Prawn (Shrimp) Sambal

Name: Prawn (Shrimp) Sambal
Yield: Makes 4 to 8 Servings
Ingredients: 450 g or 1 pound small prawns (shrimps); 1 teaspoon belachan, diced; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; 15 g or ½ ounce dried chillies, soaked in hot water; 300 g or 10½ ounces shallots, peeled and diced; 4 tablespoons tamarind (assam), soaked in 1½ cups hot water

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 8
Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Growing Up In A Nonya Kitchen

By Sharon Wee

Published 2012

About

My mother, like many Nonyas of her generation, used food nomenclature to create nicknames and describe people or things. For a classmate of mine who was often giggly and flirtatious, my mother had this to say: “Meglitik macham udang kenar chelor”, which translated means “prawn (shrimp) jumping around after getting scalded”. Ouch.

Ingredients

450 g or 1 pound small prawns (shrimps)
4 tablespoons

Fish course
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

Shell the prawns and set aside.
Strain the tamarind juice and discard the seeds and fibre.
Remove the dried chillies from bowl of water.
Blend or pound the shallots, dried chillies and belachan in this order.
Pre-heat a wok or frying pan over high heat. Add oil and when it is glistening, lower heat. Fry pounded ingredients until re