> I am never sure just how "pastey" the paste should be.

The pastier, the better. While it's difficult to achieve the texture of
a commercial curry paste, that's what you should strive for. You should
avoid identifiable pieces.

> The next question is one about mortar and pestle technique.

One thing that helps is to pound the harder, tougher ingredients first.
If you add them all at the same time, the softer ingredients like
shallots will act as a lubricant and cushion, and will keep the tougher
ingredients like kaffir lime peel, lemon grass and spices from breaking
up. If you start with the hard ingredients first, they will pulverize
nicely. Then when you add the softer ingredients the hard stuff will
help the soft stuff disintegrate by acting as an abrasive.

--
- Jeff Lichtman
Author, Baseball for Rookies
http://baseball-for-rookies.com/