MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Bumbu Pecel (Javanese Spicy Peanut Sauce)
 Categories: Javanese, Sauces
      Yield: 1 -1/2 c
 
  1 1/2 c  Raw peanuts
     10 sm Red chilis
      2 lg Red chilis
      2 ts Asem tua (mature tamarind)
      6    Lime leaves
      2 cl Garlic
      2    Kencur pieces (lesser
           -galangal); thumb sized
      2 ts Salt
    1/4 c  Gula jawa (palm sugar)
 
  Make it up in large batches because it will stay fresh in or out of
  the refrigerator for weeks. Then mix a few tb with warm water
  whenever you want some gado-gado or nasi pecel.
  
  Fry peanuts in oil for about 3 minutes; crush peanuts to a fine powery
  paste in a lemper. Remove peanut mixture to a separate container.
  Crush remaining ingredients in a lemper. Add peanuts and mix well.
  
  American notes: There are a number of shortcuts to this recipe.
  Published cookbooks often use peanut butter, which simply doesn't
  work very well, although if you use African peanut butter (from a
  west-African store), the result is somewhat better, maybe because of
  the variety of peanuts. There are also packaged gado-gado or bumbu
  pecel mixes which you just add a little boiling water to. These tend
  to be very hot and sweet, since chilis and sugar can be used to bulk
  out an otherwise undistinguished mixture. I don't recommend any of
  the powders, but some of the small compressed cakes aren't hopeless,
  although the homemade is easy enough and very much better.
  
  Recipe by Bp. Wakidi Dwijamartono and K. Emerson, Solo, Java, 1999
 
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