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Guacamole Recipe

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If there’s one dish I never get tired of making (and eating), it’s guacamole. It’s simple, quick, fresh and goes with just about everything. Whether I’m throwing together a Mexican-style feast, grilling up meats on the barbecue, or just need something to dip into while sipping a cold beer – guacamole always hits the spot.

In this post, I’ll show you how to make guacamole the way I like it: traditional, punchy, and full of zing. No weird extras. Just real-deal guac, made in minutes.

Homemade Guacamole in a serving bowl next to corn chips.

A Quick Guac History Lesson

Guacamole goes way back – we’re talking Aztec times in what’s now Mexico. The word itself comes from āhuacamolli, meaning “avocado sauce” in Nahuatl. Simple, right? That’s what makes it so good. The base has always been the same: ripe avocados, lime juice, salt, and maybe a bit of chile and tomato.

These days you’ll see all sorts of versions – with garlic, with peas (don’t ask me why), even with yoghurt stirred in. But for me, the best guacamole sticks close to the roots. Let the avocado be the star, and build flavour around it.

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What Makes a Great Guacamole?

There’s guac, and then there’s guac. A great one is all about balance – creamy avocado, tangy lime, a little kick of heat, and a bit of crunch from onion. Here's what I look for:

  • Texture – Slightly chunky, not mashed to oblivion
  • Freshness – Made just before serving for the best flavor and color
  • Zing – Lime juice and salt are key to waking it all up
  • Simplicity – Less is more. You don't need much.

Ingredients

Even my guacamole has a couple of ingredients that weren't in the original versions, but it's still quite simple and the avocado is the star ingredient.

Ingredients for the recipe laid out on a counter top
  • Avocados
  • Tomatoes
  • Onion
  • Jalapeño chilies
  • Lime juice
  • Salt
  • Cilantro
  • garlic

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Use this section for process shots, alternating between the step and image showing the step. Users don't like seeing process shots cluttering up the recipe card, so include your process shots here.

Spooning the avocado out of the skins.
  1. Step 1: Spoon the avocado out of their skins. Retain the pits if you are not serving the guacamole right after making it.
Placing the cut up avocado in a pestle and mortar.
  1. Step 2: Chop it all up roughly and put it in a pestle and mortar.
Pounding the avocado in a pestle and mortar.
  1. Step 3: Pound the avocado to smash it to your preference.
Adding the chopped onion to the avocado.
  1. Step 4: I usually add the onion second. This way I can get right in there and pound the onion so that the juices get right into the guacamole.
Adding the diced tomatoes and chillies.
  1. Step 5: Add the diced tomatoes and chillies and keep pounding to incorporate them into the guac.
Adding lime juice, cilantro and coriander to the guacamole.
  1. Step 6 Add the minced garlic, cilantro (coriander) and lime juice to the guacamole.
Seasoning with salt to taste and adding the pits to the guacamole to help preserve the color.
  1. Step 7: Season the guacamole with salt to taste. This is a good time to adjust the other flavours too. Add more lime juice for example. If not eating within the next hour or so, push the pit into the guacamole which will help preserve its bright green color.
Serving the guacamole in a bowl next to corn chips.
  1. Step 8: Enjoy with corn chips or use as a topping for tacos, burritos or steaks. Really... this is good with most things, not just Mexican dishes.

Variations

Although I usually keep my guacamole simple, you can do other things to make it a bit different. Here are a few popular ways to do it:

  • Spicy guac – Add more jalapeños or stir in some crushed red pepper.
  • Garlic-lovers’ guac – Add one small minced clove (or roasted garlic for mellow depth).
  • Fruit twist – Stir in chopped mango or pineapple for a tropical vibe.
  • Smoky style – Mix in a bit of finely chopped chipotle in adobo.
  • Crunchy version – Add toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for texture.

Equipment

This recipe can be prepared in minutes and all you need is a pestle and mortar.

If you don't have a pestle and mortar, you could use a blender on pulse mode until you are happy with the consistency.

