Red curry paste
3-4 dried long red chillies, about 13 cm (5 inches) long
8-10 dried small red chillies, about 5 cm (2 inches) long, or 10 fresh small red chillies, seeded
2 lemon grass stalks, white part only , finely sliced
2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of galangal , finely sliced
1 teaspoon very finely chopped makrut (kaffir) lime skin or makrut lime leaves (about half the skin from a makrut or 4-5 leaves)
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3-4 Asian shallots, finely chopped
5-6 coriander (cilantro) roots, finely chopped
2 teaspoons shrimp paste
1 teaspoon ground coriander, dry-roasted
REMOVE the stems from the dried chillies and slit the chillies lengthways with a sharp knife. Discard the seeds and soak the chillies in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft. Drain and roughly chop.
USING a pestle and mortar, pound the chillies, lemon grass, galangal and makrut lime skin or leaves into a paste. Add the remaining ingredients and pound together until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
ALTERNATLVELY, you can use a food processor or blender to blend all the ingredients into as smooth a paste as possible. Add cooking oil, as needed to assist the blending.
USE as required or keep in an airtight jar. The paste will keep for at least two weeks in the refrigerator and for two months in a freezer.