Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cilantro roots (or stems)
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 0.5 tbsp cumin seeds
- 3 dried whole chilis
- 1.5 tbsp galangal roots
- 35 g garlic
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 0.5 tsp peppercorns
- 1 tabs. salt
- 80 g shallots
- 1 tbsp keffir lime zest (or lime zest)
Instructions
- Toast whole chilis for 5 minutes on low heat to dry them and make them more easily grindable.
- Toast coriander, peppercorns and cumin in a pan until light brown. You'll hear the crackling sound when they're ready. It should take a few minutes. Let the spices cool so they will grind easily.
- Slice shallots, lemongrass, galangal and cilantro roots into small pieces. I use one lemongrass stalk. Slice thinly or grate the kaffir lime zest.
- Grind the spices (cumin, coriander and peppercorns) into powder. Scoop out and set the ground spices aside.
- Add dried whole chili peppers and salt. Grind until the chili peppers turn into powder.
- Add lemongrass and galangal into the mortar. Grind them into rough fibers.
- Add garlic, kaffir lime zest and cilantro roots.
- When you can no longer recognize the individual ingredients, add the shallots and grind them as well.
Storage: You can store the curry paste in the freezer for at least one year. I put my curry paste in a freezer bag and flatten the paste to get rid of the air. Once when the flattened paste is frozen, it can be easily broken off into smaller pieces.
Note: The role of salt in curry pastes is to help with grinding and to act as a preservative.
Adapted from this original recipe