Soak dried chilies in hot water for 15 minutes and deseed. In a wok over low heat put the shallots, garlic, galangal, lemon grass, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry fry for about 5 minutes, then grind into a powder (with mortar and pestle). Into a blender, put the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend to mix well. Add the shallot-garlic-galangal-lemon grass-clove-coriander seed-cumin seed mixture and the shrimp paste and blend again to obtain 1/2 cup of a fine-textured paste. This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

This recipe from: The Elegant Taste of Thailand, by Sisamon Kongpan & Pinyo Srisawat.