How much curry paste do I use?
In this brief guide, we will answer the question “How much curry paste do I use?”, tell you what curry paste is and how to use it while cooking. We will also tell you if you can use curry powder in place of curry paste.
How much curry paste do I use?
You should use 2 tablespoons of curry paste for one batch of curry if it’s too strong. You should use ¼ cup of curry paste for one batch of curry if the curry paste is too mild.
There are many different brands of curry paste available at the grocery store and they all differ in their flavor and heat. On the other hand, homemade curry paste will be different from store bought curry paste.
For example yellow curry paste is mild with more turmeric like flavor while red curry paste is very hot due to the red chilies. So the amount of curry paste you should use depends on which kind of curry paste you are using and how much heat you can handle.
If you are using red curry paste, do not add a lot of it if you can not handle the spiciness and vice versa.
What is curry paste?
Curry paste, like curry powder, is a blend of different aromatic and flavorful spices mixed together. Except that in curry paste, oil is usually added to give it a paste-like consistency. You can find it at any grocery store near you.
The ingredients used to make curry paste are cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, ginger garlic, lemongrass, and some chilies.
Now the type and amount of chili peppers used give the curry paste its distinct color and flavor.
For example, in Thai cuisine, there are mainly three types of curry pastes. They are green, yellow, and red. The green thai curry paste has green chili peppers in abundance which give it the green color and spiciness. Yellow thai curry paste mainly has turmeric added to it so it has a very distinct and mild flavor.
On the other hand, red thai curry paste is the most spiciest because it has a lot of red chili peppers. Sometimes even paprika and cayenne pepper are added to it. This is why red curry paste appears super bright red.
The other ingredients are more or less the same. But they all have a very distinct flavor.
Can you add curry paste after cooking?
No, you can not eat curry paste after cooking because curry paste needs to cook properly before it can be eaten. If you add it after cooking, it will taste bitter since it will remain uncooked.
According to standards, you should add curry paste to a pan and let it fry for a while. Since, it almost always has oil in it, no need to add more of it. After that add any protein and vegetables to it and let it fry for a while again. Then add coconut milk or water and let it simmer until the sauce thickens.
Adding curry paste before cooking will also give more flavor to stews and soups.
Can I use curry powder in place of curry paste?
No, you can not use curry powder in place of curry paste because the final dish made with curry powder will not have the same flavor profile as the dish made with curry paste.
The same is true for when you are trying to substitute curry paste in place of curry powder. The two have very different texture and flavor profiles. Just because they share the same word “curry”, does not mean they can be used interchangeably.
One main obvious difference between curry paste and curry powder is that curry paste is wet with ingredients such as ground chili peppers and oil while curry powder is a dry blend of whole or ground spices.
Curry paste belongs to Thai cuisine. Thai curry paste consists of red, yellow, and green curry pastes. Each one of these have a distinct flavor and get their names from their color.
On the other hand, curry powders are a part of Indian cuisine. They are used to make Indian style dishes. There is a significant difference between Thai and Indian cuisines.
Learn more about curry paste here.
Other FAQs about Curry that you may be interested in.
Do curry spices go out of date?
Can you reheat chicken curry and rice?
Can you leave Curry out overnight?
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question “How much curry paste do I use?”, mentioned what curry paste is and how to use it while cooking. We also told you if you can use curry powder in place of curry paste.
