Drain chilis & reserve water to go as part of the 5 cups water called for later. In a mortar & pestle or food processor grind together the first 8 ingredients into a paste. Add shrimp paste & mix well. Put the reserved water and enough more to make 1 cup in a wok & bring to a boil while bringing 4 more cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add paste mixture to wok & boil until fragrant. Add grilled beef to wok, stir untilo blended. Season with fish sauce & palm sugar, then pour mixtureinto the pot of boiling water. Add eggplant, balsam leaves, chile & lime leaf shredds & mix well. Transfer to serving platter & garnish with more chili shreds & whole balsam leaves. Serve with steamed rice.

Nut. Analysis per serving:

315 calories, 12 grams fat, 24 grams carbohydrates, 29 grams protein, 72 milligrams cholesterol, 974 milligrams sodium, 35 percent of calories from fat.