Taste dried chillies for spiciness - see Note 1. Place the chopped chillies in a large boil and pour over about 3 cups of freshly boiled water. Leave to soak for a good 30 minutes or so.

Remove chillis and reserve water.

Put chillis in a blender or powerful food processor.

Add remaining curry paste ingredients into the blender along with 1/4 cup of the chilli soaking water.

Blitz on high until smooth - test by rubbing between your fingers. It takes around 20 seconds in my Vitamix which is a powerful blender. It might take up to 1 minute. Use a touch more water as required to aide with blending.

Scrape into a bowl or airtight container. Store for up to 3 days in the fridge, or freeze it to use later.

Use in place of store bought curry paste in recipes that call for it - especially Thai Red Curry!