There is nothing more satisfying than making your own Thai curry made with Thai paste made from scratch. Then once you realise how easy this process is - I can't imagine you will go back to the jar version specially when you can tweak the taste depending on what you like. If you like it hot - add more chilies!!!
If like me you are a vegan or vegetarian you do need to know that many restaurants will use fish based paste within the actual Thai paste, and as a lot Thai Asians assume not meat doesn't include fish they may class the dish as vegetarian.
Galangal is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae which is traditionally used for Thai red paste. Galangal tastes very similar to ginger and ginger can be used as a substitute ( which is what I did due to lack of availability at my local supermarket).
Thai curry is usually made from a base Thai paste and could be red, green or even yellow, fried with vegetables and tofu, with coconut milk and generally served with Jasmine sticky rice.
Ingredients
2 Large Red Chilies
2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Stem Lemon Grass
2 Tsp Fresh Ginger
1 Onion
6 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tsp Paprika
Add all the ingredients to a food processor, you don't need to chopped or grate anything as it will get completely mashed and smashed.
Blitz in the food processor for a few minutes until you have a smooth paste.
Pour the Thai paste into a sterilised jar and store in the fridge until ready to use. The paste should last for a few weeks.