Heat the peanut oil in a large, heavy based pot. Fry the onions, garlic, galangal and lemongrass over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to colour. This takes about 20 minutes so turn down the heat if it begins to colour too quickly. Add the capsicums, chillies and tomatoes, stir and reduce the heat slightly. Cook the vegetable gently until the are collapsed and beginning to caramelize. This takes several hours so stir every now and then to make sure it does not catch on the base of the pot. Add the palm sugar and fish sauce and cook for another hour or so. By this stage the vegetables should be completely collapsed and very deeply coloured. Remove from the heat.

When the mixture has cooled slightly, puree in batches in a food processor. Don't drain any oil from the jam, it is needed to achieve the required colour and will be cooked out anyway. Rinse out the pot and return the jam to a low/medium heat and cook until the colour is a deep red and the oil has separated, about another hour. Stir frequently as it will burn easily at this stage. Drain off the oil and spoon into sterilised jars. Cool and refrigerate until required. Lasts at least 1 year, probably more.

* To trim lemongrass, cut off the top 1/4 and woody base from the stem and peel off the outer layer.

** Remove the seeds if you can't stand the heat.

Because this paste is fully cooked, you can eat it as is. A dollop on grilled fish or chicken is yum!

From: LOAF, LOAF@bigpond.com
Posted By: LOAF, Via: Rec.Food.Recipes
Post Date: Monday, July 03, 2000