Penang Curry Paste

Put the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mace, long green peppers, cardamom pods and black peppercorns into a mortar and grind them into a powder using a pestle. Then add the rest of the ingredients and pound using a pestle for about 10 minutes until the paste is smooth. Or all the ingredients for the paste can also be put into a blender or food processor and liquidized. If the paste is too dry to liquidize then you may need to add a bit of water.

This recipe will make about 4-5 tablespoons (100-130g) of curry paste.

Ingredients

Dried Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, roasted until brown
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted until brown
  • 3 pieces of mace -roasted until brown
  • 3 long mild green chili peppers, roasted until brown
  • 2 cardamom pods, roasted until brown
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 12 big red chillies, seeds removed and soaked in water for at least 10minutes and then finely chopped

Fresh Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons galangal root, skin removed, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lemongrass 1/3 only, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon( kaffir lime leaves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoom coriander root or stems, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons garlic – crushed
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste