← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 6 Shallot
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 4 cm piece fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground)
• 2 cm piece Galangal
• 1 Lemongrass, white part, sliced
• 4 Red chilli
• 4 Bird's eye chilli, or to taste
• 3 Candlenuts (buah keras) (optional)
• 1 tsp toasted belacan
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 200 ml Water
• 1 piece of asam keping (dried tamarind slice)
• 300 g semi-ripe pineapple, cut into chunks
• 500 g large prawns, trimmed, shells on or off
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, torn

Method

1. Blend the shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, chillies, candlenuts (if using) and belacan with a splash of water into a fine paste.
2. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and fry the paste for 6–8 min, stirring, until fragrant and the oil starts to separate.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and water, add the asam keping and lime leaves and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring so the coconut milk does not split.
4. Add the pineapple and simmer for 8–10 min until it softens and sweetens the gravy.
5. Add the prawns, sugar and salt and cook for 3–4 min, just until the prawns curl and turn pink. Taste for a balance of sweet, sour and salty and serve with rice.

Tips

• Choose a firm, slightly tart pineapple; very ripe fruit turns mushy and too sweet.
• Contains shellfish (prawns, belacan). Candlenuts are tree nuts.
• With eight fresh chillies in the paste, wear gloves or wash your hands well after handling them, and keep them away from your eyes.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

The Meatmen Seasaltwithfood What To Cook Today