Like most thai curries, A good paste is the key to a delicious dish.
Wether it's store bought or homemade. There’s nothing wrong with store bought paste, I have a complete list of thai curry paste in my fridge. It is convenient, and you can have a flavourful, mouth-watering mid- week dinner. Just saying!.
Thai red curry paste is the most versatile among other thai curry paste , it is used as base paste of a lot of dishes in thai cooking , such as stir fries, fish cakes, noodle soup and marinades.
There is a great satisfaction to the idea of making everything from scratch including a paste. It is definitely a weekend type of meal if decide to do this. If you have busy household, you can still do something like this with the help of advanced technology such as a blender or a food processor.
The advantage to the idea of making everything from scratch is knowing exactly what is included and also can exclude ingredients that you don’t want in your food or if allergy.
If you have tried making a paste before from scratch and quite disappointed with the result? You are not alone! I used to struggle in getting that right consistency, most of the time it's way too grainy, and of course it has an impact to the dish. So, I am here to share some techniques that really made the difference after years of practise and techniques that I learnt from thai chefs . These techniques applies in every thai paste.
The easiest way of making paste is using a food processor or blender. The traditional way is using a pestle and mortar. If you are up to it, and if you enjoy making dishes from scratch, and this is for you!
I have tried both, but I prefer the pestle and mortar, probably because my blender/ processor is not that great. If you have a good one. Great! , . But, I personally find pestle and mortar more effective. Pounding releases oil of the chillies and more fruity as well. I think the aroma when its pounded is different compared to paste done with a food processor. I’m just describing my experience here, not an expert just sharing opinion.
It is very manual work and time consuming , it will involve some muscle work., but don’t get discourage nor intimated by the idea of pounding. Like I said, I have found the way to make it a lil bit easier and it is the Thai way. Enjoy pounding and Happy Cooking!
Most of the ingredients are available in an Asian Supermarket, or online if you prefer.
What you need to get
Dried prik chee fah (Red Spur Chilli) -traditionally thai red paste is made of these chillies, and also common called as red thai chillis. My paste is made of 2 different sizes of thai red chilli , long thai chilli and small red chillis ( but not dried bird’s eye chillies, you can add some dried bird's eye chillis if you feel adventurous with heat). The more long chillies you use the darker the paste, I add small red chillies to add more heat to my paste. But if you have the the large ones only they are perfect enough for a paste. ( see photo below)
Galangal- it is related to root ginger, but should never be swap one for the other. You can buy this fresh or frozen. If frozen let it thaw first thoroughly ( see photo below).
Kaffir lime peel- it is wonderfully aromatic .it is a citrus fruit native to South- East Asia, like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The fruit and juice is bitter, the leaves used for cooking in most thai curries, thai salads and garnishes, the peel on the other hand , its very aromatic and is used for paste. ( see photo below).
Coriander roots- some asian supermarket sell these frozen or fresh, if you are lucky to get it fresh, it comes in a bundle, freeze the rest of them in sealed tight bag.( if not available use bundle of stems
Kapi (Shrimp paste )- it comes in tub or jar. It is a fermented shrimp, it has a very strong smell. omit if allergy or vegetarian version. For reference ( see photo below).
Lemongrass- you can easily find these in your local supermarkets.
Nam Prik Gaeng Phet ( Red Curry Paste)
Full Ingredients: 1 Portion
5-7 dried red spur chillies
2 lemongrass (white part only), minced
2 tbsp galangal, minced
3 asian shallots, minced
4 slices kaffir lime peel, minced
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp coriander root ( if not available, use stems), minced
1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted
1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
1 tsp white peppercorn, roasted
2 tsp Kapi (Shrimp paste)
Pinch of salt
Method :
First thing to remember when pounding ingredients is to start from the hardest one, and add one at a time. When you pour everything in mortar in one go, it’ll take you 10 times longer and harder.
Before, pounding we need to prep the ingredients:
Light pan roast the chillies in a medium heat, careful not to burn the chillis , shake or stir constantly for 30seconds- 1minute , remove from the hub and set aside to cool.
On the same pan, roast coriander seeds, cumin seed, and white pepper corn constantly shake or stir for 30 seconds to a minute. set aside.
If using non stick pan, toast Kapi (shrimp paste) both side for 1 minute and set aside or wrap it in a kitchen foil and toast it in a pan.
Now, time to pay attention on that dried chillies, using a scissor, cut open the chillies into very fine pieces. It it very important to do that, because that will make the process a lil bit easier during the pounding ( if using the processor prep chilis differently). Place it a heat proof bowl and pour hot water and soak for 10- 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, chop minced lemongrass, galangal, coriander roots, shallots, garlic, kaffir lime peel. As finely as possible.
Now you are ready: Mortar and Pestle ,when you using mortar and pestle you always need a spoon, you will understand why when you start pounding.
Add, soaked dried chillies first and pound it until desired consistency.
Add, minced lemongrass and pound, break the grains as much as you can, then add galangal and coriander roots together then stir in salt will help break the grains as you pound. It may sound such a hard work but if you finely chopped those ingredients its actually not that hard.
Add minced shallots and garlic, kaffir lime peel and pound until mixed well into the mixture. The reason to add these before the dry ingredients is that shallots produces that liquid that will help break the rest of the dried ingredients.
Add the dried roasted ingredients, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, white peppercorns and pound. Add last, the shrimp paste. Continue pounding until desired consistency ( see photo as a reference ).
If made a bigger portion fry paste with cooking oil in medium to low heat , stir until fragrant. Make sure not to burn the paste. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool fully. Place in a clean airtight jar and can leave in fridge for up to 1 month.