Thai Red Curry Paste

An intensely flavorful and spicy Thai red curry paste made from a blend of chilies, spices, lemongrass, lime, onions, garlic, ginger, and cilantro.

We used to get nearly all our groceries at Reading Terminal Market. Since we've moved from Philly, however, we can't quite justify 2 hours and $22 just to go back and forth - not even counting the time needed to pick out groceries. However, we were headed over to a party in Chinatown, so we thought we'd also stop by. While walking around, I saw some lemongrass. I'd often heard about lemongrass, but I hadn't really found any at a decent price. I knew I had to get some! To me, lemongrass is a staple flavor in Thai cuisine, so I figured I'd start with a Thai Red Curry Paste. This fragrant recipe is so totally easy - all you do is combine all the materials in a food processor (or mortar/pestle if you're hardcore). And out comes an intoxicating reddish paste - good enough to eat on it's own. Straight out the jar good. I only made a small portion since I wasn't sure if we'd like it. I think it's safe to say, I'll need to make more very soon!

What are some of your favorite DIY sauces/flavorings?

Thai Red Curry Paste

by CJ Huang

An intensely flavorful and spicy Thai red curry paste made from a blend of chilies, spices, lemongrass, lime, onions, garlic, ginger, and cilantro.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 cup

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			10	dried red chilies	prik haeng if it's available
		1/2 tablespoon		cilantro
		1/2 tablespoon		lime zest	Kaffir lime if you can find it.
23 grams	3/4 ounces	2 tablespoons	6 cloves	garlic, minced
26 grams	7/8 ounces	1 tablespoon		ginger, sliced
46 grams	1.625 ounces			lemongrass	sliced into 1 inch segments (or smaller)
52 grams	1.75 ounces	1/4 cup		onions, diced
		1 teaspoon		peppercorns
		2 teaspoons		shrimp paste	I just ground up some dried shrimp.

Methods:

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	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Pulse lemongrass and peppercorns in a food processor.		3. Add in ginger, garlic, cilantro, zest, and chili powder.
	4. Continue pulsing, and add in chili peppers, onion, and shrimp paste. (This step might be better if switched with Step 3.)

Shared with: Wonderful Wednesday, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, Creative Ways, Foodie FriDIY, Throwback Thursday, Pinworthy Projects, What's for Dinner?, Happiness is Homemade, Sustainable Sunday, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Over the Moon, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday