Red Curry Paste
Aromatic and herbacious. Red curry paste provides the base flavours for many Thai dishes.
Ingredients
| Quantity | Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | tsp | cumin seeds |
| 2 | tsp | coriander seeds |
| 1 | tsp | black peppercorns |
| 1 | tsp | white peppercorns |
| 1/2 | tsp | salt |
| 1 | thumb width | galangal |
| 1 | stalk | lemongrass (finely chopped) |
| 1 | kaffir lime rind (finely chopped) | |
| 3 | whole | kaffir lime leaves (both segments) finely chop |
| 1 | bunch | coriander roots and stems (finely chopped) |
| 5 | stems | thai basil stems and roots (optional) |
| 2 | bulbs | shallots (finely chopped) |
| 6 | cloves | garlic (crushed) |
| 10 | whole | whole red chilies (dry, large, roasted, seeded & chopped) |
| 2 | tsp | shrimp paste |
| 8 | whole | red birdseye chilies (seeded) (optional, only add for intense heat) |
Directions
Place cumin, coriander, salt and peppercorns in a small frying pan and dry roast over medium heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Add lemongrass and galangal into the mortar. Grind them into rough fibers.
Add garlic, kaffir lime zest and cilantro roots next. Pound the mixture into a paste.
Leave the shallots for second last. Once when shallots are added, the juice in shallots makes it slippery to grind other ingredients effectively. Pound until the mixture turns into a fine paste so that you can’t recognise individual ingredients.
Add the chili peppers. Pound it like it’s a rental.
Add shrimp paste. Pound to mix it in the paste.
Optional
If you have thai basil, take the stems and roots and pound them into the paste.
You can add some thai birdseye chilies if you really want to ramp up the heat. Less chilies if you find it too hot for you or your guests. Extra chili can be added to each person’s bowl when serving if they want to feel the burn.
Notes
Paste will keep, covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or frozen for 1 month.
Some ingredients have no decent substitutions. If you can’t find them, perhaps cook something else. Ginger is not a substitute for galangal, no matter what some recipes might state. Kaffir lime leaves and thai basil are key to the flavour. Kaffir lime rind is desireable, but it won’t ruin the dish if you can’t find it.
Make sure to buy the coriander with roots. A lot of the flavour is in the roots and stems.
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