This sambal stir-fry with prawns and vegetables is a quick and easy side dish that’s perfect for when you need food in a hurry!
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Table of contents
What is Sambal Stir-Fry?
Sambal stir-fry is a term I came up with to describe the many, many dishes I make using the gazillion sambals and salsas I have in my repertoire. It’s me being lazy but still needing to feed the fam! Because you know, the kids are vegetarian, with 2 having an egg allergy. So stir-fries are a way of life in our house.
Half the time, I add some non vegetarian protein for myself, as in today’s recipe.
I suppose in Malay, sambal stir-fry means sambal goreng. However, when we say sambal goreng, we are talking about a specific side dish that consists of beans, tofu and tempeh. Not random recipes fried up with a little chilli paste. Like the one below.
Sambal Stir-Fry Recipe
Today’s sambal stir-fry is super easy, you only need a few ingredients:
- prawns (shrimp)
- green beans
- beansprouts
- any red sambal you have (or shop bought)
- soy sauce
- lime juice
This is what we’ll be doing:
- Fry the prawns for 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetables and sambal and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and cook for 1 minute.
- Finish off with lime juice and optional coriander leaves (cilantro).
That’s it. Told you it was easy.
You’ll be pleased to know that our sambal stir-fry can be made up of any vegetables, and any protein, be it meat, tofu or the many vegan meat things found very easily these days.
Sliced cabbage (any variety), grated or julienned carrots, or any green beans will work in this too. Honestly, any vegetable will be good.
The Ingredients
Prawns (Shrimp)
You want raw prawns for this recipe. In fact, you should always cook with raw prawns for the best flavour and texture. Cooked prawns have nothing going for them and are only good if you are using them as they are, without further cooking.
Medium sized prawns are best for this recipe, if you can get them.
The Vegetables
I’m using green beans and beansprouts, as I love the combination. But as mentioned above, feel free to use any other combination. Any kind of green beans will do too. French, round or even broad beans. Mangetouts and sugar snap peas will also work in our sambal stir-fry.
The Sambal
This is the third “main” ingredient. I always have some sort of sambal in the fridge, usually, at least 2, plus a chilli oil. All homemade. Here on SMR, we have a few sambal recipes that are perfect for today’s sambal stir-fry, see recipe links below. They all take only 15 minutes to make, then will keep in the fridge for a week or so.
You could also just use a jar of any generic shop bought sambal oelek and use that instead of homemade sambal. But you know sambal oelek really just means pounded sambal, so all sambals made with a pestle and mortar are, technically, sambal oelek!
How spicy your sambal stir-fry is, will depend on how spicy your sambal is and how much of it you use. This is why I’ve given 1-2 tablespoons in the recipe card below.
My sambals and salsas tend to be medium spicy, so I can enjoy them without the risk of self combusting.
Soy Sauce and Lime Juice
The soy sauce we’re using is light soy sauce, the generic one used in many recipes. If you need a gluten free option, tamari would be the one to go for.
Lime juice – any kind of lime will do. And always use fresh lime and lemon juice when cooking. Anything out of a bottle always has a plastic-y taste and smell.
Sambal Recipes
Make any of the following sambals to use in today’s sambal stir-fry.
How to Serve Sambal Stir-Fry?
Treat it like a side dish. So you would serve it with rice, as part of a meal. Because I’m the only non vegetarian at home, I often have some left over. So for an easy lunch, I have it with just some rice and cucumber slices.
Here are some dishes that you can serve alongside today’s sambal stir-fry.
And that’s it, let’s get cooking!
If you enjoy the recipe, drop me a comment and let me know. And if you are feeling like a star, don’t forget that 5-star rating! Thank you!
If you make this recipe, post it on Instagram and tag me @azlinbloor and hashtag it #linsfood.
Lin xx
Sambal Stir-Fry with Prawns and Vegetables
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 wok or frying pan I'm using Earth Pan, click to see it on Amazon.
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 200 g raw prawns
- 50 g green beans
- 50 g beansprouts
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1-2 Tbsp sambal (use more for a spicier dish) (sambal belacan, balado, oelek)
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- juice of half a lime or 2 calamansi limes
- 1 sprig fresh coriander leaves optional
Instructions
Prep Work
- Clean and devein the prawns.The intestinal vein that runs along the back of the prawn should be visible and just sticking out. Give it a firm but gentle pull. If it's stuck, use a small knife to cut a shallow groove along the back and take the vein out and discard.
- Slice the green beans into 5cm (2") lengths roughly. My granny would always insist that we slice the beans on the diagonal so they take on more flavour. Granny's always right.
Let's Get Cooking
- Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the prawns and cook for 2 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the vegetables and sambal. Stir it up and leave to cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce and mix well. Cook for a minute more or until the prawns are done.
- Take it off the heat and squeeze the lime juice all over and serve immediately. You can top it with a tiny, tiny amount of chopped up fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), if you like.
Video
I just made it for lunch. It was sooo easy, thank you Lin. I was lucky that I made your sambal balado a few days ago. Will tag you on instagram.
Hey Nat, always good to hear from you. I’m pleased to hear that you liked it, will look out for the Insta pic. xx