Storage

You can store your leftover guacamole in an airtight container for up to three days. It might discolor some but that does not mean it's off. If it does, stir it and see if you can get some color back.

Top Tip

For best results make the guacamole right before serving. Everyone loves to see guacamole being prepared and you can do that at the table for a bit of theater.

FAQ

How do you keep guacamole from turning brown?

Exposure to air is the issue. The lime juice helps, but the real trick is to press plastic wrap directly onto the surface—or even better, eat it straight away. I often place the pits in it if serving later as that can also help keep it fresh looking.

Can you make guacamole in advance?

You can make it a couple of hours ahead, but not much more. If you do, save the lime juice until just before serving and cover it tightly.

Can you freeze guacamole?

Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. The texture suffers, and you lose the freshness. It’s such a quick dish—better to make it fresh.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Recipe

Homemade Guacamole in a serving bowl next to corn chips.

Easy Guacamole Recipe

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Guacamole is good on so many things. Whether your dipping corn chips or spreading it over a taco or steak, this recipe will get you the flavor you're looking for.

No Ratings

Ingredients

  • 3 - 4 Avocados
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 - 2 jalapeño chilies, finely chopped
  • Juice of 2 Limes
  • 4 tablespoon Cilantro ( Coriander)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Spoon the avocado out of their skins. Retain the pits if you are not serving the guacamole right after making it.
  2. Chop it all up roughly and put it in a pestle and mortar and then pound the avocado to smash it to your preference.
  3. I usually add the onion second. This way I can get right in there and pound the onion so that the juices get right into the guacamole.
  4. Add the diced tomatoes and chilies and keep pounding to incorporate them into the guac.
  5. Add the minced garlic, cilantro (coriander) and lime juice to the guacamole.
  6. Season the guacamole with salt to taste. This is a good time to adjust the other flavours too. Add more lime juice for example. If not eating within the next hour or so, push the pit into the guacamole which will help preserve it's bright green color.
  7. If not eating immediately, press a piece of cling film right on top and then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 134mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 11gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g
© Dan
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Mexican

 

 

Easy Tomatillo and Dried Chilli Salsa Recipe

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the finished tomatillo salsa
Delicious tomatillo salsa recipe

 

 

 

I love serving an array of salsas with Mexican food and this tomatillo salsa recipe works great with meat or fish.

I actually used a mixture dried Anch and Guajillo chillies as those are what I had on hand but the tomatillo salsa works very well with any dried chillies. Just remember to cut the tough veins out you will notice inside them and also to soak them for around 15 minutes in boiling water so they are not tough.

Even though there are quite a lot of dried chillies used this tomatillo salsa is believe it or not that spicy. Dried chillies are not as hot as fresh ones so if you do like the extra heat add some red or green fresh chillies before you blend everything together. 

If you do require the salsa to take on the green colour of the tomatillos then feel free  to add more tomatillos as the red colour of the dried chilles does take over so the green colour of the tomatillos tends to be lost.

 

If you enjoy this recipe try my other Mexican salsas:

Restaurant Style Salsa
Creamy Salsa for Fish
Fish Tacos
 

 

pointing out the tough bits of the chilli to remove
Remove any hard veiny parts in the dried chillies.

Roasting the dry chillies
Toast the chillies until fragrant but not smoking.

soaking the chillies
Soak the chillies in boiling water

Add everything to the blender
Add the chillies, onions and tomatillos to the blender.

Recipe

the finished tomatillo salsa

Easy Tomatillo and Dried Chilli Salsa Recipe

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
No Ratings

Ingredients

  • 4 Dried Ancho Chillies
  • 4 Dried Guajillo Chillies
  • 1 Pound ( 500 g ) Tinned Tomatillos
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 3 Tbsn White Wine Vinegar
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Remove the veins and the hard parts from inside the dried chillies as these can be tough.
  2. Heat the dried chillies over a medium heat in a griddle pan until they are very lightly roasted
  3. Soak the dried chillies in boiling water for around 15 minutes
  4. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth
© Dan Toombs
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Mexican Recipes
 

 

Creamy Salsa for Fish

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My delicious creamy salsa

finished creamy salsa for fish
Fish salsa

I think one of my favourite foods has to be white fresh served with an array of delicious salsas. This creamy salsa recipe is admittedly not very healthy but a little of it goes perfectly with some lovely fresh fish. I like to serve this creamy fish dip with a few other lighter, tomato based salsas so that the calorific mayonnaise  fish salsa can be balanced out with lovely tomato ones. If you do think there are too many calories in this fish dip try using a lighter soured cream as these are available  and also a reduced calorie mayonnaise would help reduce the fat content.

