Panang Curry Paste

Ingredients:
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted raw peanuts (optional)
  • 10 each dried, long, red chilies
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon mace (or 1/4 piece of nutmeg, coarsely pounded)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons galangal
  • 2 tablespoons lemongrass
  • 2 tablespoons garlic
  • 3 tablespoons shallots
  • 1 tablespoon coriander root
  • 1 teaspoon kaffir lime zest
  • ¼ teaspoon shrimp paste (or to taste, optional)
  • 1 large pinch kosher salt
Method:
  1. Mise en Place: Boil the peanuts until very soft.
  2. This should take about 45 minutes at a gentle boil.
  3. Remove the seeds from the chilies, leaving a few seeds in if you like more heat.
  4. Soak the chilies in a pot of hot water for about 15 minutes.
  5. Add some water to the peanuts, if needed, as the water will boil down quite a bit.
  6. In the meantime, toast the cumin, coriander and mace/nutmeg, and set aside to cool.
  7. When the chilies are soft, drain and squeeze out the excess water.
  8. Finely chop and set aside.
  9. Once the peanuts are soft, drain and set aside to cool completely.
  10. Remove the outer skin and finely chop the galangal.
  11. Mince the bottom, white part of the lemongrass.
  12. Next, finely chop the garlic, shallot and the root of the coriander.
  13. Lastly, zest the kaffir lime, and measure the shrimp paste.
  14. Make the Paste: In a mortar and pestle, grind the cumin, coriander and mace/nutmeg until you have a fine powder.
  15. Next, grind the chilies along with a good pinch of salt.
  16. Scrape down the sides of the pestle from time to time, and pound the chilies until very fine.
  17. Add the galangal.
  18. Pound each ingredient in fully, before adding the next, adding the lemongrass, garlic, coriander root, shallots, lime zest and shrimp paste.
  19. Finally, grind in the peanuts.