This is another family favourite from Grandaunty.
When grandaunty made this dish last time, she�ll divide the prawns equally among family members. The children have lunch and dinner at home, and the adults only have dinner. If we�ve eaten all our prawns by lunch, then it�s no more by dinner. No stealing!!! So, we�ll eat half of our portion and save the rest for dinner. We learn to cherish our assam prawns.
This is a slightly different version that most of the assam prawns that I�ve eaten in restaurants. Ours is slightly carameled, rather sweet and made with very simple ingredients.
Ingredients:
300 gm prawns (as thick as my index finger when shelled, about 200gm)
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp tamarind paste
� tsp salt
1 red chili, finely chopped.
2 Tbsp oil
Method:
1. Shell prawns, leaving on the tail.
2. Add in sugar and salt.
3. Marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Add in tamarind paste. Combine well using fingers, removing seeds (if there is) as the fingers rub the tamarind paste onto the prawns.
5. Add in chili. Mix well.
6. Heat wok, add in 2 Tbsp oil and wait until the oil is hot, pour in prawns.
7. Fry them until prawns are slightly caramelized. Dish up.
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The remaining oil is best used to fry kangkung� or other belacan based dishes.
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Cook prawns immediately after adding in tamarind. If not they�ll taste half rotten later.
