Sambal Goreng with Prawns
Sambal goreng is an immensely useful and adaptable sauce. Here it is combined with prawns and green pepper, but you could add fine strips of calf's liver, chicken livers, tomatoes, green beans or hard-boiled eggs.
Ingredients
- 350g / 12oz peeled cooked prawns
- 1 green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 60mI / 4 tbsp tamarind juice
- pinch of sugar
- 45mI / 3 tbsp coconut milk or cream
- boiled rice, to serve
- lime rind and red onion, to garnish
For the sambal goreng:
- 2.5cm / 1in cube shrimp paste (blachan)
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2.5cm / 1in piece fresh galangal, peeled and sliced
- 10ml / 2 tsp chilli sambal or 2 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced
- 1.5ml / ¼ tsp salt
- 30ml / 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 45mI / 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 600ml / 1 pint / 2½ cups vegetable stock or water
Preparation
 |  |  |
- Make the sambal goreng. Grind the shrimp paste (blachan) with the onions and garlic using a mortar and pestle. Alternatively put in a food processor and process to a paste. Add the galangal, chilli sambal or sliced chillies and salt. Process or pound to a fine paste.
- Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the paste for 1-2 minutes, without browning, until the mixture gives off a rich aroma. Stir in the tomato purée and the stock or water and cook for 10 minutes. Ladle half the sauce into a bowl and leave to cool. This leftover sauce can be used in another recipe (see Cook's Tip).
- Add the prawns and green pepper to the remaining sauce. Cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the tamarind juice, sugar and coconut milk or cream. Spoon into
warmed serving bowls and garnish with strips of lime rind and sliced red onion. Serve at once with boiled rice.
VARIATIONS
To make tomato sambal goreng, add 450g / 1lb peeled coarsely chopped tomatoes to the sauce mixture, before stirring in the stock or water.
To make egg sambal goreng, add 3 or 4 chopped hard-boiled eggs, and 2 peeled chopped tomatoes to the sauce.
COOK'S TIP
Store the remaining sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Serves 4-6.