Although massaman curry paste can be purchased at some Asian markets, the homemade variety tends to be more fragrant. Gaeng massaman, or massaman curry is also known as Muslim style curry because the curry paste includes spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and cloves that were once introduced to Thailand by the Muslims.
Instructions
1. De-stem the chilies, and discard the interior seeds. Place the chilies in a bowl, and add warm water to cover. Let the chilies soften for 30 minutes.
2. Place a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, and dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin, black peppercorns, cloves and cardamom until fragrant or approximately 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the roasted spices in the food processor, and process until its texture resembles powder.
3. Prepare the lemon grass by discarding the root section underneath the bulbous base as well as any tough outer leaves. Coarsely chop the lemon grass.
4. Strain the soaked chilies from the water, and place the chilies and chopped lemon grass in the food processor along with the roasted spice powder, cilantro, shallots, garlic, kaffir lime peel, shrimp paste and salt. Puree into a relatively smooth paste, adding a tbsp. of water if necessary.
5. Transfer the curry paste to a jar, and refrigerate if not using immediately. Use the curry paste in Thai curry recipes that call for massaman curry paste.
Tags: curry paste, lemon grass, massaman curry, food processor, massaman curry paste
