Thai Yellow Curry Paste

If you have some time this curry paste is definitely worth the effort.  I felt like I was eating at my favorite local Thai restaurant.

Preheat oven 250 degrees F

Ingredients

2 heads of garlic

2 shallots

4 inch piece fresh ginger

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 stalks of lemongrass sliced against the grain*

1.5 tablespoons turmeric

1.5 tablespoons roasted ground coriander

2 Serrano chillies, coarsely chopped

1-2 tablespoons Fish Sauce*

1-2 tablespoons coconut milk

1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar*

Preparation

Cut pointy ends off HEADS of garlic, so that the garlic is partially exposed, place on aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil, wrap and place on roasting pan

Peel whole shallots, drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and place on roasting pan

chop skin off ginger, wrap in aluminum foil and place on roasting pan

Roast garlic, ginger,and shallots in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until garlic is soft enough to be squeezed out of its skin.

(how to roast garlic)

you might want to wait a few minutes until the garlic is cool enough to squeeze out or you can use a towel to protect your fingers if you are in a rush (Like I always am!)

Place roasted garlic, ginger, and shallots in blender (i don’t have a food processor), add Serrano chilies with seeds*. Add remaining ingredients and blend until you have a textured paste.

I used about half of this recipe for my curry, the rest can be stored for a week or two in the fridge or placed in the freezer.

Helpful hints:

• slice the lemongrass into thin circles,
• i roasted whole coriander on the stove for a few minutes and then ground it with my regular coffee grinder
• try to use a quality fish sauce, it adds authentic flavor
• substitute fish sauce with soy sauce or Bragg’s amino acids
• Daniel Fasting? use unsweetened applesauce rather than sugar
• the two Serrano chillies with seeds added a little spice, but my three year old ate it without complaint, so you can add more or less to your liking.