Red Curry Paste

This recipe is simple, requiring just 1 food processor (or blender) and 10 minutes to prepare!

The base is red bell pepper, red chilies, garlic, ginger, and green onion or shallot.

Spices come in the form of turmeric, coriander, cumin, sea salt, and black peppercorn. And for a little acidity, I used both lime and lemon juice as well as lime zest.

After all of that takes a whirl in the food processor, you have gorgeous, insanely flavorful red curry paste on your hands perfect for just about any dish you hope to infuse with curry flavor (in my world, that’s just about everything).

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp coriander seed (or ground coriander)
• 1 tsp cumin seed (or ground cumin)
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns (or 1/2 tsp ground black pepper)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• 2-4 red chilies (more or less depending on preferred heat | I used cherry bomb, but Thai red chilies are preferred), stems removed
• 1 stalk lemongrass, root and tip trimmed, then chopped
• 1 heaping Tbsp (3 g) fresh ginger or galangal (or 1-2 tsp ground ginger)
• 3 cloves garlic, skins removed
• 1 Tbsp (3 g) fresh turmeric or 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
• 1 lime, zested and juiced (₄₅ ml juice)
• 6 green onions, sliced or 1/2 cup diced shallot (80 g)
• 2-3 Tbsp (30-45 ml) avocado or grape seed oil (sub water if avoiding fat)
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup or coconut sugar (to balance heat)

Instructions

1. If using whole coriander, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns, add to a small skillet and toast over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant and slightly deeper in color, shaking / stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn! If using powder, skip this step.
2. Once seeds are toasted, add to a mortar and pestle and loosely crush. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, slightly cool the seeds, add them to a sandwich bag, and crush with a rolling pin or a heavy pan. Set aside.
3. To a food processor (or blender with a narrow base), add crushed spices, red bell pepper, red chilies, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, turmeric, sea salt, lemon juice, lime zest + juice, green onions (or shallot), oil / water, and maple syrup (or other sweetener).
4. Blend / mix until a paste forms, scraping sides down as needed. The lemongrass can be difficult to grind at first, but give it time!
5. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime zest or juice for acidity, salt for saltiness, chilies for heat, maple syrup for sweetness, oil (or water) for creaminess / to thin, garlic for zing, ginger for brightness, or turmeric for more intense curry flavor.
6. Store curry paste in a jar in the refrigerator up to 10 days or more. For longer storage, transfer paste to an ice cube tray, freeze, then store in a freezer-safe bag up to 1 month.
7. This curry paste is ideal for curries, soups, sauces, salad dressings, and more!

THAI RED CURRY PASTE

Yield: Makesabout 1 cup

Ingredients

• • 17 to 20 (2- to 3-inch-long) prik haeng (dried hot red chiles), halved and seeds discarded
  • 4 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, 1 or 2 outer leaves discarded (or use reserved bottoms from iced lemongrass tea, page 160)
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 4 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh or thawed frozen greater galangal (sometimes called kha)
  • 6 (4-inch-long) fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves (sometimes called bai makroot), finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro roots or stems
  • 5 small shallots, chopped (6 tablespoons)
  • 1/4 cup chopped garlic
  • 15 to 20 (1-inch-long) red prik kii noo (fresh bird's-eye chiles) or serrano chiles, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ga-pi (Thai shrimp paste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt1. Special Equipment
  • a large (2-cup) mortar and pestle (preferably granite) or a mini food processor

PREPARATION

1. Cut dried chiles into 1/4-inch pieces with kitchen shears and soak in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well in a sieve.
2. While chiles soak, toast coriander in a dry small heavy skillet over moderate heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, then cool. Thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks and finely chop.
3. Finely grind coriander and peppercorns with mortar and pestle (or in mini food processor), about 2 minutes, then toss together with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, cilantro, shallot, garlic, fresh chiles, and soaked dried chiles in a bowl. Pound mixture in 3 batches with mortar and pestle until a fairly smooth paste is formed, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, transferring to cleaned bowl. (If using food processor, add about 1 1/2 tablespoons water per batch.) Return all of curry paste to mortar, then add shrimp paste and salt and pound (or pulse) until combined well, about 1 minute.