Recipe: Udang Belado (Prawns with Indonesian chili tomato paste)

Garam belado is an Indonesian chili paste made with fresh chilis and tomatoes. It's very popular in South East Asia and you'll find it in any Indonesian restaurant (nasi padang) in Singapore. Like a lot of authentic Asian food, it's also very healthy. When I was in Singapore, I visited an old school friend - one of my best friends actually. She shared with me her secret ingredient for garam belado - candlenuts! Also known as buah keras in Malay. So I gave it a try tonight, over some prawns (udang) and green beans. It was so fab and easy that I'm going to share it with you here too.

RECIPE: UDANG BELADO

10-12 big prawns, shelled but leave the tails on
2 handfuls green beans
5 garlic cloves
5 shallots
5 candlenuts (buah keras)
10 fresh red chilis, remove seeds
5 tomatoes
Lime juice

1. Parboil the green beans till cooked but still crunchy (approx. 2 mins). Drain and set aside.
2. Pan fry prawns till cooked and red. Remove and set aside.
3. While prawns are cooking, blend garlic, shallots, candlenuts and chilis in a food processor. Heat 1 tbsp of oil on medium heat and fry the mixture until the oil has separated and is glistening (approx. 5 mins). Add 2-3 tsp of salt to taste. If the mixture looks very dry, add 2-3 tbsp of water.
4. Blend 3 tomatoes in the food processor while (3) is cooking. Dice the remaining 2 tomatoes. Add into pan and cook till mixture thickens.
5. Add some lime juice to taste. That's your garam belado chili tomato paste!
6. Layer green beans and prawns on a plate. Spoon the garam belado over. Serve with rice.

In short: zip in the food processor and fry.

Garam belado is a great accompaniment for other foods like fish and hard boiled eggs too, or just served as a side relish in a meal. It can also be made without candlenuts, which can be found in Asian and high end grocery stores. They sell pre-made chili paste in jars nowadays, but hey, why would you want to buy those when it's so easy to make from fresh? Try it!