Ingredients

Yields: good for two stock pots

2 Tbs canola oil
2 tsp garlic, finely crushed
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 hot red chili pepper
2 tsp lemongrass, finely grated
1 kaffir lime leaf, torn in two
1 Tbs galanga, finely grated
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs tamarind paste

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Directions

Mix the chili, lemongrass, galanga, ginger, lime juice and tamarind paste in a mini food processor. It should form a thick creamy paste.

In a saucepan, add the oil and cook the garlic and the shallot until it's golden brown.

Place all the paste in a jar and store in the refrigerator.

 

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Tips

If you can't find galangal, use double amount of ginger. Galangal is whiter in color than ginger but it's much more potent than regular ginger.

Lemongrass has to be extremely finely chopped. If not, it kinda has the texture of fingernails. Not very femme fatale-ish eh? So I usually finely slice each stalk of lemongrass, then blend all the slices in a mini-prep until it turns into a fine moist powder. Then I pound all that paste in a mortar and pestle. It'll guarantee you a very nice fresh lemongrass fragrance.

Published By: Jacqueline Pham on January 24, 2009.