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