Pork Satay

In a bowl, stir together the brown sugar, coriander, cumin, turmeric, lime juice, fish sauce and coconut cream to form a marinade. Add the pork and mix thoroughly to coat. Cover and let marinate for 2 hours at room temperature. Place 18 bamboo skewers, each 8 inches long, in enough water to cover for at least 30 minutes.

FOR SAUCE: In a small bowl, soak the tamarind pulp in the boiling water for 15 minutes. Mash with the back of a fork to help dissolve the pulp. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into another small bowl, pressing against the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp; set the liquid aside.

Place a wok or saucepan over medium heat. When it is hot, add the oil, curry paste and paprika. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and stir continuously over low heat until the red-stained oil peeks through the paste, about 3 minutes. Add the ground peanuts or peanut butter and palm sugar or brown sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tamarind liquid, fish sauce and salt and cook for 1 minute longer. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little water. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat. Thread 4 or 5 pieces of pork onto each skewer. The pieces should touch but do not press them together. Place the skewers on the grill rack and grill until grill marks are apparent on the underside, about 2 minutes. Turn the skewers over and continue grilling until the pork is browned on all sides and firm to the touch, about 1 minute longer.

TO SERVE: Transfer the skewers to a platter. Pour the sauce into a shallow serving bowl and serve alongside.