- Updated: December 25, 2020
Sambal Prawns is dish made with a sambal paste which is flavoured with belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste). This dish goes with a serving of steaming hot rice.
There are many variations of sambal prawns and of the sambal belacan paste, but the basic ingredients are mostly similar.
The thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass will give the dish a fragrant smell to balance the smell of the prawns and the belacan.
Notes
Tbsp = tablespoon.
Additional information on how to make the sambal belacan paste and about belacan can be found here.
Method
1. Heat up the pan with oil.
2. Sauté the shallots and garlic for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Add 10 tbsp of the sambal belacan paste (mixed with calamansi juice) and the pounded lemongrass and lime leaves.
4. Stir and simmer on a medium heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add some tamarind juice if it starts to dry up.
5. Add in the prawns. And sauté for 3 minutes or until cooked.
6. Add the rest of the tamarind juice and rest of the lime leaves and stir and mix for 1 minute.
7. Switch off the flame and serve hot.
Ingredients
20 average to large sized (500 g) prawns unshelled and deveined.
4 stalks lemongrass. Remove the white parts and pound into a paste. Green parts to be used in making lemongrass flavoured drinks as they will be too stringy.
10 Kaffir lime leaves. Slice them thinly. Use half of them to mix with the lemon grass during pounding.
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate. Mix with ½ cup water.
1 tbsp oil.
4 shallots.
2 cloves garlic.
10 tbsp sambal belacan paste. Please refer below and to the sambal belacan recipe page.
Prep Time: 30 minutes.
Cook Time: 10 minutes.
Total Time: 40 minutes.
Servings: 4 with rice.
Cuisine inspiration: Malaysian – Peranakan, Malay.
Sambal belacan paste ingredients
This can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Preferably consumed within 3 days.
(Please refer to the sambal belacan recipe page)
1 piece 4 cm X 0.5 cm of belacan.
7 to 8 large red chillies.
4 to 6 red bird’s eye chilies (Cili padi).
6 calamansi to be squeezed for the juice.
½ tbsp palm sugar. Optional.