Ultimate Guide to THAI CURRY PASTE - Hot Thai Kitchen

How do you choose a good curry paste? Should you be making your own? How do you store it? What IS a curry paste anyway? In this video I answer all of these questions and more! Curry paste is so key to Thai cooking, so to really understand curry paste is super important in understanding Thai cuisine as a whole!
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com
#ThaiFood #ThaiRecipes #AsianRecipes

[@PailinsKitchen]

HELLO LOVELY VIEWERS! Important Note: If you have questions about this video, you can post it here for the community to answer. But if you want to ask me, please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my website (all links are in the description above). If you leave questions in the comments I may not see them due to the large volume of comments I receive across the hundreds of videos on this channel. Thank you for watching!

[@awokenhunter791]

Pailin's Kitchen how do u make a curry using curry paste concentrate?

[@AmmuAlpha]

Pailin's Kitchen why u didn’t u tell which ingredients to make or what u doing by showing I m here to chk your receipe

[@jonathonsimon7770]

Anyone have thoughts on whether you could throw a few spoons of dried shrimp into the mortar to bring one of the popular and easily available pastes (ie Thai Kitchen) up to true Thai specs ;) Pailin mentions if shrimp paste is omitted from the curry paste, you can just add your own shrimp paste. That's fine, although it got me thinking, this seems a bit redundant - your're essentially buying dried shrimp combined with ingredients that are already in the curry paste. I have tons of those tiny dried shrimp that I use for flavoring Chinese pork dumpling filling and other recipes, and wondered if this could work for building up a more authentic tasting Thai chili paste from the store bought product? Anyone?

[@playgirlsart]

@@jonathonsimon7770 I'm just a beginner with Thai cooking, but I believe shrimp paste is a completely different product from dried shrimp, primarily in that shrimp paste is fermented shrimp.

[@jonathonsimon7770]

Tamm S Thanks - I thought about that, but the chili paste is also fermented - so you are already getting some fermented ummami flavor. I guess I’ll have to get some shrimp paste and run an experiment ;)

[@andreap9952]

Thank you so much for this information ! I am half Thai and have been making several different Thai dishes throughout the years. I really appreciate how informative you are and dissect dishes down to each individual ingredient . Please continue doing this , I take notes ! 💙

[@FlorianRasche]

Could you maybe explain the differences between red, green, yellow, ... curries? Like, is one sweeter/hotter/richer/... thank the others? That would be great.

[@padapapapa7466]

The answer is simply impossible. As she explain in the video that in Thailand there are countless type of paste. Too much that no one knows every kind of paste tbh and bc of this fact it is impossible to say that red are spicier than yellow, and yellow is apicier than green because when it is translated to English you narrow a hundreds type to just 3 type. Or if you talk about the one that's available worldwide then it will depends on the manufacturer's recipe. Some green may spicier than red some red may spicier than green. It is purely based on each brand's recipe

[@FlorianRasche]

@@padapapapa7466 Thank you for your comment.

[@jankafka7330]

@@padapapapa7466 In my experience, green curry pastes are generally the hottest*. Red probably comes next with yellow usually being the least hot. Panang and massaman curries are sweeter. I've never tried sour curry paste, so I have no opinion. *I've made green curry pastes that I could not eat due to the heat. I've never had a red I couldn't handle.

[@padapapapa7466]

@@jankafka7330 well, i can eat แกงเขียวหวาน(green curry) but not tom yum(red i guess)🤷

[@4R1P5R]

This is easy - it's the color of the chilies you use: green chillies is green curry, red chillies is red curry, green and red is yellow curry...

[@terryyonashiro3735]

Pailin, love the way you demystify the curries. Thank you for your explanations on Thai cooking and ingredients it has made me willing to try the many different dishes at restaurants and making them at home. 🌶

[@karishmav.p.7783]

There's so much I love about you, Pai, from how knowledgeable you are to the enthusiasm and passion for cooking and food that you exude that rubs off on us too! I have bookmarked many of your recipes and tried a dozen of them. Your book is next!

