Dry-fry 300 g of ikan bilis and the peanuts in a large, heavy-based frying pan over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from the pan and leave to cool. Pound the extra ikan bilis to a powder in a mortar.

But the other big source of umami is ikan bilis - which roughly translates as 'little fish' in Malay or Bhasa - and are otherwise known as salt-cured anchovies. "In Burma, these little anchovies ...