Sambal Dried Prawns [Sambal Hae Bee]

I love sambal dried prawns sandwiches with sliced cucumber or fresh mint leaves.  I also love sambal dried prawns with plain white rice and cucumber/mint leaves.  Recently, my neigbhour [the one for whom I baked the extra loaf of  bread] gave me a packet of dried prawns [good quality one].  So why not, make the sambal, serve it with rice, use it as my buns' filling?

Search all over and found this recipe from Amy Beh's collection, but I change some ingredients for my own convenience.  This is a good recipe, the sambal dried prawn  is not salty.  Should be good as bun filling.

Ingredients

200 gm dried prawns - soaked, cleaned and lightly pounded [I use the blender]

2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 100 - 150 ml water, strain to obtain juice

4 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced [I omit]

1/2 cup oil

Spice Ingredients [Ground to a paste]

5 dried chillies, soaked [I substitute with 1 tbsp chilli boh]

7 red chillies

10 shallots

2 cloves garlic

2 stalks lemongrass

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

Seasoning

3 tbsp sugar or to taste

1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt or to taste [depends on the dried prawns]

1/2 tsp chicken stock granules [I used msg - Ajinomoto]

1. Prepare the ingredients as above.
2. Heat oil in a wok and fry the spice ingredients over medium low heat until aromatic.
3. Add in the tamarind juice.  Bring it to a boil.  Add in the dried prawns.  Stir fry until well combined.
4. Add in seasoning and kaffir lime leaves [if using].  Reduce the heat and keep frying until mixture is almost dry and crumbly [to the desired texture].  Drier if using as bun filling.
5. Dish out and leave to cool.  Serve with sliced cucumber or fresh mint leaves.