Recipe : Nasi Lemak with Sambal Tumis Udang & Petai

Sambal udang is quite easy to make and you need only a few key ingredients–prawns, sambal, belacan, and tamarind juice. Some loved sambal udang with petai (stinky beans), and what I’m going to post here today is sambal udang with petai. The recipe is quite simple, with plenty of shrimps and the right balance of spicy, sour, salty, and a tint of sweetness from the freshness of prawns.

My mom has a killer dish of sambal udang, and here is the recipe (served 5 persons)

Sambal Udang Ingredients

Cooking oil

500g mid size prawns (shelled and deveined)

10-20 dry red chilies

5 shallots, 2 garlic, 1 inch ginger (blended)

½ tbsp Belacan (Shrimp paste)

3 tbsp tamarind pulp (mixed with 1/2 cup water & strained)

1 cup of petai

Sugar and salt to add taste

The Methods:

 Boil the dried chili in water for 10 minutes then rinse it with cold water and get rid of the seeds. This will ensure that the sambal is not too spicy. Blend the chili, shallots, garlic and ginger in a blender to make it into a paste and set aside.

Heat up cooking oil, add in the blended spice paste and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add belacan and make sure it not clumping.  Keep stirring and let the sambal thickened.

Add in prawns, petai continue to stir for about 2-3 minutes.

Wait till the oil rises and add a splash of the tamarind juice, bringing it to a quick boil. Add water if you want. I don’t. 

Add in salt and sugar. Actually I used palm sugar syrup to give my sambal extra kick.  Dish out & serve hot.

Sambal udang is great with nasi lemak or even steamed white rice. In fact, the sambal sauce is so good that I can drench dollops of it with  rice and eat it plain. It’s really appetizing and the shrimps are simply delicious.

 Me digress : Bonnie can't live without Clyde, so do my sambal can't go without nasi lemak. Oh I love nasi lemak, good for breakfast and brunch, excellent for dinner and supper. From January to December, any season, any weather. Oh please stop. So here is my nasi lemak recipe. (I skipped the crispy anchovies)

The Ingredients:

2 cups of rice
Pandan leaves (tie them into a knot)
Shallots
Ginger
Salt to taste
1 small can of coconut milk
Some water

The Methods:

Just like making steamed rice, rinse your rice and drain. Add the coconut milk, shallots and ginger and a pinch of salt, and some water. Add the pandan leaves into the rice and cook your rice.

Petai has a strong peculiar smell, so be sure you have something like mint candy or chewing gum after you had petai.