Pecel Salad Paste

Pronounced more like "buzut".

Ingredients

• 1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
• 10 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 5-10 miniature red chili peppers, sliced
• One piece of kaempferia galanga (aka "sand ginger") about the size of two thumbs, sliced
• The zest of one kaffir lime (use all the zest), ground
• 2 T fresh tamarind, unshelled and ground
• 600 grams peanuts, roasted and ground
• 200 grams brown coconut palm sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• Vegetable oil for sauteeing

To Prepare

In a wok/pan, use a small amount of vegetable oil to sautee the garlic, shallots, chili peppers, kaempferia galanga, kafir lime zest, and tamarind until golden. Remove from heat and transfer into a mortar. Use a pestle to grind into a paste. (You could also use a blender, but the paste might get too thick and damage the blender.) Add the peanuts, salt, and palm sugar. Spoon back into wok/pan and heat until sugar has melted. This mixture can be frozen and stored for many months.

To Serve

Spoon out the desired amount of paste, add hot water, and stir until smooth. More water results in a soupier sauce, so you may need to use trial and error to find the consistency you like.