Dried shrimps 400gm (soaked and drained then grind)
Assam paste 1 tbsp (add some water n knead the pulps and seeds out to remove)
Sugar 50-60gm
Rempah
Dried chilli 15-20 (soak and drain)
Chilli padi 10 (trim off the stem)
Shallots 10 (peeled)
Garlic 5 (peeled)
Turmeric 2 inch (peels and smashed)
Candlenut 10 (I crush them before using)
Belachan 1 inch (toasted)
Lemongrass 5 (use only the white part)
Galangal 0.5 inch (optional, I use coz I have this last bit sitting around)
Kaffir leaves 4-5 pcs (remove stem)
Blend up all the rempah into paste.
Tumis the paste in about 400ml of oil. (About low fire, leave it to cook, stir occasionally to prevent sticking)
When the rempah turns deep red and the oil separate from the spice, put in the assam paste. Stir well, add in the hae bee. Mix them up and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Make sure to scrap the bottom n sides too.
U will see steam coming out, those are the water from the soaking of hae bee. I like to evaporate the water as much as possible so the HBH can last longer.
I just keep stir frying until I see not so much steam comes out anymore and the HBH would turn into a even deeper color. Some of the oil will start to shimmer on the wok again, means it's done. Off the fire then stir in the sugar. Mix well.
Cool before storing in airtight container.