Red Curry Paste - Recipe
There is nothing wrong with making curries using pre-packaged pastes, but making curry paste from scratch is addictive; the volatile aroma and flavor is at a completely different level.
This version of a red curry paste originated with my friend Ivy Manning, who writes wonderful cookbooks. I’ve changed it only a bit, to use ingredients I most often have on hand.
The great thing is, this recipe makes more paste than you will probably use in a single meal. Freeze the excess and you will have the beginning of two or three great dishes waiting for you at a moment's notice, like the Red Curry Delicata Squash on or the Red Curry Fried Rice on .
Red Curry Paste
Vegan and gluten-free / Yields enough for 2 meals
- 6 dried New Mexico chile pods, stems removed
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- several grinds black pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped red onion
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 stalk lemongrass, tender white parts only, pounded and roughly chopped
- 1 big handful of cilantro, leaves and stems (rinsed)
- Wearing rubber gloves, tear the chile pods into small pieces. If you like your curries hot, keep the seeds and ribs. If not, throw them out.
- Set up your blender and put the chile pieces in the jar. Pour ½ cup boiling water over them, cover, and let sit 20 minutes or so. In the meantime, you can gather the rest of your ingredients.
- Toast the coriander seeds for 2 minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat.
- Add the seeds and all of the remaining ingredients to the blender. Puree for several minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides and top. If needed, add a little more water to get the paste to come together.
