If you're short on time, you can substitute bottled red curry paste (we recommend Mae Ploy brand) for homemade, but the flavor will not be as nuanced. There will be some curry paste left over after making the jungle curry and steamed catfish. Simply stir the remainder together with unsweetened coconut milk to give chicken, shrimp, or mussels a Thai spin.
Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Cut dried chiles into 1/4-inch pieces with kitchen shears and soak in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well in a sieve.
Step 2
While chiles soak, toast coriander in a dry small heavy skillet over moderate heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, then cool. Thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks and finely chop.
Step 3
Finely grind coriander and peppercorns with mortar and pestle (or in mini food processor), about 2 minutes, then toss together with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, cilantro, shallot, garlic, fresh chiles, and soaked dried chiles in a bowl. Pound mixture in 3 batches with mortar and pestle until a fairly smooth paste is formed, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, transferring to cleaned bowl. (If using food processor, add about 1 1/2 tablespoons water per batch.) Return all of curry paste to mortar, then add shrimp paste and salt and pound (or pulse) until combined well, about 1 minute.
