Home > Udang Asam Pedas (Shrimp in Sour and Spicy Sauce)

Udang Asam Pedas (Shrimp in Sour and Spicy Sauce)

Posting Date: 02/12/18

Udang Asam Pedas (Shrimp in Sour and Spicy Sauce) is delicious. The sauce is a perfect complement for the shrimp. The sauce is also perfect for fish or canned sardines. For the chili peppers, I use sambal oelek because I cannot find red chili peppers in the Asian store. Sambal Oelek from Huy Fong brand is perfect substitution for red chili peppers and I have been using it in cooking since it is convenient and doesn't alter the flavor because it doesn't use garlic in it. You can also use red chili pepper flakes if you cannot find red chili peppers or sambal oelek. This dish is good with warm rice.

The recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

3 g tamarind paste
To hydrate tamarind paste: 4 tablespoons boiling water
For shrimp seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
For shrimp seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
For shrimp seasoning: 1 teaspoon salt
18 jumbo shrimps, peeled and deveined but leave the shell on the tail
For cooking shrimp: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
For cooking spices: 1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 small shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lemongrass. Take the white part only and discard the green part. Discard several tough layers of the white part and smash the remaining white part with the back of the knife to release the oil
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
5 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sambal oelek or to taste. You can also use 1 or 2 red chili peppers or 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes instead.
3 Roma tomatoes, diced into small pieces
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley
Optional: lime wedges

Methods:

Place tamarind paste in a small bowl. Add 4 tablespoons boiling water into the bowl. Stir it and leave it for 30 min. After 30 min, strain the tamarind pulp, save the tamarind water, and discard the tamarind pulp.
Combine chili powder, turmeric powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl to make shrimp seasoning.
Place shrimp in a bowl. Add shrimp seasoning into the bowl. Toss the shrimp so that it is coated with the seasoning. Set it aside in the fridge for 30 min.
After 30 min, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on a pan over medium high heat. Cook the shrimp in several batches so that you don't crowd the pan. Once the shrimp turns pink on bottom side, turn it over to the other side and cook it until both sides become pink. Take the cooked shrimp out using slotted spoon to drain excess oil as much as possible. Place it on a plate. Repeat this step until all shrimp has been cooked.
On another pan, add 1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat it over medium high heat. Add shallots, garlic, and lemongrass into the pan. Saute it until the shallots become soft (about 4-5 min). Add ginger, bay leaves, and sambal oelek into the pan. Cook it for about 1 min. Add tomatoes and cook them until tomatoes become disintegrated. Add 3 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons of tamarind water, and salt. Stir it and cook it until the sauce starts to boil. Add the shrimp and stir it until the shrimp is coated with the sauce. Taste it and add salt and more tamarind water if needed. Remove from the heat. Discard lemongrass and bay leaves.
Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle it with fresh parsley if preferred. Serve it with rice and lime wedges on the side.

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