SAMBAL UDANG
I love this dish in that it proves how compelling the most basic Malaysian flavors can be. Sambal is that blend of chilies, the shrimp paste belacan, and Calamansi lime that's served with just about every dish and on just about every table; here, it's quickly stir-fried with shrimp to impart all of those flavors. Fresh shrimp are pleasantly cooling against the spicy sambal—which just makes me go back for more sambal, of course. You'll also see plenty of other things sambal-ed: squid, sting ray…
There are many variations of sambal udang (prawn sambal), but the basic ingredients are more or less the same. This version is our family’s sambal udang recipe, passed down to us from my late mother. She would always add some thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves to perfume the dish with its aroma. Every bite is bursting with the briny flavor of the prawn, follows by the complex flavor of the fiery sambal, and ends with a citrusy note of the kaffir lime leaves.
I love this dish in that it proves how compelling the most basic Malaysian flavors can be. Sambal is that blend of chilies, the shrimp paste belacan, and Calamansi lime that's served with just about every dish and on just about every table; here, it's quickly stir-fried with shrimp to impart all of those flavors. Fresh shrimp are pleasantly cooling against the spicy sambal—which just makes me go back for more sambal, of course. You'll also see plenty of other things sambal-ed: squid, sting ray…
There are many variations of sambal udang (prawn sambal), but the basic ingredients are more or less the same. This version is our family’s sambal udang recipe, passed down to us from my late mother. She would always add some thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves to perfume the dish with its aroma. Every bite is bursting with the briny flavor of the prawn, follows by the complex flavor of the fiery sambal, and ends with a citrusy note of the kaffir lime leaves.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 3 medium onions, peeled, and chopped roughly
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, chopped roughly
- 2-5 Birds Eyes chillis
- 1 tablespoon belcehan (fermented shrimp paste)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 500 grams (about 18 ounces) raw, peeled prawns (shrimp)
- ⅓ cup water, just boiled
- 3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
Instructions
- Process onions, garlic, lemongrass and chilli until finely diced. Use 2 chillis for a mild-medium curry, 4 for a hot curry and 5 for an extra hot curry.
- Heat up a wok until smoking and then add oil. Heat for a few seconds until it starts to shimmer then add processed mixture and belcehan.
- Fry over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring all the time, until fragrant and starting to ‘split’.
- Add turmeric and fry for another minute, stirring briskly, and then add the prawns and ⅓ cup just boiled water.
- Stir to combine, coating the prawns with the mixture.
- Add tamarind, sugar, salt and soy and continue stirring, until prawns are pink and cooked through.
- Serve with steamed rice and fried Chinese vegetables.