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8 dried long red chilies, seeded
20g coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
4 star anise, crushed
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
10 whole cloves
1 teaspoon salt
150ml vegetable oil
6 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
(French shallots),
preferably pink
6 thin slices galangal, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only,
peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh kaffir lime
zest (rind)
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Method:
Soak dried chilies in warm water for 10
minutes. Drain and pat dry. In a small frying pan over
medium heat, separately toast each spice, stirring constantly, until
fragrant. Immediately remove from heat and pour spices into a
large mortar or spice grinder. Add salt and grind to a fine
powder. Transfer to a small bowl. In a wok or large, heavy
frying pan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add garlic, shallots
and drained chilies. Fry until slightly golden, 1-2 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon, reserve solids and discard oil.
Place galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime zest in a large mortar and
pound to a paste, 10-20 minutes. Halfway through, add fried
garlic, shallots and chilies and pound until smooth. Add ground
spices. Alternatively, grind dried spices; coarsely chop fresh
ingredients and place in a food processor then process until finely
chopped. If necessary, add a small amount of water, 1 teaspoon
at a time. Making your own curry paste allows you to vary the
ingredients to suit your taste. Tightly covered, fresh curry
paste keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Fried curry paste
keeps for 2 months in the refrigerator or indefinitely in the freezer.
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