Thai•gourmet
Peppercorn-Cilantro Root Paste
This peppercorn-cilantro root paste may sound exotic but it's a classic Thai trick for imparting a lot of oomph without a lot of ingredients or expense.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 11 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 5 to 6 large cloves garlic (coarsely chopped (about 2 tablespoons))
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro roots (or stems)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
Instructions
- 1
Place the peppercorns in a mortar with the garlic and pound to a paste.
- 2
Add the cilantro roots and salt and pound to a paste. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. If you have a small blender or other food grinder that can produce a smooth paste, you can use it instead. (We tend to toss in a few cilantro stems along with the roots when we make this paste—just for good measure.)
- 3
Stir in the fish sauce.
- 4
Use the paste immediately or store in a well-sealed glass jar. This keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.