Make tamarind water by soaking the tamarind paste in warm water for a few minutes then, using cheesecloth, squeeze the liquid into a separate bowl (reserve the liquid). Continue this process until you have ½ cup of liquid (discard solids).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or a deep cast-iron pan over medium heat. Deep-fry the shallots, garlic, dried shrimp, chilies and galangal—separately, in batches—until golden.

Drain them on paper towels as you remove each from the pan. Reserve the frying oil.

In a small skillet, toast the shrimp paste for a few minutes until fragrant.

Blend the fried mixture with the toasted shrimp paste in a food processor. Add some of the frying oil (up to 1 cup) to moisten the mixture as it blends.

Place the mixture into a saucepan, add the palm sugar, tamarind water and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until quite thick—stirring regularly to prevent burning.

The resulting relish should be sweet, sour and salty with a little bit of heat.