Homemade Petis Udang Recipe (Hae Ko)
A simple homemade petis udang made from raw prawn heads and shells, with no butter or oil. The result is dark, glossy, deeply savoury and slightly sweet.
Ingredients
- 300 g raw prawn heads and shells (from approximately 550–600g whole raw tiger prawns) see Notes below
- 600 ml water
- 100 g gula Melaka chopped or grated, see Notes
- 20 g white sugar plus more to taste
- ¾ tsp fine salt plus more to taste
- 1 Tbsp cornflour
- 4 Tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Place a saucer in your freezer, to test the consistency of the petis when done.
- Give the prawn heads and shells a quick rinse under cold water, then drain well.300 g raw prawn heads and shells
- Place them in a medium saucepan with the 600ml water. Bring to a strong simmer, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.600 ml water
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool until safe to blend. 10 minutes will do but ensure that your blender can take the heat.
- Transfer the shells, heads and cooking liquid to a blender, working in batches if necessary. Blend briefly until the shells are broken down into a coarse slurry.
- Return everything to the saucepan and simmer gently for another 5 minutes. Don’t cook the crushed shells for much longer, as prolonged cooking can make the stock bitter or muddy.This step is not in the short video. It will be in the longform video coming in a few day.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan or heatproof bowl. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the shells.
- Return the strained prawn liquid to a clean saucepan and add the palm sugar, white sugar and salt.100 g gula Melaka, 20 g white sugar, ¾ tsp fine salt
- Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Simmer gently, uncovered, for around 20-30 minutes, until the liquid has reduced, darkened and begun to coat the spoon. Stir more frequently as it thickens.20 minutes will give you a deliciously deep petis udang. 30 will give you one with a slightly more pronounced flavour.
- Mix the cornflour with the 4 tablespoons of water until smooth and gradually stir the cornflour slurry into the petis. On low heat still.
- Simmer for another 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, until smooth and glossy.
- Place a small spoonful on the cold saucer (get it out of the freezer first) and leave it for a minute before checking the consistency. The petis should be thick, sticky and spoonable once cool.
- Taste the cooled sample and add a little more sugar or salt if needed. If you want it thicker, simmer for longer. Don't forget that how much you get will depend on how long you simmer it for.
- Pour into a clean jar and cool promptly before covering. Store as explained in the article.
Notes
If you’re starting with whole prawns rather than saved heads and shells, you’ll need approximately 550-600g whole raw tiger prawns to give you the 300g required for this recipe. Peel the prawns and keep the meat for another dish, then weigh the heads and shells before making the petis udang.
Gula Melaka
Can be substituted with dark brown sugar or light, or the South Asian jaggery.
We would usually chop or grate the gula melaka before using, but I'm too lazy sometimes. I don't bother when there's a long cooking time which would ensure the gula block has time to dissolve. (gula = sugar) The amount you get at the end will depend on how long you've simmered the petis for. Prep Time includes peeling the prawns
Can be substituted with dark brown sugar or light, or the South Asian jaggery.
We would usually chop or grate the gula melaka before using, but I'm too lazy sometimes. I don't bother when there's a long cooking time which would ensure the gula block has time to dissolve. (gula = sugar) The amount you get at the end will depend on how long you've simmered the petis for. Prep Time includes peeling the prawns
Nutrition
Calories: 54kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 0.003gFat: 0.01gSodium: 250mgPotassium: 0.1mgFiber: 0.01gSugar: 11gCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.01mg
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