Thai food is another one of the world's great cuisines! A crossroads of cultures, blending Chinese, Indian and indigenous culinary ideas, employing a wide variety of spices and fresh herbs. In the US, there are many Thai restaurants now open, yet few are vegan friendly and most have opted for large amounts of sugar instead of other flavors, apparently to gain favor with American palettes.
Curry pastes are commercially available, usually with incredible amounts of salt and various kinds of dry fish or other seafood particles amidst the paste. With a minimum amount of effort, we can produce our own curry pastes.
One needs either a mortar and pestle or a food processor to make curry pastes.
3 stalks lemongrass
20 green thai chilis
5 jalapenos, seeded
20 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ginger
10 kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp green peppercorns
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
1/4 cup cilantro stems
1 tsp sea salt
2 cubes chinese fermented bean curd (this is what makes the paste work without using fish or shrimp sauce! do not omit)
In Mortar and pestle or food processor, grind all ingredients down to form a paste. You may add a little bit of water to assist. You want a fully homogenized paste and then it is ready for a number of stir fry and curry dishes!
Make the paste and make some coconut milk and you are ready to make a delightful Thai Green Curry, as good, if not better than you will find at any American Thai restaurant. Learn the way curry pastes work (i will be posting many other kinds in coming weeks) and you can then vary them to your own tastes and interests.
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