Red Chilli Paste Recipe – a very handy basic
This homemade red chilli paste is a very handy basic to have in your fridge. It is a staple in South East Asian kitchens and is used in so many different ways: as a condiment, a marinade and an all purpose cooking ingredient.Updated May 2023
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 100 g dried red chillies, non smoky OR (450g (1 lb) fresh red chillies)
- 1 large onion
- 10 clove garlic
- 5 candlenuts, optional ((or 5 macadamia nuts or 3 cashew nuts))
- water (as needed)
- 1 tsp palm or white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 125 ml vegetable oil for frying (1/4 cup for the quick chilli paste)
Instructions
- 1
Put half a kettle on and then start by cutting the red chillies in 2-3 pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors, depending on the size of the chillies.
- 2
Pour your just off the boil water onto the cut chillies, cover, and soak for 20 minutes.At the end of 20 minutes, drain the chillies, giving them a quick rinse and shake to lose the seeds, if you like.You could also save the soaking liquid to use to blend the chilli paste, but I prefer to use fresh water.
- 3
Place the chillies, onion and garlic in a chopper and add enough water to allow you to blend to a paste.As you'll be frying the paste in oil, you don't want it to be too runny.
- 4
Heat only about 60ml (¼ cup) oil in a deep wok or saucepan, then add the ground ingredients, the salt and the sugar. Fry on medium heat for 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. It's done.
- 5
Let cool, then store for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
- 6
Put half a kettle on with about 500 ml (2 cups) water and then start by cutting the red chillies in 2-3 pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors, depending on the size of the chillies.
- 7
Pour your just off the boil water onto the cut chillies, cover, and soak for 20 minutes.At the end of 20 minutes, drain the chillies, giving them a quick rinse and shake to lose the seeds, if you like.You could also save the soaking liquid to use to blend the chilli paste, but I prefer to use fresh water.
- 8
In the meantime, peel and quarter the onions, and peel the garlic.
- 9
Drain the chillies and place everything apart from the oil, in a blender. Add enough water to allow you to blend to a paste.As you'll be frying the paste in oil, you don't want it to be too runny.However, the long and slow cooking means that you may have to add a splash of water towards the end if it gets too dry.
- 10
Heat the oil in a deep wok or saucepan, then fry the chilli paste on medium heat initially for about 3 minutes until fragrant.
- 11
Lower the heat and cook for an hour, uncovered, stirring every 15 minutes or so. In the last 15 minutes, you might have to stir a couple of times more, as the chilli paste starts to dry up.If it starts getting too dry and is catching (burning) at the bottom, add a splash of water (about 60 ml / ¼ cup) to allow you to keep cooking the paste for the full hour. Use less if you only have 10 minutes or so to go.
- 12
Let your cooked red chilli paste cool to room temperature and store in a clean jar in the fridge; it will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge. You can even freeze until needed, in ice cube trays would be perfect, as you can use a little at a time as needed.
- 13
Sambal Hae Bee