From this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/30/anna-jones-curry-paste-recipes

The summary is: A curry paste can be divided into Aromatics / Spices / Oil / Chilli / Top Note / Liquid

Aromatics include:
Lime leaves / zest / juice, lemon zest and preserved lemons, garlic, spring onion, red onion, shallots, lemongrass, ginger, cloves, turmeric

Spices include:
Nutmeg, cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, peppercorns, saffron, curry leaves, mustard seeds

Chilli: fresh, dried, frozen and grated or preprocessed (eg harissa paste)

Top Note: coriander, mint, thai basil, honey

Liquids include:
Coconut milk, coconut cream, tinned tomatoes, possibly extras like tamarind paste.

Basic Method

1. Blend the Aromatics with the oil and Top Note to get a fine paste
2. Heat the paste in a pan until a strong smell arises
3. add the liquid + stock
4. Add vegetables and other ingredients, in order of time to cook
5. Use stock to get the right consistency
6. Add chopped herbs and nuts for crunch: peanuts, cashews and shallots are useful for this
7. Serve with rice or noodles as a base