Sambal tumis

Step 1: Drain 1 ⅜ oz dried red chillies and put in a blender with 4 fresh red chillies, 7 oz shallots, 6 cloves garlic, ⅔ oz galangal, 2 lemongrass stalks, 3 candlenuts and 4 tbsp water. Blend to a smooth paste, scraping down often; a gritty paste fries unevenly.

Step 2: Heat ¾ cup vegetable oil in a wok or wide pan over a medium heat until a pinch of paste sizzles at once. Add all the paste and 1 toasted nori sheet, stand back, and stir well.

Step 3: Turn the heat to medium-low and fry, stirring every minute or two and scraping the bottom. The paste goes from bright orange to deep brick red and the sharp, raw smell mellows. Don't rush it on a high flame: that is the most common mistake, and it gives a bitter, scorched sambal that never separates.

Step 4: Keep going until the oil splits away and shimmers around the edge (cooks call this 'pecah minyak'). Add the strained 1 oz tamarind pulp liquid, 1 ⅜ oz palm sugar (gula Melaka) and 1 tsp salt and simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until thick, glossy and jammy.

Step 5: Taste and balance with more sugar or salt. Cool, then spoon into a clean jar and pour the red oil over the top to seal. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.