This  salsa dip  recipe definitely  works better with fish rather than meat I find but you could try it with chicken as this would work better than red meat with this particular salsa.

This fish taco sauce is actually not very spicy but of course it would be fine to add some fresh chillies or extra hot sauce if you enjoy a really spicy salsa for fish.

My recipe can also be made ahead of time as it would easily keep in the refridgerator for a few days.

If you enjoy this recipe try my other similar ones:

Pork Pasta with Paprika and Garlic
Portuguese Pork with Paprika and White Wine Sauce
Easy Salsa Recipe

adding the chipotle paste to salsa for fish
Add the chipotle paste.

adding some hot sauce
Hot sauce added!

Recipe

The finished dish

Salsa for fish

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
No Ratings

Ingredients

  • ½ Cup ( 125 ml ) Mayonnaise
  • ½ Cup ( 125 ml ) Soured Cream
  • 4 teaspoon Chipotle Paste
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 teaspoon of your favourite hot sauce
  • 1 Tbspn Mexican Oregano and a pinch to use as a garnish
  • Juice of 3 limes
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Mix all of the ingredients together in bowl
  2. Pour int a servivng bowl and garnish with a pinch of Mexican Oregano
© Dan Toombs

My delicious fish salsa

Tacos al Pastor

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Tacos al pastor on a serving plate
Perfect for the barbecue. Try this tacos al pastor recipe!

 

Where I grew up, taco trucks were the place to get satisfy your taco craving. They were parked all over town and I had a few favourites I used to frequent.

None of that Taco Bell nonsense for me!

One of the most famous tacos on the menu was tacos al pastor. The crispy pork meat filling was cooking on a huge vertical spit. As it cooked, the chef would shave off the crispy bits and scoop them generously into my tacos.

I was surprised when I moved to Europe and saw the same cooking technique being done at the takeaways here.

The thing is, and this isn't known by many, the famous tacos al pastor is actually has Lebanese influences.

The history of Tacos al pastor...

The first introduction to this style of cooking was in the 1930s when Lebanese immigrants. If you've ever tried a shawarma, that's what they were making.

The Mexicans loved shawarmas and adapted the recipe.

The Lebanese used lamb for their shawarma as pork was a big no no. The Mexican used pork and for some reason unknown also added pineapple.

The pork version - tacos al pastor - was also marinated in a more Mexican style marinade like you will see in the recipe below.

To be honest, I never knew that pineapple was such a popular ingredient in tacos al pastor as they didn't use it at the taco trucks I went to.

In Mexico, however, many street food stalls top the meat with grilled pineapple pieces. I don't do this as I'm not a big fan of the fruit but if it sounds good to you, do it.

pork joint
I only used half of this pork joint for this recipe.

 

Removing skin from pork
Remove the skin from the pork. This makes awesome crackling.

 

Thinly sliced pork
Cut the pork into ¾ (1cm) slices.

 

Roasting the dry chillies
Toast the chillies until fragrant but not smoking.

 

Blending the marinade
Blend the chillies with the other marinade ingredients and then add the pepper.

 

Marinating the meat
Marinate the meat for 24 - 48 hours.

 

Cutting the center out of a pineapple
Cut the center out of the pineapple.

 

Sticking a wooden skewer into the pineable
Stick a wooden skewer into the pineapple.

 

Skewered meat
Ready for the barbecue.

 

Cooked pork
You can keep this on the barbecue and shave off the cooked bits for your tacos.
Tacos al pastor
Delicious with the salsa of your choice. I use my restaurant style salsa roja.

