10 dried red chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 carton pods
3 cloves
6 tbsp chopped garlic
4 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp oil
10 peppercorns
2 tbsp chopped lemon grass
1 tsp chopped galangal
1 tsp chopped bergamot skin
1 tsp chopped coriander root
1 tsp shrimp paste, grilled
1 cup palm sugar
1 tbsp salt
4 tbsp tamarind juice
Directions
Coarsely chop the chilies and soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain.
Dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds, cardamom pods and cloves over
medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are aromatic and slightly
browned.
Saute the chilies, garlic and shallots in the oil until lightly
browned.
Pound in the following order: a) garlic, shallots and chilies b)
coriander, cardamom pods, cumin, cloves and peppercorns c) lemon
grass, galangal, bergamot, coriander roots.
Place the shrimp paste on a piece of foil and cook it over a flame or
burner for 1 to 2 minutes, or in a hot oven (425F) until the outside
is slightly burnt. Mix the shrimp paste with all the above
ingredients plus the sugar, salt and tamarind juice to form a fine
paste.
From "Discover Thai Cooking" by Chaslin, Canungmai and Tettoni, Times
Editions, Singapore. 1987
Posted by Stephen Ceideburg April 18 1990.
Servings: 1 batch
Nam Prik Kaeng Masaman (Masaman Curry Paste) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Thai
The History of Recipes
We can track the history of written recipes back into the far past, at least as far back as the Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. Interesting though that is, sadly, these ancient records were just simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius created a number of scripts detailing recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, he describes how the meals were separated into appetizers, main course and desserts, something that is very familiar to us today. Additionally, he describes how the Romans used a wide range of spices and herbs, including many that are still in use today for example basil, rue and asafoetida. For the next few years, the rich families of the West competed to serve up the best banquets, and as a consequence, cooks and their recipe collections could command a high salary. However, it was during the nineteenth century that cookery and recipe publications really came of age. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted their lives to assembling, testing, and recording recipes of the day. The introduction of the TV brings us TV cooks and the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to access thousands of recipes just like those on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Nam Prik Kaeng Masaman (Masaman Curry Paste) recipe.
