Prawn in Turmeric Gravy / Gulai Udang

-

Gulai is one of signature Malay dish in Malaysia. There are varieties of gulai, same as curry. There are fish gulai, chicken gulai, beef gulai, and all of these uses some different ingredients to cater with the meat used. There is also gulai named before the ingredients used in it such as Gulai Lengkuas Kunyit (Galangal and Turmeric Gulai), Gulai Tempoyak (Fermented Durian Gulai) and there is one dish similar to gulai which is called Masak Lemak Cili Api ( Bird Eye Chili Gulai). There are also Gulai Darat which famous in Eastcoast Peninsula and Gulai Kawah, which always being cooked during wedding events. 

Sometimes gulai is mistaken as curry. This may be because the consistency and its spicy taste is near to curry. But gulai is made from  different ingredients and spices, usually lesser than curry. The taste is also milder and creamier.

 In this posting I want to share a recipe of a dish called Gulai Udang or Prawn Gulai. There are several ways of cooking ths dish but I am going to share my mother's recipe here. 

 The creamy taste of gulai suits the sweetness of the prawn, hence produce a tasty dish called prawn gulai. In this dish, the gravy is not too thick, and the sublime taste is the creaminess of coconut milk mixed with the prawn sweetness. Turmeric, chili, and shallot are some of the spices and herbs used in this dish.

 Ready in 30 minutes.
2 servings

 Ingredients
  • 200 gram big or medium sized prawn.
  • 7 medium sized shallots
  • 3 dried chilies. For dried chili, cut small and soak in hot water for 10 minutes before blending. Remove seeds to reduce the spiciness.
  • 1/2 inch fresh turmeric or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder.
  • 2 tamarind peels. I think a good substitute for tamarind peel is lemon or lime peels.
  • 1 stalk lemongrass (optional)
  • 250 ml coconut milk diluted with 1 cup water
  • Salt and sugar to taste
  • 1/2 cup cucumber cut in 1/2 inches width (optional)
  • 1 whole green chili (optional)

 Method
  • Blend or process the shallot, turmeric and chili until become a fine paste. 
  • Then add water and coconut milk in a pot and mix well.
  • Add the blended paste.
  • Mix well and cook in low heat.
  • Add tamarind peels, salt and sugar. Add also cucumber.
  • Bruise the lemongrass and add in. You can also grill it a bit before bruising it. Add in whole chili. 
  • When the gravy starts to boil, stir well and add prawn. Cook for two minutes or until it boils again and turn off heat.
  • Leave the gulai for one hour and more before serving for a better taste.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sauteed Romaine Lettuce

-
Image
Malay/English I was cooking fish curry when my mom asked me to cook this green vegetable. It was just recently my family eat this vegetable. It looks like lettuce to me. I even imagine to eat it raw in my sandwich. The packaging wrote Yau Mark Tam. Yau mark tam? A vegetable from China I guess. Then I thought I would just sauté it with anchovies. And today I searched about yau mark tam in the internet and... it is actually romaine lettuce... hahaha... But sauteed romaine lettuce is also delicious. So let's look at the recipe. Ready in 15 minutes Ingredients 1 head of romaine lettuce or yau mak tam 2 shallots (sliced) 2 cloves garlic (sliced) 1 tablespoon anchovies 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 3 tablespoon cooking oil Some drops of white vinegar Salt to taste Methods Heat cooking oil in a pan. Add in anchovies and fry until they become crispy. Take it out from the pan and crush it a little. Set aside.  With the same oil and heat turned on add in shallot
Read more

Solok Lada

-
Image
Solok Lada (so-lock la-da) or Stuffed Chili is a side dish along with Nasi Kerabu (Kelantanese Salad Rice). It is also can be eaten along with rice and gulai or curry. It is a dish made from big green chili (usually a type of chili we call solok chili) filled with flavored grated coconut and fish.  The taste of solok is creamy, a bit spicy, salty and sweet. However the spiciness of the chili has been largely reduced because the chili is cooked and the seeds are removed before stuffing in the coconut filling. Usually sardine and mackerel fish are used to make Solok Lada.  Solok Lada is delicious when eaten with Nasi Kerabu which has a mixed flavor from fresh minced vegetables and herbs, spicy coconut sauce (tumis), grated coconut sambal and budu (anchovies sauce). It is also accompanied with sambal air lada (chili sambal), and any meat of choice. Solok is also delicious when eaten with rice and gulai, a curry like gravy which is usually cooked with meat, fish and chicken. T
Read more

Scrambled Egg Sandwich with Toum

-
Image
This is a sandwich I always make when I harvest the Brazilian Spinach at my small container garden in the backyard. It is easy, delicious and nutritious. The toum is a new addition to this sandwich to give more flavor to it.  Ingredients 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup 1 cup spinach (I use Brazilian Spinach) Toum Mayonnaise Margerine or butter 2 slices of bread A pinch of salt White pepper powder Methods Beat the egg in a bowl until egg white and egg yolk mixed.  Add in some salt, milk and white pepper.  Cook on the low heat. Put scrambled egg aside. Spread margarine or butter on one side of the bread. Toast the bread on the pan. Cook the buttered side until golden. Boil the spinach in 1/3 cup of water until tender. You can also add it raw.  Spread some mayonnaise on one of the bread. Spread toum on another bread. Spread scrambled egg on one if the bread, followed by the spinach.  Then put another bread with toum spread on top of it. Enjoy.
Read more