Sambal Udang

How was the presidential recipe for prawns smothered in chilli paste?

It was excellent!

The ingredients were simple, the instructions were clear and easy to follow, and the results were darn tasty.

The simple dish was a winner. The gloriously red prawns nicely balanced between spicy, sour, sweet and savory. It'd have been way too oily if I had followed the instructions to a T but that was a small fault.

If you want to try just one recipe from the book, sambal udang would be the one. It's quick, easy and very, very good.

SAMBAL UDANG (PRAWNS IN CHILLI PASTE) Source: Cooking for The President, Wee Eng Hwa (Recipe for 8 persons) 25 g dried chillies, soak in water till soft, about 1 hour, and squeeze dry 40 g red chillies, discard seeds and rinse 160 g shallots, peel and rinse 20 g buah keras (candlenuts) 180 ml vegetable oil (I used only 80 ml, which was plenty) 2/3 tsp belachan, toast till fragrant, and grind finely 1 tbsp sugar 2 tsp salt 35 g tamarind paste, soak in 1 cup (240 ml) water, knead and discard seeds and pulp 30 prawns weighing 1 kg, trim legs and feelers, devein, rinse and drain 1 cup cucumber or winged bean slices Cut dried chillies, red chillies, shallots and buah keras into small pieces. Pound or grind till smooth. Fry in vegetable oil over medium-low to low heat till medium brown. Add belachan and stir through. Add sugar, salt and tamarind water. Simmer till thick and oil separates. Add prawns and heat till just cooked, stirring and turning as necessary to cook evenly. Prawns of the size indicated above are cooked once they turn red. (For bigger prawns, give 'em a few more seconds; add a bit of water if the sauce thickens too much.) Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve at room temperature with cucumber or winged beans on the side.