2 tsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp. white pepper
10 kaffir lime leaves
50 gm. shrimp paste (belacan)
50 gm. lemongrass sliced (6 stalks)
100 gm. garlic
40 gm. galangal
300 gm. shallots
25 gm. dried chilies
350 gm. fresh red chilies
- Dry-fry coriander seeds until fragrant. Then ground them into powder. If peppercorn is used, do likewise.
- Use the leaves of the kaffir lime only. Throw away the stems. Use the bottom white bit of the lemongrass (3” length).
- Soak the dried chilies in hot water to soften them.
- Blend all the ingredients together into a paste.
For storage, I pack them into sandwich bags, and flatten them. It can be kept in the freezer compartment for 6 months.
If your recipe doesn’t require a whole bag of paste, just break them to the quantity required. They thaw in minutes.