Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste
A pungently aromatic Thai curry paste, used for the base of a Thai red curry.
Ingredients
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
8 – 10 long red chillies
2 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
½ tsp ground white pepper
3 fat garlic cloves (don’t be shy with the garlic
3 lemon grass stalks, outer skin removed, finely sliced
4 coriander roots (from Asian grocers), roughly chopped – or use the stalks from a large bunch of fresh coriander
6 fresh kaffir lime leaves
5 cm piece of fresh galangal or ginger finely grated (mix with some black pepper if using ginger)
2 tsp shrimp paste (hold your nose and don’t be tempted not to add).
1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
8 – 10 long red chillies
2 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
½ tsp ground white pepper
3 fat garlic cloves (don’t be shy with the garlic
3 lemon grass stalks, outer skin removed, finely sliced
4 coriander roots (from Asian grocers), roughly chopped – or use the stalks from a large bunch of fresh coriander
6 fresh kaffir lime leaves
5 cm piece of fresh galangal or ginger finely grated (mix with some black pepper if using ginger)
2 tsp shrimp paste (hold your nose and don’t be tempted not to add).
Method
1. Put the cumin and coriander seeds in a small dry frying pan and toast over a medium heat for 30 seconds until fragrant. Transfer to a heavy pestle and mortar and grind as finely as possible (alternately use a food processor)
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop the red chillies, leaving the seeds in (they add vital heat to the dish, just vary the amount to what you can cope with) and put in a food processor with the soaked dried chillies and 1 tbsp of the soaking liquid. Blend to a puree and set aside
3. Add the rest of the paste ingredients to the pestle and mortar, one by one, making sure each ingredient has been pounded to a paste before adding the next. [Alternatively, put all the paste ingredients into a small food processor and whizz to a past], The pestle and mortar gives a more authentic look.
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop the red chillies, leaving the seeds in (they add vital heat to the dish, just vary the amount to what you can cope with) and put in a food processor with the soaked dried chillies and 1 tbsp of the soaking liquid. Blend to a puree and set aside
3. Add the rest of the paste ingredients to the pestle and mortar, one by one, making sure each ingredient has been pounded to a paste before adding the next. [Alternatively, put all the paste ingredients into a small food processor and whizz to a past], The pestle and mortar gives a more authentic look.