My family loves this homemade yellow curry paste! It’s incredibly flavorful and traditionally mild, so if you are sensitive to spicy foods, this curry paste is for you!
I’m very excited for you to try this yellow curry paste. It’s so flavorful and knocks the socks off most of the store-bought curry pastes I’ve tried. Thai yellow curry paste is generally milder than red curry paste or green curry paste.
This yellow curry paste tastes mildly sweet and fragrant with ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass. It’s excellent for curries, soups, stir-fries, and marinades. We use this to make our yellow coconut chicken curry and love it!
Key Ingredients
- Oil: We need something to bind all the curry paste ingredients together, and a high-heat neutral oil like avocado, vegetable, or safflower oil is perfect.
- Ginger, Garlic, and Shallots: This trio forms the fragrant foundation of our curry paste. We cook them for a few minutes on the stove so they become sweet and soft.
- Turmeric: Fresh turmeric root adds a vibrant yellow color, earthy notes, and a hint of bitterness. If you can’t find it fresh, I’ve shared tips for using dried turmeric in the recipe below.
- Lemongrass: No Thai curry paste is complete without lemongrass! I love the convenience of lemongrass paste (sold in tubes), but if you’re working with fresh, check out the tips below the recipe.
- Curry Powder: A good quality curry powder adds to our yellow color and provides a warm and spicy base.
- Coriander: Ground coriander brings warm, nutty notes that complement the fresh ingredients beautifully.
- Brown Sugar: With so much vibrant flavor happening in this curry paste, a touch of brown sugar helps to bring everything together and round out any sharp edges.
- Lime, Fish Sauce, and Cilantro: These three bring everything together, adding brightness, saltiness, and an extra pop of fresh flavor. While some authentic pastes use dried shrimp or shrimp paste, fish sauce is a great alternative that’s much easier to find (if vegetarian, omit the fish sauce).
How to Make Yellow Curry Paste
Once you have the ingredients, making this yellow curry paste is super simple and very similar to make Thai red curry paste. We will sweat some of the ingredients first, making them a little sweeter and softer, perfect for blending into a paste later on.
So, toss the oil, ginger, garlic, shallot, turmeric, and coriander in a small saucepot. Cover with a lid and place over medium heat. We aren’t looking to add color. Just soften them, which takes around 10 minutes.
Let them cool off, then toss them into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (brown sugar, lemongrass paste, curry powder, fish sauce, lime juice, and cilantro). From there, you want to pulse until you have a paste. If it’s not processing as easily as you’d like, add a little more oil and try again.
Now, you can use your homemade yellow curry paste in the same dishes you would have used store-bought. It’s mild, and you want to take full advantage of all of that flavor, so be generous with it in your dishes. I use 6 tablespoons when making this coconut chicken curry.
Homemade Yellow Curry Paste
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Our family loves this mild Thai yellow curry paste! It has incredible flavor thanks to ginger, shallot, and spices. This curry is not spicy. If you want to add some heat, see my tips below the recipe.
Please note that turmeric is infamous for staining work surfaces and hands. Wear gloves and use a non-porous cutting board.
Makes 1 cup
You Will Need
1/4 cup (60ml) avocado oil
3 ounces (85g) ginger, about 3-inch piece
2 whole garlic heads, peeled and smashed (15 to 20 cloves)
3 medium shallots, peeled and sliced
1/2 ounce (14g) fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced, see tips for using dried
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Juice of half a lime
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Directions
1Combine the oil, ginger, garlic, shallot, turmeric, and coriander in a small saucepan. Cover with a lid and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. (We are not looking to brown anything, so reduce the heat if needed).
2Remove the saucepan from the heat and remove the lid. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
3Pour the contents of the saucepan into a blender or food processor, then add the brown sugar, lemongrass paste, curry powder, fish sauce, lime juice, and cilantro.
4Pulse into a paste. If you are having problems with the blades not “grabbing on” to the ingredients, add a little more oil to help it along.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- For curries: Start with 3 to 4 tablespoons of curry paste per cup of coconut milk. You can always add more later! I use 6 tablespoons in my coconut chicken curry.
- For marinades/other dishes: Begin with 1 tablespoon of curry paste per pound of meat.
- Add heat: Yellow curry paste is known for its mild flavor. If you prefer a spicier curry, you have plenty of options! Fresno chilies offer a moderate kick, while serrano peppers and jalapeños bring more heat. For those who like it fiery, try adding a Thai chili. Just remember that adding chilies may affect the curry’s yellow color.
- Dried turmeric: Substitute 1 teaspoon of dried turmeric for the fresh turmeric called for above.
- Lemongrass paste: I buy the refrigerated lemongrass paste in a squeezable tube sold near the fresh herbs.
- Using fresh lemongrass: Cut away the top and bottom of the stalk. Then, peel away the tough outer layers until you reach the tender, pale yellow core. Finally, thinly slice the stalk, then chop it as finely as possible or use a food processor to mince it. When using fresh lemongrass in this recipe, you’ll need 1 tablespoon minced. Then, add the minced lemongrass to the saucepan along with the ginger, garlic, turmeric, and shallots (slightly different than when using the premade paste). If you make a larger batch of homemade lemongrass paste, store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days or freeze in ice cube trays, transfer to freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Vegetarian/vegan adaptations: Ensure all ingredients are vegan/vegetarian, and omit the fish sauce.
- Storing in the fridge: Allow the curry paste to cool, add it to a clean glass jar, add a thin layer of avocado oil on top, and then store it in the fridge for up to 1 week, possibly longer.
- Storing in the freezer: You can freeze this for up to 3 months. Portion the paste into small freezer-safe containers or ice cube trays. If using ice cube trays, freeze until frozen, pop them out, and store them in a freezer-safe airtight container
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 tablespoon
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Calories
52
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Total Fat
3.5g
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Saturated Fat
0.4g
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Cholesterol
0mg
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Sodium
87.6mg
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Carbohydrate
4.3g
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Dietary Fiber
0.4g
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Total Sugars
1.6g
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Protein
0.5g
