Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Red Curry Paste

Top flavour pairings and red curry paste recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Red curry paste immediately conjures the evocative embrace of chilli and the bracing kiss of bell pepper, but beneath its umaminess lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as garlic, glutamate, and hints of resin, giving it remarkable depth. Understanding how these layered flavours work together is the secret to unlocking truly exceptional pairings.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our analysis reveals, for example, how beef mince's ferrous tones ground red curry paste, and how curry powder's sotolon notes create a surprising synergy with its fiery sensation.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as spice, herbal, or earthy, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

The Flavour Code

To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Capsaicin Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between chilli and fenugreek flavours. Since red curry paste has a distinct hot flavour, try pairing it with the fenugreek flavours of curry powder.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing red curry paste with curry powder.

Harmonious Flavours Of Red Curry Paste

Just as our statistical analysis showed that chilli and fenugreek flavour accents harmonise well, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in red curry paste. For instance, the capsicum flavours of red curry paste are strongly associated with corn-like and briney notes.

The aroma notes linked to the various accents of red curry paste can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of beef mince offers many of the aroma notes complementary to red curry paste, including ferrous and glutamic aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of beef mince has many of the of the features that are complementary to red curry paste, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of beef mince across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with red curry paste.

Recipes That Pair Red Curry Paste With Beef Mince

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of red curry paste, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of red curry paste, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aroma notes complementary to red curry paste.

What To Drink With Red Curry Paste

The fenugreek notes in savagnin make it a perfect pairing with red curry paste. Likewise, the grassy flavours in light rum create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of red curry paste below.

Which Vegetables Go With Red Curry Paste?

Choose vegetables that lift its salinity or ground its turpentine sweetness. Enoki mushroom and bell pepper offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Baby corn add a gentle, oniony brightness, while green bean introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with red curry paste's savoryness. The addition of soybean sprout, with its subtle leafy notes, can complement the protease beautifully, while bean sprouts lends a fresh leafiness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Red curry paste), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.