Massaman Curry Paste Recipe |
Ingredients: Makes about ¾ cup (180ml) |
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) |
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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