Thai Red Curry Paste ~ Thịy n̂ảphrik kæng s̄ī dæng

Tonight I decided that we would do a "Fakeaway" night at home... this generally consists of homemade pizza or burgers or any items you would normally go out to eat or order in. It's a fun way to prep and eat food and generally the whole family gets involved. Fakeaway tonight was Thai and it was decided that we would have two curries, rice, poppadoms and roti bread.

The two curries we decided on were Red Chicken Curry and Green Chicken Curry. I had already made the Thai Green Curry Paste ~ Kæng k̄heīywh̄wān thịy and it was in the freezer.  So all I needed to do was make the Thai Red Curry Paste.

As I always insist making your own curry pastes are very easy and taste a lot nicer than those in the jars with no preservatives and additives.  They keep generally for around a week sealed in a container in the fridge or frozen they will last up to several months.  Once you make your first paste you will be making more and more - trust me.....

Anyway so Red Curry Paste yes it has chillies in the recipe but this is not a hot Thai Curry - needless to say my kids like this one.  

This recipe is simple and I mean really simple - by using a food processor it's ready in 10 minutes.  While it's not an authentic recipe using all the correct ingredients it has the same beautiful flavour and texture.

The base is red chilies, garlic, ginger, and shallot.  With the addition of a magnificent combination of spices, fish sauce and coconut cream and the acidity of lime juice - it all smells nice before the paste is even made.

Everything in at once, a quick whirl in the food processor and you have perfect and vibrant paste ready to use in a curry or however you like.  Paste will taste very strong at this point but will mellow when you use it.

Thai Red Curry Paste ~ Thịy n̂ảphrik kæng s̄ī dæng

(Recipe sourced from The Curry Kitchen Cookbook)

Makes approximately 1 cup

1 shallot, roughly chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, pale part only, roughly chopped

1 - 2 red chillies

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large piece galangal or ginger, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon ground corinader

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon shrimp paste

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons chilli powder

3 tablespoons thick coconut cream

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place all the ingredients in a food processor , blender or mortar and process well until smooth.

If you want a thinner sauce add a little more coconut milk.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)