Chilli Paste

This versatile paste is easy to make and, once you have a taste for it, addiction soon follows. Chilli paste is used in soups such as Thai tom yum, and is cooked with coconut cream and coconut milk as a sauce for seafood. It also makes a delicious salad dressing.

Timing is everything here: If the ingredients are fried for too long, they burn; not long enough, and the sauce is insipid. Remember, fortune favours the brave!