| 12 | | Chilies; or less if you must |
| 12 | | Black peppercorns |
| 1 | ts | Ground coriander |
| 1 | ts | Ground cumin |
| 1 | ts | Salt |
| 12 | | Cloves garlic |
| 1 | lg | Onion; chopped |
| 1 | ts | Ground nutmeg |
| 2 | ts | Ground kah powder (Indonesian laos or galangal) (see note) |
| 1 | tb | Kapi (Indonesian trassi - malay belachan) (fermented shrimp paste here) |
| 3 | | Curry leaves (omit if unavailable) |
| 2 | tb | Finely sliced takrai (Indonesian sereh; lemon grass) |
| 2 | tb | Fresh chopped coriander; or more (use roots; stalks and leaves) |
| 2 | ts | Lime or lemon zest |
| 4 | | Whole cloves |
| 1/2 | c | Vegetable oil; or more |
| | Paprika or capsicum for redness |
