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Malaysian Udang Assam Pedas
by Susheela Raghavan, author or "Flavors of Malaysia" (Hippocrene, August 2010)
Directions
Combine Marinade ingredients and rub on shrimp. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Process Spice Paste ingredients to a smooth paste.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet and sauté Spice Paste for about 5 minutes, till fragrant, adding remaining oil if needed.
Add dried shrimp or baby anchovies, if using, stir for about 1 to 2 minutes, then add tamarind juice, tomato paste, okra or eggplant, if using, 3 tablespoons of the mint leaves, sugar, and water and stir for about 3 minutes.
Add marinated shrimp and stir for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add half of the sliced red and green chilies and salt and stir well for about 1 minute.
Garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon mint leaves and remaining red and green chilies.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 2 heaping cups) shelled and deveined shrimp, tails intact
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- Optional: 1 teaspoon ground or pounded tiny whole dried shrimp (udang kering), steeped in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften; or ground or pounded dried baby anchovies (ikan bilis)
- 7 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or tamarind juice extracted from pulp
- ½ teaspoon tomato paste, or 1 teaspoon tomato puree, or 1½ teaspoons tomato sauce, or 1/2 small tomato
- Optional: ½ cup okra (bendi) (about 2 ounces) or eggplant slices (1¼ ounces)
- ¼ cup Vietnamese mint leaves (daun kesum) or regular mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon thinly sliced or chopped palm sugar (gula Melaka or gula Jawa) or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 fresh red chile (Fresno, cayenne, jalapeno, Serrano, cherry, or Thai), sliced
- 1 fresh green chile (cayenne, jalapeno, Serrano, cherry, or Thai), sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate or tamarind juice extracted from pulp
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon peeled and pounded fresh or frozen and thawed turmeric root, or ¼ to 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon chile powder
- Spice Paste:
- 1 teaspoon sliced fresh or frozen and thawed galangal or fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon sliced garlic cloves
- ¼ cup sliced shallots or onions
- 5 to 8 dried whole red chilies, steeped in warm or hot water for 5 to 8 minutes, slit and deseeded; or 1 1/4 to 2 tablespoons cili boh; or ½ to 1 tablespoon bottled sambal olek
- 1 lemongrass stalk, sliced into ¼ to 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (belacan), toasted at 400°F for 15 minutes
- ¼ cup water
Featured Appetizer
Kangkung Belacan (Spicy Water Spinach) by Susheela Raghavan, author of "Flavors of Malaysia" (Hippocrene, August 2010)
Eat your greens the Malaysian way!
Featured Sauce
Sesame Bentara Sweet Chili Sauce by Hasni Ghazali, Bentara Restaurant, New Haven, CT
Serve with Malaysian Popia Udang (Shrimp Spring Rolls).