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KRUNG KAENG DANG
(Thai Red Curry Paste)
In Thailand most people go to the local curry paste specialist where you buy prepared curry pastes. This was a back breaking chore when the pastes were prepared in a heavy mortar and pestle. Today you can come very close to the same result using a food processor. For the full flavour you should seriously consider the little effort involved in making your own.
Ingredients:
5-10 dried red chilies
10 cloves garlic, chopped
5 mL (1 tsp) chopped galangal
15 mL (1 Tbs) thinly sliced lemon grass
2 mL (1/2 tsp) zest of "Kaffir" lime (ordinary lime will do)
5 mL (1 tsp) chopped coriander (cilantro) root
5 black pepper corns
15 mL (1 Tbs) roasted coriander seeds
5 mL (1 tsp) roasted cumin seeds
X dash fish sauce
5-10 mL (1-2 tsp) kapi (fermented shrimp paste)
Method:
-- Process together to a finely chopped texture in a food processor. Transfer to a blender and add ONLY ENOUGH oil to allow the mixture to puree. This paste will keep about a month under refrigeration or you can also freeze it. (I put the unused portion in an old ice cube tray and keep in the freezer, for ease of measurement later.
-- The prepared paste should be allowed to mature for two or three days before use to bring out the full flavour.
Note: It is better to make the paste milder than to use less than about 2 tablespoons in the final recipe