RECIPE: Organic Thai Curry Paste (red or green)

Peppers are high in pesticides so I don't buy prepared products using peppers if they aren't organic.  I've been looking for an organic Thai curry paste for ages and, unable to find one, I decided to make my own.  This recipe requires some advance planning (which I will help you with) but it is totally worth it.  It tastes better than the purchased ones - fresher and more vibrant - and you can control the level of heat. 

We like spicy food so I use habanero pepper but you can use cayenne or even a mild green chile.

Original recipe: Authentic Thai Curry Paste

Thai Curry Paste

Makes about 1 cup

8-10 hot chile peppers - I use habanero
3-4 long chile peppers - I used cayenne
1 Kaffir lime, frozen (available from La Vigne Fruits)
2 T. shallots or red onion finely chopped
2 T. garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 T. galangal root, roughly chopped
2 T. grated lemongrass (about 2 stalks) (available from La Vigne Fruits)
1 T. coriander root
1 T. cumin seed
1 T. coriander seed
1/2 t. white peppercorns
1 t. shrimp paste  1 t. Red Boat fish sauce
1 t. himalayan pink salt

I'm going to go through each of the unusual ingredients and explain how to obtain and store them so that you have them available when you need them.

CHILES:  I have only made this with fresh chiles but I suspect it could be made with frozen.  I wash and stem the chiles and then freeze them whole.  To use them, I let them thaw for a few minutes and then slice or chop them.  When I make green curry paste, I use unripe habanero and cayenne, for the red I use ripe habanero and cayenne.  You can use a milder chile if you prefer.

KAFFIR LIME:  These are available at Whole Foods when in season, and at some Asian markets, but they're not organic.  Biodynamic Kaffir limes are available from La Vigne Fruits.  The only part that's used is the rind, and I find it's easier to grate when they're frozen so I buy them when they're in season and then freeze them so I always have  them available when I need them.  These spoil quickly so freeze them as soon as you get them home.

GALANGAL: This is a root similar to ginger.  I saw it once fresh at Whole Foods.  It might be available frozen at some Asian Markets.  I buy mine dried (organic) from Amazon and then rehydrate it.  It takes a long time to rehydrate so I did a large amount, shredded it in the processor, and then froze it. 

LEMONGRASS:  I see this at Whole Foods all the time, both whole and in small packages.  When in season, I buy it from La Vigne Fruits, cut off the bottom 6 inches, and freeze it.  When frozen it's easy to grate using a microplane.

CORIANDER ROOT:  I have seen cilantro for sale at Whole Foods with the roots attached.  You can also probably get it at some Asian markets.  If not, you can buy a small plant (Whole Foods sells them), or grow your own. If you're able to get the roots, wash them thoroughly and then freeze them.  If you absolutely cannot find the roots you can use the bottom part of the stem with a few leaves attached.

SHRIMP PASTE:  I don't use this ingredient because it's made from farmed shrimp and Thailand's shrimp farming industry is an abomination. I used Red Boat fish sauce instead.

Here are the ingredients again:

8-10 hot chile peppers - I use habanero
3-4 long chile peppers - I used cayenne
Rind from 1 Kaffir lime, frozen and the rind grated (available from La Vigne Fruits).
2 T. shallots or red onion finely chopped
2 T. garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 T. galangal root, roughly chopped
2 T. lemongrass (about 2 stalks) (available from La Vigne Fruits)
1 T. coriander root
1 T. cumin seed
1 T. coriander seed
1/2 t. white peppercorns
1 t. shrimp paste  1 t. Red Boat fish sauce
1 t. himalayan pink salt
High powered blender with a pusher or scraper OR 2-4 T. hot sauce.

Grate the lime zest and lemongrass on a microplane. 

In the photo above, I was preparing to make a double recipe. On the left is the reconstituted galangal, then the lime zest, and on the right is the grated lemongrass. 

Authentic recipes direct you to grind all the ingredients in a mortar.  I'm not about to do that.  'Western' recipes direct you to grind the ingredients in a blender and add a little water.  I tried that and needed so much water it wasn't hot at all!

Here's how I make it now:

You need a high powered blender, like a Vitamix or Blendtec.  With the Vitamix you will be using the pusher, with the Blendtec you will need the twister jar (I bought mine used on Ebay).  If you don't have either, use hot sauce instead of water (I planned to use this one but didn't need it.)

I load the blender with the wettest ingredients on the bottom - shallots, peppers and garlic and grind them first:

Then I add the remaining ingredients and process them:

It's tough going - I have to stop frequently and scrape down the sides, even with the scraper, but it's better than using a mortar and pestle.