Golden Yellow Curry Paste with Fresh Turmeric

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A proper Thai-style yellow curry paste built the long way: dried chiles soaked soft, whole spices toasted in a dry skillet until they smell like a spice shop, then everything pounded down with lemongrass, galangal, fresh turmeric and toasted shrimp paste. It's the mellow, spice-forward member of the curry paste family — less chile heat than red or green, more warmth from coriander, cumin and cinnamon — and it turns a can of coconut milk into a curry that tastes like it came from a restaurant kitchen. Makes about 1 1/2 cups, enough for four generous curries, and it freezes beautifully.

Ingredients

• 5 large dried mild red chiles, such as guajillo or Thai spur chiles
• 2 small dried red Thai chiles, optional for heat
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• 3 green cardamom pods, cracked
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 inch piece cinnamon stick, broken up

• 2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed
• 3 tbsp fresh turmeric, peeled and thinly sliced (or 1 tbsp ground turmeric)
• 2 tbsp fresh or frozen galangal, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup shallots, roughly chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tbsp cilantro stems and roots, finely chopped
• 3 makrut lime leaves, center ribs removed, finely slivered (or 1 tsp lime zest)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tbsp Thai shrimp paste (kapi)
• 2 tsp Madras-style curry powder
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for storing

• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs and/or potatoes, cut in bite-size pieces

• 1 granite mortar and pestle, or a small food processor / spice grinder

Instructions

1. Stem the dried chiles, split them open and shake out most of the seeds (leave a few in if you want more heat). Tear the chiles into 1-inch pieces and cover with just-boiled water. Soak 20 to 30 minutes, until fully pliable, then drain, squeeze dry and reserve 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, toast the coriander, cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes — pull them the moment they darken a shade and smell nutty. Tip onto a plate. Add the white peppercorns, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon to the same pan and toast 60 to 90 seconds, then add to the plate and cool completely.
3. Wrap the shrimp paste in a small square of foil, flatten it into a thin packet, and toast it in the same skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes per side. It will smell aggressive — that's the point, and it mellows into savory depth. Set aside.
4. Grind all the toasted whole spices to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar (this takes about 2 minutes of steady pounding). Sift out any stubborn husks. Stir in the curry powder and, if using ground turmeric instead of fresh, add it here.
5. Slice the lemongrass crosswise as thinly as you possibly can — paper-thin coins from the bottom 5 inches only. This is the single biggest factor in a smooth paste, since lemongrass fiber never breaks down.
6. If pounding by hand: work in this order, fully breaking down each addition before adding the next — salt and lemongrass first, then galangal and fresh turmeric, then makrut lime leaf, then cilantro stems, then garlic, then shallots, and finally the drained chiles. Expect 20 to 25 minutes of steady work and a paste with real body.
7. If using a food processor: combine the lemongrass, galangal, fresh turmeric, lime leaf, cilantro stems, garlic, shallots, chiles, salt and the 2 tablespoons oil. Blitz for 4 to 5 minutes total, stopping every 45 seconds to scrape the sides down. Add the reserved chile soaking liquid a teaspoon at a time only if the blades stall — the paste should be thick, not soupy.
8. Add the ground spice mixture and the toasted shrimp paste and pound or pulse until completely uniform, another 2 to 3 minutes. The finished paste should be a deep mustard-gold, thick enough to hold a spoon upright, with no visible fibers.
9. Taste a pinhead-sized amount on your fingertip: it should be intensely salty, warm with spice and only gently hot. If it tastes flat, pound in another 1/4 teaspoon salt; if the raw shallot dominates, it will settle after a day in the fridge.
10. Pack the paste into a clean jar, smooth the top and pour a thin film of oil over the surface to seal it. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks, or press into an ice cube tray (2 tablespoons per cube), freeze solid, and bag the cubes for up to 6 months.
11. To cook it into a curry: open the can of coconut milk without shaking it and spoon the thick cream into a wide pan over medium heat. Fry 3 to 4 minutes until it splits and you see clear oil pooling. Add 1/4 cup paste and fry, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes — it must sizzle and darken, and the kitchen should smell fragrant rather than raw.
12. Add the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar, bring to a bare simmer, then add chicken and/or potatoes. Simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the surface glistens with orange oil. Taste and adjust with fish sauce, sugar and a squeeze of lime.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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