curry paste, you have to make sure you use the freshest ingredients and cook them properly.

There should be harmony of flavours in all curry pastes no matter the origin or cuisine its used for.

Why make your own curry paste

When you make homemade curry paste instead of buying it from the store, you get a much richer and unique product, and it will show in your cooking.

You control the whole process from start to finish and can easily adjust the curry paste recipe to your liking.

Maybe you want it super hot or maybe you want to use more of a certain spice or aromatic instead of settling for the generic versions. These are often unbalanced and unexciting.

Ingredients

Curry pastes require few ingredients, or you can go all out and use a wide range of spices to make a complex paste.

This recipe is for a basic curry paste that you can use in many dishes. For this reason, the ingredients are simple and easy to find.

• Turmeric powder
• Cumin powder
• Garam masala
• Dried fenugreek(kasoori methi)
• Chilli powder
• Garlic and ginger puree
• Tomato paste
• Fennel powder

Quick steps for making curry paste

• Blend garlic, ginger, water, and oil into a smooth paste.
• Cook in a pan with oil until fragrant and slightly colored.
• Add tomato paste, cook briefly.
• Add spices and fenugreek. Cook until the oil separates.
• Cool and store in an airtight jar or freeze in cubes.

Instructions

1. Blend the garlic, ginger, water, and 1 teaspoon canola oil together in a blender until smooth. Or use a store-bought version.
2. Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of canola oil for frying.
3. Cook the ginger and garlic paste on medium heat until it just starts to change color.
4. Add tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute.
5. Add the spices and cook for another minute.
6. Remove from the pan and store airtight in the fridge or use straight away.

Tips for success

• Cook all the ingredients thoroughly until they just start to caramelize. Doing this will ensure full flavor release, and your curry paste will be complex and rich.
• Do not get rid of the oil. This is flavor and also helps to preserve the paste for longer. Avoid adding water to it as this will shorten the life of your paste.
• You will know the paste is cooked when it starts to release oil and easily slides around in the pan.
• You can freeze cubes of this paste for when you are in a hurry and just quickly need to add a flavor boost to your soup, stew, or curries.

Variations

• Tikka curry paste — Add 1 tablespoon cashew purée, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 more tablespoon tomato paste.
• Yellow curry paste — Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon fennel powder, 4 finely chopped kefir lime leaves, ½ stick finely chopped lemongrass, 1 teaspoon finely chopped galangal.
• Vindaloo curry paste — Add 1 teaspoon garam masala, 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves.
• Korma paste — Add 1 tablespoon coconut cream, ½ tablespoon turmeric, and 1 tablespoon cashew purée.
• Thai red curry — Add 4 finely chopped kefir lime leaves, ½ stick finely chopped lemongrass, 1 teaspoon finely chopped galangal, 2 soaked dried red Thai chillies, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon finely minced coriander roots or stalks, and 1 finely chopped small shallot.

How to cook with curry paste

• In soups and curries — Add to any curry or soup when adding liquid to base ingredients.
• In marinades — When marinating meats, add to yogurt and marinate for 24 hours for a very tenderizing and flavor-injecting effect.
• As a rub for BBQ — Rub straight onto meat or fish when smoking or barbecuing.
• Koftas or fishcakes — When making dishes from minced meat or fish, add this paste to flavor them.
• Dressings for vegetables — Mix with some soy sauce, a dash of water, sesame oil, and sugar for a delicious dressing for warm steamed broccoli or bok choy.
• Salad dressing — Whisk with some neutral or olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and seasonings. Then dress finely shredded root veg like carrots or beets for a delicious, healthy slaw. Or use instead of a mayonnaise-based dressing for classic coleslaw.

Frequently asked questions

Related recipes

• Massaman shrimp curry
• Indian butter chicken
• Thai style beef koftas
• Georgian adjika Paste
• Coconut chicken curry
• Thai spiced nuts

Useful equipment for this recipe

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