Shrimp in Chile-Lemongrass Sauce

This Malaysian stir-fry gets its flavor from a rempah, or spice paste. Usually the rempah would include a few hard-to-find ingredients, but I've made some substitutions so you'll be able to get everything in a well-stocked supermarket. If you have access to authentic Malaysian ingredients, you can make the substitutions in the tip below.

For the spice paste:

• 1 large dried New Mexico or California red chile
• 2 dried chiles de árbol or cayenne chiles
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tsp. slivered almonds
• 4 large shallots, coarsely chopped
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 2 fresh red Fresno chiles or red jalapeños, seeded and sliced

Tip:

For a more authentic rempah, substitute chopped galangal for the ginger, 1/2 tsp. dried shrimp sauce (blachan) for the fish sauce, and two candlenuts, soaked for 10 minutes in lukewarm water, for the almonds.

For the shrimp:

• 1/3 cup corn oil or vegetable oil
• 1 pound large shrimp (26-30 per pound), shelled, deveined, rinsed, and patted dry
• 1 medium onion, halved through the stem and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 small tomatoes, cored and cut through the stem end into 8 wedges
• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

Make the rempah:

Cut all the dried chiles into 4 or 5 pieces each with scissors; shake out the seeds. Put the chiles in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, simmering until the chiles are soft and flexible, about 3 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving the water. Put the chiles in a blender.

Trim off the root and top section of the lemongrass, leaving a 5- to 6-inch section of bottom stem. Remove the fibrous outer layers until you reach the tender white core. Smash this core with the side of a knife to flatten it slightly. Cut it in half lengthwise and then slice crosswise into thin pieces.

Add the lemongrass, ginger, almonds, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, fresh chiles, and 3 tablespoons of the reserved chile water to the blender. Blend to a smooth purée, adding a few more tablespoons of the chile water, or up to 1/2 cup total if needed, to facilitate blending.

Cook the shrimp in the rempah:

Heat a nonstick wok or stir-fry pan or a large sauté pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Scrape the rempah into the pan and fry gently, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the oil and rempah are blended and emulsified, about 1 minute. Continue frying, stirring occasionally, until the mixture darkens and thickens to a porridge consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. (If you added extra water to the blender, it may take longer to thicken.) The rempah should separate, with reddish beads of oil on the surface.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp and onions. Fry them, tossing and flipping frequently, until the shrimp feel firm to the touch and the onions are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato, sugar, salt, and lime juice, stirring and cooking just long enough to mix and to heat the tomato wedges without breaking them apart.