 

Dig in!
So easy and so good!

If you like this tacos al pastor recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Pork carnitas tacos
Pico de gallo salsa
Camping burritos
Grilled fish tacos
Shredded beef tacos
Easy salsa recipe

Recipe

tacos al pastor

Tacos al Pastor

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Additional Time: 2 days
Total Time: 2 days 1 hour 50 minutes
No Ratings

Ingredients

  • 4 dried guajillo chillies
  • 4 lbs (2 kg) boneless pork shoulder
  • 3 tablespoons achiote paste
  • 5 cloves garlic - crushed
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon pepper
  • ¾ cup (175ml) white distilled vinegar
  • 1 cup (250ml) pineapple juice
  • 1 pineapple

Instructions

  1. Slice the pork shoulder into thin slices as shown above.
  2. Roast the dried chillies until fragrant but not yet smoking. Then blend all the marinade ingredients. Add the black pepper.
  3. Marinate the meat for 24 - 48 hours.
  4. Slice the center out of the pineapple. If you like pineapple, you can barbecue it with the meat and add chunks of roasted pineapple to your tacos al pastor.
  5. pre-heat your oven or barbecue to 400f (200c).
  6. Cook the pork for 1 and a half hours or until it begins to char on the exterior.
  7. Slice the charred bits off and continue cooking the pork, helping yourself to the meat when you want another taco. Season with salt to taste.
  8. Pile high on warmed or fried corn tortillas topped with your salsa of choice and onions to garnish.
© Dan Toombs
I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Achiote Paste Recipe

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homemade achiote paste
This homemade achiote paste is great to have on hand. It keeps for months.

Whenever I visit family back in California, one of my first shopping stops is the local Mexican supermarket.

The food I cook most while there is Mexican food, so I stock up for the days I'm there and also purchase lots more ingredients to bring back to the UK with me.

One of the essential ingredients I buy is achiote (also called annatto) seeds to make this achiote paste recipe.

What is achiote paste?

You can use this achiote paste recipes in lots of different Mexican and Latin American dishes. Achiote comes in both seed and paste form. I purchase the seeds to make my own paste.

Making your own achiote paste you will get much better results that anything you can purchase in paste form.

Although achiote (annatto) is not used much in other cuisines, it's natural food colouring can is used to colour butter and cheeses among other things.

What does achiote paste taste like?

Try this achiote paste recipe and you are in for a delicious flavour that is often lacking in Mexican food cooked outside of the Americas.

It has an earthy, somewhat nutty flavour. It can often taste slightly sweet too. Although I have tried substitutes, there really isn't a substitute for the real thing.

How long does this achiote paste recipe keep?

Go ahead and make this whole batch. I think you might even double the achiote paste recipe the next time you make it when you see how good it makes your Mexican food taste.

You can keep your finished achiote paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three months to use as and when you need it.

Achiote seeds and powder
You can purchase achiote in powdered and seed form.

Roasting whole spices
Roast the whole spices over medium high heat until fragrant but not yet smoking.

Grinding whole spices
Here I ground the seeds and whole spices together to a powder.

adding powdered achiote
I was making a large batch and added the ground achiote too.

Squeezing lime juice into the paste
Adding the lime juice to give the paste a tart flavour.

Adding oregano and vinegar
To finish, add the vinegar and oregano.

Finished achiote paste
You can store your finished achiote paste in the fridge for weeks if not months.

If you love Mexican food, you might like to try some of these recipe too...

Grilled fish tacos
Shredded beef tacos
Pico de gallo salsa

Recipe

Achiote Paste Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
No Ratings

Ingredients

  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ¼ cup achiote (annatto) seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup (70ml) distilled white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
  • 3 tablespoon lime juice

Instructions

  1. Place the cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and black peppercorns in a dry frying pan and roast them over medium high heat until warm to the touch and fragrant. About 30 - 40 seconds should do.
  2. Pour into a pestle and mortar and pound to a fine powder.
  3. Add the achiote seeds and pound them into a powder too.
  4. Now add the garlic and salt and pound some more until you have a fine paste.
  5. Stir in the vinegar, lime zest and lime juice and continue working with your pestle into the paste.
  6. Store in the fridge for up to three months in an air-tight container and use as required.

