Sambal Asparagus with Prawns Recipe
Tangy and spicy with a touch of sweetness from the ocean, this Sambal Asparagus with Prawns recipe is a simple and fast recipe, despite making the sambal from scratch. The sour and mildly spicy sambal coats each crisp and just-cooked asparagus generously – contrasting against the firm and sweet freshwater prawns.
Serve it as a main dish with rice, or side dish with some omelette and stewed meat, or make the sambal in advance for a quick meal; this Sambal Asparagus is an easy dish yet super satisfying one.
This recipe is for 4 servings.
Ingredients
Fresh Prawns, which have been deveined and rinsed clean. I also removed the heads and shells so that it is easier to enjoy with the sambal. A shallow cut along the back was also made so the sambal could cling better to the prawns. Frozen ones can be used as well.
Asparagus, the younger (thinner) and fresher they are, the better. As they absorb water very easily, I waited until just before adding them to the sambal to wash them.
Salt, to marinate the prawns.
Sambal Paste, which makes the body of this dish. I made it from scratch, blending the ingredients together and cooking it until fragrant and thick before adding the asparagus and prawns:
- Dried Shrimp for umami-ness and saltiness to the sambal.
- Guajillo chillies add a bright red colour and sweetness of chilli, without much heat.
- Lemongrass – for a lovely fragrance. As it is very fibrous, ensure to slice thinly prior to blending.
- Fresh Red Chillies/ Cayenne Peppers for a little heat and colour to the paste.
- Shallots – make the main bulk of the paste. They bring sweetness to the paste.
- Garlic releases the allicin compound for a rich, earthy taste to the sambal.
- Fermented shrimp paste, or belacan – for a rich, salty and umaminess.
- Palm Sugar – gives sweetness to mellow out the spiciness and saltiness of the other herbs. As it is quite mild in sweetness, use slightly less if substituting with white sugar.
- Water, to help in both blending the ingredients and to dilute the sambal gravy if it gets too thick while cooking.
Cooking oil, to fry the sambal paste and activate the aromatics. I used unscented vegetable oil, like a canola blend. Ensure to add the paste when the oil is still cool or slightly warm, to minimize hot oil splash when adding the sambal paste.
Tamarind slices, or “asam keping”, which were rinsed just before adding to the sambal paste for a slight tanginess. It can be substituted with 2 tbsp of concentrated, pure tamarind water.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make Sambal Asparagus with Prawns:
- Prepare ingredients for sambal paste.
- Remove the prawns’ heads, shells and veins.
- Marinate the prawns.
- Cut the asparagus.
- Blend the sambal paste.
- Cook the sambal with tamarind slices.
- Reduce the sambal paste in the wok until thick and fragrant.
- Cook asparagus and prawns in the sambal.
Tips
- The head of the prawns, shells and swimmers can be cleaned and used to make prawn stock.
- More water can be added if you find it difficult to blend all the ingredients. I added an additional 25ml of water halfway through blending for this reason.
- The recipe yields asparagus that are just cooked, so they are crunchy. If you prefer a more tender asparagus, cook them for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
While this Sambal Asparagus with Prawns dish is best enjoyed immediately after cooking, leftovers can be kept in the fridge, in an air-tight container for no more than a day. Although super fresh when cooked, seafood like prawns tends to deteriorate rapidly. Be sure to reheat thoroughly before consuming.
This dish can also be frozen for no more than a week. However, as the asparagus is quite crunchy and the prawns are just cooked, there is a chance that the texture may change and become limp once the ice crystals form.
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Sambal Asparagus Recipe with Prawns
Equipment
- Blender
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Wok
- Turner
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 2 dried guajillo chili, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 8 medium prawns, deveined, heads and shells removed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 600 g asparagus, cut into 3-4 pieces
- 20 ml cooking oil
- 3 tamarind slices, asam keping, rinsed well
- 50 ml water
To blend
- 20 g dried prawns, rinsed for 30 seconds in hot water
- 1 lemongrass, sliced thinly
- 2 red chilli/ Cayenne pepper, fresh
- 120 g shallots, peeled and washed
- 20 g garlic, peeled and washed
- 10 g shrimp paste, belacan, the less salty version
- 10 g palm sugar
- 150 ml water, to blend the sambal paste
- 25 ml water, optional, for easier blending
Instructions
- Soak the dried guajillo chillies in hot water for about 20 minutes.
- Devein the prawns. Then, remove the head and shells, right up to the second shell from the tail. Slice the back open slightly and set them aside.
- Marinate the prawns in two parts with the salt, and set them aside.
- Cut the asparagus slantingly into 2 – 2.5 inch pieces, getting about 3 to 4 pieces per stalk. Discard the stems. Set the asparagus aside.
- Wash the dried shrimp in hot water through a strainer by soaking them for 30 seconds, before gently shaking them to remove excess water. Set aside.
- Prepare the ingredients for the sambal paste. Slice the lemongrass thinly and place them in the blender. Cut the fresh red chilli/ Cayenne pepper and shallots and add them to the blender, followed by the garlic, shrimp paste, palm sugar, washed dried shrimps and dried chilli. Pour 150ml of water into the blender. Cover it and blend all the ingredients until fine and even in colour. Optionally, add 25ml of water (see Notes).
- Add cooking oil to the wok over medium heat. While the oil is still cool, add all the sambal paste, scraping the sides so none of it is wasted. Add the tamarind slices (asam keping) and stir the sambal paste continuously for about 5 minutes, or until it has thickened significantly and is super fragrant.
- Add the asparagus, stirring to mix and coat them all with sambal. Then add the prawns. If it is too dry and hard to spread, add about 50 ml of water. Continue stirring until the asparagus and prawns are fully cooked, for about 4 minutes.
- Taste and adjust as preferred. Switch off the heat. Immediately dish it out and serve!
Video
Notes
- The head of the prawns, shells and swimmers can be cleaned and used to make prawn stock.
- More water can be added if you find it difficult to blend all the ingredients. I added an additional 25ml of water halfway through blending for this reason.
- The recipe yields asparagus that are just cooked, so they are crunchy. If you prefer a more tender asparagus, cook them for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!