Ingredients:
• 10 – dry long Red Chillies
• 10 – small Onions or shallots, peeled, chopped
• 1/2 bulb – garlic, flaked, peeled and crushed
• 4-5 sticks – Lemon grass, peeled and chopped
• 2-inch piece – ginger, grated
• 12-15 – peppercorns
• 1 tsp – Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp – Lemon rind, grated (use kaffir Lime if available)
• 1.5 tsp – salt or more to taste
• 1 tsp – oil
• 1/2 cup – boiling hot water
Method:
- Pour boiling hot water over destalked, broken chillies.
- Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
- Drain water from chillies and keep aside.
- Dry grind peppercorns and coriander seeds.
- Add soaked chillies, onions, garlic and ginger and grind again to a paste.
- Add drained chilli water if required.
- Add lemon grass, salt and lemon zest and blend again to a paste.
- Empty into clean, sterile jar, with a non-metallic lid.
- Heat and cool oil, then pour over paste.
- Stir gently with a wooden skewer, close lid.
- Refrigerate and use as required.
Recipe courtesy of Saroj Kering