THAI RED CURRY PASTE

Thai red curry paste is very easy to make and home made is always better than the store bought ones which have preservatives. The chilli level can be adjusted to your liking. If you want it a bit milder you can add a little tomato puree. Traditionally this paste is made in a pestle and mortar but if you don't have you can use a food processor.

Ingredients:
Fresh red chillies ... 8 -10
Lemon grass ........ 1 stalk (use the white part)
Kaffir lime leaves .... 2-3
Coriander stems ....... 1/4 cup (chopped)
Shallots ........... few
Galangal ............ 1 inch piece
Garlic ................ 1 pod
Lemon juice ..... 1-2 tbsps
Coriander seeds .... 1 tbsp
Black or white pepper corns ... 1 tsp
Shrimp paste ........ 1 tsp
Salt .... 1/4 tsp

Method:
1. Dry roast the coriander seeds.
2. Peel the shallots, garlic, galangal and cut into small pieces.
3. Chop the, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and coriander stems.
4. Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste.

Note: You may add a little coconut milk to make the grinding easy. If you want to store the curry paste saute it in oil. Add enough oil to cover the sauce to keep it good for a longer period.

Pin for later

You may also like:

Habanero Sauce 

Chipotle Sauce

Harissa Sauce

LAKSA PASTE

Laksa paste is used in many Thai, Malay and Asian cuisines. Laksa is a popular spicy soup with the combination of noodles and chicken, fish or shrimps with coconut milk and a spoonful of laksa paste is added to flavour it.. This paste can also be used as a rub for grilled meats, chicken or fish. Traditionally this paste is ground in a pestle and mortar but you also may grind it in a food processor. You can grind  a large quantity and store it in a refrigerator. Covered with a layer of oil it should last for a month or even more. Though we get ready to use paste these days a home made version is always a better option.

Ingredients:
Red chillies ... 7-8
Red onion ..... 1
Lemon grass .. 2 stalks (use only white part)
Coriander stalks ... 1/2 cup
Galangal ..... 2 inch piece
Fresh turmeric .... 1 inch piece (if you can't find it use turmeric powder)
Garlic ........... 7-8 cloves
Shrimp paste .. 2 tsps (optional)
Ground coriander ... 1 tsp
Paprika or Kashmiri chilli powder .. 1/2 tsp (to get rich red colour)
Cashew nuts or any nuts ... few
Vinegar or tamarind juice .. 2-3 tbsps.
Salt ........ to taste
Sesame oil or peanut oil ... 5-6 tbsps

Method:
1. Peel galangal, onion, garlic  and fresh turmeric, Cut into small pieces.
2. Wash the chillies and cut them into pieces. If you can't find fresh red chillies then soak the dry ones in hot water for few hours and use instead.
3. Grind all the ingredients to a coarse paste. Traditionally it is ground in a pestle and mortar.
4. Heat oil in a pan and saute the paste.
5. Cool it and store in a sterilized container.
6. Refrigerate it.

Pin for later

You may also like:

Harissa Sauce

Chipotle Sauce

Thai Red Curry Paste

WHITE ONION GRAVY FOR SHAHI CURRIES

Make this onion gravy and store it after frying in a little oil. Comes handy for using in the curries with white gravies, specially Shahi dishes. You can freeze it too.

Boil the onions in water for 4-5 minutes and let them cool. Add just suffecient water while cooking so that you don't throw it away and use the same to grind it.

Heat a little oil in a pan and cook the onion paste for a few minutes on low flame, taking care not to make it brown. Add a little salt while cooking. Cool it.
You can freeze it in plastic containers.

Pin for later

You may also like:

Daag / Brown Onion Gravy

Green Masala / Coriander Mint Masala

Almond Paste

ALMOND PASTE

 Soak the almonds for few hours and remove the skin. Easier way is to put them in a bowl with water and microwave for a minute and peel. Grind them to a smooth paste adding a little water. You can freeze this for using it in gravies for Shahi curries, sweets, halwas, kheers etc. etc.

Tip: In order not to defrost the entire thing each time, divide the paste into small quantities and store in small zip-lock bags making it easier to use.

Pin for later

You may also like:

Daag / Brown Onion Gravy

Green Masala / Coriander Mint Masala

White Onion Gravy

AMBOTIC SPICE PASTE ( from Goa )

This is a nice spicy paste from Goa to make your delicious curries..

Ingredients:
Dry red chillies ....... 10
Cumin seeds ........... 1/2 tsp.
Cloves ...................... 5
Cinnamon ............... 1 inch piece
Black pepper .......... 1 tsp.
Ginger ...................... 2 inch piece
Garlic ....................... 10 cloves
Salt ........................... 1 tsp.
Malt vinegar ........... 1/2 cup

Method:
Dry roast and grind to a paste using vinegar.
Store this paste in the refrigerator.
Vinegar helps it to last for months.

Pin for later

You may also like:

Harissa Sauce

Chipotle Sauce

Thai Red Curry Paste

BROWN ONION GRAVY PASTE / DAAG

This is the basic gravy for all most of the veg or non veg curries. Preparing this ahead saves us the time and effort of chopping and frying specially when we are busy or having some guests. You can freeze it in small plastic containers or zip lock bags.

Ingredients: Onions ........... 6-8 (sliced)
Tomatoes ...... 2 (chopped)
Green chillies ... 4-5 (chopped)
Ginger paste .... 1 tbsp
Garlic paste ...... 2 tbsp
Oil ...................... 6 -7 tbsp

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and pour oil. Add the sliced onions and saute them until brown.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes, chillies, ginger and garlic pastes.

3. Pour 1 cup water and simmer it till the onion is cooked.

4. Let it cool and grind it with a hand grinder or in a mixer.

5. This is a basic gravy used for most of the curries and non-vegetarian dishes.

Watch the recipe video

Pin for later

You may also like:

Green Masala / Coriander Mint Masala

White Onion Gravy

Almond Paste

GREEN MASALA / CORIANDER MINT GRAVY PASTE

Making masala pastes ahead of time helps a lot when you have unexpected guests.This is such a flavourful masala paste with the freshness of the mint and coriander leaves combined with garlic, ginger, onion, tomato and green chillies. Tomato is optional.. some don't add it and use other ingredients like amchoor or tamarind for the tanginess. 

Ingredients:
Coriander Leaves.....1 cup
Mint leaves ........... 1/2 cup
Green Chillies........2-3
Onions................1 chopped
Tomatoes...........1 chopped
Garlic.................7 to 8 cloves
Ginger ...............1 inch piece

Method:
Grind the above ingredients to make the green masala.
You can even store it in the freezer for later use.
Divide it into small portions and store in plastic containers or zip lock bags.
You can use it in many curries. Some of them are here. Click on them to see the recipe.

HARE BHARE BAIGAN

LADY'S FINGERS IN SAO MASALO

GREEN MASALA CHICKEN

SEYALA MAANI

See the recipe video

Pin for later

You may also like:

White Onion Gravy

Almond Paste

Brown Onion Gravy