Authentic Thai Red Curry Paste - cooking recipe

Ingredients

15 dried red chilies, deseeded, then soaked in boiling hot water for at least 10 minutes, deseed by cutting off one end an
2 small red onions, quartered
12 garlic cloves, fresh, roughly chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, crushed and the white part chopped finely
1 tablespoon galangal, peeled and chopped (galangal from a jar is OK, but ginger is not a good substitute)
2 tablespoons coriander roots, scraped, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon lime zest, finely shredded (I use a microplane shredder)
2 teaspoons white peppercorns
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, roasted in a dry pan until fragrant
1 teaspoon cumin seed, roasted in a dry pan until fragrant
1/2 teaspoon mace, roasted in a dry pan until fragrant (nutmeg will do if you can't get mace)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons shrimp paste, wrapped in foil and roasted in a 180C/350F oven for 10-15 minutes

Preparation

Prepare all ingredients as instructed above.
Drain the chillies and discard liquid.
In a food processor, puree the chillies and all the other fresh ingredients until very fine.
Grind all the spices together (you can use a mortar and pestle - I use a small food processor).
Add the roasted shrimp paste to the spices and grind again until combined.
Add the spice/shrimp paste mix to the puree and mix well.
Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in the refrigerator or freeze in 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup portions.
1/2 cup of the paste is sufficient for sauce for 500g/1lb of meat.