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Butter Prawn is a Malaysian recipe that is buttery, salty, sweet, spicy, and garlicky. The main ingredients are prawn, butter, grated coconut and curry leaves.
Malaysian Butter Prawn
Butter Prawn is a delicious Malaysian recipe that you can commonly find in local restaurants.
It combines the best of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and western ingredients; this is a knockout dish in terms of taste, smell, and presentation.
Every bite of the prawn reveals layer upon layer of complex flavors. It’s buttery, salty, sweet, spicy, and garlicky working off one another seamlessly and perfectly.
This recipe is truly Malaysian and the taste is simply scrumptious and mouthwatering!
Recipe Ingredients
Other than prawn, the key ingredient of this dish is curry leaf.
Highly aromatic in nature, curry leaf is widely used in southern Indian cuisine and Malaysian recipes.
The exotic scent of these dark green leaves saturates coconut milk based curries with rich fragrance and perks up seafood dishes such as Butter Prawn and Black Pepper Crab.
Another key ingredients is grated coconut, which adds amazing taste to the recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Butter Prawn
Keep the heads and shells on, but snip off the eyes. Trim the legs with scissors. Slit the back to devein, then pat dry.
Heat up a pan with some oil, then toss in the prawns. Fry them just until the shells turn white—not fully cooked yet. Take them out and set aside.
Melt the butter in the pan, then throw in the garlic, curry leaves, and chilies if you’re using them. Give it a quick stir—about a minute—just until it smells really good. Then add the prawns, oyster sauce, wine, sugar, black pepper, and the grated coconut. Crank up the heat and stir everything for 1–2 minutes until it’s all nicely coated and sizzling.
Once it’s all looking good, just dish it out and serve it up right away while it’s hot!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 258 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Butter Prawn
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Malaysian Recipes You Might Like
Butter Prawn
Ingredients
- 1 lb prawn, for example: tiger prawn
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 sprigs curry leaves, use only the leaves
- 1-2 small bird’s eye chilies, pounded, optional
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, rice wine preferred
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 dashes ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons grated coconut, dry fried until golden brown
Instructions
- Leave the prawn heads and shells on, but chop off the eyes. Cut the legs with scissors. Slit down the back to remove the veins, then pat dry.
- Heat a skillet with oil and pan-fry the prawns until the shells turn white but are not completely cooked. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter, then add the garlic, curry leaves, and bird's eye chilies (if using). Stir-fry for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the prawns, oyster sauce, wine, sugar, black pepper, and grated coconut. Cook over high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Dish out and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can i replace grated coconut with nestum?
Yes you can!
Where to find curry leaves in OC area?
Indian stores.
This looks delicious. Thank you
The easiest and tastiest prawn recipe I have ever done. Thanks very much.
Looks so yummy. Send me some, please
Yes, Keropok Man, send them over please. :)
hmmm mum’s place had curry leaves, serai, all the different different dauns in her garden.
then when we are not staying at home, even pandan leaves have to go and buy. sigh. took things for granted. but good thing, all these are available at the wet market or supermarkets. *big grin*
you really want nestum posted over? haha…