Name: Prawn sambal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: To serve: dried anchovies (ikan bilis) and peanuts; To serve: soft-boiled eggs (optional), halved, and thickly sliced Lebanese cucumber; 15 gm galangal, coarsely chopped; 10 gm fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped; 2 red or golden shallots, coarsely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; 4 red birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped, or to taste; 2 small dried red chillies, coarsely chopped; 1 lemongrass stalk (white part only), coarsely chopped; 2 tbsp grapeseed or vegetable oil; 1 tbsp belacan (see note); 1 tbsp tamarind paste; 1 tbsp caster sugar; To taste: soy sauce and lime juice; 500 gm medium uncooked prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact

Prawn sambal

Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for prawn sambal.

Serves 4

Prep

15M

Cook

15M

Total

30M

Pungent and spicy, Malaysian prawn sambal makes a moreish snack or, when served with coconut rice, a satisfying meal. It’s traditionally served with crisp-fried dried anchovies and peanuts for crunch, although it’s just as good served simply with cooling cucumber and soft-boiled eggs.

Ingredients

To serve: dried anchovies (ikan bilis) and peanuts

To serve: soft-boiled eggs (optional), halved, and thickly sliced Lebanese cucumber

15 gm galangal, coarsely chopped

10 gm fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped

2 red or golden shallots, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

4 red birdseye chillies, coarsely chopped, or to taste

2 small dried red chillies, coarsely chopped

1 lemongrass stalk (white part only), coarsely chopped

2 tbsp grapeseed or vegetable oil

1 tbsp belacan (see note)

1 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp caster sugar

To taste: soy sauce and lime juice

500 gm medium uncooked prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact

Method

Main

1.For prawn sambal, process galangal, turmeric, shallots, garlic, chillies and lemongrass in a small food processor to a paste. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan, add spice paste and stir-fry until fragrant, adding belacan and tamarind paste in the last 5 minutes of cooking (8-10 minutes). Add 80ml boiling water, adjust seasoning to taste with sugar, soy sauce and lime juice, add prawns and stir occasionally until cooked through (2-4 minutes). Serve hot scattered with ikan bilis and peanuts, and topped with soft-boiled eggs and cucumber.