Hello,

I have two questions regarding Thai curry pastes, the first of which
is about the texture of the paste itself. I pound them using a large
stone mortar and pestle (the kind for sale on thaigrocer.com). I am
never sure just how "pastey" the paste should be. It is clearly one
entity, but it is textured; it would never be mistaken for, say, a
green smooth Jiffy peanutbutter. How smooth should the paste be? Is
it alright for there to be some identifiable pieces of inividual
ingredients, or is that an indication that I need to pound more before
incorporating the next item?

The next question is one about mortar and pestle technique. In Su-Mei
Yu's book, Cracking the Coconut, she writes, "finally the familiar
rhythmic song of an even pounding sang out from the mortar" (page 203
for you following along in the hardcover copy). Never having worked
with a Thai chef, I am uncertain as to what this rhythmic song really
is. I find that by pounding straight down into the mortar, the paste
slides up the sides in about two or three hits, thus making it
necessary to scrape more paste down into the center to continue. The
only other option would be to pound against the sides, something which
Su-Mei Yu warns against doing. With this constant introsion into the
actual pounding, it is difficult to have any regular rhythm. Am I
doing something wrong, or do I just have a faulty conception of a
pounding rhythm?

Thanks,
Brett