Name: Thai red curry paste
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Makes 250g
Ingredients: 4 dried red chillies; ½ tsp cumin seeds; ½ tsp coriander seeds; 2, deseeded and chopped red chillies; ½ tsp fine sea salt; 50g, chopped galangal or ginger; 2 sticks, chopped lemongrass; 4, chopped shallots; 4 cloves, chopped garlic; stems from a small bunch, chopped coriander; 6, finely shredded or the zest of 2 limes lime leaves; 1 tbsp paprika; 1 tsp white peppercorns; 1 tbsp (see cook’s notes below) or use 1 tbsp fish sauce shrimp paste; ½ tsp caster sugar

4 dried red chillies
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
2, deseeded and chopped red chillies
½ tsp fine sea salt
50g, chopped galangal or ginger
2 sticks, chopped lemongrass
4, chopped shallots
4 cloves, chopped garlic
stems from a small bunch, chopped coriander
6, finely shredded or the zest of 2 limes lime leaves
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tbsp (see cook’s notes below) or use 1 tbsp fish sauce shrimp paste
½ tsp caster sugar

Method

step 1
Put the dried chillies into a bowl and soak in just-boiled water for 15 minutes until soft.
step 2
Tip the cumin and coriander seeds into a small pan and toast until fragrant. Put the chillies, salt and spices into a large food processor with the remaining ingredients and blitz until mostly smooth, but not puréed.
step 3
The paste will keep in an airtight jar, in the fridge, for a month – or portion into 2-3 tbsp measures in an ice-cube tray and freeze.