Sambal Prawns

Recipe Notes:

This recipe calls for fresh turmeric, however it is not always easy to find and can be substituted with turmeric powder if necessary. If you are using turmeric powder, season the prawns in the powder before frying.

If you were able to find fresh turmeric, add it into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients when making the rempah in Step 2.

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Ingredients:

Meat

• 500g Large Prawns (Banana Prawns, Tiger Prawns, etc)

Produce

• 4 Cloves Garlic

• 8 Shallots

• 1 Spring Onion

• 1” Fresh Turmeric (or 1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder)

• 1 Lemongrass Stalk

• 1 Tomato

 Condiments

• 1 Tbsp Tamarind Paste

 Spices

• 15 Dried Chilis (soak in water)

• 1 Tbsp Sugar

Oils & Vinegars

• 1 Cup Vegetable Oil

Tools:

• Large Frying Pan or Wok with Lid

• Mortar and Pestle or Food Processor

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Directions:

Step 1. Prep:

1. Soak the dried chilis in warm water for about 20 minutes to soften.

2. *If you are choosing to use turmeric powder, season the prawns and set aside.

3. Cut the useable part of the lemongrass and smash to release flavours, set aside.

4. Mix the tamarind paste with ½ cup of water, set aside.

5. Dice the tomato, set aside.

6. Roughly chop the shallots into small pieces (doesn’t matter too much, as long as it will fit in the food processor).

7. Chop the spring onions, set aside for garnishing at the end.

Step 2. Making the Rempah:

1. In a food processor combine the shallots, garlic, and softened dried chilis.

   *If you are using fresh turmeric, cut into smaller pieces and add in as well.

2. Blend everything until a fine paste (you can add a bit of water if necessary, to make it easier to blend).

Step 3. Cook:

1. Heat up 1 cup of oil in a wok on high flame, wait till the oil is extremely hot then fry the prawns in small batches (about 1-2 minutes each side), this step is only to crisp the exterior of the prawns and not meant to cook them thoroughly.

2. Set them aside on a rack or paper towel to dry off any excess oil.

3. Remove some oil from the wok leaving just enough to cover the bottom, about 3 tablespoons.

4. Add in the rempah (spice blend) from the food processor, the smashed lemongrass, and the diced tomatoes.

5. Fry until the oil separates, about 15-20 minutes (this is what we call to “tumis”). If it is hard to tell when the oil is separating, just make sure the colours have darkened and everything is thoroughly cooked through before proceeding.

6. Once the rempah is cooked, add in the tamarind water and sugar.

7. Taste the sauce and add salt as necessary.

8. Once you are happy with the flavours, add in the fried prawns and evenly coat them in the sauce, lower the flame and cover the wok to steam the prawns and finish cooking them. This will take about 10 minutes.

9. Halfway through, sprinkle a bit of sugar and toss the prawns to get some nice caramelisation.

10. Once the prawns are cooked, turn off the flame and mix once more scraping the bottom of the pan to get the caramelisation bits from the sugar.

11. Garnish with spring onions just before serving.

This dish can be eaten on its own or served as a side dish for dinner parties. Make sure to set some aside for yourself before serving it up, it tends to be the first one to run out :)