Recreating Thai Rendang

I've been searching for the recipe to Rendang and so far I know it has :

brown sugar
lemon grass
thai red chiles
garlic
onion
galangal (ginger)
coconut milk

The packet I bought somewhere had everything ready to go- with some "flavors" added to it- so I want to learn how to make this from scratch so the hidden ingredients will no longer be an issue, and I'd like to subtract the brown sugar to see if I can sweeten with just the food that I cook it with- Mango?

Tonight, I made a pepper dish, using Red, Orange, and Green peppers, Basil, Cashews, and sweet plantain- then I poured the Rendang sauce that I had bought- and roasted this in the oven...

It was spicy! and I liked the Sweet Plantain with the thai red chile taste-

So now I'm searching for how to do different variations of this sauce from scratch.

I LOVE THAI FOOD!

It is by far my favorite food and I think its because there are so many flavors in thai food- and there is a lot of spice used. I love the sweet and spicy mixture and I find it very adventurous and also very soothing at the same time.

I dream of going to Thailand... one of these days. I imagine trying all the different things throughout the country- maybe a culinary tour :)