[@kittyc3988]

Karishma V.P. Hi Karishma can you guide me to other vegetarian dishes she made? Thanks

[@cathoneyful]

Hands down, my favorite Chef to watch on KZbin and TV. Thank you for the very helpful video!

[@snowmembe]

Amazing Pailin! You never cease to amaze me! You're my Chef extraordinaire! 🤗👍👍👏👏👏👏😁😍❤️💕

[@MrUnbelievableAbs]

Awesome! I love all of your videos! Answered all of my curry questions! I usually use the that little Panang can. We like it. Keep it up ❤️

[@larrysong953]

Thank you. Thank you. Great class 101 about curry. Mastering curry recipes, specially for own favorite, do take time. Thanks for the links 😊👍👍

[@omgwth7567]

crystal clear explanation as always. thanks chef Pailin. 😍😚👍

[@wh33l6r]

Terrific info! Thanks! Been looking for an good explanation for a long time. You delivered!

[@mddell58]

*Hello!! I came here, & subscribed, after SOUPED UP RECIPES, gave you wonderful compliments. I can already tell from the first 7 minutes, I'm happy she recommended you. Have a beautiful day.*

[@jjosyde]

Tried the Mae Ploy green curry along with your recipe and it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever made! Thanks for all the hard work!

[@jlhumor1565]

Its my top curry paste. That Thai Kitchen past is garbage.

[@kippywylie]

Mae Ploy Panang Curry is one you should try next. It's our main go-to in our kitchen

[@horrido666]

Another vote for Mae Ploy. I've been using the green variety since the 90s. love it love it love it.

[@catzlady.8189]

Thank you for answering my questions about Curry Paste! I love your videos.

[@Insightology]

Really appreciated that you mentioned about freezing it....my biggest turn off has been whenever I've bought the paste I use a little bit and then it goes off by the time I get back to it....so very helpful tips thank you.

[@Roz154]

Thanks Pailin for the info....i loved you on One World Kitchen. I really enjoy that show.

[@donttouchthisatall]

Funny thing - just used the Mae Ploy Red curry paste today! Terribly delicious :) Thanks for the explanation Pai! Greatly appreciated and greetings from Australia!

[@sianifairy9070]

CONGRATULATIONS to you Pailin, on your being quoted in the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated!! In their article about Khua Kling (Thai pork curry), I saw your name and holy crap! That's so awesome 💕

[@fantafantanocoke]

I love your 101 series!

[@Boilermaker86765]

I liked the Mae ploy one when I got back from my Thailand trip....then it changed and I liked the maesri brand better now. All the Thai restaurants use the maesri brand around here.

[@Chrissy4281]

I know this is an older video but it was super helpful, especially the tip about storing curry paste. Just subscribed!

[@AussieAngeS]

Thank you very much for this information Pailin, it’s very helpful.

[@rrosevang]

FitAngie dab

[@mikemadrid868]

I been learning alot from your vids , great information 👍

[@KravingsFoodAdventures]

Great tip about the immersion blender!

[@patrickchevassus3848]

Sawatdee khap Pailin! Love your show!

[@richardpomerantz9096]

Thanks for the recipes. We figured out the solution to the left over Maesri can. Just like a bottle of wine - use it all. Yes, it was pretty spicy, but so good.

[@juels508]

I have the little one in the jar mostly because it’s so cute and it actually turned out as a pretty good vegetarian brand.

[@jenslivingbby]

So informative! Thanks Pai.

[@Flo23M]

Hi Pailin! First off, thank you for your great and informative videos! I really enjoy watching you prepare Thai dishes and explaining how to cook authentic Thai specialties at home! My go-to curry paste used to be Mae Ploy, but after moving to another city, I now will have to switch to Cock Brand - I hope their curry pastes are just as good. The ingredients seem to be more or less the same. Nevertheless, I would also really like to make a curry paste on my own - and that's where your videos are very inspirational and motivational! :) Keep up the good work! I can't wait to cook some tasty Thai food at home!

[@darrylpang306]

Very informative video. Thank you Pailin.

[@Neji513]

freezing curry paste? omg here i am throwing it out every now and then and buying new one. thanks for the tip!

[@brdl6192]

Hi there! I really love these ingredient guides. So many different brands of the same thing in the asian supermarket, this helps me choose wisely! I really like the Mae Ploy Panang curry paste (purple tub), i believe it's less spicy than the typical red curry paste but has a wonderfull, rich flavour so you can use more of it. I use those tubs and keep them in the fridge, it doesn't spoil and keeps its rich flavour even after several months. So i'm shocked about what you said about keeping it +-1 week in the fridge :D

[@steffitokio867]

Hey Pailin, this is very informative. What will happen if you store leftovers bought curry paste in the refrigerator (as suggested on its packaging) and not in the freezer? Thanks in advance, always love your contents!❤

[@jgmdsn667]

Great info-thanks! I'd really be interested in seeing you try the pre-made curry pastes you show in this video and give us your opinion on how they compare (flavors, spiciness, etc.). I've currently got Thai Kitchen red curry paste in my fridge and add it to many Asian dishes I create and find it very versatile. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how these all compare.

[@bhagwatisharma4234]

beautifully explained ,nice recipy.....

[@honeyboyan1835]

Sister! This was so helpful!

[@meskeeto]

Awesome video with great information! thank you :)

[@anthonyspicer874]

I had the opportunity to make fresh curry my last trip to Thailand. My wife's aunt walked me through the process from start to finish. We made fresh green curry paste for green chicken curry. Very fresh!!!!!! Love Thailand!!!!! Thanks for sharing Pailin!!!!! Your videos help me make some of my favorite Thai recipes.

[@hayleysawtell3516]

Fresh is way better also you can control what flavours you like

[@trailerparkcryptoking5213]

Share the recipe!

[@teresabristygomes5754]

Love you Pai😍

[@gorringeman]

My Mae Ploy paste has been in the fridge for 6 months and still tastes great haha! - I have a Pandang cooking right now, Yum! Thanks for the videos they are super informative.

[@jimmynolan5291]

I have their big tub in our fridge and it’s been there for 1.5 years and still taste great! I didn’t think it expired but now I don’t know…

[@anneramirez9577]

Thank you so much! Very informative.

[@ekaterinazelenova5015]

I like Aroy-D and Thai Food King brands... I usually keep few of these magic pouches in my kitchen... I also like nam pla (nuoc mam), and it suddenly goes well with Russian dumplings😋

[@Dr.Sciatica]

i can watch your videos all day long :)

[@moritzheintze7615]

The BRAUN coffee grinder works perfect for me since years. Just checked on amazon, they are still available under the label KRUPS.

[@Tempehbacon]

Can't wait for the next video!

[@holyfox94]

I made a green curry stir fry. It’s quick to do and tastes awesome.

[@aarondraper1818]

Mae Ploy is my favourite brand to use or those little tins that are on the bench (can’t remember the brand name atm). There is a brand here in Australia called Volcom and for me it’s like meh! I like my Thai dishes to bite back a bit 😁

[@s.r7351]

Thank you so much for your explanations

[@earlygail]

I finally got the Breville immersion blender she uses; it’s remarkable. It cuts paste prep time by 10x- at least! Very worthwhile if you’re serious about making your own pastes. I’ve been using m&p for 15 years for pastes- no more!

[@dianeibsen5994]

Hi Fritz. I saw your comment about the breville immersion blender and I'm wondering if you still like it? I'm considering getting. Thank you😊

[@earlygail]

@@dianeibsen5994 yes, I still like it and use it!

[@dianeibsen5994]

Ok! Thanks 😊👍

[@YESHASettler]

Thanks for the tips! I think we'll freeze our container of curry paste in teaspoon sizes before bagging it. We live in Israel, and keep kosher, so we don't have a huge selection to choose from.

[@staciejohnson9578]

Very very helpful!! Than you!

