Red Curry Pastes from Thailand

Recipe: red curry paste for Khao Soi

In Thailand there are many different curry pastes, which give the dishes their unique flavour. This paste is from the north of Thailand and contains black cardamom, which has a herb, resinous and slightly smoky flavour. It is mainly used for the popular dish of Khao Soi in the north of Thailand - noodles with chicken curry.

Ingredients

5 dried red birdeye or szechuan chillies
8 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
4 pieces of ginger (thumb-sized)
2 capsules of black cardamom
2 tbsp coriander seeds
10 coriander roots
2 tsp of turmeric powder
salt

Preparation

Remove the seeds from the dried chillies and soak in warm water for 15 minutes.
Divide the cardamom capsule longitudinally and remove the small seeds. Combine with the coriander seeds in a small pan until they begin to smell. Allow to cool and grind to a powder in a kitchen mixer or mortar.
Clean the coriander roots and chop finely.
Dry the chillies and place them on a grill spit, as well as the shallots, garlic and ginger. To get the typical smoky taste of the Khao Soi, now grill over a gas flame, charcoal or in the oven until they assume a dark color. The ginger should only be slightly brown, not black. Allow to cool and remove any black spots.
Pestle all other ingredients together with the coriander roots in a mortar (or blender) to a fine paste and add some salt. Finally, add the coriander, cardamom and the curcuma powder and stir together.
The best way to keep the Khao Soi curry paste is in the fridge and should be consumed within 3 months. For a longer shelf life you can add some oil over the paste.

Recipe: red curry paste from Southern Thailand

Ingredients

8 fresh red cayenne chillies
3 fresh red birdeye chillies
3 shallots
1 stalk fresh lemongrass
2 cm fresh galangal root
2 coriander roots
1 Kaffir lime
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp of nutmeg, ground
1 tsp shrimp paste

Preparation

Clean and finely chop the cayenne and birdeye chilies, galangal and coriander roots (use gloves with the chillies). Peel the shallots and finely chop them. Clean lemongrass and cut into fine rings. Wash the Kaffir Lemon, peel it with a knife and finely chop the peel. You need 1 tbsp.

Roast the coriander seeds in a pan without oil for 2 minutes.

Crush the cumin in a mortar (or blender), add the other ingredients, pestle well and process to a paste. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and finally stir in the shrimp paste.

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