You don’t need a swimming pool, but you do need enough oil to fry rather than steam. Too little oil often leads to a wet simmer at first, then scorching once the paste dries.

Begin on medium to evaporate moisture without burning aromatics. As the paste thickens, you can nudge heat slightly higher for gentle browning, then lower it again once it starts catching quickly.

Scrape the base, keep it moving, and don’t let it sit in one spot once it thickens. Near oil separation, burning happens faster because there’s less water buffering the heat.

You’re looking for the combination: deeper colour, mellowed raw smell, glossy paste, and visible oil.

Once the paste is cooked out, add your next ingredients (meat, vegetables, tomatoes, stock, coconut milk) to stop the paste frying too aggressively and to lift any browned bits from the pan.