Our recipe this week is inspired by our Family Meal from last week which explored Cambodia. This is a cuisine full of bold, fresh flavors anchored by an array of tropical ingredients. It also has a long history and as such the cuisine has developed into something incredibly complex that hinges on the balance of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. Our current cohort has a participant from Cambodia whose family actually had a restaurant there. Working alongside her it quickly became evident that she was bringing a lot of skill and an incredible palate to the table.
The base of many Cambodian dishes begins with a super flavorful and aromatic curry paste. There are many different varieties but I have one in particular that I find super versatile and relatively easy to make. Additionally, you can make your paste spicy by the addition of some hot peppers. Once the paste is made you can use it to create a quick curry by sauteing a few tablespoons in oil, adding some coconut milk, and slowly simmering with some vegetables, chicken or seafood! The paste can also be used as a marinade for meat or seafood before throwing on the grill. We’ve used it for some excellent grilled beef skewers! Once made it also freezes quite well. Enjoy!
Yellow Curry Paste
Ingredients
6 Shallots Peeled
10 Cloves Garlic Peeled
1 Ginger or Galangal 1 inch piece, peeled
1 Piece Lemongrass Finely chopped
3 Tablespoons Yellow Curry Powder
1 Tablespoon Turmeric
Water As needed
Method
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a paste.
2. Add water as needed to bring ingredients together into a paste