As little as 10 years ago, Thai restaurants were few and far between in Australia. Now it seems you can’t turn a corner without coming across one.  With Thai food being so accessible and the array of witty restaurant names making it an even more "In Thai Sing" option, the obvious question is, why bother making your own?

• View the SBS Food Guide to Curry

For me, the answer lies in an age-old kitchen utensil: the mortar and pestle. Forget modern forms of stress relief like yoga and boxing, this is the ultimate way to pound out the worries of the day (and you're getting dinner sorted in the process). It’s not surprising that the mortar and pestle was one of the earliest symbols for a pharmacy, because the grinding together of garlic, chilli and aromatic spices really does have a soothing effect – both because of the action itself and the uplifting aroma it produces (although the pharmacy symbol pertained to its use for crushing medicine). An experienced Thai cook can tell whether to add more of an ingredient by the aroma alone.

The mortar and pestle, traditionally made from hardwood, ceramic or stone, is the instrument of choice for making the perfect Thai curry paste. Curry pastes form the base of Thailand’s many celebrated colourful curries, and it is the interesting mix of spices and herbs that makes each one unique.

It is believed that the "Tai" people migrated from south-west China between the 6th and 13th centuries. This, combined with the fact that it was a major crossroads between East and West during the exploration era has resulted in a unique cuisine that has Chinese, Persian, Arabian and Indian influences.  

Thailand boasts an endless array of curries that can be interchanged with meat, chicken, seafood, tofu or offal, or even snake! But it is the curry paste that forms each distinct flavour. Get the paste right and the rest will fall in to place. Below is a guide to Thailand’s most well-known curry pastes.

Red curry (gaeng phet)

Made with red chillies and originating from Central Thailand, this is probably the most widely known Thai curry in Australia. As well as flavouring a traditional coconut curry, red curry paste also forms the base for other dishes, like thot man pla (fish cakes) and sai ua (grilled Chiang Mai sausage). The executive chef of Sydney’s Spice I Am restaurants, Sujet Saenkham, shares his recipe below.

• Red curry paste recipe
• Best store bought option: Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste

Green curry (gaeng khiao wan)

Green curry originates from the central region of Thailand, but is served throughout the country with various regional touches. Green in colour, due to the use of green chillies in the paste, it is distinctively sweeter than its red counterpart. Below, Neil Perry of Rockpool shares his recipe for the perfect green curry paste.

• Thai green curry paste recipe
• Best store-bought option: Thai Gourmet Green Curry Paste

Yellow curry (gaeng karee)

Traditionally richer and creamier than other Thai curries, due to the addition of coconut cream as well as coconut milk, this curry gets its yellow colour from the addition of turmeric powder and shrimp paste. Owner of a Sydney-based Thai home cooking class and catering business Athita Tesamarth shares her recipe below.

• Yellow curry paste recipe
• Best store-bought option: Trident Yellow Curry Paste

Panang curry (gaeng panang)

Named after the Malaysian state, this distinctly flavoured curry is from Thailand’s central and Southern regions. A chicken Panang curry is documented as being served at the celebration feast for when the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Royal Temple in the Grand Palace, was consecrated in 1809. The feast was a huge celebration attended by 2000 Buddhist monks.  Head Chef and owner of Sugarcane Restaurant in Sydney’s Surry Hills Milan Strbac shares his recipe below.

• Panang curry paste recipe
• Best store-bought option: Maesri Panang Curry Paste

Massaman curry (gaeng matsaman)

The name Massaman is thought to be a linguistic variation of the word "Muslim". Usually made with beef that is cooked slowly in the coconut milk-infused sauce, it can be made with chicken, tofu or beef (pork is avoided). In his 19th century epic poem The Boat Songs (written to inspire oarsmen of the royal barge to row harder), King Rama II wrote:

 
This dense, hearty curry is filled with plenty of meat and potatoes, and sprinkled with roasted peanuts or cashews. Martin Boetz of Sydney and Melbourne’s Longrain restaurant shares his recipe below.

• Massaman curry paste recipe
• Best store-bought option: Spirit House Frozen Massaman Curry Paste

Jungle curry (gaeng pah)

The jungle curry hails from Central-Northern Thailand, where cooks have no access to coconut trees. For this reason, jungle curry doesn’t contain coconut milk and has a watery consistency. The lack of coconut milk means that there is nothing to mellow the spiciness, making this curry not for the faint hearted. It is traditionally prepared with wild boar, but these days is usually made with pork or chicken. A recipe from the acclaimed Spirit House cooking school and restaurant in Queensland is found below.

• Jungle curry paste recipe
• Best store-bought option: Valcom Jungle Curry Paste