Here’s my homemade red curry paste. A paste is the base of many a delicious curry dish, such as those made with scrumptious coconut sauces and a variety of meats or fish. I like to make a big patch of curry paste, as most dinner recipes call for only a few tablespoons, and keep the rest in the freezer.
2 tsp dry-roasted coriander
2 tsp dry-roasted cumin
1 ½ tsp white pepper corn
1 medium red onion
4-6 garlic cloves
¼ cup dried large red chilis (about 8 of the 3-in. variety) – soaked, de-seeded and chopped
1 stalk lemongrass – sliced diagonally from bulb until no longer purple
2-inch galangal
grated zest of 2 kaffir limes
6 coriander roots – woody center removed and chopped finely
1 ½ tsp shrimp paste
(Yield: 1 ½ – 2 cups.)
To dry-roast the spices, simply dampen slightly, then place in hot wok and stir frequently (for a minute or two) until aromatic. When cool, grind in mortar and pestle with white pepper corns; set aside.
I use a food processor to chop onion and garlic cloves, and then I mix in hand-chopped chilis, lemongrass, galangal, coriander root and grated lime zest. Then, I try to pound in mortar and pestle (adding spices and shrimp paste at end) to make into a smooth paste. This is a challenge – as anyone knows who has used a mortar and pestle, you basically bang loudly until your arm aches – so I try to remember the words of my cooking instructor in Thailand: “Think of it as anger management.”
When finished, I take Ziploc baggies (about six of them) and fill each with 3 tbsp of paste… perfect for taking out of the freezer, anytime you want to make a red curry. Easy!
About
May 11th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
[...] coconut cream (about half a can – you can freeze other half) 3 tbsp red curry paste 4-6 khaffir lime leaves (bruised) 4 tbsp fish sauce 3 tbsp palm sugar 1 can coconut milk 2 filets [...]
May 20th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
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June 19th, 2010 at 1:47 am
[...] As names go, lemongrass is pretty on the money. It’s a grassy, reedy plant with the aromatic scent of fresh-cut lemons. It adds a delicious citrus-y note to dishes — and it’s a must in most Thai curry pastes (both green and red). [...]
July 31st, 2010 at 8:11 pm
[...] you the truth, I don’t very often, only because I’ve spent a lot of time developing my red and green curries. However, I decided to try a yummy penang curry the other night, in part prompted [...]
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[...] apartment and found — of all appliances — that he had a fantastic wok. I had brought my homemade red curry paste, plus other critical ingredients, like palm sugar and fish sauce, to make Halibut in Red Curry [...]
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:31 am
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September 20th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
[...] Chinatown grocery store, I’ve been sadly living in a curry-free zone. My supplies of homemade red curry paste and green curry paste that I keep in the freezer are depleted. With options limited, I had to [...]
October 2nd, 2010 at 12:44 am
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December 27th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
[...] chee” sauce, which I’ll have to do more research on, but it appears to be made with red curry paste and fresh coconut meat. With prawns, and served with rice, it was super-spicy and [...]
March 15th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
[...] And now, reader Riva of Brooklyn announces she has made a curry with CrackingCurry’s Red Curry Paste [...]
May 6th, 2011 at 4:16 am
[...] had come straight from work, but was prepared: I had my stash of fresh curry pastes — both red and green — to make two favorite recipes, Spicy Southern Curry with Swordfish and [...]
May 30th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
[...] 3 tbsp fish sauce 1/4 cup tamarind water (1/4 tsp tamarind, mixed w/water) 1 tbsp palm sugar 3 tbsp red curry paste 1 tbsp wild ginger, ground to paste 1/4 tsp whole coriander seeds 2-3 red chilis, chopped shrimp [...]
July 23rd, 2011 at 6:06 pm
[...] absolutely necessary. Me and the steady dining companion (who also helped me make a fresh red curry paste) enjoyed it with a [...]
January 6th, 2013 at 4:06 pm
[...] we represented Thailand, bringing the fixings for Wild Ginger Curry with Shrimp, made with my homemade red curry paste…all of which, I can happily report, was devoured. [...]