Nyonya Curry Paste

Name: Nyonya Curry Paste
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 15 long dried red chillies (about 15g); 1 red onion, chopped; 2 long red chillies, seeded and chopped; 1 tablespoon grated galangal; 2 teaspoons grated turmeric; 2 teaspoons grated ginger; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 3 candlenuts (don’t eat raw); 2 stalks lemongrass, white part finely chopped; 1 teaspoon belacan, toasted; ⅓ cup vegetable oil; 2 tablespoon ground coriander

My Singaporean friend, Audra Morrice, taught me to make this classic Nyonya curry paste. She explained that it can be tricky making curry pastes in a smaller quantity than this, so it’s best to make the full amount then, if you don’t need it all, freeze half for a quick meal later. It’s a great base for a Nyonya chicken and potato coconut milk curry, vegetable curry, or a classic Singaporean fish head curry.

Makes about 300g (enough for 6–8 serves)

Ingredients

15 long dried red chillies (about 15g)
1 red onion, chopped
2 long red chillies, seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons grated galangal
2 teaspoons grated turmeric
2 teaspoons grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 candlenuts (don’t eat raw)
1 teaspoon belacan, toasted
⅓ cup vegetable oil (80ml)
2 stalks lemongrass, white part only finely chopped
8 teaspoons ground coriander

Method

Seed dried chillies and soak in warm water for 30 minutes.
Drain, squeeze to remove excess water and chop finely.
Place in a food processor with onion, fresh chilli, galangal, turmeric, ginger, garlic, candlenuts and belacan and blitz to form a fine paste.
Place oil in a saucepan, add Curry Paste and place over medium heat and cook, stirring often for 8–10 minutes, until oil starts to separate; towards the end of the cooking time, you’ll need to stir almost constantly.
Add coriander and cook, stirring often, for a further minute or 2, until aromatic.
Remove paste from pan, separate half, set aside to cool, then freeze for later use.
Return remaining paste to the pan over medium heat.