Our bestselling Thai Red Curry Paste is your shortcut to a restaurant-quality meal in under 20 minutes. Stone-ground in small batches in Chiang Mai using organic galangal, lemongrass, and dried red chillies — this paste delivers deep, layered Thai flavour with zero compromise. No fish sauce. No MSG. No artificial anything. Just real ingredients, honestly made.
Free from: Fish sauce · Shrimp paste · Gluten · Nuts · MSG · Artificial additives · Dairy · Eggs · Refined sugar · Refined salt
ABOUT THIS PRODUCT
Tom Yum is one of the world’s great soups — a Thai hot-and-sour broth that is simultaneously bold, fragrant, sour, and spicy. Its character rests on three aromatic pillars: lemongrass, the fibrous citrus-scented grass that gives Thai cooking its signature fragrance; kaffir lime leaf, whose floral, zesty perfume is completely unique in the culinary world; and galangal (kha in Thai), the peppery, piney rhizome that is the defining flavour of Thai soups. Together, these three create an aromatic base that is unlike anything in Chinese, Indian, or Western cooking.
Mekhala Tom Yum Paste stone-grinds all of these aromatics together with organic dried red chilli, shallots, garlic, lime juice, coriander root, and Himalayan pink salt. The result is a concentrated paste that dissolves easily in hot broth, instantly transforming a simple vegetable stock into something fragrant, complex, and deeply satisfying.
Most commercially available Tom Yum pastes and ready-made Tom Yum soups contain fish sauce, shrimp paste, or both — making them inaccessible to vegans, vegetarians, and anyone with seafood allergies. Mekhala Tom Yum Paste contains no animal products whatsoever. It achieves the same depth and authenticity through the quality and freshness of its organic plant-based ingredients and the stone-grinding process that preserves their volatile oils.
While Tom Yum soup is the most obvious use, this paste is a genuinely versatile cooking ingredient — excellent as a marinade for fish and seafood, a stir-fry base, a dressing component, and a flavour boost for rice dishes and noodle bowls.
SIMPLE TO MAKE
The key to great Tom Yum is good stock and fresh lime at the end. Don’t add the lime juice at the beginning — it turns bitter when boiled. Stir it in just before serving.
Bring 2–3 cups of good vegetable broth to a simmer. Stir in 2 heaped teaspoons of Mekhala Tom Yum Paste and dissolve completely. Taste and adjust — more paste for more flavour and heat, more broth to mellow it. The broth should be fragrant, spicy, and slightly sour.
2 heaped tsp paste + 2–3 cups brothAdd mushrooms (oyster, straw, or shiitake), cherry tomatoes, and your protein — tofu, prawns, or chicken slices. Simmer for 5–8 minutes until cooked through. For Tom Kha style, add half a can of full-fat coconut milk to the broth at this step for a richer, creamier soup.
Mushrooms · Tofu / Prawns · Optional coconut milkRemove from heat. Stir in a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice — this is the step that brings the soup alive. Add fresh lime after cooking, never before, or it turns bitter. Garnish with torn kaffir lime leaves, fresh chilli slices, and spring onion. Serve immediately.
Fresh lime at the end • Ready in 15 minutesWHAT’s INSIDE
Every ingredient is USDA Certified Organic. No fillers. No msg. No artificial preservatives.
Please verify the current label for the most accurate and up-to-date ingredient information.
NUTRITION FACTS
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 teaspoon (6g)
Servings per container: 17
VERSATILITY
The lemongrass, kaffir lime, and galangal aromatics make this paste one of the most versatile in the range. Six ways to use it beyond the classic soup.
Dissolve 2 heaped tsp in hot vegetable broth, add mushrooms, tofu or prawns, simmer 5–8 min. Finish with fresh lime off the heat. Thailand’s most beloved soup in 15 minutes.
Add ½ can of coconut milk to the broth for a creamier, richer Tom Kha style. Use the same paste — the galangal becomes more prominent and the heat mellows beautifully.
