Thai Red Curry Paste

INGREDIENTS

• 17 to 20 (2- to 3-inch-long) prik haeng (dried hot red chiles), halved and seeds discarded
• 4 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, 1 or 2 outer leaves discarded (or use reserved bottoms from iced lemongrass tea, page 160)
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh or thawed frozen greater galangal(sometimes called kha)
• 6 (4-inch-long) fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves (sometimes called bai makroot), finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro roots or stems
• 5 small shallots, chopped (6 tablespoons)
• ¼ cup chopped garlic
• 15 to 20 (1-inch-long) red prik kii noo (fresh bird's-eye chilies) or serrano chilies, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ga-pi (Thai shrimp paste)
• ½ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut dried chiles into ¼-inch pieces with kitchen shears and soak in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well in a sieve.

2. While chiles soak, toast coriander in a dry small heavy skillet over moderate heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, then cool. Thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks and finely chop.

3. Finely grind coriander and peppercorns with mortar and pestle (or in mini food processor), about 2 minutes, then toss together with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, cilantro, shallot, garlic, fresh chiles, and soaked dried chiles in a bowl.

4. Pound mixture in 3 batches with mortar and pestle until a fairly smooth paste is formed, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, transferring to cleaned bowl. (If using food processor, add about 1 ½ tablespoons water per batch.)

5. Return all of curry paste to mortar, then add shrimp paste and salt and pound (or pulse) until combined well, about 1 minute.