To deseed dried red chillies, simply chop the crown off to make an opening and shake the seeds out. Discard seeds; place deseeded chilies in a cup of boiling hot water for 30 minutes. You may choose to use dried chiles with seeds like I do and soak them whole.

Discard chili water. Using scissors, chop rehydrated red chilies into smaller pieces. Place them with all other Spice Paste ingredients in a heavy blender; blend until very smooth. You may add up to ½ water (in slow increments) to get the blender running.

Soak tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water for 30 minutes, set aside. Massage soaked tamarind using your fingers and squeeze all the pulp out into the water. Discard fiber and seeds. Set aside.

To make Kerisik (or toasted coconut), place grated coconut in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Toast the coconut slowly, stirring around with a spatula to evenly disperse the heat. Reduce heat and continue to toast until golden brown and toasty-smelling. The entire process, set over low heat, should take about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the toasted coconut into a bowl and allow to cool.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large heavy base saucepan over medium heat. Add cardamoms, cinnamon, star anise and cloves followed by homemade spice paste; cook for 4-6 minutes until oil starts to separate.

Next, add meat and stir-fry for 8-10 minutes until meat is nicely seared and no longer pink.

Next, add roasted coconut, lemongrass stalk, sliced kaffir lime leaves, sugar, salt, tamarind pulp, and coconut milk. Stir to combine.

Bring to the boil, then immediately turn the heat down to low. Make sure the sauce is still bubbling on low heat. Check water level every 40-50 minutes and add some water if the curry starts to dry out. (If pressure cooking - close the cooker and wait until pressure is full, then reduce heat to low and pressure-cook for 20-25 minutes)

Cover and leave it to simmer for 2-2.5 hours until meat is very tender. (If pressure cooking, let it rest for 30 minutes before opening the cooker)

Once tender, if there is still lots of liquid left in the saucepan reduce it by turning up the heat until sauce is thick and luscious. Add more salt and sugar to taste. Serve hot with steamed Jasmine rice.