Indonesian Grilled Skewered Meat Balls

500 g finely minced beef
2 fresh red chili peppers, chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
4 Brazil nuts, shelled
½ teaspoon dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon trassi (pungent Indonesian shrimp paste)
¼ tamarind paste or jelly
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
30 g freshly grated coconut
Salt
4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 small eggs, lightly beaten
10 cl thick coconut milk

Combine the chilies, ground spices, nuts, sugar, shrimp paste and tamarind paste in a mortar. Add the shallots, garlic, grated coconut and salt to taste, then pound the mixture to a paste with a pestle. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan. Add the paste and fry it quickly over a medium heat until slightly crisp and golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove the paste to a sieve and leave it to drain. When the paste is dry, pound it again in the mortar.

Mix three-quarters of the paste with the meat and the eggs. Shape the mixture into small balls about 2.5 cm in diameter. Thread the balls on to 20 cm bamboo skewers – about 4 or 5 balls to a skewer. Protect the exposed ends of the skewers by wrapping aluminum foil around them. Mix the reset of the paste with the coconut milk and brush the skewered meat balls with this sauce. Grill the meat balls on a barbecue or under an oven grill for about 4 minutes on each side, basting frequenlty with the sauce.