Instructions: Follow same general method, toasting seeds; blending everything. If cant get prik ki nu, can use half pound habanero chilies or 1# jalapena chilies. If you use
latter de-seed before use. Note if use substitution will get different volume paste;
that will need to use different amounts in recipes. If you cant get kha use ginger;
if you cant get bai makroot use lime zest; if you cant get coriander root, use
coriander leaves. Thai curries are typically made using curry paste.

However that is an oversimplification: the first word used for these dishes in Thai is kaeng pronounced gang; it covers soups, stews & of course curries.

The paste which is used could be used just as well for soup as for curry.

Secondly of course it is not true Thais call them curry: word for curry is kari; it is only applied to a small number of dishes. Dishes that appear on western Thai restaurant menus as curries are kaengs; they are made not with curry paste but with sauce made from prik kaeng which in this case could be translated better as chili paste. There are many different prik kaeng in Thai cuisine; from them, one could make vast numbers of different dishes by using different protein & vegetable items; so to extend that, it is said that most Thai housewives could cook different kaeng every day of year. However if one knows 4 basic pastes listed here, & basic techniques from my next posting, one can make a vast array of dishes, if not perhaps quite 1 per day year.

A rough rule of thumb is 1 c raw chilies yields 1 cup or so paste since there is air in chilies. Further it will keep about 3 months in preserving jars in fridge. Since average kaeng will require (depending on how hot you want to make it) between 2-8 Tb paste; since there are roughly 16 Tb in a cup, you can scale this recipe up to suit your needs. Suffice it to say that we make these pastes on cycle over 8 weeks; make 6-8 portions ea.

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