basic curry pastes

Thai 'curries' are typically made using a 'curry' paste. However that is 
an oversimplification: firstly the word used for these dishes in Thai is 
kaeng (pronounced 'gang') and it covers soups, stews and of course 
curries. A paste which is used could be used just as well for a soup as 
for a curry. 

Secondly of course it is not true that Thais call them curry: the word 
for curry is kari and it is only applied to a small number of dishes: 
the dishes that appear on western Thai restaurant menues as 'curries' 
are kaengs, and they are made not with curry paste but with a sauce made 
from prik kaeng (which in this case could be translated better as chili 
paste). 

There are many different prik kaeng in Thai cuisine and from them you 
could make a vast number of different dishes by using different protein 
ingredients, and vegetable ingredients and so on to the extent that it 
is said that most Thai housewives could cook a different kaeng every day 
of the year. 

However if you know the four basic pastes listed here, and the basic 
techniques from my next posting, you can make a vast array of dishes, if 
not perhaps quite one per day for a year. 

A rough rule of thumb is that one cup of raw chilis yields a cup or so 
of paste (since there is air in the chilis). Further it will keep about 
3 months in a preserving jar in the fridge. 

Since the average kaeng will require (depending on how hot you make it) 
between 2 and 8 tablespoons of paste, and since there are roughly 16 
tablespoons in a cup, you can scale this recipe up to suit your needs. 
Suffice it to say that we make these pastes on a cycle over 8 weeks and 
make 6-8 portions of each of them. As they say in US motor 
advertisements: your mileage may vary!

1: prik kaeng kiao wan

This is a paste for a green curry, and the 'wan' indicates that it 
should be slightly sweet as well as hot.

ingredients:

1 cup of prik ki nu (green birdseye chilis) 
5 tablespoons lemon grass, finely sliced 
10 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions), chopped 
10 tablespoons of garlic, minced 
5 tablespoons of galangal (kha) grated 
5 tablespoons of coriander/cilantro root, chopped 
2 tablespoons of coriander seed 
1 tablespoon of cumin seed 
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper 
2 tablespoons of shredded bai makroot (lime leaves) 
4 tablespoons of kapi (fermented shrimp paste) 
1 tablespoon of palm sugar. 

If you can't get prik ki nu, you can use half a pound of habanero chilis 
or one pound of jalapena chilis. If you use the latter deseed them 
before use. Note that if you use a substitute you will get a different 
volume of paste, and that you will need to use different amounts in 
subsequent recipes. 

If you can't get kha use ginger 
if you can't get bai makroot use lime zest 
if you can't get coriander root, use coriander leaves.

method:

coarsely chop the chilis. 

Toast the dry seeds in a heavy iron skillet or wok, and grind them 
coarsely. 

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process to a smooth 
paste. 

Place in tightly stoppered jars, and keep in the fridge for at least a 
week for the flavors to combine and develop before use. 

The remaining three pastes are all made from dried red chilis: those 
sold in Thailand are frankly stale. Those sold in Europe and America are 
generally barely fit for human consumption. If you must use them then 
break them up and shake out the seeds, and soak them in tepid water for 
about 30 minutes before use. 

Preferably dry fresh red chilis. All these recipes call for one cup of 
fresh red chilis, or half a pound of red habaneros, or one pound of red 
jalapenas, deseeded. Dry them in the sun, or if the climate doesn't 
allow then dry them in a herb desicator, or smoke them in a smoker or 
over a barbeque. 

The dried chilis (which need not be tinder dry - it is enough to remove 
most of the water) are then toasted under a broiler until *almost* 
burnt. 

Treat this stage with extreme caution: if you overcook them a noxious 
gas closely related to Mustard gas is released. This is quite dangerous 
-- at a minimum cook them in a very well ventillated room with a fan on 
and have a damp cloth ready to cover your mouth and nose in case of 
emergencies -- and disconnect your smoke detector/fire alarm!

2: prik kaeng phet

phet means hot incidentally.

ingredients, 

1 cup of prik ki nu daeng (red chilis), prepared 
5 tablespoons lemon grass, finely sliced 
10 tablespoons of shallots (purple onions), chopped 
10 tablespoons of garlic, minced 
5 tablespoons of galangal (kha) grated 
5 tablespoons of coriander/cilantro root, chopped 
2 tablespoons of coriander seed 
1 tablespoon of cumin seed 
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper 
2 tablespoons of shredded bai makroot (lime leaves) 
4 tablespoons of kapi (fermented shrimp paste) 

(Note that except for the sugar and the use of red chilis this is the 
same as the prik kaeng kiao wan) 

Follow the same procedure: toast and grind the dry seeds, and then blend 
all ingredients to a fine paste

3: prik kaeng Panaeng

This is a paste for a 'dry chili'

ingredients

1 cup of prepared red chilis 
10 tablespoons of shallots, chopped 
5 tablespoons of garlic, chopped 
10 tablespoons of lemon grass, finely sliced 
5 tablespoons of galangal, grated 
1 tablspoon of coriander seeds 
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds 
5 tablespoons of coriander root. chopped 
1 tablespoon of kapi 
5 tablespoons of freshly toasted peanuts, crushed 

follow the same general method, toasting the seeds, then blending 
everything together.

4: prik kaeng masaman

masaman is a mild hot and sour dish equivalent to the Indian vindaloo.

ingredients

1 cup of prepared red chilis 
3 tablespoons of coriander seed 
1 tablespoon of cumin seed 
1 tablespoon of cinnamon 
1 tablespoon of cloves 
1 tablespoon of star anise 
1 tablespoon of cardamom 
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper 
10 tablespoons of shallots, chopped 
10 tablespoons of garlic, chopped 
2 tablespoons of lemon grass, sliced thinly 
1 tablespoon of galangal grated 
3 tablespoons of bai makroot (lime leaves, or lime zest) 
3 tablespoons of kapi 
a small amount of salt (pinch) 
a small amount of turmeric (just a pinch as a colorant). 

toast the seeds, and blend everything in a food processor to a fine 
paste.