Sambal Petai Prawn is a spicy, flavorful Southeast Asian dish made with prawns, petai beans (also known as stink beans or bitter beans), and sambal, a chili-based condiment or paste. It is popular in Malaysian, Indonesian, and Singaporean cuisines.

This something that I often make for dinner but I haven’t had the chance to take nice photos. I happened to cook a little earlier today and there was still enough natural light for me to snap a few shots.

People from Penang can’t live without petai.  I often have a craving. How about you?

How To Cook Sambal Petai Prawn

Yields: 5- 6 serving

INGREDIENTS:

400g prawn (de-shell and leave the tails)

200 gm of petai seeds

1 large onion – cut into 6

Spices To Blend:

100g shallots

2 - 3 stalks of lemon grass (white part only)

10g  fresh turmeric

10g  ginger

20g dried chillies, soaked 

Seasoning:

1 ½ tsp belacan powder (Shrimp paste powder)

Sugar and salt to taste

Lime juice (from 1 ½ lime) or 5g asam jawa (tamarind pulp), dilute with 2 Tbsp water

Cooking oil

Little water

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add the blended herbs and belacan powder. Fry until fragrant and the oil starts to separate from the gravy.
2. Add the lime juice and seasoning. Stir well to combine.
3. Add the prawns, onion and a little water. Simmer until the prawns are cooked and the gravy thickens.
4. Add the petai and stir-fry for less than 1 minute.
5. Dish out and serve hot with steamed rice.