Thai chilli paste

Recipe Disclaimer

Tap for method

Ingredients (10)

125 ml	pickling onions — peeled, chopped
125 ml	garlic — cloves, peeled
	fresh ginger — peeled, thinly sliced
4 Tbs	shrimp paste — (wrapped in foil)
35	dried red chillies
100 ml	vegetable oil — or canola oil
3	shiitake mushrooms — dried, soaked
4 Tbs	fish sauce
125 ml	tamarind — paste
2 Tbs	palm sugar — or brown sugar

Tap for ingredients

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the onions, garlic, ginger and foil wrapped shrimp paste on a baking tray. Roast until the onion and garlic colour and the edges colour (about 35 – 45 minutes).

In the meantime cut the tops off the chillies and remove as many seeds as possible.
Soak the chillies in warm water for about 20 minutes until rehydrated and soft.
With about 15 minutes left, add the chillies to the other ingredients in the oven.

In a frying pan add the oil and fry the ingredients one at a time in this order: dried chillies, onions, garlic, ginger, mushrooms (or dried shrimps if using), and shrimp paste.
Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen towel.
Allow all the fried ingredients to cool and crisp up completely.

When cool add all fried ingredients except shrimp paste to a grinder or food processor and process on high until well combined and as fine as possible.
Add the shrimp paste, fish sauce, tamarind paste and sugar. Blend further until well combined.
Decant your paste into a clean jar and top up with the oil used to fry the ingredients.

This roasted chilli paste is a staple in Thai cooking. Add it to anything from stir fries to soups and curries.
You can usually buy tinned / bottled Thai chilli paste but nothing compares to this homemade version.

Recipe reprinted with permission of Fetty’s Street Food.

To receive quick and convenient weekday recipes, join our Easy Weekday Meals mailing list, and for up-to-date trending food, restaurant and wine news subscribe to our Editor’s Weekly newsletter.