Nam prik kaeng masaman (masaman curry paste)

Yield: 1 Batch

Ingredients:

10 Dried red chilies
1 ts Cumin seeds
1 tb Coriander seeds
2 ct Pods
3 Cloves
6 tb Chopped garlic
4 tb Chopped shallots
1 tb Oil
10 Peppercorns
2 tb Chopped lemon grass
1 ts Chopped galangal
1 ts Chopped bergamot skin
1 ts Chopped coriander root
1 ts Shrimp paste grilled
1 c Palm sugar
1 tb Salt
4 tb Tamarind juice

Instructions:

Coarsely chop the chilies and soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain. Dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds cardamom pods and cloves over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are aromatic and slightly browned. Saute the chilies garlic and shallots in the oil until lightly browned. Pound in the following order: a) garlic shallots and chilies b) coriander cardamom pods cumin cloves and peppercorns c) lemon grass galangal bergamot coriander roots. Place the shrimp paste on a piece of foil and cook it over a flame or burner for 1 to 2 minutes or in a hot oven (425F) until the outside is slightly burnt. Mix the shrimp paste with all the above ingredients plus the sugar salt and tamarind juice to form a fine paste. From "Discover Thai Cooking" by Chaslin Canungmai and Tettoni Times Editions Singapore. 1987 Posted by Stephen Ceideburg April 18 1990.