Sambal Petai and Prawn Again!!!

I have posted this recipe before. I just wanted to update it with better photos as I was in a hurry while shooting the last photos.

While I was reading Petite Nyonya's post, it reminded me that I still have a pack of petai in my freezer. The frozen petai is from Thailand and doesn't taste as good as the wild and fresh petai in Malaysia. However, it is good enough to relieve my craving for it. I can't complain too much! :-p

Normally, I will cook some egg plant whenever I consume petai, it is a trick to get rid of the awkward smell of the urine after consuming petai. Trust me, it works!! :-)




Tom loves petai so much, surprise huh?? :-p

Recipe from my previous post :
1. 120g petai
2. 400g medium prawn (trim the spikes and de-vein)
3. 170g shallot
4. 125g red chili (unseeded)
5. 5g dried chili (unseeded)
6. 1/2 tbsp dried pre-fried belacan
7. 10g fresh turmaric
8. 1 tbsp dried shrimp
9. 2.5 tbsp vegetable oil
10. 160~80ml water
11. 10g tamarind fruit - mix with 1.5 tbsp water for juice
12. Salt to taste
13. A pinch of sugar to taste (optional)

Steps :

1. Blend well the ingredient #3~#8.
2. Heat up the frying pan and oil.
3. Pour in sambal mixture, stir in medium high heat for 7~8 minutes.
4. Add in the prawns, continue to cook (gradually add in water) until the prawns are almost done (about 3~4 minutes, depends on the prawn size),
5. Add in petai and tamarind juice cook for another 2~3 minutes.
6. Season to taste.

Pan Fried Asam (Tamarind) Prawn - (家常菜-干煎亚叁虾)

I can easily finish a whole plate of asam prawn with sambal belacan condiment. No kidding, if I'm not worried about the high cholesterol, I will cook this meal a lot.

I like to eat at home, I like the feeling of our family having meals together even though it may be just a very simple home cooked meal. It is not about the food, it is all about the feeling of a family being able to gather together. Back when I was kid, my parents were so busy on their noodle stall, they operated the business in the morning and night in order to keep us well fed and educated. That was a hard time. Sometime, my mom would just cook a big pot of rice, then serve everyone with a piece of over easy egg, seasoned with few drops of soy sauce and sesame oil. Simple enough, but I love the taste. Even now, I will still make this for my lunch box for work sometimes.



Prawn meal was not always available back then as we couldn't afford it. So, when my mom cooked this asam prawn, we would count how many prawn were in the plate and split it equally between us. LOL!!! This is one of my childhood memories.

Here's the recipe for the pan fried asam prawn.

A)
1. 350g prawn - trimmed and de-veined

B) Marinate sauce
1. 20~25g asam paste
2. 2~3 tbsp of water
3. 1/8tsp of sugar or to taste
4. 1 tsp soy sauce or to taste
5. 1 tsp oyster sauce

6. 1/2 dark soy sauce for cooking (optional)

Steps :
1. Mixed the marination ingredients #1~#5 in a container.
2. Rub in fresh prawns, marinate for at least 3 hours or longer for better flavor. Refrigerate.
3. Grease a heated frying pan, add in prawns. Keep the asam marination for later use.
4. Pan fry the prawn until they turn in pink color.
5. Add in dark soy sauce (optional)
6. Pour in the asam marination and continue to cook until its almost dry out.
7. Serve with sambal belacan condiment.

Sambal Petai and Udang

I Never thought that I could find petai in America. This is why I love Lee Lee Asian supermarket so much. Petai in Hokkian dialect called "chao dao", means stinky bean. It tastes like asparagus with very strong flavor of Lima bean (according to Tom).

Petai is very popular in Southeast Asia countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma. Many people love it with sambal (a very popular chili sauce in Malaysia). However, some people might be hesitant to eat it because it contains certain amino acids that give a strong smell to one's urine, an effect that can be noticed up to two days after consumption. Anyway, I don't have to worry about this awkward side effect now, because I have found a trick to avoid it. When you are eating petai, get some egg plant as well, it will help to reduce or remove the strong smell. Trust me, it works.



Sambal petai is another dish that would make me finish 3 bowls of rice other than Turmeric Chicken. Before I got the blender, it took me a lot of time to pound the ingredients. But when I think about something really yummy to satisfy my stomach, I don't care too much about the hard work. Would you?

Ingredients :

1. 120g petai
2. 400g medium prawn (trim the spikes and de-vein)
3. 170g shallot
4. 125g red chili (unseeded)
5. 5g dried chili (unseeded)
6. 1/2 tbsp dried pan fried belacan
7. 10g fresh turmaric
8. 1 tbsp dried shrimp
9. 2.5 tbsp vegetable oil
10. 160~80ml water
11. 10g tamarind fruit - mix with 1.5 tbsp water for juice
12. Salt to taste
13. A pinch of sugar to taste (optional)

Steps :

1. Blend well the ingredient #3~#8.
2. Heat up the frying pan and oil.
3. Pour in sambal mixture, stir in medium high heat for 7~8 minutes.
4. Add in the prawns, continue to cook (gradually add in water) until the prawns are almost done (about 3~4 minutes, depends on the prawn size)
5. Add in petai and tamarind juice cook for another 3~4 minutes.
6. Season to taste.