Notes

This can all be done in a spice grinder too.

© Dan

I hope you try this achiote paste recipe. If you do, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Pork Carnitas Tacos

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Warning... Please make these pork carnitas tacos using pork lard. DO NOT USE normal vegetable oil or you'll probably catch your kitchen on fire when adding the orange juice and coke.

Pork carnitas tacos are a Mexican street food favourite. For that matter they're a Californian street food favourite too.

Two of the taco trucks where I grew up in California did these really well. They made their pork carnitas tacos just like this too.

In today's health-conscious world, pork carnitas tacos are often made by simmering the pork shoulder (pork butt) in water.

Although you can get good results doing that, pork carnitas tacos just aren't the same. The meat must be cooked in pork lard!

Pork carnitas tacos
Try this pork carnitas tacos. You'll love every bite.

A word about the coke...

The traditional way to make this is with cane sugar or Mexican coke which is made with cane sugar. Most coke is made with corn syrup and there are a lot of people who say only use Mexican coke.

I used regular coke for this recipe and it worked just fine. In California, when I make this recipe I used Mexican coke. I really can't notice any difference.

Working ahead...

You can make the pork part of this pork carnitas tacos recipe one or two days in advance. Then just heat the meat up in a pan or the microwave before serving.

Melting pork fat over medium heat
Melt the pork lard over medium heat.

Adding pork to pork lard
Add the pork to the lard and let it simmer until lightly browned.

Adding black pepper and oregano
Add the black pepper and oregano. If you can get Mexican oregano, use that.

Adding orange juice
Carefully add the orange juice.

Adding coke to meat
The add the coke.

Stirring in the garlic and onions
Stir in the garlic and onions.

In goes the milk.
Then add the milk and simmer for three hours.

Chop up the meat finely
Chop up the meat.

Frying the carnitas
Fry up the carnitas.

Adding carnitas to tortilla
Time to start building those tacos.

How you serve your pork carnitas tacos is up to you.

I served mine with homemade tomatillo salsa, diced red onions and cilantro.

All that piled high on fried corn tortillas!

Pork carnitas tacos
Dig in!

If you like this recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Camping burritos
Grilled fish tacos
Shredded beef tacos
Pico de gallo
Easy salsa

Recipe

Pork carnitas tacos

Pork Carnitas Tacos

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
4.7 Stars (3 Reviews)

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds (1.5kg) skinless, boneless pork butt (or shoulder)
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano is best for this)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ large white onion , cut into wedges
  • 8 cloves garlic , smashed
  • ½ cup (125ml) orange juice
  • 1 cup (250ml) coke (don't use diet coke)
  • 1 cup (250ml) milk
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Juice of two limes
  • 16 corn tortillas - lightly fried in oil
  • Salsa of choice
  • Diced red onion to ganish

Instructions

  1. Cut the pork into large chunks and sprinkle with the salt. Melt the lard in a large pan and the add the pork.
  2. Fry in the hot oil until lightly browed. About ten minutes should do.
  3. Now add the black pepper, oregano and cumin and stir well before adding the onion and garlic. Again stir it all up to combine.
  4. Pour in the coke, milk and orange juice and add just enough water to cover if needed. Add the bay leaves.
  5. Simmer over a low heat for 2.5 to 3 hours.
  6. When the meat is fork tender, remove it from the liquid and chop it up into small pieces.
  7. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and fry the meat until crispy on the exterior. Squeeze the lime juice in.
  8. Top your tortillas with the pork carnitas and add your salsa of choice and the diced red onions.
© Dan Toombs

Thai Red Curry Recipe with Chicken

By

Thai red curry recipe with chicken
This Thai red curry recipe is so good. Try this!

Looking for a delicious Thai red curry recipe? Look no further. You've found it.

