Mussaman Curry Paste
From Thai Home-Cooking, by William Crawford and
Kamolmal Pootaraksa, Penguin, 1985. ISBN 0-452-26133-3.
This is the spice paste which you use for Mussaman Beef. It's real
husky and pungent, and a little bit of a mess to make. I'd recommend
making several batches of it and freezing them in 1-recipe portions
in plastic bags. Otherwise, making the Mussaman Beef takes quite a
long time (or at least it did for me).
Ingredients
- 7 small dried red chillies
- 2 pieces dried galangal
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 T coriander seeds
- 1 t. cumin or fennel seeds
- 1 t. whole cloves
- 1 stalk lemon grass
- 2 T. finely chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 t. shrimp paste
- 1/2 t. ground black pepper
- 1 t. ground nutmeg
Directions
Remove the stems and seeds from the chillies. Soak the chillies and
galangal in the warm water from 20 minutes. After soaking, drain
and discard the soaking water.
Place the coriander seeds, cumin (or fennel) seeds and cloves in a dry skillet
and roast them over moderate heat until the cumin seeds have darkened, the
cloves have turned a green-gray color, and the mixture is very fragrant.
About 2 minutes.
Chop the chillies, galangal, and lemon grass finely. Combine with the
remaining ingredients and pound or grind to a smooth past in a mortar or
blender (if using a blender or spice grinder, you might have to add water).
Use immediately, or store in a closed container for up to 2 weeks in the
fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Jim Plank
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