[@teamnettno4697]

Early squad from Australia!!!

[@jbstoves5694]

Please do a segment on types of noodles.

[@dnicety8700]

Great information!! Thanks!!

[@AnzanHoshinRoshi]

Thank you, Pailin.

[@kermanthao9736]

This was very helpful, I wanted to make some delicious curry for my family so.

[@travelchannel304]

Yay!! Universe heard my wish on paste videos! 🙏🙏

[@jypsydog6079]

Hurry the next Curry...... Video!! ;) Can't wait. So my 3 month old "Tub" of Green Curry in the Fridge is No Bueno? I was told to put a thin layer of veg oil on the top to store it.

[@Brian.rapsey]

This was a really helpful video

[@AmisCooking]

Great info about the Curry Paste and very helpful 👍👍 Which Curry Paste to use which has no shrimp Paste( vegetarian) 😊

[@WinsVideos]

Love to use red curry paste for a pork tenderloin stir fry! Usually add thai basil and green onion to it.

[@peterstang]

Very lively narration.

[@walkingaroundcentralflorid1173]

Thank you very much for this info!!

[@smigit4]

Awesome video!

[@davesskillet9235]

thanks for sharing one of my favorites S&B is about the only one I can get unless I buy online.

[@atthaphont]

พริกแกงแดงเอามาทำน้ำพริกอ่องทานกับแคบหมู แซ่บมากค่ะ เป็น dip ก็ได้ เป็นกับข้าวก็ดี เก๋ๆค่าา

[@MissTear82]

My family uses a coffee grinder or food processor to coarsely grind the paste then finish it in the mortar and pestle. Speed plus bring out the oil and frangrace of the herbs.

[@neilmacdonald9501]

mae ploy is my brand of choice. Maesri have a decent gaeng som paste also.

[@cadefoster9279]

Palin can you please recommend a red/panang curry past that is mild/medium. I used the Mei Ploy and its VERY spicy. thank you

[@kanizaattarwala8202]

Thanks good information 👌🏻

[@thetiredlinecook]

man i thought you were gonna do a comparison with all the paste or get down to it more in detail...similar to the coconut milk vid..oh well..still educational! more power!

[@MrNightAssasian]

awesome video Pai!!! you look beautiful aswell

[@ViewTalay]

I've been to the Nittaya shop in Bangkok. They had many different freshly made ones for sale in plastic bags and also longer life ones you see in the Asian supermarket. Best brand!

[@alkarania]

Me too! I think it was good for 2 years. Wish I'd known you could freeze it!

[@adde9506]

That was informative BUT I had been hoping to find out the difference between the kinds of curry paste. Why do I want green or red or yellow? What are their general characteristics? Are they interchangeable?

[@lemon_q]

Love love love love ❤❤

[@j0.ZEF-Who]

For bodybuilding, me and my buddies do lots of repetitive food prep days (every weekend ugh). I use her curry pastes with my ground turkey, chicken and beef for extra healthy flavor. Beats using Mrs. Dash seasonings over and over again.

[@dunoripavalan1980]

Exactly what I needed to see as I plan to soon lose my virginity with cooking with thai curry paste; Thank you soooo much! I almost bought some yesterday but was overwhelmed with the different varieties & brands at the East Asian grocery store. I see a few recommendations for Mae Ploy (including the video) so I think I will start with their yellow because I'm veg. One thing not mentioned in the vid is what is the general difference between red, yellow, green, and any other types commonly found in stores. Also for storage, whereas they are in airtight plastic bags in the store on the shelf, wouldn't that work maybe if we keep it in the fridge?

[@studiosingyourstyle]

I very recently found your channel, I’m very excited because My secret obsession is Thai food. But I’m extremely picky and out of 15 restaurants in neighboring cities I only like the taste from one Thai restaurant. ( Yupas, in Tempe AZ) Will you please post another video and tell us what the best yellow curry paste is for with mild spice level?

