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
Written recipes as a concept can be observed way back into ancient history, certainly as far into history as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. In practice though, these, ancient recipes were just primitive hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for meal preparation.
In an interesting twist, the oldest recipe found, according to historians is a series of stone tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel blissful. Much later, in Roman times a man called Apicius compiled some scripts describing recipes cooked by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into starters, main course and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. This early Roman chef informs us how the chefs of Roman times used many herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs such as bay, rue and dill. During the following few centuries, the upper-class families of the West competed with each other to serve the most exotic meals, and because of this the best cooks and their recipes were at a premium. However, it was during the nineteenth century that fine cookery and recipe collections really came of age. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to collecting, verifying, and publishing the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the advent of the 1900s, cookery publications are in high demand, mostly as a result of higher levels of literacy, more leisure time and having more disposable income. The revolution that is television brings us cooking programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. And that brings us to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing everyone to search through thousands of recipes like the ones you can find on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Nam Prik Kaeng Masaman (Masaman Curry Paste) recipe.
