Instructions: Stir fry the peanuts for 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain in a colander and leave to cool. Then pound or grind the nuts into a fine powder, using a blender, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Reserve 1 tablespoon of oil and discard the rest.

Crush the garlic, shallots and shrimp paste in the mortar with a little salt and fry in the remaining oil for one minute. Add the chili powder, sugar, soy sauce, and water. Bring this to the boil, then add the ground peanuts. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes thick; this should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tamarind water and more salt, if needed.

When cool, keep in a jar in the refrigerator. Reheat as required for use with satay or savory snacks. Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

*Tamarind Water

Crumble a 1 pound block of tamarind into a saucepan and add 5 cups of water and simmer until the water has reduced to half its volume. Pass this through a sieve and simmer for 10 more minutes to purify it further. Leave the liquid to get cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator for at lest 2 weeks or can be frozen up to 3 months. One tamarind water ice cube is equivalent to 2 tablespoons of thick tamarind water.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

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