Sunday, September 19, 2010

Spicy Prawns with Sataw Beans/Sambal Udang dengan Petai

I was clearing up my freezer the other day and found a small packet of petai (stink beans) in it. I can’t even remember when I bought that. The last time I saw petai was when I visited my friend Zue at Harrisburg during last year Hari Raya and I might have bought it there. So you can imagine how long these beans had been sitting in the freezer. I check the petai and they still look ok and in order not to waste it I cook some sambal out of it.


Not everyone like Petai because of its bad smell especially when you visit the bathroom after eating it. For someone who likes it they are good. I guess these beans are very much like Durian the king of fruits. You either love it or hate it. Petai is actually healthy for us. It contains a type of Protein that known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier! It also stimulate the production of hemoglobin in blood, reduce the blood pressure ,stroke, boost brain power, overcome constipation, relief heartburn etc. It also can be used externally. Before reaching for insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of petai to the skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling, irritation and itchiness. As for the after effect smell there is a way to get rid of it. My mother told me that when you eat petai try to eat some eggplant (brinjal) at the same time and it will reduce or get rid of the strong smell. I didn’t try it yet but I will when I cook petai You can get more informations about petai here.


Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimps – peel and deveined
1 large onion – sliced thinly
200 gram of petai beans/Sataw Beans
2 tbsp tamarind paste – mix with 1/2 cup water

Sambal Paste

15 dried chilies – soak in hot water and cut into small pieces
4 fresh red chilies – removed seeds if you want it less spicy
4 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp roasted shrimp paste (belacan)


1. Put all the sambal ingredients in the food processor and blend until it become a paste. If it is too dry add a bit of oil to it and continue to blend.
2. Heat up about 3 tbsp of oil and sauté the sambal paste over medium low heat until fragrant. Then add in slice onion. Stir fry until the onion soften. Add in the shrimp and petai. Add in sugar and salt to taste.
3. Continue to stir-fry until the shrimp is slightly pink in color. Add in the tamarind paste. Continue to stir-fry until shrimps are cooked. Check seasoning as you might need to add a bit more sugar or salt at this stage.
4. Dish out and serve with warm rice.


Note: before you cook the petai make sure you split the beans into two to check if there is any worm in it.
Nate and Annie from House Of Annie will be hosting the September event. They have set up a form for all submissions.

22 comments:

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

today you cook my favourite, i salivate in front of my PC, look so yummy!

Shereen said...

Gert,
Never knew of the brinjal petua.Must try it one day or else pengsan I everytime masuk bathroom..I've petai hantu in the house...lol.No amount of disinfectant can get rid of the smell.Sedapnya your sambal...meleleh my air liur..and someone beside me say he need a bip..LOL!

Shirley @ Kokken69 said...

Believe it or not, I have never eaten the Petai but L likes it. I didn't know you can get them in the US?

Little Inbox said...

Har? It can last so long in freezer? Amazing!
I love this. I don't even bother to split the petai into 2, hehe...I'll get additional protein eventually. :)

Bakericious said...

looks good!

WendyinKK said...

My MIL says the frozen petai is soft, and not smelly when bought over there.
She is hoping to bring some over for the relatives, on her next trip back there.

My Little Space said...

Great info, Gert. I must as well try having eggplant and petai together next time. Actually, the smell is pretty ignoring especially when you're in the car. All the passengers can't even breath because of the smell just like durian. HAHAHA.... I hope your Carlos can handle it well..! ^_^ Have a great day!
Kristy

Little Corner of Mine said...

Petai is so good with sambal and shrimps.

Anonymous said...

Hiya..
Love your Sambal Petai unfortunately they don't sell Petai in the UK. What I do is replace it with French bean or runner bean. The taste is not the same though. My husband has been well seasoned with all the Malaysian food I cook.
Have a Blessed Day!
Cheers,
Simone

Kitchen Corner said...

Aiyo.. what can I say? This is truly appetizing!

Elin said...

Wow...salivating already. This is the family favourite ! How can you say you miss Malaysian food when you can have it over there ! Stink bean in the freezer...amazing..mine would have gone into the stomach long ago :p

Unknown said...

This dish is calling my name for sure, fantastic looking

3 hungry tummies said...

I want a plate of that! Can you get petai in the states?

Kiersten said...

Wow. I am sooooo hungry now! Sambal petai with prawns is my favourite dish in the whole wide world. I can eat it with steaming hot white rice. Yum!

The petai+brinjal trick really works. My mom makes pan-fried brinjals drizzled with some soy sauce each time she cooks petai, and perhaps it's psychology, but my breath doesn't seem to stink that bad. :)

Christelle said...

Humm, the flavours of Malaysia, it makes me want to go back there!!!

ReeseKitchen said...

I don't eat petai, but I love the prawns sambal in it..;p I always eat almost all the sambal and prawns and left over the petai for my parents..haha!
Your plate of sambal petal here reminds me how long that I've not been home for dinner.

ICook4Fun said...

Sonia, ha ha

Shereen, S pun makan petai? Sometime I do wonder dia tu mat salleh kah or Chinese. Next time try eating eggplant with it.

Shirley, yes we can get it frozen :)

Little Inbox, yea it lasted a year or maybe more. Who know how long the Asian store kept it in their freezer :)

Jess, thanks.

Wendy, your MIL is right. The petai here is not as pungent as the one from back home.

Kristy, I understand it will work. Oh Carlos is ok with it. After eating brush my teeth and we have 3 bathrooms in the house so it is not a problem ha ha..

LCOM, yes it is.

ICook4Fun said...

Simone, not all Asian store sell this. Did you check the Thai or Vietname store? They normally put it in the freezer.

Grace, thanks :)

Elin, even though I am able to cook it myself I still miss Malaysian food. This packet of petai was hiding somewhere and I can't see it until I clean up my freezer :)

Jennifurla, thanks.

3 hungry tummies, yes we can get petai from the Vietnamese store.

Kiersten, yes I know you love petai. My mom told me the same thing. She even split the brinjal and put it in the bathroom ha ha..

Christelle, any plan to visit Malaysia again?

Reese, yea not everyone like petai. I used to hate it too but learn to like it as I get older :)

ijayuji said...

hi gert!

My fev sambal petai n u know i tak makan petainyer tp i suka bau petai hihihi..silly me :D

My Asian Kitchen said...

oooohh!! your sambal petai udang is calling my name!!*drooling* it's been awhile I eat any spicy food!! nowaday I'm so lazy plus having cold,so cook nothing special for weeks liao ..

Noob Cook said...

my weakness is sambal and seeing your sambal prawns petai makes me so, so hungry. must make this soon :p

Veronica said...

Hi I am so happy I could find petai in Melbourne, although they are frozen ones. However I don't know how to cook frozen petai, do I thaw them first before cooking? If I do, won't they become soft? Your petai dish looks absolutely delicious!