Spicy Prawns with Sataw Beans/Sambal Udang dengan Petai Recipes

I was clearing up my freezer the other day and found a small packet of petai (stink beans) in it. I can’t even remember when I bought that. The last time I saw petai was when I visited my friend Zue at Harrisburg during last year Hari Raya and I might have bought it there. So you can imagine how long these beans had been sitting in the freezer. I check the petai and they still look ok and in order not to waste it I cook some sambal out of it.

Not everyone like Petai because of its bad smell especially when you visit the bathroom after eating it. For someone who likes it they are good. I guess these beans are very much like Durian the king of fruits. You either love it or hate it. Petai is actually healthy for us. It contains a type of Protein that known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier! It also stimulate the production of hemoglobin in blood, reduce the blood pressure ,stroke, boost brain power, overcome constipation, relief heartburn etc. It also can be used externally. Before reaching for insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of petai to the skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling, irritation and itchiness. As for the after effect smell there is a way to get rid of it. My mother told me that when you eat petai try to eat some eggplant (brinjal) at the same time and it will reduce or get rid of the strong smell. I didn’t try it yet but I will when I cook petai You can get more informations about petai here.

Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimps – peel and deveined
1 large onion – sliced thinly
200 gram of petai beans/Sataw Beans
2 tbsp tamarind paste – mix with 1/2 cup water

Sambal Paste

15 dried chilies – soak in hot water and cut into small pieces
4 fresh red chilies – removed seeds if you want it less spicy
4 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp roasted shrimp paste (belacan)

1. Put all the sambal ingredients in the food processor and blend until it become a paste. If it is too dry add a bit of oil to it and continue to blend.
2. Heat up about 3 tbsp of oil and sauté the sambal paste over medium low heat until fragrant. Then add in slice onion. Stir fry until the onion soften. Add in the shrimp and petai. Add in sugar and salt to taste.
3. Continue to stir-fry until the shrimp is slightly pink in color. Add in the tamarind paste. Continue to stir-fry until shrimps are cooked. Check seasoning as you might need to add a bit more sugar or salt at this stage.
4. Dish out and serve with warm rice.

Note: before you cook the petai make sure you split the beans into two to check if there is any worm in it.

Nate and Annie from House Of Annie will be hosting the September event. They have set up a form for all submissions.