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What is red chilli paste?
Red chilli paste is a thick, spoonable condiment made by grinding red chillies with salt and usually garlic, ginger or vinegar. You cook with it to add colour, heat and flavour. Ours is desi ghoti: the chillies are pounded by hand in a dori danda.
By the Cooker Master team · Updated 6 November 2026
What goes into red chilli paste?
Every maker does it a little differently, so always read the label. Ours has five ingredients and nothing else: red chilli, ginger, garlic, pink salt and vinegar. The chilli gives colour and heat, ginger and garlic give the savoury base most of our curries start with, pink salt seasons it, and vinegar adds a clean tang.
Red chilli paste, chilli powder or chilli sauce: what is the difference?
Chilli powder
Dry and fine. It gives heat and colour but no moisture, so it can taste flat and sometimes burns in hot oil.
Chilli sauce
Thin and pourable, often sweet or sour. Good on the table, less useful as a cooking base.
Red chilli paste
Thick and concentrated. Goes straight into the masala, marinade or chutney, and brings ginger and garlic with it.
What does desi ghoti mean?
Ghoti means the chilli is pounded by hand in a dori danda (mortar and pestle) instead of being ground in a machine. Cooks who pound their chillies at home will tell you the texture is coarser and the flavour feels fuller. That is the style we follow, and it is why you can see the chilli in the jar.
How hot is red chilli paste?
As hot as the chillies in it, and heat varies from jar to jar of any paste. Start with half a teaspoon for a dish that serves two to four people, stir, wait a minute and taste. A paste is concentrated, so it is easy to add more and hard to take out.
How long does it keep?
Our jar has a shelf life of 1 to 1.5 months. Use a clean, dry spoon every time and close the lid after use. Pakistani summers are hot and Karachi is humid, so keeping the jar in the fridge in the hot months is a sensible habit. Follow the storage note printed on the label first.
Is it the same as gochujang, harissa, sambal or Thai paste?
No. Gochujang is Korean and fermented with rice and soybean. Harissa is North African and made with spices. Sambal is Indonesian, and Thai red curry paste is built on lemongrass and galangal. Ours is a plain Pakistani kitchen paste, made for karahi, marinades and chutneys. If a recipe calls for one of those and you want a swap, see our red chilli paste substitutes.
Questions people ask
What is red chilli paste used for?
It adds colour, heat and flavour to curries, karahi, marinades, chutneys, noodles, rice and sandwiches. You stir a small spoon into the dish instead of adding dry powder.
Is red chilli paste the same as chilli sauce?
No. Chilli sauce is thin and pourable and often sweet or sour. Chilli paste is thick, concentrated and used as a cooking ingredient.
Is red chilli paste the same as gochujang or harissa?
No. Gochujang is a Korean paste fermented with rice and soybean, and harissa is a North African paste made with spices. Ours is a simple Pakistani paste of red chilli, ginger, garlic, pink salt and vinegar.
How long does red chilli paste last?
Cooker Master red chilli paste has a shelf life of 1 to 1.5 months. Always use a clean, dry spoon and follow the storage note on the label.
Is red chilli paste very hot?
It is as hot as the chillies in it, so start with half a teaspoon and taste. You can always add more.
Want to try it?
Order the 490g Value Edition jar for Rs. 550. Delivery is Rs. 150 and takes 1 to 2 days.
Cooker Master
Desi Ghoti Red Chilli Paste. Red chilli, ginger, garlic, pink salt and vinegar. Made by Cooker Master in Pakistan.
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