Oh my goodness! It's been a while since I updated this blog!! Kinda getting lazier and I was busy training for my TP test. Anyway, I passed. So alhamdulillah. To celebrate, I requested for a packet of petai from my boyfriend. With that I am able to cook 2 dishes today! :)
So we'll start off with my number 1 favourite dish, sambal petai udang. I've pretty much gave up trying to find english translations for my recipes already. Haha.
Ingredients:
500g of big prawns (head removed, halfway peeled skin and deveined)
2 medium sized onion (cut into quarters)
About more or less 15 dried chillies cut into small pieces
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 of belacan, about the size of your last 3 fingers stuck together
Tamarind juice about 3/4 of a cup
Petai beans (optional for people who don't eat this)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon MSG (if you're the healthy type then don't put lahh)
1 teaspoon "Hao Chi" seasoning powder
Instructions:
Before you start your prep, soak the dried chillies in hot water until they are no longer wrinkly. What i did was boil it in water for about 7 to 9 minutes while I prepare my prawns which took practically forever! Strain the chillies, rinse under the tap once done.
Don't fully peel the skin of the prawn. Just half way through, then devein the prawns. Oh yes cut those tiny little feets and head off as well. Wash them well and set aside.
Petai beans have pungent smell so not many people favour it. However it's great for your metabolism! Taste wise, a little to the bitter side. Okay so you will need to slice the petai into half, like open it up. Sometimes there might be worms living in there. So just be safe and cut them into half. Those with worms pleaseee don't take the risk by cleaning it ir what. Just throw those away and avoid having parasites in your digestive system! Afterwhich, wash them, strain and set aside.
I mentioned to quarter the onions. This is to make the blending process easier. So put in the blender you onions, garlic, chillies and belacan. Then add in some water like half the amount of the ingredients in the blender. It should not be so watery. Then you blend it up until really smooth.
Next up, heat up some oil in a wok. Put in quite alot of oil.. like enough to just cover up the blended ingredients. Add in your blended ingredients. Stir well. Give it some time until the mixture is thoroughly cooked or your sambal is going to be super spicy. Keep stirring once in a while. When you see the oil starts to surface, and mixture starts to separate, add in the tamarind juice (I used tamarind paste mixed with 3/4 cup of water, just take the juice). Stir again.
This is when you add in your condiments; sugar, salt, Hao Chi and MSG. Why so much more sugar than salt? This is because we're making prawn sambal. It needs to be more on the sweet side to taste good and complement the prawns. If you feel like it's a little bland then add in some salt according to your preference. I can't give you the exact measurements here.
Keep stirring the sambal once in a while. Until you see the sambal thickens up and not so watery anymore. Then add in the petai. About 3 minutes later, add in the prawns. If you add in the prawns too early it would shrink and that would be so upsetting lol. So once you see your sambal becoming much more thicker then you add those prawns in. Once the prawn is cooked, turn off the heat. And tadaaaa! It's done! I almost died eating it coz it tasted BEYOND FABULOUS! Happy trying guys! :)
