"How pleasurable were the citrus aromas and flavors as bright accents on the rich coconut cream that coated his tongue. He could taste the toasted coconut in the cream, what a great double emphasis that was. He had been so hungry and the more he ate, the more it seemed like he wanted to eat."

Two layers of coconut flavor make the rendang resonate on the tongue: coconut milk makes the spice paste creamy and toasted dried coconut, shown in the lower photo, adds body and a deeper roasted flavor to the sauce.

The "good on everything" concept has been tested and using the sauce as a dip for shrimp cocktail has become a featured recipe at book events.