Fragrant Red Thai Curry Paste

I admit that I used to make curries with a spoon of Patak's curry paste. There's nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to make my curries taste different and more like the ones at my favourite Indian restaurants. Recipe books always scared me off, with their long list of spices I'd never heard of, and ingredients I would need to travel half way across the world to retrieve. In the past year, I've been brave and thrown out the scary recipes. I've discovered the art of flavour, experimentation and a love of trying new things!

Red Thai Curry Paste

Cumin seeds (1 teaspoon)
Coriander seeds (1 teaspoon)
Black peppercorns (1/2 teaspoon)
Salt (1/2 teaspoon)
Sugar (1/2 teaspoon)
2 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
2 chillies, de-seeded
Thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
Lime zest
Lime juice (1/2)
Coriander leaf (teaspoon)
Lemon grass (1 stick)

Chop up all the bigger ingredients.
Mash up the dry ingredients in a pestle and mortar and slowly add the other items.

Mixture will keep for a few days in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 2 months.

The ingredients can be substituted or left out as you like. Experiment with different combinations or amounts to change the flavour!