14g dried Thai Long chillies (remove most of the seeds and pre-soak in hot water for 20 mins)
¼ tbsp shrimp paste
1 tsp finely chopped shallots
½ tbsp minced garlic
½ tbsp minced kaffir lime peel or lime peel
1 large stalks lemon grass, tough outer leaves removed. Trimmed to 8 cm (3 in) and sliced
¼ whole coriander root
½ tbsp finely chopped galangal (or fresh ginger with a splash of lemon juice)
Information
Similar to the sambals of Malaysia and Indonesia Thai curry pastes are an important part of Thai cuisine and are used throughout the country, though each region has its own variation. Using Thai Long chillies our red curry paste recipe is from the Island of Phuket, southeast Thailand.
Time
30 minutes
Instructions
Wrap the shrimp paste in a double layer of aluminium foil. Place the foil parcel in a skillet over low heat and cook for a few minutes, turning the parcel over once or twice. Remove the packet from the skillet and set it aside to cool.
Combine the shallots and garlic in the skillet and dry-fry over medium heat for a few minutes until tender and slightly browned, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a heavy mortar combine the minced lime peel, lemon grass and galangal (or ginger and lemon juice) and pound until the fibres are broken down, scraping down the side of the bowl often. Add the garlic and shallots. Continue pounding, grinding and scraping down the bowl for about 5-7 minutes until a fragrant paste forms.
Drain the Thai Long chillies (save ½ cup of the liquid, see note below). Add to the mortar and continue pounding for another 5 minutes, being careful to keep the chillies from splashing. Unwrap the shrimp paste and add it to the paste. Add a few tablespoons of liquid if needed to ease the process. Continue grinding until the paste is moist and smooth.
This paste, can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (4-5C) for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Note: You can use a blender or food processor instead of pestle and mortar. First pound the spices and other ingredients briefly with the pestle and mortar, and then add to the blender using the reserved liquid from soaking chillies if needed to ease the processing.
Courtesy of: Chef Tummanoon, Executive Chef at the Boathouse Restaurant, Kata Beach,Phuket Island Thailand. If you would like to read more about Chef Tummanoon then please see our friends page.
