Ugly Baby’s Red Curry Paste
A traditional Thai red curry paste made from scratch using fresh aromatics, dried chiles, and shrimp paste. This intensely flavored paste combines lemongrass, galangal, garlic, and other authentic Thai ingredients for a versatile cooking base.
Ingredients
- •1 tsp black peppercorns
- •1 tsp coriander seeds
- •2 stalks lemongrass
- •3 Tbsp galangal
- •¾ cup dried Thai chiles
- •2 small Asian shallots
- •8 cloves garlic
- •5 roots cilantro roots
- •1 piece kaffir lime zest
- •1 tsp shrimp paste
- •1 piece mortar and pestle
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Pound peppercorns and coriander seeds in mortar and pestle until finely ground (if using a food processor, you will want to grind these spices in a spice mill first). Add lemongrass and galangal and pound until ground to a coarse paste, 6-8 minutes. Add chiles (if you want, soak them in hot water 10-20 minutes beforehand to soften and make them easier to break up) and pound until pasty, 6-8 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, cilantro roots, and kaffir lime zest, if using, and pound until everything comes together in a relatively smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Mix in shrimp paste; taste and add more if needed.
25 min