Authentic Thai Red Curry Paste

• 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

1. Prepare all ingredients as instructed above.
2. Drain the chillies and discard liquid.
3. In a food processor, puree the chillies and all the other fresh ingredients until very fine.
4. Grind all the spices together (you can use a mortar and pestle - I use a small food processor).
5. Add the roasted shrimp paste to the spices and grind again until combined.
6. Add the spice/shrimp paste mix to the puree and mix well.
7. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in the refrigerator or freeze in 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup portions.
8. 1/2 cup of the paste is sufficient for sauce for 500g/1lb of meat.

red chilies, red onions, garlic, stalks lemongrass, galangal, coriander roots, lime zest, white peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin, mace, salt, shrimp paste

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/authentic-thai-red-curry-paste-370631 (may not work)