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Sambal Petai Prawns


Petai (Parkia speciosa) or 'stink bean' which belongs to the legume family is harvested from tall rainforest trees that can be found in tropical countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.  The name 'Petai' is Malay and it is relatively common in Malay dishes and also can be eaten raw as in a Malay salad.

So, why the name 'stink bean'?  Well, after you've eaten them, you'll begin to notice some changes, like your urine and faeces which will bear the unmistakable petai smell!

Barring the offensive smell, the petai has a lot of health benefits.  It helps to lower blood sugar in diabetes and reduces cholesterol.  Also helps to lower blood pressure and aids digestion.  On top of that it's also a good source of minerals, high in calcium, phosphorous, potassium and iron.  Also a good source of vitamins C and E.  In short, it is one of the most nutritional local vegetable.









Recipe for Sambal Petai Prawns

Ingredients

  • 400 gm prawns
  • 180 gm petai, shelled, halved.
  • 15 shallots
  • 6 red chillies
  • 6 pips of garlic
  • 1/2 inch belacan (shrimp paste)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 stalks of lemon grass, crushed
  • 1 Tbsp tamarind pulp + 2 Tbsp water, strain
  • Salt and sugar to taste
  • Oil for frying
Method
  1. Clean and devein the prawns, season with some salt and sugar, set aside.
  2. Blend the shallots, red chillies, garlic and the belacan.
  3. In a wok, pan fry the petai for a while till they're puffed up. Dish out and set aside.
  4. Add some oil in the wok, fry the crushed lemon grass till fragrant.  Add in the chilli paste and fry till the oil surfaces.
  5. Toss in the prawns, stir fry, add in the onion slices.  Add in the prefried petai and the tamarind juice. Add salt and sugar to taste.
  6. Dish out and serve with white rice.




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Comments

  1. ann lowJuly 31, 2014 at 11:13 PM

    Hi Cheah, Your smabal petai looks so delicious! Very nice clicks too :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. ~ Nee ~August 1, 2014 at 1:44 AM

    Cheah ... just beautiful and I know the taste is heavenly , open the door , on my way over ;- D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahAugust 2, 2014 at 11:37 PM

      Nee, I don't think you can stomach the smell and taste :)

      Delete
  3. Angie's RecipesAugust 1, 2014 at 2:24 AM

    It sounds and looks very flavoursome, Cheah.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahAugust 2, 2014 at 11:40 PM

      Sounds flavoursome but you may not be able to take the smell. This is a taste that has to be slowly acquired.

      Delete
  4. Veronica August 1, 2014 at 8:16 AM

    My favourite dish!! Every time I am in Malaysia, I will sure order this dish or cook it myself. We can't get fresh petai in Melbourne. Once I bought canned petai when I was craving so badly for it, but much to my disappointment the petai were soft and tasted disgusting. I saw some frozen ones in the Asian grocery shops but I didn't buy fearing they might not taste as good as the fresh ones. So I only eat petai once a year :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahAugust 3, 2014 at 12:04 AM

      I didn't know there's canned petai. So you only get to eat it when you're back home.

      Delete
    2. UnknownJanuary 17, 2017 at 10:15 PM

      saw canned version of cooked prawn sambal with petai.

      Delete
  5. My Knick KnacksAugust 1, 2014 at 12:00 PM

    I love this dish and can wallop down 2 to 3 bowls of rice !!!! Wa I want to cook this after seeing yours :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahAugust 3, 2014 at 12:05 AM

      Must agree that once you've acquired the taste for it, it's very addictive!

      Delete
  6. PHAugust 1, 2014 at 12:40 PM

    Cheah, this is a very appetizing dish! I see that you are very generous with your petai, They are rather pricey. And they give me gas hah..hah...but I still eat them :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Medeja- CranberryJamAugust 1, 2014 at 4:19 PM

    Petai sounds interesting, I dont think I have ever seen anything like this :) but with prawns I am sure anything would taste great :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahAugust 3, 2014 at 12:08 AM

      This is only grown here in tropical countries and I doubt whether you'll be able to take it, smell and all!

      Delete

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