When reading you rpost, my mouth started watering.
For sure, I'll try and make this.
I do love good asian food.

I eventually tossed this paste into the grinder to get it a lot more chopped up

That is what I was thinking when reading your challenges with the pestle and mortar. As a matter of fact, when I do this, I do it the other way around. I start with a blender, then do pestle and mortar to get extra juices out of whatever ends up in the paste.