Make your own vegan massaman curry paste, from scratch! It's rich, bold, and packed with flavor! You'll be amazed at how simple it is to make, and it's absolutely perfect for curries, soups, stews, and marinades!
Massaman curry is my favorite curry to make, but for a long time, I had a hard time finding massaman curry paste in stores. And when I did find a jar, it often wasn't vegan! So I came up with a recipe for vegan massaman curry paste, specifically so that I could make my vegan massaman curry recipe.
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These days, it's a little easier to find commercial vegan massaman curry paste, but I still love making it myself. It's easy, so delicious, and totally customizable. Gathering up the ingredients is the tough part, but I've given you some guidance below. From there, you're just a little bit of prep work away from an aromatic and delicious curry paste that you can use in all kinds of scrumptious dishes!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Dried chile peppers. Many supermarkets will carry these in the international foods aisle. If you can't find them there, just about any Asian market will carry them.
- Lemongrass. Try the produce section of your grocery store. Most will have this. If yours doesn't, grab it at the Asian market.
- Peanuts. Roasted and salted work best, but really any shelled peanuts will do.
- Shallots. Red onions can be substituted in a pinch.
- Garlic.
- Galangal. This is also known as Thai ginger, and it can be found at most Asian markets. I find the flavor to be more mellow and citrusy than conventional ginger. Having said that, you can substitute regular ginger if you're stuck. The flavor will be slightly different, but still delicious.
- Cilantro stems.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar, since conventional sugar is often processed using animal products.
- Salt.
- Whole spices. This is where a trip to the Asian market will really come in handy. You should be able to get them all there! You'll need coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods, and cloves.
- Dried spices. We're using ground cinnamon and turmeric, which can be found in the spice aisle of any grocery store.
- Coconut milk or water. This is just to thin the paste. Coconut milk is ideal, but plain old water is just fine if you don't feel like cracking open a can.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Soak your chiles. Cut them open, remove the seeds, then soak the peppers in hot water for a few minutes, to soften them up.
Step 2: Prep your lemongrass. Cut a slit up the length of your lemongrass stalk so you can peel off the tough outer layers. Chop up the inner portion for use in your curry paste.
Step 3: Load the food processor. Place the soaked chiles and chopped lemongrass into your food processor, along with the peanuts, sliced shallots, galangal, cilantro stems, brown sugar, salt, and spices.
Step 4: Blend. Turn on the food processor and let it run while you drizzle in some coconut milk or water. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Step 5: Done! Your vegan massaman curry paste is ready. You can use it right away, or save it for later. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to three months.
Tip: My favorite way to quickly thaw out frozen curry paste is by placing the container in a hot water bath. Change the hot water after a few minutes (it'll cool down quickly), and after ten or fifteen minutes you should have enough thawed paste in the bottom of the container to use in a recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it certainly is!
You can, but you may want to consider increasing the amount by around a third, since the leaves have a milder flavor than the stems.
You can! I find that whole spices give the paste the best flavor, but dried will work in a pinch. Decrease the amount of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns slightly — simply measure them scant. For the cardamom pods and cloves, use a quarter teaspoon of each.
It depends how many chile peppers you use. If you use just four, it will be pretty mild. If you go all the way up to twelve, it should have a nice kick. Start with four if you're heat sensitive. You can always add extra seasonings to your curry if you decided to spice it up.
Yes! Your best bet is to use a mortar and pestle. You can also try using a high-powered blender, although you'll probably need to redistribute the ingredients a few times in order to get everything blended.
Thai Curry Recipes
Try this vegan massaman curry paste in one of these delicious recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Massaman Curry Paste
Ingredients
- 4 to 12 dried chile peppers (Note 1), sliced open and seeded
- 1 (6-inch) stalk lemongrass
- ½ cup roasted and salted peanuts
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (3-inch) piece galangal, peeled
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro stems
- 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 4 cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 tablespoons coconut milk or water
Instructions
- Place the chile peppers into a small heatproof bowl or cup, then cover them with very hot water. Let them soak for about 10 minutes, while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Cut a slit along the entire length of the lemongrass stalk. Peel off and discard the tough outer layers, then roughly chop the inner portion.
- Place all remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk or water into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade (Note 2).
- Begin running the food processor. Drizzle in the coconut milk or water to help move things along and thin the mixture. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Continue blending until a thick paste is formed.
- Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Use fewer chile peppers for a milder paste, or more if you like it hotter. Start with less if you're not sure how much heat you can tolerate. You can always add a hot pepper or some chile paste when you make your curry.
- Use a small food processor if possible. Mine is 11 cups, and I wouldn't recommend going any larger than that. If all you have is a large food processor, consider doubling the recipe.
- This recipe makes about 1 cup of curry paste.T
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