Ahhh the beginning of some delicious, authentic Laksa Curry paste & it’s vegan!
Fresh ingredients and this labour intensive pounding, which I also call, labour of love, is the key to bringing out those aromatic oils and flavours in any curry paste.
Sure you can use a blender, However I find it’s just not the same.
Blending just chops the ingredients into very fine particles and can sometime leaves you with a gritty texture when used.
You don’t get those pressed juices, natural oils and a much smoother, silkier texture as you would the pounding and grinding technique.
So for that authentic flavour boost, its definitely worth that little bit of effort 💪.
However I’ve Got A Very Handy Tip For You!
A Meat Grinder!
Yes, You heard me right! I discovered this technique watching a cooking show where the chef of a well loved Thai restaurant in Melbourne, “Longrain” shared his tip on using a meat grinder to mince all the fresh ingredients into curry paste 😱.
The meat grinder minces all those aromatic ingredients
The meat grinder creates a similar effect in that it easily minces all those aromatic ingredients into a fine paste.
And if you want an even finer and smoother texture, you can always give the grounded paste a final pound with a mortar and pestle for good measure💪 .
Luckily, I was gifted one by my nan, bless her little heart.
She knew I loved to cook and knows she can always count on me to find a use for any kitchen appliance and utensil she no longer needs. Even a meat grinder for this vegan…😅
And She Wasn’t Wrong! I Quickly Put It To Use And It Has Changed The Way I Make Curry Paste For Life!
Fresh Ingredients Is Another Key
With meat grinder in hand, the rest is pretty simple, fresh ingredients.
Try and pick the freshest and the ones most aromatic ingredients if you can.
You can find them easily in many of your local Asian grocer or at the market. Even better if you grow your own or have a neighbour who does…
These little things will not only bring big flavours to your paste but will also gives a more vibrant, brighter, fresher colour to your curry.
The rest is peel, chop and chuck it in the meat grinder and let it work its magic 😍😍😍😍
The fresh ingredients is what makes the curry, I just added salt and white miso to season it.
I tested this recipe on my friends during a dinner and they couldn’t believe it was vegan 👌.
Freshly made laksa curry paste can be used immediately or stored in sterilised jar for up to 3 months in the fridge and 1 year if kept frozen.
Simply thaw and use as normal.
I recommend leaving the laksa paste in the fridge for 1 – 2 days before using to let all those aromatic flavours ferment a little, giving you a stronger, more aromatic flavour 😋.
Now that you have the paste, be sure to stay tuned for part 2 of the Vegan Laksa Curry Paste to turn that jar of magic into some yummy Laksa Noodle Soup!
Nothing beats homemade laksa curry paste and trust me you won’t even be able to tell its vegan!
Do let me know if you’ve tried it by commenting below 👇 or hash tagging #winkyfarm on IG.
Di x
Vegan Laksa Curry Paste
Ingredients
- 8 whole dried red chilli soaked in hot water for 1 hr
- 1/4 cup raw cashews soaked for 3 hrs
- 3 fresh long red chilli roughly chopped
- 5 Asian shallots peeled and roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 lemon grass stalks stem only
- 10 grams fresh tumeric peeled and roughly chopped
- 20 grams fresh coriander roots roughly chopped
- 30 grams fresh galangal peeled and roughly chopped
- 30 grams fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp peppercorn
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp coriander seed
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
- 1 tbsp white miso
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
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In separate bowls cover dried chilli and raw cashews with boiling hot water for 1 hr to soften.
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Roughly chop remaining fresh ingredients and put them all, including spices and oil in the meat grinder to be minced.
* Refer to Tips
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If you don’t have a meat grinder, a high speed blender will work fine.
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You can repeat the process again, if you want a finer paste. Otherwise paste can be used immediately or stored in the fridge for up to 3 months in a sterilised jar or 1 year in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
* I normally use the largest hole setting first to mince the ingredients and then repeat the process on a smaller setting.
This way the mincer won’t have to struggle as much to try and chop and squeeze all those ingredients through the smaller holes.
By repeating the process also helps extracts more of those important juices out of your fresh ingredients.
If you are using the meat grinder, you will find woody hard bits, left behind. These are the exhausted ingredients and can be discarded as we’ve extracted all the goodness out.
If you don’t have a meat grinder, a high speed blender or food processor will work fine. The taste will be slightly different and you may find a more fibrous texture.
You can also, give the blended paste a final pound with a mortar and pestle to give you a smoother, silkier texture.
Asian Shallots, are smaller in size, darker in colour and stronger in flavour compared to normal shallots. These can be found in your local Asian grocer.
Normal shallots can be used if that’s easier.
Lemongrass stalks – You will only need roughly 10-12cm of the bottom of the stalk as this part is where all the flavours are kept. You can discard the top part in the compost.
Recipe makes roughly 350g
*Nutrition information is approximate and is meant as a guide only*
Even though I cannot eat onions I am glad to see a raw version of this is provided!! Thank you so much!
Thank you 😊. You’re most welcomed. You should try it without onions
, would still have amazing flavours from the other aromatic ingredients 😋