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If there is one dish that I can eat every day with just plain white rice, it’s probably sambal udang (prawn sambal)—a popular Malay or Nyonya prawn dish that is much-loved by many people.
Made with a sambal paste and flavored with belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste), the gravy of sambal udang is best when drizzled on a serving of steaming hot rice…
There are many variations of sambal udang (prawn sambal), but the basic ingredients are more or less the same. This version is our family’s sambal udang recipe, passed down to us from my late mother.
She would always add some thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves to perfume the dish with its aroma. Every bite is bursting with the briny flavor of the prawn, follows by the complex flavor of the fiery sambal, and ends with a citrusy note of the kaffir lime leaves.
Here is my sambal udang recipe, which I made when I was in Penang, Malaysia. Try it out and I am sure you will want it every day!
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Sambal Udang (Prawn Sambal)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1.5 lbs. prawn/shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp (mixed with 1/2 cup water and strained)
- 3 kaffir lime leaves (sliced thinly)
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoons sugar or to taste
Spice Paste
- 10 dry red chilies (deseeded)
- 10 shallots (peeled)
- 30 g belacan
Instructions
- Pound the spice paste using a mortar and pestle or grind with a food processor. Set aside.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a wok. Add the spice paste and stir-fry until aromatic.
- Add the prawn and continue to stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the water, tamarind juice and bring it to a quick boil. Add in the kaffir lime leaves, salt, and sugar. Dish out and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
That looks just lovely. thanks
hi babay, besyar khob, thank you
Thank you very much…
looks delicious, i want to try it
Please do.
Oh I love it How can i contact with you ?
Tried your Assam prawn recipe on Monday and it was awesome! Going to try this one today..but I’ve only got belacan powder .. Do I use the same amount as stated 30g or less?
Can I use tamarind concentrate? If so, how much would you suggest?
Yes you can, use maybe 1/2 tablespoon because it’s very strong, or slightly more…all depends, I haven’t used it so I can’t tell you for sure.
that looks spectacular – have prawns in the fridge and kaffir lime and chilli in the garden will make on the weekend for sure.
Hi,
Can I substitute belacan with anything else?
Fish sauce.
Why not both?
Hi your dish looks yummy. Can we replace or make a paste with the dried shrimp for belacan?
You can’t really replace belacan with dried shrimp…but if you don’t have belacan you can use fish sauce.