Ingredients:
makes about 1/2 cup
- 6 small dried red chilies, seeded
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 shallots, coarsely chopped
- 2 stalks lemongrass (white part only), coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp. fresh gingerroot, coarsely chopped
- 2 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
( Metric Cooking Conversion )
Procedures:
In a small bowl, cover dried chilies with hot water. Let stand for 25 minutes, or until softened.
In a blender or food processor or using a mortar and pestle, combine soaked chilies and the liquid, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, curry powder and black pepper. Process until becomes paste forms; scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary.
make ahead:
Paste can be prepared, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen in small amounts for up to 3 months.
freezing curry paste:
Transfer curry paste to a small resealable freezer bag and flatten. Freeze.To use, break off the required amount and seal the remaining paste tightly.
Alternatively, place the paste in mounds (about 1 tbsp/15 ml each) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze, then wrap each mound tightly and store in a resealable plastic bag.
