Thai Red Curry Paste

Thai red curry pastes—blends of red chilies, garlic, makrut lime, lemon grass, galangal and spices—can be wildly inconsistent in heat and flavor. To determine our favorite, we tested seven widely available brands, tasting each bloomed in coconut milk and cooked in a simple stir-fry.

Maesri Red Curry Paste ($2.69/4-ounce can) was the favorite. Tasters praised its bright, zesty flavor and well-balanced sweet, spicy and savory notes. While a few found it slightly salty, most agreed it had the best overall flavor and aroma.

Two other standouts were Aroy-D ($8.49/14-ounce container) and Mae Ploy ($6.98/14-ounce container), placing second and third, respectively. Aroy-D impressed with its rich, caramelized flavor and complex spice. Mae Ploy was broadly enjoyed, but some tasters felt it contained too much shrimp paste, giving it a fishy funk.

At the bottom were Mike’s Organic ($6.79/4.23-ounce jar) with an unpleasant bitterness, and Thai Kitchen ($6.98/4-ounce jar), which most found dull and lifeless. Our least favorite was Thai Taste ($7.89/7-ounce package), described as bland, metallic and lacking complex curry flavor.