I learned to make this recipe in Thailand and it truly is the best I've had.

Many people assume that because of its red colour, Thai red curries are the hottest. This isn't necessarily the case. Green curries are usually the spiciest because of all the fresh green bird's eye chillies used.

This recipe does have a kick to it but it isn't really spicy. You could of course add more red bird's eye chillies to turn that zing into a zap.

Thai red curries are Thai restaurant favourites. The red colour is from the red curry paste and the colour will vary depending on how many red spur chillies you use in the paste.

You can use shop bought red curry paste but add less to begin with as commercial pastes are often a lot spicier and saltier than homemade.

One eye-catching way of adding colour to the curry is to drizzle it with red chilli oil (see page xx) but this is optional.

A word about this Thai red curry recipe...

For best results, be sure to try my homemade Thai red curry paste. It packs a punch but it is full of other, not so spicy ingredients that really give it a delicious depth of flavour.

You can add the main ingredient/s of choice. I have used chicken but feel free to use chicken, duck, prawns, tofu... Whatever sounds good to you, use that.

I have mentioned a selection of vegetables that I used in my recipe. There too you are free to use whatever you want.

A good Thai red curry recipe will always include at least three different vegetables in the mix.

Frying the curry paste
Fry the curry paste for about 40 seconds to cook off the rawness.

Adding chicken to curry paste
Add the chicken pieces.

Stirring chicken and paste to combine
Stir the chicken and curry paste to combine and brown the chicken for a couple of minutes.

Stirring in coconut milk and stock
Add the coconut milk and stock.

Adding tamarind paste and palm sugar.
Stir in the sugar and tamarind. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients.

Stirring in vegetables.
Stir in the veggies to finish off. Taste and check for seasoning and serve.

If you like this Thai red curry recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Thai green curry
Thai green curry paste
Thai red curry paste
Thai grilled chicken - gai yang
Khao soi - Thai chicken soup with noodles
Coconut curry chicken

Recipe

Thai Red Curry Recipe with Chicken

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
5.0 Stars (1 Review)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon coconut oil or rapeseed (canola) oil
  • 450g (1lb) chicken thighs, skinless and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 batch homemade red curry paste or two tablespoon shop bought paste
  • 250ml (1 cup) Thai chicken stock
  • 400ml (1¾ cups) thick coconut milk/cream
  • 3 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon palm sugar
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
  • About 225g (½lb) vegetables like baby corn, bamboo shoots, baby aubergine, broccoli, red bell pepper, baby plum tomatoes, green beans
  • Coriander (cilantro) to garnish
  • 1 teaspoon chilli oil, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan or wok. When visibly hot, add the red curry paste and fry for about 30 seconds in the oil.
  2. Stir in the chicken and fry for a couple minutes or until the chicken is about 50% cooked through. Stir in the stock and coconut milk and simmer for five minutes to thicken the sauce a little.
  3. Now add the veggies, fish sauce, tamarind concentrate and sugar and simmer for about three minutes to cook the vegetables through.
  4. Cook the sauce down until you are happy with the consistency. It should be quite thin. Be careful not to overcook the vegetables.
  5. Garnish with coriander and drizzle with chilli oil to serve.

Thai Red Curry Paste - Authentic Recipe

By

Thai red curry paste homemade
This Thai red curry paste is delicious in Thai curries and marinades.

You could of course purchase Thai red curry paste. If you make your own, however you will notice and incredible different.

Homemade Thai red curry paste will take your red curries to a whole new and exciting level.

I've tried making Thai red curries many times, both with homemade and shop bought paste and homemade always wins hands down.

This does take some work but you can cheat a bit...

The traditional way of making Thai red curry paste is to pound all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar.

Even in Thailand, few people do this anymore. It takes about an hour to get the curry paste pounded to perfection.

I usually do the pounding method, especially when I have some time on my hands. That said, a good alternative is to start pounding the paste for about ten minutes and then finish it off in a food processor.

This will get you almost as good of results without all the work. Even if you were to make the whole paste in a food processor you would end up with a superior paste to anything you can buy.

