Sambal Udang (Malaysian Prawn Sambal)

Ingredients

• 500 g raw prawns or shrimp (Peeled and deveined; leave tails on if desired.)
• 15 dried red chilies (Soaked in hot water until softened, then drained; use fewer for a milder sambal.)
• 5 fresh red chilies (Roughly chopped.)
• 6 shallots (Peeled and roughly chopped.)
• 4 cloves garlic (Peeled.)
• 15 g ginger (Peeled and sliced.)
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste) (Toast briefly in a dry pan first if desired; omit for a seafood-free sambal base.)
• 4 tbsp cooking oil (For frying the sambal paste.)
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp (Mixed with 60 ml water and strained, or use tamarind concentrate to taste.)
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar (Adjust to balance the heat and tamarind.)
• 120 ml water (Add gradually while simmering the sauce.)
• salt (Add to taste, taking the shrimp paste into account.)

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the prawns by peeling and deveining them, then rinse briefly and pat completely dry. Keeping the prawns dry helps them sear rather than release excess water into the sambal.

2. 2

   Soak the dried chilies in hot water for about 10 minutes, or until pliable. Drain them well. Roughly chop the fresh chilies, shallots, garlic, and ginger.

3. 3

   Blend the soaked dried chilies, fresh chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, and belacan with a small splash of water until a fairly smooth paste forms.

4. 4

   Heat the cooking oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium heat. Add the blended chili paste and stir to coat it in the oil.

5. 5

   Fry the paste for 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently so it does not scorch. Continue until the raw onion aroma disappears, the paste darkens slightly, and the oil begins to separate around the edges.

6. 6

   Add the tamarind water or concentrate, sugar, and about half of the measured water. Stir thoroughly and bring the sambal to a gentle simmer.

7. 7

   Simmer the sauce for 3–5 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy. Taste and adjust the salt, sugar, or tamarind so the sauce is spicy, savory, sweet, and tangy.

8. 8

   Add the prawns to the simmering sambal and stir so every piece is coated. Add a little more water if the sauce is too thick.

9. 9

   Cook for 3–5 minutes, turning the prawns once, until they are opaque and just firm. Do not overcook them; properly cooked prawns should curl gently and reach 63°C / 145°F internally.

10. 10

    Remove the wok from the heat and serve the sambal udang immediately with steamed rice.

Notes

The provided source contains only the dish title and a brief Malay caption; no ingredient quantities or cooking instructions were visible. The recipe above is a low-confidence reconstruction of a typical Malaysian sambal udang. For best texture, avoid simmering the prawns longer than necessary.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• seafood
• spicy
• Malaysian
• Southeast Asian
• stovetop
• simmered
• gluten-free