Brett Maguire wrote:

> 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

Hi Brett,

This isn't a helpful answer to your question, I'm afraid, but an
observation of my own: that the shallots-and-garlic phase of the
grinding process can be really tricky and frustrating. I have taken to
pre-grating these ingredients using a sharp fine grater, then adding and
grinding the grated mush into the curry paste as a final step. It cuts
down on the dual problems of flying shallot bits and half-smashed but
unpulverized flat pieces of garlic / shallot. I used to just slice them
finely before adding, but feel that this way works better.
Whither authenticity, eh?

krnntp