Every now and then we need a little R&R, and a weekend in Delhi was the perfect short getaway. We stayed in a lovely boutique hotel, close to a number of even lovelier shops and most importantly a good grocery store!
We returned home, well rested, rejuvenated and a carton filled with beautiful fruits, fresh herbs, and for today’s post – lemongrass and dried kaffir leaves!
I know there are a ton of good quality Thai curry paste, but there’s something so soothing in knowing you’ve made your own paste, with fresh ingredients and you can control the flavours as per your own liking. Now an authentic curry paste requires a ton of fancy ingredients, which aren’t always on hand. Here is my own concoction as close to the real one, that anyone can make, with mostly local ingredients. Galangal can be replaced with regular ginger and kaffir lime leaves can be replaced with some lime zest and then a squeeze of lemon on top of the curry too. Thai basil leaves is another essential in most Thai dishes, and you can substitute with dried basil.
Lemongrass is available at some grocery stores, and I’ve even seen pre-packaged ones on the shelves. This time I was lucky to have found a few fresh red chillies, however, if not, you can use red chilli flakes, or a green chilli. Deseed the chillies if you want to cut the spice level.
You can add in tofu or paneer for the protein portion, which will make it a one pot wholesome meal.
