Shrimp Paste Basics

• Less dry and more fragrant than other shrimp pastes of the region, Thai shrimp paste is necessary to create authentic-tasting Thai food. Thai shrimp paste is made using salted and then fermented shrimp left for up to one year, giving it a murky, muddy color at its finish. Used either raw or slightly roasted to bring out its fragrant nature, shrimp paste will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one year.

Quick Shrimp Paste Sauce

• While traditional shrimp paste is long fermented, you can also make a quick shrimp paste sauce using a combination of dried shrimp and prepared shrimp paste that is ready to use immediately. Used for dipping vegetables and fish, this sauce is spicy and pungent. Pound dried shrimp with a mortar and pestle until it is ground into fine pieces. Add several cloves of garlic and pound together with the shrimp. Incorporate shrimp paste, palm sugar and the juice of several limes. Add several Thai chilies into the mixture, to taste, and pound until finely ground. Store the mixture in an airtight container refrigerated for up to one year.

Northern Thai Shrimp Paste

• Northern Thai cuisine uses a slightly saltier and funkier shrimp paste in its cooking. To make this type of paste you will need only two ingredients -- jarred Korean salted shrimp and jarred Thai shrimp paste. Rinse 2 cups of the salted shrimp under cold water and squeeze out the remaining moisture by wrapping them in cheesecloth and gently pressing on them. Mix the shrimp together with about 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste in a mortar and pestle and grind until you create a coarse paste. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to six months.

Fermented Shrimp Paste

• The basic fermented shrimp paste that is purchased jarred can be made at home as well, though it will take up to six months to achieve a good-tasting paste. Use 1/2 cup of salt for every 2 pounds of fresh shrimp and mix the two together in a bowl. Leave to sit in a warm place overnight and pound the mixture into a puree the following day using a large mortar and pestle. Form the mixture into a large disc and leave it to dry in the sun for two days. Puree the mixture one final time and place it in a large glass jar. Seal the jar with plastic wrap and then apply the lid and leave it to sit in the sun for at least two months or up to six months. Drain the liquid, dry the paste in the sun for two more days and store it in an airtight container refrigerated for up to one year.