How do I make Thai Red Curry Paste?

Question

I have a glut of homegrown chillis and am looking for a good receipe to preserve them

Answer 1

THAI RED CURRY PASTE

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 salt
Special equipment: a large (2-cup) mortar and pestle (preferably granite) or a mini food processor




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.
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.

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.


For the freshest flavor, curry paste is best used the same day it's made. It keeps 1 week, surface covered with plastic wrap, chilled.

Answer 2

* 2 or more fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped
* 5 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, chopped
* bottom stems from a large bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped (original recipe used 3 coriander (cilantro) roots)
* 1 x 1-inch (2.5 cm) cube fresh ginger or galangal, chopped
* 1 large shallot or equivalent onion, chopped
* peel of 1 lime (original used 1 tbsp chopped Kaffir lime peel)
* 1 tsp salt
* 2 tsp coriander seeds
* 1 tsp white or black peppercorns

1. Chop the chillies, garlic, lemongrass, coriander stems, ginger and shallot or onion.

2. Prepare the lime peel by removing as much of the white pith as possible (lay it outside down and slice the pith off with a sharp knife held horizontally) and then chopping.

3. Place all ingredients in the blender and whizz to a fairly smooth paste. The raw ingredients come to about 1 cup (225ml, 8fl oz), so it's enough to put in most small blenders.

4. Store in a screw-topped jar in the fridge. I've kept it for a week or more.

Answer 3

Here are several different websites with recipes for Thai Red Curry Paste. Hopefully one will suit your taste! :)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109465
http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery/recipes/red-curry-paste.html
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrypasterecipes/r/redpaste.htm
http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com/online_recipes/thailand/red_curry_paste.php
http://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/red_curry_paste.php

Answer 4

Martabak Ground Beef Omelete

A popular Bangkok street food is martabak, made with fried bread. We're suggesting easier to work with eggroll skins, available at most supermarkets. This recipe would do well anywhere; its so easy to fix and delicious to eat it will be a hit at food festivals or pot lucks; it reheats well.

Yield: serves 4 to 6
1 cup ground beef
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 to 10 eggroll skins, fresh or frozen (thawed)
Equipment: Medium-size skillet, mixing spoon, medium-size bowl, pancake turner or metal spatula
1. Brown beef in skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.
2. Put eggs and green onions in mixing bowl, add meat and salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
3. Place 1 eggroll skin on work surface and spoon about 2 tablespoons of egg mixture in the center. Bring top and bottom edges up, overlapping them envelope-fashion. Set aside on work surface and repeat filling other eggroll skins until mixture is used up. (Wrap and refrigerate or refreeze any remaining eggroll skins to use at another time.)
4. Wash and dry skillet and add 1 tablespoon oil. Heat oil over medium-low heat and place 2 or 3 eggroll packages, overlapping side down, in the skillet. Lightly press down on eggroll packages with back of pancake turner or spatula and cook for about 2 minutes or until lightly brown. Turn over and cook other side for about 3 minutes, until lightly brown. Repeat until all packages are fried. Add more oil if necessary. Set aside in warm place until ready to serve.
5. On work surface, cut each eggroll package into 4 pieces, cutting across folded edge.
Serve martabak warm or cold, as a light lunch or snack. You may pick them up either with your hands or with chopsticks. A small serving of cucumber salad is usually eaten with them.




Meat Satay

Mention Thailand cooking and everyone seems to know about the famous and delicious thinly sliced, marinated, skewered, and grilled meat-on-sticks served with dipping sauces.

Cooking tip: Cut the meat while slightly frozen; it will be easier to cut into thin strips.

Yield: serves 6 to 8
1/2 pound each skinless, boneless chicken breast, and either boneless beef or pork loin, cut as thinly as possible into strips
1 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, homemade , canned, or frozen (thawed)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dried, crushed red pepper, more or less to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Equipment: Large-size shallow dish, medium-size bowl, 24 6- to 12-inch long water-soaked bamboo skewers (more or less as needed, or use metal skewers), baking sheet
1. Put strips of chicken and meat in large shallow dish.
2. Put curry powder, salt and pepper to taste, coconut milk, vinegar, sugar, red pepper, onion, and coriander in medium mixing bowl, add strips, and mix well to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour, mixing frequently to coat strips.
3. Set oven rack about 6-inches under broiler and preheat to high.
4. If using wooden skewers, you must soak skewers in water for about 30 minutes. Thread chicken and meat strips onto separate skewers. Place skewers side-by-side on baking sheet and broil for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn strips over and broil other side until cooked through and browned (about 3 minutes).
To serve satays, place skewers on large platter and give each person a small dish of peanut dipping sauce. Everyone picks up a skewer and dips the end to be eaten in the dipping sauce.




Peanut Dipping Sauce

Cooks in Thailand and other Asian countries prepare many different dipping sauces to use with satays, but the peanut sauce is the most popular. Thais usually grind peanuts to a paste for the following recipe, and coconut milk is sweetened. We're suggesting a simpler procedure that will provide similar results.

Yield: about 1 1/8 cup
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut cream, canned (available at most supermarkets)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Equipment: Mixing spoon or electric blender, small-size bowl
Use mixing spoon or blender, combine peanut butter, coconut cream, and soy sauce until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve each person about 2 tablespoons of dipping sauce with satay.