Lemongrass Turmeric Curry Paste
This lemongrass-turmeric curry paste blends chiles, ginger, garlic and shallots into a bold base for quick curries, soups and sauces.
Ingredients
- 4 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, tender center part only
- 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled
- 6 medium shallots, peeled
- 3 medium serrano chiles, stemmed
- 3- inch piece of ginger, peeled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1/4 cup good extra-virgin coconut, sunflower or olive oil
- a drizzle of lime oil or zest of one lime, optional
Directions
Working by hand with a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass first, then work in the remaining ingredients after that. If you’re going the food processor or blender route, put in the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, chiles, ginger, cumin, and turmeric, then pulse until everything begins to pull into a rough paste. Pour in the oil now and blend once more. Finish by mixing in the lime oil or zest. The paste can sit in the refrigerator for about a week, and anything you won’t get to can go into the freezer for later.