[@adamthehtkminion6750]

Hi Stephanie! Contact her at one of the links in her post above ("Hello lovely viewers") as she isn't able to respond to comments on KZbin after the first few weeks. Cheers and have fun!

[@30YADIG]

Have you used more than 1brand at a time? Like mixing

[@morgankl797]

Hi Pailin's, I wanted to cook curry paste crab (with eggs). Is green curry paste the way to go? Any brand u recommend? Thanks

[@PaigeDWinter]

My green curry paste is Mae Ploy, for red I've used both Mae Ploy and Aroy-D

[@TheMarcocomar]

Yay, just to let you know Pai, i'm a huge fan xD. Thank you for your videos, you're the reason why i start cooking now :D

[@wolfman011000]

About freezing curry paste, i like to use individual portion sized ziploc bags to freeze it and then into a larger ziploc to keep them together. Don't forget to write what it is and the date you froze it, Thanks for the vieo, take care, God bless one and all.

[@vsashi7]

Miss ur videos pailin =) from Malaysia

[@leester9487]

Mae ploy! I can't wait to see your video on how to use it since I've got a huge tub of it and I never seem to use it up. I shop at a food service supply store and its so dang cheap, I CAN'T NOT buy the tub size. I suspect that a lot of Thai restaurants use it as a base for their Tom Yum, but I'm not a fan of it. I'm going to have to try the canned stuff since I like it spicy.

[@PailinsKitchen]

Thai restaurants actually don't use curry paste in tom yum, they would use roasted chili paste, which is a different thing. If you freeze your big tub it'll last you a long time :)

[@scottmactavish9716]

I LOVE the Maesri in the tin. I have to take a poll of how hot everyone likes their curry, and then its three-quarters or a the whole can! Brown sugar help modify the heat too.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

Yeah, their tins are a somewhere in between in size. A full can is pretty potent, a half can is a little tepid. I sometimes use just half a can and add some fresh grated ginger, garlic, nutmeg, lime leaves etc.

[@stumpydog87]

I use Ayam brand curry pastes. Very popular in Australia.

[@Dracounius]

Falafel mix + Curry paste (or Indian masala) = Delius flavourful Falafel (not hugely fond of the classic one, I find it to often be a bit bland)

[@alessandrosalvatore3826]

I have had the curry paste in my fridge since a couple of years (I bought a little bit too much) and it seems still good

[@tanyawatches]

Do you have a brand recommendation that is mild enough for toddlers?

[@sunlight2839]

Thank you!

[@hidereplies1425]

I have a ? about curry paste. if i use a store bought curry powder how much do i use to get the same level of flavor as store bought curry paste.

[@harrisonalexander5590]

I didn’t get a singe word of the recipe, you are breathtaking 😍🥰

[@earlygail]

Ha ha- you gotta go into “monk mode” to focus up and get all her good info.

[@joiwilliams8254]

Is crab base a good alternative for shrimp paste?

[@fastflyer9]

Thank You!

[@johnpinion8033]

I buy the large container, snip the bag in the corner and then just keep it in the fridge. Granted, I go over your time limit of "a week"(??), and I can see where some of the ingredients might deteriorate over longer periods of time, but the paste is so concentrated, and has such low moisture content, with cell walls already thoroughly broken down, I'm not sure it matters that much. For me it doesn't seem to. (But I'm Italian, not Thai! lol)

[@DStrayCat69]

I buy "Mae Jin" curry pastes... both Red and Green. The come in a glass jar and store quite well in the refrigerator for months... I got my last few jars at T&T... You might want to check it out :-)

[@shaunleebabineaux8851]

Can you make a video on how to make Tu Chi Chicken? I hope I spelled it correctly. It's one of my favorite Dishes and I'm tired of driving to the other side of town to get it homemade in my city.

[@adamthehtkminion6750]

Hi! Don't recognize it myself, but is it one of these hot-thai-kitchen.com/?s=chicken ? Cheers! Adam

[@johnfargher100]

Free Style Curry Paste: I am hooked on Curry Paste now

[@kp-rd8sf]

Thanks a lot