Are shop bought curry pastes good too?

Yes. Although not as flavourful and usually a bit more basic, you can get good results using them.

The thing is, most commercial brands taste more of salt and chillies than anything else. As you can see, there is a lot more to a good Thai red curry paste than salt and heat.

If using a commercial brand of curry paste in your Thai red curries, I recommend using less than in the recipes you find on my website.

You can always add more but you don't want to overpower your curry with that spice and salt.

Do you really use this whole batch in a curry that serves four?

Yep! As you can see from the ingredients, it's not all about the heat. Lemongrass, shallots, mild spur chillies, garlic, galangal... These all add to the flavour of the curry without making it spicy hot.

Are you ready to get started?

Of course you are. I hope that you try making at least one batch of this Thai red curry paste the traditional way. Just so you can see for yourself the difference a bit of extra work makes.

Roasting cumin and coriander
Roasting the cumin and coriander brings out the flavours.

Ground spices
Place the ground spices and white pepper in a bowl and set aside.

pounding paste ingredients
I start by pounding just one of the ingredients and then adding to it as I go.

Pounding paste ingredients
You really need to pound hard to break all the ingredients down into a paste.

Pounded paste
By this stage I had been pounding for 40 minutes. You could use a food processor.

Stirring in ground spices
Add the ground spices and pound some more.

Adding shrimp paste
Last but not least, pound in the shrimp paste until you have a smooth buttery paste.

If you like this recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Thai green curry
Thai green curry paste
Thai pork belly stew
Khao soi - Thai chicken noodle soup
Thai salt crusted fish

Recipe

Thai red curry paste homemade

Thai Red Curry Paste - Authentic Recipe

Yield: 1 cup (250ml)
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
No Ratings

Ingredients

  • 1 generous tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 generous tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 12 cloves garlic – peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 medium shallots – finely chopped
  • 1 thumb sized piece of galangal - thinly sliced
  • 2 fresh red chillies - thinly sliced
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass – tough outer part removed and thinly sliced
  • 12 red dry chillies soaked in water for 30 minutes and then cut into small pieces
  • 10 thick coriander stems – about 1 generous tablespoon
  • Zest of ½ lime
  • 2 teaspoon shrimp paste

Instructions

  1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and toast the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant and warm to the touch but not yet smoking. Transfer to a pestle and mortar to cool and then pound to a fine powder. Stir in the whit pepper. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
  2. Now place the rest of the ingredients up to and including the lime zest and pound for 15 to 20 minutes into a buttery paste. You could use a blender but the flavour won't be as intense.
  3. When you have a good paste, add the shrimp paste and ground spices and pound for another five minutes or so. This paste can be stored in the fridge for up to a week and it also freezes well.
© Joe Toombs

Ground Pork Pasta Recipe

By

This minced pork pasta recipe recipe is wonderfully inexpensive and very simple to make. It has the extra bonus of being relatively healthy as most minced pork contains less that 5% fat. 

Feel free to omit the cream and add a tin of tomatoes if you want to reduce the calories in my ground pork pasta recipe. 

The finished dish
My delicious Ground Pork Pasta Recipe

Make the recipe your own:

I used tinned anchovies but if you like the taste of the fresh, salted ones go ahead and use those. You can also used tinned tomatoes instead of passata if you have those to hand. This recipe can really be altered to suit what you have in the store cupboard. I had minced pork to hand but it could just as easily be made with minced beef or lamb.

