Ugly Baby’S Red Curry Paste

• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, tough outer layers removed, thinly sliced crosswise
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped peeled galangal
• 3/4 cup dried Thai chiles, torn or chopped into small pieces
• 2 small Asian shallots or 1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves
• 5 cilantro roots or 3 Tbsp. thinly sliced thick cilantro stems
• 1 (1") piece dried kaffir lime zest or 2 very thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp. (or more) shrimp paste, preferably Thai
• A large mortar and pestle

1. Pound peppercorns and coriander seeds in mortar and pestle until finely ground (if using a food processor, you will want to grind these spices in a spice mill first). Add lemongrass and galangal and pound until ground to a coarse paste, 6-8 minutes. Add chiles (if you want, soak them in hot water 10-20 minutes beforehand to soften and make them easier to break up) and pound until pasty, 6-8 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, cilantro roots, and kaffir lime zest, if using, and pound until everything comes together in a relatively smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Mix in shrimp paste; taste and add more if needed.

black peppercorns, coriander seeds, lemongrass stalks, peeled galangal, chiles, shallots, garlic, cilantro roots, lime zest, shrimp

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ugly-babys-thai-red-curry-paste (may not work)