We usually serve Sambal Hae Bee (Spicy Dried Shrimps or Udang Kering) as a condiment with steamed rice with raw cucumber or sprinkled over white rice porridge.
I remembered that when I was younger, I used to help my mama by pounding dry shrimps, shallots, chillies, all separately, using pestle and mortar. And then standing over a wok, stirring the mixture constantly till it becomes dry and fragrant and then having a sore arm for days. It was hard work preparing it but I didn’t mind coz the result of my effort was always some delicious Sambal Hae Bee (Spicy Dried Shrimps or Udang Kering) condiment.
I got the estimated recipe from my mama but she assured me that it’s a totally flexible recipe, a bit more or less will not make it unedible or taste bad, just slightly different. It’s also easily adaptable to suit your taste buds.
Steps were simplified and I have used very minimum amount of cooking oil in the recipe since most families have non-stick pans and food processor at home. Only compromise was to roughly blend the dried shrimps and then pounding them in a pestle and mortar, just to break them up some.
Ingredients:
- 250g dried shrimps
- 2 lemongrass, white and pale green section only
- 5 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 15 dried chillies, deseeded, soaked with water and drained
- 1-2 tbsp sunflower or peanut oil
- 1 cm cube belacan (shrimp paste) or 1 tbsp belacan powder – optional
- sugar and salt, to taste
Preparation:
- Put dried shrimps in a bowl, wash with water several times and leave in clean water to soak till soft, abt 20-30 mins. Drain and set aside.
- Blend shallots, chilli, lemongrass, belacan cube or belacan powder, sugar and oil till a fine paste.
- Transfer blended mixture to a non-stick wok.
- Stir fry on medium heat till mixture dries up and becomes fragrant, constant stirring, for abt 15-20 mins till texture’s dry but not floury.
- Keep in a clean dry container in fridge and it’ll keep for a few weeks.
- Otherwise put into smaller containers and keep in freezer, removing a container to defrost in fridge each time.
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