If you enjoy the lovely meal try these other similar ones:

Thai Pork Belly Stew
Salmon & Broccoli Pasta Bake
Enchilada Recipe
Pasta Bolognese Recipe

The ingredients
The inexpensive ingredients

Choped onions and sage
Chop the onions and sage

Browning the meat
Fry the onions and garlic and add the meat to brown

Add the sage and anchovies

Passata Added
Add the passata

The finished dish
My delicious Ground Pork Pasta Rcipe

If you like this recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Penna alla Puttanesca
Pork pasta with paprika and garlic
Homemade pasta dough
Caprese salad
Nduja pasta

Recipe

Finished dish

Ground Pork Pasta Recipe with Anchovies and Sage

Yield: 4
No Ratings

Ingredients

  • 300 g Dried Pasta - any shape will do
  • 2 Tbsn Olive Oil
  • 2 Medium Onions finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 500 g ( 20 oz ) Minced Pork
  • 7 chopped Anchovies from tin
  • Handful of fresh sage
  • 500 ml ( 2 cups ) Passata
  • 150 ml ( ½ cup ) single cream
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 300 g ( 10 oz ) Dried Pasta

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and when boiling add the pasta. Boil until cooked to your liking.
  2. While the pasta is cooking put the olive oil in another large pan and warm gently for a minute. Fry the onions and garlic on a low heat for 2 minutes then add the pork to brown it.
  3. When the pork is browned add the sage and anchovies and mix in well.
  4. Pour in the passata and stir well and cook for simmer gently for around 15 minutes.
  5. Add the cream and cook on low heat for a further few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve over the pasta and cover with grated Parmasan.
© Joe
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Italian

Brookie Recipe

By

finished brookie recipe
Try this brookie recipe. It's easy and delicious.

Everyone loves brownies and cookies on their own but imagine them merged together!

This brookie recipe provides a luxurious, mouthwatering treat that are very popular in my house.

Brookies have a buttery cookie base layered with a rich and gooey chocolate brownie. Make them once and I'll be you'll make them again really soon. They are just too tempting!

You need to give this Brookie Recipe a try. 

These are perfect for all occasions. From special gatherings such as Christmas and Thanksgiving to simply wrapping them up to take on a picnic. You could even just make them as a special treat for yourself. (Thats what I did!).

I must say that the best way to serve these brookies are defiantly straight from the oven served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

WORKING AHEAD…

Before making this Brookie recipe, ensure all your ingredients are room temperature. This will make it easier for you to combine the ingredients together.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, YOU MIGHT LIKE TO TRY SOME OF THESE TOO…

Primary School Cake

egg butter and sugar
Beat together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla extract

forming cookie dough
Add the flour, Bicarbonate soda, Salt and Cornflour and combine until cookie dough is formed

cookie in tray
Add the chocolate chips then press the dough into your tin and freeze for 25 minuets.

egg and sugar
Beat together the butter and sugar

melted chocolate and butter
Fold in the melted butter and chocolate.

combined brownie ingredients
Add remaining brownie ingredients and combine well.

layering the brookie
Pour the brownie mixture over the cookie dough.

cookies bookie
Bake the Brookie for 35-40 minuets and allow to set for 10 minuets before taking it out of the tray.

brookie

Recipe

Brookie recipe

Brookie recipe

Yield: 20
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
3.3 Stars (3 Reviews)

Ingredients

Cookie Layer

  • 175g Unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 200g milk chocolate chips
  • 1.5 tablespoon cornflour
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 0.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 337g plain flour
  • 187g light brown sugar

Brownie Layer

  • 150g dark chocolate
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 210g caster sugar
  • 75g plain flour
  • 35g cocoa powder
  • 200g Milk chocolate chips

Instructions

Cookie Layer

  1. Beat together the butter and sugar.
  2. Add the eggs and vanilla and keep beating until smooth.
  3. Add in the flour, salt, cornflour and Bicarbonate of Soda to form the cookie dough.
  4. Add in the chocolate chips.
  5. Line a [[['' tin with baking paper and Press the dough onto the bottom to create the first layer.
  6. Freeze for 25 minuets.

Brownie Layer

  1. Beat the eggs and sugar together.
  2. In a separate bowl, melt the butter and chocolate.
  3. Once melted, fold it into the egg and sugar mixture.
  4. Sift in the flower and Cocoa Powder then fold through again
  5. Add the chocolate chips
  6. Pour the brownie layer over the cookie layer and Bake for 35-40 minuets.
  7. Leave to set for 10 minuets before taking the Brookie out of the tray.
© Dan Toombs
Cuisine: British