” Learning this sambal udang brought us closer together “
I have an strange kinship with my Amah ( grandma ). To start off with she ’ randomness my step-grandma, and since I lived overseas for 16 years while growing up I never in truth got conclusion to her. distance contributed to the fact that my stream kinship with Amah is awkward at best. We do the usual greetings and goodbyes at kin gatherings but never in truth talk. And it has been like this for the past 27 years until I recently took an interest in her fudge and recipes .
Amah has a set up repertoire when it comes to the dishes she serves when we visit her. One peculiarity we always look forward to is her sambal udang petai and when I asked her to teach me the recipe I had no estimate that I would be on my means to building a better relationship with her. I spent an afternoon learning her dishes and for the first time in my life we bonded. She was thus activated to teach me and I was fair ampere tidal bore to learn. She could not stop talking proudly about how she learnt this specific sambal from a Malay ally of hers in Penang and how in her cook she loves adding twists here and there to make singular dishes.
Have wok, will cook sambal udang
I observed as she dexterously prepared the sambal with an expertness that only comes from years of experience in the kitchen. She could practically cook with her eyes closed. Amah was so agile that I had to watch close to make certain I didn ’ thyroxine miss a thing. And her way of giving me the recipe was through quantities and how much things cost. “ 50 cents worth of scrape coconut ” … “ tamarind you entirely need like this much ” as she shows me a little ball the size of a golf ball… “ and belacan no indigence, but can besides ”. Cooking done this direction by expect and feel preferably than reducing it down to cups and spoons is the type of cooking our mothers and grandmothers have always gotten by with. And judgment by the taste of their food, they ’ ve probably got it justly !
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If you had seen us in that kitchen you would have thought we had always been very close. I suppose it ’ second on-key when they say food brings people closer together.
Sambal Udang Petai
Ingredients :
1kg Prawns ( cleaned, shelled and deveined )
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
10 shallots, approximately chopped
2 handful of dry chili
3 stalks of lemongrass, pounded
1/2 cup santan ( preferably fresh )
3 Tbs oil
3 Tbs asam jawa, soaked
1 inch belacan
Handful of Petai
Salt to taste
method :
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 excessively hot. Blend the chili in a blender to make it into a paste and set aside.
In a large wok estrus the oil and sauté the shallots, garlic, lemongrass and belacan till fragrant and brown. Add the blended chili paste and keep rousing. Wait till the oil rises and add a spatter of the asam jawa. Stir, then add a splash of santan.
Turn the heat down and let it simmer and stir occasionally. Add the rest of the tamarind water and another splash of santan. Keep stirring and let the sauce thicken. Once the sauce is thick you can add the prawns just for a few minutes till they are cooked through.
Take out the prawns once they are cooked so you don ’ metric ton overcook them. You can now choose to add the petai and cook for another 10minutes adding more santan to taste. Once the sambal is done you can add the prawns and serve with rice .
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