Gordon Ramsay’s curry paste recipe blitzes fresh lemongrass, chillies, garlic, ginger, shallots, and toasted spices into a smooth paste in under 2 minutes. I watched him make paste from scratch in both his Thai green curry and Thai red curry recipes, and the speed of it made me feel cheated for every year I spent buying jars.
Homemade curry paste is not the all-day project I assumed it was. Ramsay uses a food processor, not a pestle and mortar, and this guide pairs with every Thai dish in my curry recipes.
Try More Curry Recipes:
Thai Green Curry Paste
This is from Ramsay’s Thai green curry rice recipe in his Ultimate Fit Food book. It is bright, sharp, and herby.
- 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 4 green chillies, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger or galangal, peeled
- 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- Small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), stalks and leaves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Put everything in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add a splash more oil if it needs loosening.
Thai Red Curry Paste
This is from Ramsay’s Great Escape Thai red curry with duck, and it is warmer and smokier than the green. The dried chillies give it the red colour and a rounder heat.
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
- 6-8 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 3cm (1-inch) piece galangal or ginger, peeled
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp shrimp paste (or 1 tbsp fish sauce)
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, drain the soaked chillies, then blitz everything in a food processor until smooth.
How To Make Curry Paste From Scratch
- Toast Whole Spices: If using cumin and coriander seeds, toast them in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. This step unlocks the oils and deepens the flavour.
- Prep Fresh Ingredients: Roughly chop the lemongrass, chillies, garlic, ginger, and shallots. They do not need to be fine because the processor does the work.
- Blitz: Add everything to a food processor with 1-2 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Use or Store: Use immediately, or freeze in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. One cube is roughly 1 tablespoon.
Homemade vs Shop-Bought Paste
Shop-bought paste works, and I still keep Maesri and Mae Ploy in the cupboard for emergencies. But homemade paste smells different the moment it hits the pan: sharper and more alive.
The gap is biggest with green curry paste, where the fresh herbs make a noticeable difference. Red paste is easier to get away with from a jar because the dried chillies dominate either way.
How to Store Curry Paste
Fridge for 1 week in a sealed jar with a thin layer of oil on top. Freezer for 3 months in ice cube trays, then pop the cubes into a freezer bag.
I make a double batch of green and red paste on a Sunday, freeze both, and that covers me for a month of curries. One cube per person is the rough rule for most recipes.
FAQs
- Where are these recipes from? The green curry paste is from Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food book and his Thai green curry rice recipe. The red curry paste is from his Thai red curry in the Great Escape book.
- Do I need a food processor? A pestle and mortar works too, but it takes 15-20 minutes of pounding instead of 2 minutes of blitzing. Ramsay uses a food processor in his videos.
- Can I make a basic Indian curry paste? Yes. Blend onion, garlic, ginger, and your choice of ground spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder) with oil. That is the base for most of the Indian curries in this curry sauce collection.
More Recipes To Try:
Gordon Ramsay Curry Paste Recipe
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servings5
minutes2
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minutesGordon Ramsay’s curry paste recipe blitzes fresh lemongrass, chillies, garlic, ginger, shallots, and toasted spices into a smooth paste in under 2 minutes. I watched him make paste from scratch in both his Thai green curry and Thai red curry recipes, and the speed of it made me feel cheated for every year I spent buying jars.
Homemade curry paste is not the all-day project I assumed it was. Ramsay uses a food processor, not a pestle and mortar, and the whole thing is done before the pan is even hot.
Ingredients
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
4 green chillies, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3cm (1-inch) piece fresh ginger or galangal, peeled
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
Small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), stalks and leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Zest of 1 lime
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions
- Toast Whole Spices: If using cumin and coriander seeds, toast them in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Prep Fresh Ingredients: Roughly chop the lemongrass, chillies, garlic, ginger, and shallots.
- Blitz: Add everything to a food processor with 1-2 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Use or Store: Use immediately, or freeze in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. One cube is roughly 1 tablespoon.
