The very traditional thai red curry paste is used in many preparations apart from curry.
You can always make a cup of this and freeze it and use as and when required. Though making it fresh is always better. But those crunched for time, the former option works well!
So lets go ahead with the recipe.
I recently made it using galangal and kaffir lime leaves,have updated the same.
Galangal is a species of ginger family which is native to thailand. Similarly, kaffir lime is of the lime family native to thailand. In case you do not find kaffir lime, indian lime/lemon leaves would do as well. If doing so, just increase the quantity as kaffir lime is potent in flavour than regular lemon/lime leaves.
Makes: 1/2 cup. Preparation Time: 5 - 10 mins. Cooking Time: Nil
Ingredients:
4 Dry Red chillies, soaked in hot water or 3-4 tbsp of red chilli powder (Kashmiri preferably)
2 thai red bird chillies (optional),
2-3 medium sized kaffir lime leaves,
2" galangal block (optional)
½" ginger block, (if not using galangal use 2" ginger block)
4-6 garlic cloves,
1 tbsp cumin seeds,
1 tbsp coriander seeds,
3-4 shallots, small sized, quartered (madrasi/sambar onions)
¼ tsp white pepper powder or black pepper powder, whichever is handy
2-3 stalks lemon grass (2 if thick, 3 if thin), roughly halved
5-6 red or green basil leaves (red is difficult to get here, so you may substitute with green)
few stalks of coriander
1 tsp salt
Method:
1. De-stem & de-seed the chillies soaked in water. Be careful not to let the seeds touch your skin as it may sting you later! or simply use gloves! I skipped this step and it tasted the same, so you may do that too.
2. Put all the ingredients in a mixer/food processor and blend it into a coarse yet smooth paste. You can use the leftover water of the chillies, about 2-3 tbsp while blending.
Thats it! Ready to use!
I do not have a good picture of it, but it should look something like this:
Notes & Tips:
1. The quantity of lemon grass really depends on the variety used. Hence make sure its a potent one as lemon grass is one of the core flavours of the paste. The stalk we use is the thick stem and not the leaves we use for making tea!
2. Jains can omit the garlic & shallots and proceed with the rest.
3. You can adjust the spiciness by adding or reducing the amount of chillies.
4. Thai bird chillies are tiny red coloured chillies which are really potent. So use carefully. You can entirely omit the dry red chillies and use only the bird chillies. But note that the colour of the paste will not be as red.
5. If you are preserving it, outside, add enough oil (3 tbsp for a cup of paste) and store.
If frozen is your way, add 1 tbsp oil and store.
Do try the paste and let me know how did you use it. Please leave comments about your experiences with it.
You can always make a cup of this and freeze it and use as and when required. Though making it fresh is always better. But those crunched for time, the former option works well!
So lets go ahead with the recipe.
I recently made it using galangal and kaffir lime leaves,have updated the same.
Galangal is a species of ginger family which is native to thailand. Similarly, kaffir lime is of the lime family native to thailand. In case you do not find kaffir lime, indian lime/lemon leaves would do as well. If doing so, just increase the quantity as kaffir lime is potent in flavour than regular lemon/lime leaves.
Makes: 1/2 cup. Preparation Time: 5 - 10 mins. Cooking Time: Nil
Ingredients:
4 Dry Red chillies, soaked in hot water or 3-4 tbsp of red chilli powder (Kashmiri preferably)
2 thai red bird chillies (optional),
2-3 medium sized kaffir lime leaves,
2" galangal block (optional)
½" ginger block, (if not using galangal use 2" ginger block)
4-6 garlic cloves,
1 tbsp cumin seeds,
1 tbsp coriander seeds,
3-4 shallots, small sized, quartered (madrasi/sambar onions)
¼ tsp white pepper powder or black pepper powder, whichever is handy
2-3 stalks lemon grass (2 if thick, 3 if thin), roughly halved
5-6 red or green basil leaves (red is difficult to get here, so you may substitute with green)
few stalks of coriander
1 tsp salt
Method:
1. De-stem & de-seed the chillies soaked in water. Be careful not to let the seeds touch your skin as it may sting you later! or simply use gloves! I skipped this step and it tasted the same, so you may do that too.
2. Put all the ingredients in a mixer/food processor and blend it into a coarse yet smooth paste. You can use the leftover water of the chillies, about 2-3 tbsp while blending.
Thats it! Ready to use!
I do not have a good picture of it, but it should look something like this:
Notes & Tips:
1. The quantity of lemon grass really depends on the variety used. Hence make sure its a potent one as lemon grass is one of the core flavours of the paste. The stalk we use is the thick stem and not the leaves we use for making tea!
2. Jains can omit the garlic & shallots and proceed with the rest.
3. You can adjust the spiciness by adding or reducing the amount of chillies.
4. Thai bird chillies are tiny red coloured chillies which are really potent. So use carefully. You can entirely omit the dry red chillies and use only the bird chillies. But note that the colour of the paste will not be as red.
5. If you are preserving it, outside, add enough oil (3 tbsp for a cup of paste) and store.
If frozen is your way, add 1 tbsp oil and store.
Do try the paste and let me know how did you use it. Please leave comments about your experiences with it.
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