These eight fundamentals make ared curry pastecalled prik gaeng kua. As béchamel is to French sauces, prik gaeng kua is the “mother” paste for all Thai curries. You can use it on its own, or tailor it to fit specific curries by adding particular ingredients. For instance, adding freshly toasted coriander seeds, peppercorns, and cumin seeds makes panang curry paste. Replace the dried chiles for fresh chiles, and you’ve gotgreen curry paste. Sub in turmeric for some of the chiles, and you’ve madeyellow curry paste. Read on to learn more info about each ingredient (including where to buy).
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Ingredient
Lemongrass
Lemongrass, a stiff grass native to India, is widely used as a herb in Asian cuisine. As the name suggests, it has a citrus aroma and lemony flavor. Though it's available in dried form, only fresh should be used for curry paste. -
Ingredient
Dried Red Chiles
Though there are myriad dried chiles in the market, for red Thai curry paste, use chiles that are fragrant but not overly spicy, such as Mexican guajillo, puya, New Mexico, Anaheim, or California. -
Ingredient
Kaffir Lime Zest
The thin, outer layer of bumpy peel from kaffir or wild limes, which have a fragrance unmatched by Persian limes. If you can't find the zest, you can substitute thinly sliced kaffir (or wild) lime leaves, which are a little more widely available. -
Ingredient
Cilantro Root
Cilantro root is just what it sounds like, the roots of cilantro plants. Milder in flavor and aroma than their leafy tops, cilantro roots or stems provide a delicate herbal note and a plush, moist texture. The leaves are also added for green curry pastes. -
Ingredient
Shrimp Paste
Shrimp paste is made from tiny shrimp which are boiled, peeled, salted, dried, and then ground to a fine, sturdy, and very aromatic paste.
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Ingredient
Shallots
These these mild-mannered relatives of garlic lend some sweetness to a curry paste. -
Ingredient
Garlic
Garlic's pungent flavor often dominate a dish but here they are in perfect balance with the chiles, galangal, lemongrass and cilantro notes.