2candlenuts, optionalOR 2 macadamia nuts or 1 cashew nut OR just leave out
1Tbspdried prawnsleave out if vegetarian
Instructions
Soak the Tamarind
Put the kettle on and place the tamarind pulp in a bowl.
Pour about 60ml (¼ cup) boiling water over the pulp and cover with a saucer. Leave to soak while you get the other ingredients going.
Dry Fry the whole spices
We will be toasting the spices, then grinding them to a powder in a spice or coffee mill. Skip this step by using ground coriander, fennel and cumin. It's up to you. I love freshly ground spices in serunding.
Place the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds into a small frying pan and toast them over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. You'll get a nutty, toasty fragrance from this. Tip out onto a plate and leave to cool, while you go on with the other prep work.
More Prep Work
Peel, then quarter the onion. Drop into your chopper.
Halve or roughly chop the chillies and add to the chopper.
Peel the garlic and add to the chopper.
Lemongrass - you have 2. One, we'll be using whole, the other is going in the paste.Slice off the tough bottom end (the root end) of both the lemongrass. And cut off the top part, leaving about 10 cm/4 inches of stalk. Peel off the top layer, if it's particularly dry or dirty, or looking a little yellow. If not, leave it alone. Rinse your lemongrass and dry.Whole - place your lemongrass on a chopping board and bash hard on the thick end with the back of your knife. This is called bruising your lemongrass. Set aside until cooking time.Second lemongrass - slice into thin rings and add to the chopper.You can read more about how to prepare lemongrass for use in this post.
Slice the ginger and add to the chopper.
Add the turmeric and galangal to the chopper too.
Bash your candlenuts with the back of your spoon to split into two, then drop into the chopper.
Add the dried prawns too. I don't bother presoaking them.
Let's make the Serunding Paste
Mash the tamarind with your fingers (it should be cool enough now). Then fish out the seeds and pulp, discard, and pour everything else into your chopper. Or use a sieve with a large mesh.
Remember those whole spices we toasted? Tip them into a spice mill (or coffee mill) and grind to a powder. Then tip into your chopper with the other ingredients.
Now, finally, grind everything to a fairly smooth paste. You shouldn't need any water, but if you do, add a tiny amount.
Cooking our Serunding
Tip your coconut and everything else into your chosen frying pan or wok. So that's the whole lemongrass, lime leaves, salt and both sugars.Then pour the serunding paste all over. Mix thorougly with your hands (the turmeric will stain your nails and the chillies may be hot, so use gloves if you want).Taste it now to check seasoning. Add a little more salt if you want.If using desiccated coconut, add the coconut milk too.
Now, place your pan on medium heat as it is, no oil needed, let the serunding heat up for 2 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low, when everything's had a chance to heat through and cook, stirring constantly until it gets a little dry and is giving off a wonderful toasty and spicy fragrance. This will take about 15-20 minutes.Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container, as described in the post above.