Dehydrating curry paste is a wonderful way to store leftover curry paste or perhaps make a double batch and dehydrate it for an easy meal at a later date.

It is also an excellent way to reduce weight when tramping/hiking. This paste can be reconstituted with water and a legume such as chickpeas or lentils can be added for an easy, delicious and nourishing meal after a long hike.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5cm piece of fresh root ginger
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 100g jarred roasted peppers

Method

1. Heat a dry frying pan on a medium heat. Add the cumin, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. When they begin to pop, remove from the heat and add the ground spices - paprika, garam masala, turmeric to warm through until fragrant.
2. Place the spices and the remaining ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
3. Spread the paste out on a solid Ezi Dri tray and dehydrate at 55ºC for 10 hours until crisp and completely dry.
4. Break up the pieces and store in an airtight container until you are ready to use it.
5. To reconstitute the paste and make a curry add to a pan with a little oil. Add water cup by cup to the paste until it has completely absorbed the water and has a smooth consistency. From here you could pour over a little coconut cream and add your desired protein such as chicken, seafood, lamb or chickpeas.
6. Enjoy with a sprinkle of coriander and a dollop of yoghurt.

.