Seppi Renggli’s Indonesian Curry Paste

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Curry Paste Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Wikipedia

There have been many chefs of exceptional talent who predate today’s TV “super chefs” and had culinary gifts of unmatched skills.

Chef Seppi Renggli of the world-famous Four Seasons restaurant during the late 70’s and early 80’s was one of these pioneers. I have hundreds of old cookbooks in my secret lair and this recipe is nearly lost, found only in that one cookbook in my library. The Web seems to have forgotten it. Time to fix that error! 🙂

Married to an Indonesian woman, Chef Renggli often blended French technique with Asian ingredients to bring a new sensibility to classic dishes.

I’ve eaten/made hundreds of curries from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and more Indian curries than stars in the canopy of the heavens – yet I’ve never failed to go back to this recipe.

It’s spicy but not take your head off, totally balanced in flavors and a testimony to the genius of Chef Renggli. It’s also relatively easy to make – it keeps for weeks in the fridge and allows you to throw together a can of coconut milk, some veggies and meat to create a wicked good curry in under 10 minutes. 🙂

Enjoy a lost and delicious recipe, my citizens!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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INGREDIENTS

½ cup finely chopped shallots
½ cup chopped fresh coriander
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon grass or use 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh garlic
6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon dried coriander seeds
½ whole nutmeg, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon mace or ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

DIRECTIONS

Combine the shallots, fresh coriander, lemon grass (or grated zest), ginger, jalapenos, garlic and anchovies. Chop the mixture as finely as possible. Stir in the oil.

Combine the red pepper flakes, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, chopped nutmeg, mace (or ground nutmeg) and turmeric in a small spice or coffee grinder. Blend thoroughly. Add to the first mixture and blend thoroughly.