Kam Heong prawns (金香蝦) are easily one of the best things to come out of Malaysian zi char stalls. You get plump prawns stir-fried in this deeply savoury, punchy paste made from dried shrimp, curry powder, garlic, and fresh curry leaves. It’s salty, spicy, fragrant, and practically demands a huge bowl of white rice.
The prawns are cooked with dried shrimp, a little chili, curry, lemongrass and fragrant leaves, so there’s a lot of flavour going on without the dish being complicated to make. Lemongrass is one of those ingredients I always come back to. I love that light, citrusy aroma it adds. It has a freshness to it that works really well with the prawns and the other aromatics without taking over. It’s actually a pretty simple dish, but once everything comes together, you get all those savoury, fragrant Asian flavours in one bowl. The lemongrass is probably one of my favourite parts.
It’s not anything complicated, but it makes the whole dish taste so much better.
I had some leftover prawns from making bisque, so I put this together on a whim, and it turned out so good. As it was cooking, the lemongrass and curry started coming through, and the whole kitchen smelled amazing. It’s also quick to make, which always helps. I made mine in the Thermomix, but you can easily make it another way too. And you don’t have to stick with prawns. The same mix of Chinese and Malaysian flavours would work really well with crab or clams.
This would be a good one to make when you have people over. It doesn’t take a lot of work, but it still feels like something a little different from the usual.
Ingredients:
🦐 40g cooking oil
🦐 250g large fresh prawns, peeled and deveined
🦐 1-2 cloves garlic
🦐 15g fresh ginger, slices
🦐 1-2 small shallots
🦐 1-2 bird’s eye chilli (adjust to your spice preference)
🦐 15g or 1/2 cup dried shrimp, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained
🦐 1- 2 stalks of fresh lemongrass (I love lemongrass)
🦐 1.5 tbsp curry powder/paste
🦐 1 sprig curry leaves
🦐 1 tbsp light soya sauce
🦐 2 tsp brown sugar
Thermomix Instructions:
- Place 10g cooking oil in mixing bowl and heat for 3mins at 120C, speed 1.
- Add Prawns: Add the prawns into the bowl and place the splash guard on top of the mixing bowl lid and start high temperature. Set aside in another bowl when done.
- Blend Aromatics: In the Thermomix bowl, add the chopped lemongrass, minced garlic, and red bird’s eye chili peppers. Chop them by setting for 5 seconds at speed 6 or until you have a fine paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Cook the Aromatics: Add 30g cooking oil, curry powder and curry leaves. Sauté for 6 mins, 120C at speed 1 or until fragrant.
- Cook the Prawns: Add the reserved prawns, soy sauce and sugar and stir fry 2 mins, 120C and stir mode.
- Transfer into a plate and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Enjoy just on its own or over steamed rice or with your preferred side dishes.
- Feel free to adjust the spice level and seasonings according to your taste preferences. Enjoy your homemade Golden Fragrance Prawns!
| Golden Fragrance Prawns: https://cookidoo.ca/recipes/recipe/en-CA/r540912 |
Stovetop Instructions:
- Sear the prawns: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the prawns in a single layer and sear for about 1 minute per side until they just turn pink and are about 80% cooked. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
2. Fry the aromatics: Add the remaining oil to the same pan over medium heat. Toss in the minced aromatic paste (lemongrass, garlic, ginger, shallots, chili, and dried shrimp). Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until deeply fragrant and the dried shrimp starts to sizzle.
3. Bloom the spices: Add the curry powder and fresh curry leaves. Keep stirring constantly over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes so the curry powder toasts without burning.
4. Toss and finish: Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Add the seared prawns back into the pan along with the soy sauce and brown sugar. Toss everything together for 1 to 2 minutes until the prawns are cooked through and evenly coated in the thick, glossy sauce.
5. Serve: Dish it up immediately over hot jasmine rice.