Sambal udang pedas

Ingredients:

0.5 kg big prawns (udang saiz besar)

3 medium shallots and 2 small shallots (3 bawang merah sederhana dan 2 bawang merah kecil)

4 cloves garlic (4 ulas bawang putih)

1 bowl dried red mixed chillies, hot & not fiery hot (1 mangkuk cili merah campur yang pedas & tak pedas)

1 tumeric leaf (1 daun kunyit)

1 stalk lemon grass (1 batang serai)

2 leaves limau purut (2 daun limau purut)

~1 tabblespoonful salt to taste (~1 sudu makan garam ikut rasa)

3 tablespoonful cooking oil (3 sudu minyak masak)

1 electric kettle of hot boiling water (1 jag air panas)

2 medium red tomatoes (2 tomato saiz sederhana)

a small piece of palm sugar (1 bahagian kecil gula Melaka/gula keret)

Utensils:

Kuali

Wooden ladle (senduk kayu)

Electric kettle (jag letrik)

Electric blender (blender)

To prepare ingredients:

1. Cut dried chillies and place in a plastic bowl. Add hot boiling water and soak chillies till soft (10 min).
2. Drain dirty chilli water and all seeds. Rinse and repeat procedure to remove all seeds and clean chillies.
3. Blend chillies till fine (use electric blender).
4. Cut tumeric leaf into 3 pieces.
5. Clean and pound lemon grass.
6. Slice onions and garlic.
7. Cut each tomato into 4 pieces.
8. Wash and clean prawns. Cut the sharp horns and feelers from the prawns with a pair of scissors. Trim the tail and feet if desired. Leave the shell, legs, tail, eyes intact. Do not remove the shell as big prawns do not have shit (tahi).

DRIED CHILLIES

ONIONS and GARLIC

TOMATOES

PALM SUGAR/ GULA MELAKA/ GULA KERET

PRAWNS

Cooking instructions:

1. Heat oil in kuali and fry onions, garlic and lemon grass. Fry till onions and garlic are light brown.
2. Add blended chilli and stir to avoid sticking and burning (hangit). Dry the mixture if a lot of water was used to wash down the chilli from the blender jar. Mixture should be thick or it will not stick to the prawns.
3. Add tumeric leaf, daun limau purut and salt, and stir.
4. Add tomatoes and stir.
5. Add a small piece of gula Melaka and adjust taste.
6. Add prawns last and let cook 10 minutes to retain juiciness. Do not overcook prawns or they become rubbery, dry, stiff and difficult to chew.
7. Adjust taste with salt and palm sugar. Do not add water.
8. Serve warm with rice.