Rinse the dried anchovies and drain the water.
Fry the anchovies until they turn light brown and put aside.
Pound the prawn paste together with shallots, garlic, and deseeded dried chilies with a mortar and pestle.
:- You can also grind them with a food processor.
Slice the red onion into rings.
Soak the tamarind pulp in water for 15 minutes.
Squeeze the tamarind constantly to extract the flavor into the water.
Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice.
Heat some oil in a pan and fry the spice paste until fragrant.
Add in the onion rings.
Add in the fish and stir well.
Add tamarind juice, salt, and sugar.
Simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens.
:- Good with rice.