Thai Red Curry Paste

Thai Red Curry Paste Class

(Gaeng Daeng)

Red-Curry-PasteKhwanjai’s Thai Red Curry Paste Recipe is quick and simple to make, it does require a bit of elbow grease to make it, there is no cooking involved and the finished red curry paste is worth all the effort.

You will need a “cruk sac” which to the rest of us mortals is a pestle and mortar, although this can be done in a blender, using one will often destroy some of the texture and aroma.

Khwanjai can also show you how to make an easy Yellow curry paste from this recipe with the addition of just a couple of simple ingredients.

How to Make Red Curry Paste

Ingredients:Red-Curry-Paste-Ingredients
(Makes about 1 cup of red curry paste)

3 Dried Sweet Chillies (capsicum)
12 Dried Thai chillies (the spicy ones)
3 Stalks Lemon Grass
1 tbs Galangal (when Chopped)
2 tbs Chopped Shallots
2 tbs Chopped Garlic
2 ts Shrimp Paste 1 ts Salt
1 Kaffir Lime
Bowl of water
Preparation:
Slice open dried sweet chillies and remove any seeds, leave to soak in water for 30 minutes, and then remove and chop up again (see video tutorial)

Finely chop garlic and shallots and keep together

Next finely chop the lemon grass and galangal and keep together

Peel about 1tbs of Kaffir Lime peel and chop finely

Making the Paste:
Using a Mortar and Pestle (Cruk Sak) start by pounding the sweet chillies into a pulp, then add the dries spicy chillies and salt, continue pounding until mashed well

There’s a great tip in the video tutorial, for using a blender without spoiling the aromas

Add the Galangal and Lemon Grass and Kaffir lime peel until mashed well

Next comes the Garlic and Shallots, keep turning until well mashed, enjoy the aroma now starting to get stronger

Now add the Shrimp paste and continue until mashed in again

Lastly lovingly ladle your latest creation into an airtight container (sling it in “good old Tupperware”)

Done! You just learned how to make Red Curry Paste

Storage:
Store in the airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 12 months.

Khwanjai’s Top Tips:
Those dried sweet chillies are known in the states as New Mexico chillies they are the same family as bell peppers but a different shape and not quite so sweet. Khwanjai says do not try to use fresh ones as it will be too sweet and fruity, smell funny and not keep so well. So it’s off to the Asian grocers to get some I fear, unless you know better in your area.

Take great care when pounding to protect your eyes, even dried chillies can burn!

Print the recipe to make notes there’s some tips about how you can use a blender for part of the process and still retain all the aromas.

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