Prawn Sambal (Sambal Udang)
This Prawn Sambal has juicy prawns covered in spicy sambal made with chillies, dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, ginger, tamarind and belachan
Video
Ingredients
- 700gm / 1.5lb raw prawns (peeled and cleaned) (NOTE 1)
- ⅓ cup (80ml / 2.7floz) peanut oil
- 10gm / 0.3 oz toasted belachan/ belacan (NOTE 2)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste or puree (NOTE 3)
- 2 tbsp (40gm / 1.4 oz) palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 medium tomato (roughly diced)
- 8 snake beans (chopped in 4cm / 1.5in) (NOTE 4)
FOR THE SPICE PASTE
- 30gm / 1 oz) dried shrimps (NOTE 5)
- 2 to 5 dried chillies (adjust heat to your liking) (NOTE 6)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 15gm / 0.5oz ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 150gm / 5.3oz shallots (roughly diced) (NOTE 7)
- 2 large red chillies
Instructions
- Submerge the dried shrimps and dried chillies in boiling water, then let them sit covered for 10 minutes.
- For the spice paste - Squeeze out any excess water from the dried shrimps and chillies, then transfer them into a food processor. Add in the remaining spice paste ingredients, then blitz the ingredients together. You may need to stop the processor to scrap down the sides of the bowl. Blitz until the ingredients are finely chopped and have a paste-like consistency. Alternatively, you could use a mortar and pestle to make the spice paste.
- Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large frying pan or wok, then add the spice paste. Stir the paste so it doesn't catch on the bottom and burn. If the spices burns, the sambal may taste bitter. Cook and regulary stir the paste until it turns darker, and the oil separates. This process may take up to 10 minutes or longer.
- Add the belachan, fish sauce, and tamarind to the mixture, then cook for 60 seconds. Loosen the mixture by stirring in 1/4 cup of water. Increase the heat medium-high, then add in the palm sugar, tomatoes and beans, cook for 2 minutes. Place in the prawns and cook for a couple of minutes or until the prawns are no longer opaque. To make the sambal saucier, gradually add more water until you have the desired consistency. Have a taste and adjust the sambal to your liking by adding salt, sugar, chillies or tamarind. Serve your Prawn Sambal with rice and enjoy!
Notes
(NOTE 1) Raw prawns - I used raw frozen peeled prawns, which were conveniently deveined and cleaned before packaging. The frozen prawns need to be thawed completely in the fridge, then drained of any excess water and patted dry before use. We need 700gm / 1.5 lb of prawn meat (which excludes any shells) for this recipe.
(NOTE 2) Roasted belachan - (Shrimp paste or belacan) Belachan is made using fermented shrimp or krill. It smells pungent and awful! However, shrimp paste adds deep and wonderful flavour to dishes. If you're brave enough, you could roast your own, but if you can bear the smell like me, opt for the roasted belachan. Most Asian grocers have raw and roasted belachan available.
(NOTE 3) Tamarind puree - (tamarind concentrate or paste) has a distinct sweet and sour taste. They're sold in firm blocks with seeds, which need to be soaked, then strained before using. For convenience, I like to use tamarind in puree or paste form. You can find tamarind in Asian grocers or the international section at supermarkets.
(NOTE 4) Snake beans - Like their name, these beans are stringy and long. They're usually sold in bunches tied together. I got mine from an Asian grocer, but I've seen them sold at my local fruit and veggie grocer. If you're unable to find them, swap them for regular green beans.
(NOTE 5) Dried shrimp (prawns) - These little shrimps are flavour bombs! Just like shrimp paste, it adds loads of savoury goodness and complexity to a dish. Pick up a packet from your Asian grocer.
(NOTE 6) Whole dried chillies - Dried chillies have different heat levels, ranging from mild to ultra spicy, depending on the brand. It's best to have a little taste to see how hot they are before using them. This way you can judge how many to use and adjust to your liking. If you're unable to find dried chillies, use fresh small red chillies such as Bird's-eye. Supermarkets stock dried chillies in their international section. If not, most Asian grocers supply them.
(NOTE 7) Shallots (eschalot or French shallots) - Shallots look like small brown onions but are skinny and oval-shaped. They're difficult to peel and are more expensive than other types of onions. Shallots have a mild flavour, but you could swap them for equal amounts of brown or red onions.
Leftovers - Allow the Prawn Sambal to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer it into a sealed container and store in a fridge for up to 2 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 404kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 33gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 335mgSodium: 1722mgPotassium: 435mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 854IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 152mgIron: 2mg