During a month-long stay in Bali, I attended a cooking class where I was introduced to our primary equipment: a Pestle and mortar. “This,” the chef said, “is our food processor.” Seriously? Fortunately, I have a Cuisinart at home. Don’t let the list of ingredients intimidate you. You can easily source them from an Asian market. The fragrant, piquant curry is excellent for soups, sauces, rice, and vegetables.

Recipe notes: What you will need: Food processor, a blender, and med-large skillet. Active prep time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 5-10 minutes. Yields 3 cups. Difficulty level: Moderate

Ingredients:

• 15 shallots
• 10 garlic cloves
• 1” piece of ginger, peeled
• 2” piece of galangal, peeled [if unavailable, substitute with more ginger]
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, white part only
• 4” piece of fresh turmeric, peeled
• 1/2 cup fresh curry leaves [if unavailable, omit]
• 6 kaffir lime leaves (available in most Asian markets. If unavailable, substitute with 1 Tbsp lime zest.)
• 6 medium red chilies
• 7 serrano chiles
• 2 large Roma tomatoes
• 2 tsp shrimp paste [optional] can be substituted with soy sauce or yellow bean sauce
• 10 Macadamia nuts
• 4 Tbsp palm sugar
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• 1/3 cup light vegetable oil

Step-1

Remove the standard blade from the food processor and replace it with the shredding blade.

With the machine running, push ingredients through the chute.

Transfer ingredients to a bowl and replace the shredding plate with the standard blade.

Transfer ingredients back to the food processor.

With the machine running, add oil to prevent ingredients from browning, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Continue pulsing until the mixture resembles a paste. Transfer to the blender and puree until smooth.

Step-2

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 stalk lemongrass bruised with a mallet or scored with a serrated knife
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (if unavailable, use 1/2 Tbsp lime zest.)
• 1 cup coconut milk

Sambal Paste:

1. In a skillet, heat coconut oil, add kaffir leaves and lemongrass, and quickly sti- fry for 1-2 minutes.
2. Remove leaves and lemongrass.
3. Add paste, frequently stirring until the mixture turns a reddish-golden color.
4. Add coconut milk and taste. If too spicy, adjust with more coconut milk.
5. Let cool before storing.

It can be used right away or frozen in ice-cube trays and kept in a zip-lock freezer bag.