Electric Grinder for Curry Pastes

[AyG]

I don't always have the energy or inclination to make my curry pastes by hand so use an electric grinder. However, my grinder has died (and it's not the first to do so) after less than a year. I know that in India they have special, heavy duty grinders for making curry pastes. Is anything similar available here in Thailand?

[meatboy]

I want one to,i got a kenwood wizard pro but the wiz.has gone to oz.

[zeichen]

After Kenwood's ad about its mixers doing everything but cooking, that's what wives are for. I don't think tha I will ever buy their products.

There are Thai made grinders I believe that king machines makes one. The loal markets that have huge piles of curry paste will be your best bet to ask advice where they got theirs.

[AyG]

After Kenwood's ad about its mixers doing everything but cooking, that's what wives are for. I don't think tha I will ever buy their products.

There are Thai made grinders I believe that king machines makes one. The loal markets that have huge piles of curry paste will be your best bet to ask advice where they got theirs.

Thanks for the thoughts. However ...

The curry pastes in the market are usually passed through a mincer a few times - not ground.

I only want to make a small quantity of paste - not an industrial quantity.

[meatboy]

After Kenwood's ad about its mixers doing everything but cooking, that's what wives are for. I don't think tha I will ever buy their products.

There are Thai made grinders I believe that king machines makes one. The loal markets that have huge piles of curry paste will be your best bet to ask advice where they got theirs.

Thanks for the thoughts. However ...

The curry pastes in the market are usually passed through a mincer a few times - not ground.

I only want to make a small quantity of paste - not an industrial quantity.

what we need is someone with a good wrist'action nothing better than making your own,i did try bok bok but after awhile my wrist started to ache,so what we need is someone with a <deleted> action.

[meatboy]

we do have a smoothie maker which crushes ice cubes to slush,only used twice in the last 5yrs.that should do the job.

[rhythmworx]

Mixers won't achieve the same as a pestle and mortar.

Pad Krapao for example in a mixer wont sort the seeds out they need to be pulped.

[meatboy]

Mixers won't achieve the same as a pestle and mortar.

Pad Krapao for example in a mixer wont sort the seeds out they need to be pulped.

got to agree with you,but its all in the wrist action and mine is not as good as when a boy

[harrry]

If you go to Central they have a heavy duty indian type Panasonic food processor mx400 set that is specially designed for Indian type food.

[AyG]

If you go to Central they have a heavy duty indian type Panasonic food processor mx400 set that is specially designed for Indian type food.

Brilliant! Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Thank you. It's also sold in Robinson (which is more convenient for me), 4,490 Baht.

[mooken]

What did you eventually decide upon and how would you rate it? I am just using a generic spice grinder and it is definately left me wanting. Mine brutalises and generates too much heat so most times I resort to the mortar and pestle, not the best choice for me as I'm notoriously lazy.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[AyG]

I eventually plumped for the Panasonic MX-AC400 Mixer Grinder, as recommended by Harrry. It's made in India for the Indian market. (The accompanying manual refers to grinding dhal, making chutneys, ginger/garlic paste and so forth.) To be honest, it is rather bigger than I'd been wanting, and includes four goblets of various sizes. It's more of a complete food processor than a grinder. It was also rather more expensive than I'd originally planned at

First impressions were good. The blades are much sturdier than I've seen in the West. Three of the goblets are stainless steel with indentations to help mix the food up as it grinds. The smallest goblet is just the right size for making curry paste for 4-8 portions. The goblet lids have rubber seals, which is good. And the goblets can be attached to the base at a number of different angles which is convenient. My only concern was that the motor is 350 W, which isn't a lot, and less than the 550 W widely advertised. I needn't have worried.

Last night I made my first curry paste with it (for kaeng hang lae to be precise). The quantity of dry spices (3 Tbsp.) was too small to grind on its own, so I also put in the galangal and lemongrass. (My previous grinders have always struggled with galangal because it's so hard.) I pulsed for 5 seconds and the spices were ground and the galangal reduced to fibres. I was frankly amazed. I then simply put in the rest of the ingredients and processed for 20 seconds on the lowest speed. The result was pretty good, but I then decided to add some oil and processes for another 20 seconds to get a paste I was happy with.

In short: I don't know whether this grinder will last more than a year, but it definitely looks built to last, and it produces great pastes with ease.

[mooken]

Thanks, I will give it a look.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[harrry]

I eventually plumped for the Panasonic MX-AC400 Mixer Grinder, as recommended by Harrry. It's made in India for the Indian market. (The accompanying manual refers to grinding dhal, making chutneys, ginger/garlic paste and so forth.) To be honest, it is rather bigger than I'd been wanting, and includes four goblets of various sizes. It's more of a complete food processor than a grinder. It was also rather more expensive than I'd originally planned at

First impressions were good. The blades are much sturdier than I've seen in the West. Three of the goblets are stainless steel with indentations to help mix the food up as it grinds. The smallest goblet is just the right size for making curry paste for 4-8 portions. The goblet lids have rubber seals, which is good. And the goblets can be attached to the base at a number of different angles which is convenient. My only concern was that the motor is 350 W, which isn't a lot, and less than the 550 W widely advertised. I needn't have worried.

Last night I made my first curry paste with it (for kaeng hang lae to be precise). The quantity of dry spices (3 Tbsp.) was too small to grind on its own, so I also put in the galangal and lemongrass. (My previous grinders have always struggled with galangal because it's so hard.) I pulsed for 5 seconds and the spices were ground and the galangal reduced to fibres. I was frankly amazed. I then simply put in the rest of the ingredients and processed for 20 seconds on the lowest speed. The result was pretty good, but I then decided to add some oil and processes for another 20 seconds to get a paste I was happy with.

In short: I don't know whether this grinder will last more than a year, but it definitely looks built to last, and it produces great pastes with ease.

Makes good smoothies too.

Blades are a little different to a standard food processor so it is not a total replacement for one.

Glad it satisfied you.

[AyG]

Blades are a little different to a standard food processor so it is not a total replacement for one.

That is one thing I'd been wondering about. The galangal was turned into fibres, so I suspect that the blades are smashing, rather than cutting. Not a problem if you cut the galangal into thinish slices first, but I suspect you couldn't put the root in whole.

Anyway, I'm happy. Thank you for the smart recommendation.

[harrry]

Blades are a little different to a standard food processor so it is not a total replacement for one.

That is one thing I'd been wondering about. The galangal was turned into fibres, so I suspect that the blades are smashing, rather than cutting. Not a problem if you cut the galangal into thinish slices first, but I suspect you couldn't put the root in whole.

Anyway, I'm happy. Thank you for the smart recommendation.

If you have a few spare minutes have a look at the Youtube videos from the company promoting it. The ones from India have a modern westernised Indian lady and the ones for the Middle east a more traditional lady with all the head shaking. Same recipes different style.

Edited April 14, 2014 by harrry