Red curry is a popular Thai dish consisting of curry paste to which coconut milk is added. The base is properly made with a mortar and pestle, and remains moist throughout the preparation process. The main ingredients are garlic, shallots, (dried) red chili peppers, galangal, shrimp paste, salt, kaffir lime peel, coriander root, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns and lemongrass. Common additives are fish sauce, sugar, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, thai basil (bai horapha), and meat such as chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, frog, snake or duck. Tofu, and meat analogues or vegetables such as pumpkin, can be substituted as a vegetarian option. This dish normally has a soup-like consistency and is served in a bowl and eaten with steamed rice. The standard red curry paste contains shrimp paste, which renders it inappropriate for vegetarians. There are, however, vegetarian red curry pastes available.