Sambal Prawns / 叁岜虾 / サンバルエビ

I made sambal tumis the other day for nasi lemak, still have about one cup in the fridge. Homemade sambal is similar to homemade jam, can be stored in the fridge for short period. I often keep a small jar of this sambal in the fridge either for cooking or as dipping sauce. A lot of Malaysian dishes are prepared with this sambal such as mee goreng, sambal ikan/sotong (fish or squid) and the list goes on. Today I cooked this sambal prawn, one of my favourite dishes. I can eat a lot of rice with the chili gravy, one of the "evil" dishes I should say.

Sambal Prawns / 叁岜虾 / サンバルエビ

Ingredients (2 servings):

200g medium prawn
1 large onion, sliced
2 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp sambal
2 tbsp tomato sauce
Salt to taste
Sprig of coriander for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan, stir in garlic and onion. Stir fry until onion softened.
2. Add in sambal and tomato sauce, bring to boil over low heat.
3. Add in prawn and stir to coat with sauce.
4. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the prawn is almost done.
5. Add salt to taste and remove from heat.
6. Garnish and serve.

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I promised one of my classmates for this sambal recipe long long time ago. Here is my sambal recipe after umpteenth times of experiment. You may want to adjust the amount of sugar and belacan to suit your taste buds.

Sambal Tumis

Ingredients (makes 3 cups):
200g dried chili, seeded
2 tbsp of tamarind paste, mixed with ½ cup warm water
5cm belacan (shrimp paste) - add more if desired
10 bulb shallots, peeled and chopped lightly
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped lightly
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cooking oil
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash and soak the seeded chilies in warm water for about 30 minutes and drain.
2. Meanwhile, sift the tamarind mixture to remove seeds.
3. Blend together the chilies, shallot, garlic and tamarind juice to form smooth paste. Set aside for later use.
4. Heat a large saucepan over low heat, toast the belacan until the colour started to change.
5. Add in the oil and sauté the onion until softened.
6. Pour in the chili paste, bring to a boil on low heat then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir constantly.
7. Stir in the sugar and salt to taste. Continue to let it simmer over low heat, stir constantly, for 10-20 minutes or until it is thickened.