Thai · IV The Method
Curry Pastes: The Pound-Not-Blend Principle
I
Origin
Thompson's position on curry pastes is uncompromising: the mortar and pestle produces a categorically different paste from a blender — one that releases oils differently, produces different texture, and integrates differently into coconut cream during cooking. The difference is not subtle; it is the difference between a Thai restaurant's curry and a home version made with blended paste.
II
Description
Thai curry pastes made by pounding dried and fresh aromatics sequentially in a stone mortar — the physical rupture of cell walls releases fat-soluble aromatic compounds in a way that blade-cutting cannot replicate.
III
The Thread
—Indonesian bumbu paste (same sequential pounding principle — different aromatics), Indian wet masala grinding (same stone grinder principle — different stones, same physical rupture), Malaysian rempah
IV
Flavour Context
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Pillars V — VII
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