Red Curry Paste (Krueng Gaeng Phed)
Ingredients
- 10 red chillies, deseeded and sliced
- 115 g 4oz red onions or shallots, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 lemon grass stems, lower stem only, sliced and bruised
- 1 cm ½ in piece galangal, peeled and sliced
- 4 coriander/ cilantro stems, stalks and roots only
- 1-2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp grated magrut
- 1 cm cube kapi, see Note
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 8-10 black peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Blend the chillies, onions or shallots, garlic, lemon grass, galangal and coriander/cilantro to a fine paste with the oil in a food processor. Add the magrut and prepared kapi.
- Dry-fry the seeds for a few minutes, then grind to a powder with the peppercorns using a pestle and mortar. Add to the paste with the salt. Blend well. Spoon into a glass jar, cover with cling film/plastic wrap and a tightfitting lid and refrigerate.
Notes
Kapi is a key ingredient in South East Asian cooking. Made from shrimp or prawns which are fermented and then pounded into a fine paste, it is usually sold in 225 gram blocks, although the Thai variety is also available in 50 gram plastic containers. It keeps well once opened if rewrapped closely and stored in an airtight container in a cool place.