MALAYSIAN BUTTER PRAWNS
One of the best ways to experience another culture is through the food they eat.Walking to school one day to drop my kid, I met another Mom who was walking hers to school as well, while the kids skipped along the path, the moms got talking,eventually like they say “All roads lead to Rome” the little chat lead to food.My new friend was from Malaysia and spoke about her cuisine with such delight,I caught that twinkle in her eye( Oh, that familiar twinkle!!!) & knew what it meant….food revisited in memory,is as good as food savored! Little did we realize we were at the school already, after kissing our kids, the culinary journey continued on the way back home, that’s when I got this recipe of “Udang Goreng Mentega”( quite a mouthful) or Malaysian Butter prawns in plain English from her.
The cold weather has a way of giving you delusions about spicy food…needless to say, its already freezing here and its not even the end of Fall yet,so my mind was jogging its menu list first thing in the morning,I ached for something spicy to chase this bitter cold away.Lo! & behold this Malaysian sea food classic made a grand entry in my wok!
The geographic location of Malaysia attracted traders & laborers alike from Chinese & Indian descent, and its only understandable that the Malay cuisine is a melting pot of Indo- Chinese culture,though to this day it remains a great culinary mystery to unfold.”Hawker Food” or street food is so common in Malaysia said my friend,and to eat/”makan” several times a day is the norm, to lose yourself among bustling hawker stands, she said….Oh, how I loved the visuals it created for me, can completely feel at home in a place like that, so here I was recreating the magic in my kitchen.
Malaysian Butter prawns is one of their classic gastronomic delights,said my friend.The curry leaves give the dish their distinct flavor ( I had the powdered version of it, brought from home…to just open the jar & smell it any time I needed teleporting in memory) so I added a big spoon of that,then there is garlic to spice it up along with bird eyed chilies ( I substituted with chili powder instead), that’s for the Indian bit of the dish, then there is Soy sauce & Chinese Rice wine or Vinegar to make up for the Chinese influence in the dish, I added a good amount of finely sliced spring onions for personal touch & voila my kitchen smelt as good as one of those hawker stands.Enjoy it with flat breads, or stuffed amidst sandwiches, or as a side for any rice dish.
