Yellow Curry Paste

1.Soak chiles in warm water in a bowl until softened, 20 minutes, and then drain.

2.Toast coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 3–4 minutes; transfer to a spice grinder.

3.Toast cumin seeds in the same skillet just until they start to smoke; transfer to spice grinder and grind spices with peppercorns until fine; set aside.

4.With a mortar and pestle (or in a mini food processor), pulverize the chiles with the ground spices and salt until a paste begins to form.

5.Add the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, cilantro, galangal, ginger, zest, shrimp paste, and sugar, pounding each fully into the paste before adding the next, until an almost-smooth paste forms.

6.(If using a mini food processor, combine all ingredients and process with 1 Tbsp. water until a paste forms.)

7.Transfer paste to a small container, cover tightly, refrigerate up to a week.