Petai (Parkia speciosa) or 'stink bean' which belongs to the legume family is harvested from tall rainforest trees that can be found in tropical countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. The name 'Petai' is Malay and it is relatively common in Malay dishes and also can be eaten raw as in a Malay salad.
So, why the name 'stink bean'? Well, after you've eaten them, you'll begin to notice some changes, like your urine and faeces which will bear the unmistakable petai smell!
Barring the offensive smell, the petai has a lot of health benefits. It helps to lower blood sugar in diabetes and reduces cholesterol. Also helps to lower blood pressure and aids digestion. On top of that it's also a good source of minerals, high in calcium, phosphorous, potassium and iron. Also a good source of vitamins C and E. In short, it is one of the most nutritional local vegetable.
Recipe for Sambal Petai Prawns
Ingredients
- 400 gm prawns
- 180 gm petai, shelled, halved.
- 15 shallots
- 6 red chillies
- 6 pips of garlic
- 1/2 inch belacan (shrimp paste)
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 stalks of lemon grass, crushed
- 1 Tbsp tamarind pulp + 2 Tbsp water, strain
- Salt and sugar to taste
- Oil for frying
Method
- Clean and devein the prawns, season with some salt and sugar, set aside.
- Blend the shallots, red chillies, garlic and the belacan.
- In a wok, pan fry the petai for a while till they're puffed up. Dish out and set aside.
- Add some oil in the wok, fry the crushed lemon grass till fragrant. Add in the chilli paste and fry till the oil surfaces.
- Toss in the prawns, stir fry, add in the onion slices. Add in the prefried petai and the tamarind juice. Add salt and sugar to taste.
- Dish out and serve with white rice.
Hi Cheah, Your smabal petai looks so delicious! Very nice clicks too :D
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann!
DeleteCheah ... just beautiful and I know the taste is heavenly , open the door , on my way over ;- D
ReplyDeleteNee, I don't think you can stomach the smell and taste :)
DeleteIt sounds and looks very flavoursome, Cheah.
ReplyDeleteSounds flavoursome but you may not be able to take the smell. This is a taste that has to be slowly acquired.
DeleteMy favourite dish!! Every time I am in Malaysia, I will sure order this dish or cook it myself. We can't get fresh petai in Melbourne. Once I bought canned petai when I was craving so badly for it, but much to my disappointment the petai were soft and tasted disgusting. I saw some frozen ones in the Asian grocery shops but I didn't buy fearing they might not taste as good as the fresh ones. So I only eat petai once a year :(
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there's canned petai. So you only get to eat it when you're back home.
Deletesaw canned version of cooked prawn sambal with petai.
DeleteI love this dish and can wallop down 2 to 3 bowls of rice !!!! Wa I want to cook this after seeing yours :p
ReplyDeleteMust agree that once you've acquired the taste for it, it's very addictive!
DeleteCheah, this is a very appetizing dish! I see that you are very generous with your petai, They are rather pricey. And they give me gas hah..hah...but I still eat them :)
ReplyDeleteYup, and the toilet stinks!
DeletePetai sounds interesting, I dont think I have ever seen anything like this :) but with prawns I am sure anything would taste great :)
ReplyDeleteThis is only grown here in tropical countries and I doubt whether you'll be able to take it, smell and all!
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