Madras Curry Paste
Ingredients
90 g/3 oz/3/4 cup ground coriander
41/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon chilli powder
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black mustard seed
4 tablespoons vinegar
5 tablespoons peeled, chopped garlic
2 tablespoons peeled grated ginger
200 ml/7 fl oz/3/4 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Combine ground spices and salt. Soak black mustard seed in vinegar and blend on high speed in an electric blender. Add garlic and ginger and blend until puréed. Mix with the ground spices. Heat oil in a pan and add the mixture, stirring constantly until cooked and fragrant. Cool and store in a clean glass jar. Use a rounded tablespoon of this paste for each 500 g (1 lb) of main ingredient.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)