Massaman Curry Paste Recipe

Massaman Curry Paste Recipe

8 dried long red chilies, seeded

20g coriander seeds

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

4 star anise, crushed

2 cinnamon sticks, broken

10 whole cloves

1 teaspoon salt

150ml vegetable oil

6 large cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (French shallots),

  preferably pink

6 thin slices galangal, chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh kaffir lime zest (rind)

Method:

Soak dried chilies in warm water for 10 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.  In a small frying pan over medium heat, separately toast each spice, stirring constantly, until fragrant.  Immediately remove from heat and pour spices into a large mortar or spice grinder.  Add salt and grind to a fine powder.  Transfer to a small bowl.  In a wok or large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, heat oil.  Add garlic, shallots and drained chilies.  Fry until slightly golden, 1-2 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon, reserve solids and discard oil.  Place galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime zest in a large mortar and pound to a paste, 10-20 minutes.  Halfway through, add fried garlic, shallots and chilies and pound until smooth.  Add ground spices.  Alternatively, grind dried spices; coarsely chop fresh ingredients and place in a food processor then process until finely chopped.  If necessary, add a small amount of water, 1 teaspoon at a time.  Making your own curry paste allows you to vary the ingredients to suit your taste.  Tightly covered, fresh curry paste keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.  Fried curry paste keeps for 2 months in the refrigerator or indefinitely in the freezer.