Mix 2 tsp paste with lime juice and olive oil. Marinate prawns, fish fillets, or squid for 20 minutes before grilling. The lemongrass and kaffir lime char creates an extraordinary crust.
Fry 1 tsp paste in a hot wok with day-old rice, tofu or egg, and spring onion. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime. A hot-sour fried rice with real Thai character in 10 minutes.
Stir 2 tsp paste into simmering ramen broth with rice noodles, mushrooms, and tofu. Finish with fresh lime and spring onion. A Thai-Japanese fusion bowl that comes together in under 15 minutes.
Whisk ½ tsp paste with lime juice, a neutral oil, and a splash of coconut milk. Bold and tangy — excellent over green papaya salad, slaw, or cold rice noodles.
COMPLETE YOUR DISH
Tom Yum’s hot-sour character pairs beautifully with light proteins, mushrooms, and fresh herbs.
EXPLORE THE RANGE
So you want to make Thai food, but you’re not sure which paste is for what. We made this comparison chart to help you decide which Mekhala product you should use – a cheat sheet for Thai pastes.
| Feature | 🍜 Tom Yum Paste | 🔴 Red Curry | 🟢 Green Curry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Soup paste ? clear or lightly clouded hot-and-sour broth base | Curry paste ? coconut-milk-based thick curry | Curry paste ? coconut-milk-based thick curry |
| Spice Level | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Hot | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Medium | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Hot |
| Flavour Profile | Sour, hot and tangy ? bright lime, lemongrass, galangal | Warming, bold, slightly smoky with citrus lift | Fresh, bright, herbaceous and aromatic |
| Key Aromatics | Lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, galangal, dried chilli | Dried red chilli, galangal, lemongrass | Fresh green chilli, kaffir lime leaf, Thai basil |
| Liquid Base | Vegetable or chicken broth | Full-fat coconut milk | Full-fat coconut milk |
| Best Protein Pairing | Prawns, white fish, tofu, mushrooms | Tofu, chicken, pork, tiger prawns | Prawns, fish, tofu, chicken breast |
| Best Used For | Tom Yum soup, Tom Kha, marinade, fried rice | Curry, marinade, stir-fry, roasted veg | Curry, noodle soup, seafood dishes |
| Ideal For | Soup lovers · Seafood & light veg dishes | Everyday use · Most versatile | Spice lovers · Seafood fans |
All Mekhala pastes are USDA Certified Organic, 100% vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and free from fish sauce, shrimp paste, MSG, and artificial additives.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Tom Yum that tastes like Thailand
I lived in Bangkok for three years and have missed authentic Tom Yum ever since. This paste is the closest I’ve found outside Thailand — the lemongrass and kaffir lime are immediate and real. Add mushrooms, tofu, and a good vegetable broth and you’re there.
Finally a vegan Tom Yum paste
Every Tom Yum paste I’ve found has fish sauce or shrimp paste. This one is completely vegan and the flavour is outstanding. The sourness, the heat, the fragrance — all there. So relieved to have found this.
Hot, sour, completely addictive
Tom Yum is my favourite Thai dish and this paste nails it. The sour-spicy balance is exactly right. I’ve been putting it in everything — noodle soups, stir-fries, fried rice.
The lemongrass fragrance is everything
Open the jar and you get an immediate hit of lemongrass and kaffir lime. This is what an organic, stone-ground paste smells like. My pantry staple — I’ve already re-ordered twice.
Excellent ? add fresh lime generously at the end
The paste is excellent. Top tip: add the lime juice after removing from heat, not during cooking — it makes a huge difference. I missed this the first time and it was still good, but with fresh lime stirred in off the heat it is outstanding.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
RETAIL
Mekhala is available at Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, H-E-B, Giant, and select specialty grocery stores across the US. Use the store finder to locate your nearest stockist.
At Mekhala, we believe in making great products that we want to use for ourselves and our families. And that means doing the very best we can with what is available.
We ask – what is this going to cost? Our health? Our planet? Our viability?
More often than not, it is immensely challenging to find the best balance. Read on here to find out how we’re doing it!
