Peanuts with Dried Anchovy and Indonesian-style Peanuts with Silver Fish (花生小魚乾-小菜兩碟)

The lady who helps us take care of my aging and ailing mom showed us how to make an elaborate and delicious Indonesian dish, Peanuts with Dried Silver Fish (印尼花生小魚乾), last week. While trying our hands on a simplified version of that dish, we thought about a similar but popular side-dish that is often served in Shanghai-style restaurants, Peanuts with Dried Anchovy (花生小魚乾).  So we made both dishes over the weekend.  BTW, we left out the fermented soy bean cake （印尼黃豆餅）, an Indonesian delicacy, from the simplified version of the Indonesian dish.  Here are the recipes.

I. Shanghai-style Peanuts with Dried Anchovy (花生小魚乾)

1. Make 4 cups of roasted (or pan-fried) peanuts.  We will use 2 cups for this recipe and 2 cups for the next recipe (see Part A of this previous post).
2. Pan-fry ~2 oz of dried anchovy (丁香小魚乾), with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, over medium heat, till slightly golden (3-5 minutes). Set aside.  Note- Dried anchovy is available from any Chinese market (in refrigerated food sections, not in freezers).  Need to buy small-size anchovy (<1" in length).  Larger-size anchovy might taste bitter, because of the entrails inside.
3. Turn on medium heat, add 1-2 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan, add 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced), and 6-8 green chili pepper (sliced), stir till fragrant (1-2 minutes).  Note- Might consider to choose the right chili pepper based on the heat index.
4. Add pan-fried anchovies (from Step 2) into the pan.  Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sugar. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, add 2 cups of roasted peanuts into the pan (from Step 1), mix evenly.  Season with salt (add 1/4 tsp a time), and sugar (add 1/2 tsp a time).  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

II. Indonesian-style Peanuts with Dried Silver Fish (印尼花生小魚乾)

1. Make 4 cups of roasted (or pan-fried) peanuts. We will use 2 cups for this recipe and 2 cups for the previous recipe (see Part A of this previous post).
2. Deep-fry ~2 oz of dried silver fish till golden, slightly brown (high heat, 400-deg-F, ~10-15 minutes).
3. Deep-fry 1-2 finely-sliced small potato (high heat, 400-deg-F, ~10-15 mins).  Note- Use a Julianne Slicer, to create potato slices that are about the same size as the silver fish.
4. [Make the Hot Sauce] Grind 3-4 cloves of shallots, 3-4 cloves of garlic, and 6-8 red chili pepper with a food processor.  Set aside.  Note- Might consider to choose the right chili pepper based on the heat index.
5. Soak a 3/4-1"-cube of tamarind paste in 3-4 Tbsp of warm water for 15-20 minutes.  Stir loose and press down with a spoon.  Strain out the juice, and set aside.  Note- Tamarind paste is available from any Chinese market.
6. Turn on low-to-medium heat, add 1-2 Tbsp of vegetable oil into a flat bottom cooking pan.  Add the hot sauce (from Step 4) into the pan, add the tamarind water (from Step 5).  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 Tbsp of sugar.  Stir constantly, until the the mixture is thick (try to reduce the water content as much as possible, without burning the saauce, 2-3 minutes).  
7. Turn off heat, add deep-fried potato slices (from Step 3), and deep-fried silver fish (from Step 2), and 2 cups of roasted peanuts (from Step 1).  Stir evenly.  Season to taste with salt (add 1/4 tsp a time), and sugar (add 1/2 tsp a time).  Here is a picture of the finished product.