Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Malaysian Tamarind Prawns
馬來西亞亞參蝦
Recipe overview
Head-on, shell-on, tail-on prawns stay intact from trimming through searing and emerge coated in a glossy tamarind glaze.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 700 g prawn
- 3 tbsp tamarind paste
- 120 ml water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 3 clove garlic
- 2 piece Red bird’s eye chillies
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 2 stalk spring onion
02
Tools
- knife
- kitchen scissors
- cutting board
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- frying pan
- whisk
- tongs
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- serving plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Trim and devein the prawns
Trim the long feelers from 700 g shell-on prawns with kitchen scissors, lift out the vein through the back shell, and rinse in cold water while keeping every head, shell and tail intact.
Step 2
Pat the prawns very dry
Drain the rinsed prawns for 1 minute, then blot the heads, shells and tails thoroughly dry so they can sear.
Step 3
Chop garlic chillies and spring onions
Mince the garlic, slice the chillies into rings and finely slice the spring onions; keep the three separate.
Step 4
Mix tamarind water sugar and soy
Loosen the tamarind paste with the water, then whisk in the sugar and light soy sauce until the sugar mostly dissolves.
Step 5
Heat oil in a wide frying pan
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat, swirling it until a thin film moves freely across the base.
Step 6
Sear the first side of the whole prawns
Lay all head-on, shell-on, tail-on prawns in one layer. Sear over medium-high heat for 2 minutes without moving, until the shells touching the pan turn orange-red.
Step 7
Turn and sear the second side
Turn every head-on, shell-on, tail-on prawn with tongs and sear for 2 minutes, until both shell surfaces are orange-red and the thick centres begin turning opaque.
Step 8
Add garlic and chillies
Push the seared prawns to the edge of the pan and fry the garlic and chillies in the centre for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 9
Pour the tamarind mixture around the prawns
Pour the entire tamarind mixture around, not over, the head-on prawns. Scrape the bowl clean, reduce to medium heat and turn every shell-on, tail-on prawn once through the sauce.
Step 10
Reduce the glaze around intact whole prawns
Simmer all head-on, shell-on, tail-on prawns in the tamarind sauce over medium heat for 3 minutes, turning each once, until a glossy thin glaze clings from head shell to tail shell.
Step 11
Check the thickest prawn is opaque
Lift the thickest intact prawn: its head, shell and tail must remain attached, the shell must be orange-red and the flesh completely opaque and firm. If translucent, cook 30 seconds more.
Step 12
Finish and serve the whole prawns
Turn off the heat and scatter all spring onion over the intact head-on, shell-on, tail-on prawns. Transfer every prawn and all tamarind glaze to a warm platter and serve at once.
Common mistakes
- Removing the heads or shells before cooking makes the flesh dry faster and leaves less shell for the tamarind glaze to cling to.
- Wet shells steam instead of searing orange-red.
Tips
Devein through the shell without detaching the head or tail.
Turn each prawn individually so the glaze coats both shell surfaces.
