Thai Curry Paste (Red, Green or Yellow)

Some ingredients may be unfamiliar. You can learn about them at our Glossary of Southeast Asian Cuisine:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeb...isine_topic1539.html

From Time/Life's Foods of the World - Pacific and Southeast Asian Cooking, 1970

To make 1/2 cup:

6 dried hot red chilies (for red paste; for green paste, see below), each about 1.5 to 2 inches long
2 tablespoons finely-chopped shallots, or substitue 2 tablespoons finely-chopped scallions, white part only
1 tablespoon finely-chopped garlic
1 tablespoon paprika (red paste only)
1 tablespoon powdered sereh
1 tablespoon trassi
1 teaspoon ground laos
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon finely-grated fresh lemon peel
1 teaspoon salt

Under cold running water, wash the chilies and remove their stems. Brush out any seeds that cling to the skin and break the pods into small pieces. (For a more fiery paste, include some seeds - the hottest part of a chili.)

To make red curry paste, combine the chilies, shallots (or scallions), garlic, paprika, sereh, trassi, laos, caraway, coriander and salt in the jar of an electric blender and blend at high speed for 20 or 30 seconds. Turn off the machine, scrape down the sides of the jar with a rubber spatula, and blend again until the mixture is a smooth paste. Tightly covered and refrigerated, the paste may be safely kept for a month or so.

To make green curry paste, substitute 6 fresh hot green chilies (each about 2 inches long) for the dried red chilies and omit the paprika from the recipe. Then follow the directions above precisely. Green curry paste may be covered and stored in the refrigerator for about a month.

To make yellow curry paste, substitute two teaspoons turmeric and omit the paprika from the recipe. Then follow the directions above precisely. Yellow curry paste may be covered and stored in the refrigerator for about a month.

I cheat and use an Indian version:

http://skizsspice.foodoro.com/store