Thai-style fried shrimp in spicy sauce

Stir-fries are common in Asian cuisine; the wonderful flavours of flash-fried vegetables and meats in tantalising sauces make them a favourite of everyone. This recipe is no exception.

A wonderfully flavoured dish that can hold its own, these shrimp are the perfect balance of spicy, sweet and herby. This is a rather involved recipe that starts with making the chili jam, sweet and spicy, This jam forms the basis for the dish. The shrimp are flavors with additional Thai herbs, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves and Thai shrimp paste adding notes and flavors for a complex dish. I choose to serve it directly over Thai jasmine rice so that the sauces are absorbed by the rice and balance the dish beautifully. This dish disappeared quickly before me, a testament to its wonderfulness.

I have started going to this massive volume on Thai cooking more frequently. It is packed full of recipes from the land and culture that prides itself on its cuisine. This book definitely steps out of the ordinary, a must for any cook who wants everything Thai in their kitchen and on their table. Occasionally, in this book, I come across a recipe where an ingredient is hard to find, but with over 500 recipes, there is much more to cook.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 piece of galangal, about 1 teaspoon ground

2 lemongrass stalks, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, sliced

A few tablespoons of water

2-3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons tamarind paste

1 tablespoon chilli jam, see recipe below

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

6 jumbo prawns or 1 lb prawns

2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced

2 scallions, sliced

Cooked sticky rice or jasmine rice.

For the chilli jam (1 cup):10 fresh Thai red chillies

5 dried Thai bird's eye chillies

8 cloves garlic, sliced

2-3 shallots, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

2 dried shrimp

1/2 teaspoon Thai shrimp paste

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

A few drops of fish sauce

3 tablespoons palm sugar or jaggery

3 tablespoons oil

To make the chilli jam:

Add all the ingredients, except oil, to a small blender and purée till very smooth.

Heat oil in a small saucepan and add the purée. Cook, stirring often, on a medium-low flame till the jam is thickened and the ingredients smell cooked, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Can be stored in an airtight container for about a week or frozen for longer.

To make the shrimp:

Add the galangal, lemongrass, garlic, shallots and water to a small blender and purée till smooth. You are looking for a thick, paste-like consistency.

Heat the oil and add the purée. Cook on a low flame until fragrant and the water has evaporated. The oil should begin to show in small droplets along the edges, but be careful not to brown the paste at all. Add the tamarind paste, chilli jam, and oyster sauce, and stir to mix. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp and sugar, and mix in. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the shrimp have just turned opaque and are cooked, about 3 minutes. Stir almost continually at this point to thoroughly mix the ingredients and coat the shrimp with the spices. Sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves and scallions.

Serve immediately over sticky rice on the base.