Place chilies in mortar and pestle along with salt. Grind and mix thoroughly with the pestle—you don’t need to form a paste, just break down the peppers slightly.  Set aside and prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Heat half a cup of your oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic. Stir and let fry gently until the garlic turns golden yellow in color.  When the garlic is ready, add the salted chilies. Stir and let fry gently for another five to 10 minutes, again watching closely so as not to burn the oil and spices.

Next, add the last three-fourths cup of oil to the saucepan to heat through. Now add the chili powder and sugar. Stir to combine. Finish off with the soy sauce.