A freezer full of various pastes is my secret weapon for easy cooking all year round. The first one is as simple as can be: chilis, garlic, salt and vinegar. Many of my favorite dishes start with sautéing onion, garlic and chilis, so having frozen chili-garlic paste on hand makes starting dinner so easy. Adding a little salt and vinegar makes it last longer as it goes from the freezer to the refrigerator and doesn’t impact the overall flavor. 

Having Thai curry paste in your freezer means dinner can be ready in 30 minutes or less, and this stuff is so much better than the tiny jars you buy at the grocery store. Chop up any veggies you like, then sauté ⅓ to ½ cup of curry paste in a couple tablespoons of oil over medium heat just until fragrant and the color has changed slightly. Add veggies and a can of coconut milk and simmer until the veggies are tender. Serve with rice and top with cilantro—done! 

All of these pastes can be tailored to your preferences. Add extra chiles, more garlic or tone down the fire for a more family-friendly dish. The process is the same for each of these recipes and variations: toss all ingredients in a blender or food processor, puree until smooth, divide among small jars, ice cube trays or bags and freeze until ready to use. They will also keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. Each of these recipes makes one to one and a half cups, depending on the size of your produce.  

Ingredients for Chili Garlic:

• 8 oz fresh chiles, stemmed
• 1 large head of garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp vinegar

Variation: Do you use fresh ginger frequently when cooking? Add a sliced, two-inch piece before blending and label your jars accordingly. 

Ingredients for Red Thai Curry:

• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Half a medium red onion, roughly chopped
• 2-inch piece of ginger, cut into large pieces
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, green part removed, white part roughly chopped
• 4 oz fresh red chilis
• 1 cup cilantro, stems and leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 small sweet red pepper, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup neutral oil

Variation: Yellow Thai Curry. Swap out the red onion for a yellow onion, bump up the ground turmeric to 1 Tbsp and, if possible, swap out the sweet red pepper for yellow or orange.

Variation: Green Thai Curry. Use all green chilis and sweet peppers, decrease the turmeric to ¼ tsp and add 15-20 Thai basil leaves. 

Taylor Tinkham is an editorial illustrator, Hennepin County master gardener volunteer and food preservation consultant living in south Minneapolis.

@ttink.art
@ttinkham

Photo credit: Taylor Tinkham.