Curry Paste

part of: Chilli

Curry paste is a concentrated blend of fresh aromatics pounded or blended into a thick, intensely flavoured paste. Green curry paste — the most popular variety in Australia — is built on green chillies, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, coriander roots, kaffir lime zest, and shrimp paste, though vegan versions omit the shrimp paste.

Other common styles include red curry paste (using dried red chillies), yellow paste (milder, with turmeric), and massaman paste (warm spices like cinnamon and cardamom). Each produces a distinctly different curry when cooked out in coconut milk with protein and vegetables.

Commercial curry pastes have made Thai-style curries one of the most accessible midweek meals in Australian kitchens. A couple of tablespoons fried in oil, a tin of coconut milk, and whatever protein and veg are on hand produces dinner in under 20 minutes.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Fresh green chillies, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, coriander roots, and kaffir lime zest are cleaned and roughly chopped. These aromatics are pounded together in a mortar or processed in a commercial grinder with shrimp paste, salt, and spices until a smooth, uniform paste forms. The paste is then packaged in jars, pouches, or tubs, often with a thin layer of oil on top or a modified atmosphere to extend shelf life.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 110kcal
Protein 2.4g
Carbs 6.3g
Fat 7.9g
Fibre 3g Sugar 3.4g
Mass Distribution

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.74kg
Freshwater ≈153.09L
Land ≈0.62m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

Made from
Chilli, fruit

In the kitchen

Used as

curry flavour base

Classic dishes
  • Thai Green Curry
  • Green Curry Fried Rice
  • Green Curry Mussels

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Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

FSANZ

How it was calculated

Analysed

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromChilli, fruit goes well withcoconut milk goes well withchicken goes well witheggplant goes well withfish sauce goes well withlime goes well withtofu shares a sourceChilli Sauces & Condiments shares a sourceRed Chilli Peppers
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