Working with Thai Aromatics
The foundation of a proper Thai dish is not a broth, but a paste or a base of aromatics. Mastering the timing of these ingredients is what separates a flat dish from one with depth.
Consistency is your main tool.
Keep your knife sharp. If your aromatics are unevenly chopped, they will cook at different rates, leading to bitter charred bits alongside raw ones.
- Heavy mortar and pestle
- Chef's knife
- Heavy-bottomed wok or skillet
What goes in.
- 3 stalkslemongrass, bottom third only, minced very fine
- 2 inch piecegalangal, peeled and finely grated
- 4 clovesgarlic, smashed and minced
- 2shallots, thinly sliced
- 5bird's eye chilies, halved
- 1 tbspshrimp paste (optional)
Smashing versus chopping
Using a mortar and pestle tears the cell walls of the aromatics rather than slicing them, which releases more essential oils into the dish. Start with the toughest ingredients, like lemongrass, and work toward the softer ones.
The method.
Prep the lemongrass
Discard the dry outer layers. Use only the pale, tender bottom third. Mince it as fine as sawdust; if it's stringy, it will ruin the texture.
Grind the base
Add the galangal and salt to your mortar. Pound until it forms a uniform, fibrous paste.
Add shallots and garlic
Add the shallots and garlic to the mortar. Continue pounding until you have a coarse paste. Do not turn it into a liquid.
Bloom in oil
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the paste. Fry, stirring constantly, until the scent changes from raw and sharp to mellow and integrated, roughly two minutes.
Control the heat
If the garlic begins to brown, lower the heat immediately or add a splash of coconut milk or stock to stop the frying process.
Other turns to take.
Dried Spice Boost
Add a teaspoon of toasted coriander seeds to the mortar for a deeper, earthier background note.
Citrus Variation
Incorporate fresh kaffir lime leaves by removing the center spine and chiffonading them very thinly before adding to the final stage.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use fresh galangal; ginger is a poor substitute as it lacks the piney, floral notes required for authentic depth.
If using a food processor, use the pulse button to avoid turning the aromatics into a watery puree.
The oil in your pan should be shimmering, not smoking, when the aromatics hit it.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I store these aromatics?
You can prepare the paste a day in advance if kept in an airtight container, but the oils will lose their high-note brightness after 24 hours.
How do I know if the aromatics are burnt?
The scent will shift from fragrant and floral to bitter and acrid. If this happens, start over; there is no way to rescue a scorched base.
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