Keep the red dried chilies to soak in water, that way they will easily blend with the other ingredients. Strain when you are ready to prepare the paste.
Keep all your fresh ingredients ready. Peel and cut smaller shallots, garlic and galangal, cut small lemongrass and cilantro roots. Cut the lime skin from the lime.
Add to your blender jar all the fresh ingredients with the red chiles (without water!) and add the cumin, black pepper, and salt as well as the shrimp paste. All ingredients should be added to the jar at this point!
Blend everything to a smooth wet paste. Do not add water to the paste, because water reduces the shelf live and the point of the paste is to keep it for a while.
Store paste in a clean sterilized jar or in a clean vacuum bag until further use.
Video
Notes
For the Chili Pepper use Thai varieties from your Asian grocery store or your favorite pepper variety.
For ingredients substitutions see post for all the details.
You can add Shrimp Paste, as it turns out more flavorful. However, you may skip it if you can't get Shrimp Paste.