Masaman Curry Paste (Nam Prik Kaeng Masaman) 10 dried red chilies 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 2 cardamom pods 3 cloves 6 tablespoon chopped garlic 4 tablespoon chopped shallots 1 tablespoon oil 10 peppercorns 2 tablespoon chopped lemon grass 1 teaspoon chopped galangal 1 teaspoon chopped bergamot skin 1 teaspoon chopped coriander root 1 teaspoon shrimp paste grilled 1 cup palm sugar 1 tablespoon salt 4 tablespoon tamarind juice Coarsely chop the chilies and soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain. Dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds, cardamom pods and cloves over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are aromatic and slightly browned. Sauté the chilies, garlic and shallots in the oil until lightly browned. Pound in the following order: a) garlic, shallots and chilies b) coriander, cardamom pods, cumin, cloves and peppercorns c) lemon grass, galangal, bergamot, coriander roots. Place the shrimp paste on a piece of foil and cook it over a flame or burner for 1 to 2 minutes, or in a hot oven (425F) until the outside is slightly burnt. Mix the shrimp paste with all the above ingredients plus the sugar, salt and tamarind juice to form a fine paste. Yield: 1