UGLY BABY'S THAI RED CURRY PASTE RECIPE

Ugly Baby's Thai Red Curry Paste Recipe image

Provided by Sirichai Sreparplarn

Yield Makes about 1 cup

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. coriander seeds
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, tough outer layers removed, thinly sliced crosswise
3 Tbsp. finely chopped peeled galangal
3/4 cup dried Thai chiles, torn or chopped into small pieces
2 small Asian shallots or 1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped
8 garlic cloves
5 cilantro roots or 3 Tbsp. thinly sliced thick cilantro stems
1 (1") piece dried kaffir lime zest or 2 very thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves (optional)
1 tsp. (or more) shrimp paste, preferably Thai
A large mortar and pestle

Steps:

Pound peppercorns and coriander seeds in mortar and pestle until finely ground (if using a food processor, you will want to grind these spices in a spice mill first). Add lemongrass and galangal and pound until ground to a coarse paste, 6-8 minutes. Add chiles (if you want, soak them in hot water 10-20 minutes beforehand to soften and make them easier to break up) and pound until pasty, 6-8 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, cilantro roots, and kaffir lime zest, if using, and pound until everything comes together in a relatively smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Mix in shrimp paste; taste and add more if needed.