Assam Prawns

This dish is easy to make.

Assam, or tamarind, is an ingredient used in many Peranakan dishes, such as Prawns in Pineapple Gravy and Mee Siam. Tamarind is a long-lived, medium-growth, bushy tree. The fruit grows on trees dangling down in a long and hard outer covering (shell) brown in colour. When it is ripe, it is a little mushy (with pits) and is normally dried in the sun before kept for use in cooking. Assam is sweet and sour in taste, and is high in acid, sugar, B vitamins and calcium.

Ingredients
1/2 kg prawns
1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind pulp (assam)
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons oil

What I did
1. Mix the tamarind pulp with water
2. Add in the sugar and salt
3. Marinate the prawns with the above tamarind mixture and marinate the prawns for 15 minutes
4. Heat a wok until very hot and add in the oil
5. Drop the prawns in and fry until the prawns are slightly burnt
6. Add in some sliced chilli and spring onions, if desired

This dish is pretty nice but I'd add in a more sugar and a light dash of dark soy sauce next time.