Thank you, folks! I am off to find tamarind paste...there's a huge Asian community here, so that should not be too difficult a search. Then I need another chunk of time -- n

Tried knockoff sauce #1 on catfish last night. The texture was thicker than Woody's, so it stayed put on the fish instead of running off. This was an effect I liked, but I imagine it was only happening because of the large amount of cumin I used, which would tend to have a thickening effect. The final recipe, with less cumin, will be runnier.

Anyway, we all loved the flavor. My son even liked it better than Woody's. I'd say it's almost as good -- but different, of course. I still want my Woody's! I am fairly sure that -- less some cumin and plus some of the mystery flavor, which I hope will prove to be tamarind -- I am close.

Claire