Basic Red Curry Paste

There are several different Thai curry pastes which are "red" in color. Generally speaking, they all start with the same basic herb ingredients. Those ingredients are dried mild red chili, fresh galangal, lemongrass, coriander root, garlic, shallot, and kaffir lime zest. To make Prik Kaeng Ped, our hot red chili paste, we add hot chili, plus toasted spices like cumin, coriander seed, and peppercorn. The same can be said for other curry pastes, such as Massaman and Panang. They start with the basic ingredients, then add a few other things to get the distinct flavor that is expected. It is for this reason that this Basic Red Curry is also sometimes referred to as a curry base. Many our our most popular dishes, Choo Chee as an example, are seasoned with the same basic herb ingredients but do not need the dry spices. The cook can pound them all together while getting the other ingredients ready to make the dish, or she can take the shortcut and use a Basic Red Curry paste. This recipe shows you how to do that.

Yield: 1 Cup

Prep time: 1 Hour

Ready in: 1 Hour