If you go to any seafood restaurant, your eyes would probably hover over the Butter Prawn on the menu, tempting you with its promise of a flavourful delight. Characterised by its cooking methods that encompass Malay, Indian, and Chinese styles, this dish presents a symbolic representation of the various cultures in Malaysia. With a creamy flavour and a sharp taste of spice that follows, this dish has become a popular dish amongst Malaysians.
Contrary to the name of the dish, the star component of this dish is not butter, but curry leaves. Being a well-accustomed ingredient in Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine, the use of curry leaves in this dish gives it an exotic twist, which contributes significantly to bringing out the distinct fragrance of this prawn dish.
Origin of Butter Prawn
Though the exact origin of this dish remains unclear, most believe that this dish originated in a Chinese restaurant in Johor. From a humble beginning, now it has grown into a widely popular dish that is well-accustomed in both Malaysia and Singapore. Made of an irresistible flavour combination of sweet, salty, and spicy it is no wonder that Butter Prawn has such a huge fan base—having this dish on the table enough to bring a smile on people’s faces.
Besides the prawns, another star of this dish is probably the toasted grated coconut sprinkled on the cuisine. Crunchy and filled with a nutty aroma, you possibly cannot resist eating this crunchy goodness with rice even after the prawns are finished.
Butter Prawn Recipe
Cooking Butter Prawn is not rocket science and is simple to accomplish once you’ve got the hang of the essential preparations. In preparing the dish, you could fry the prawns without shell, but it is recommended that you keep the shell on as it gives a better flavour to the dish.
Difficulty: Easy
Details
4
15 minutes
20 minutes
763 kcal
Print
Ingredients
35 grams of desiccated coconut
4 tablespoons of cornflour
12 prawns
300 ml of oil
25 grams of butter
4 stalks of curry leaves
2 cloves of garlic
3 bird-eye chillies
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 shallot
1 shallot
Directions
- Start by preparing the coconut sprinkles. In a pan, lightly toast desiccated coconut over low heat until it turns light brown. Then, set it aside.
- Moving on to the prawns, first, coat the prawns with cornflour. Then, add oil into the pan and fry the prawns. Once the prawns have a golden coat on them, remove it from the pan.
- In a clean pan, melt butter over low to medium heat. Then, add shallots, garlic, curry leaves, and bird eye chillies. Sprinkle some salt and sugar to season the mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir fry the ingredients until the curry leaves start to curl.
- Finally, it’s time to combine all of the ingredients. Add fried prawns, desiccated coconut, and some soy sauce into the buttery mixture. Mix well, and your Butter Prawns are ready to be served!
Ways to Enjoy Butter Prawn
Pair this dish with some piping hot rice, and you will have the perfect dinner—giving a satisfying closure to your day. Although it is tempting to have them all by yourself, don’t forget to share some with your family as this dish is best shared as it is sure to bring more smiles to your table.
Explore other popular Malaysian delights with Lokataste Recipe and more!
