Do try out this awesome creamy butter prawns recipe! It is a Malaysian recipe for prawns in a creamy curry leaf and butter sauce…
Did you know that this one is also the most popular recipe here on my food website?
Have you ever heard of this butter prawns recipe before?
It is a Malaysian dish.
I picked this amazing butter prawns recipe up at my foodie friend and Aussie chef Jackie M’s who posted her recipe video on Google+ (before it shut down) and then added a personal touch to it.
Prawns, I love them!
Best Creamy Malaysian Butter Prawns Recipe
Well, who doesn’t.
However if you take a look at all the ingredients that you need below, then you wouldn’t think that this butter prawns recipe is Asian at all.
Because they all look quite straight forward.
In this butter prawns recipe curry leaves and evaporated milk are used.
Apart from the curry leaves perhaps, they make a huge difference in flavor.
Curry leaves are also pretty hard to find, I have to agree with you on that.
Curry Leaves
But I happened to walk past an Asian supermarket not long ago where I bought some for this recipe. I dried the remaining leaves for later.
Curry leaves are quite peppery in taste and have a very subtle flavor.
Curry Leaves vs Curry Powder
But here is a thought…
Can you replace them by curry powder in this hot butter prawns recipe perhaps?
No, because those two ingredients simply have absolutely nothing in common. My local supermarket sometimes sells Thai basil. Maybe that might be a more suitable alternative if you ask me.
But still.
Hey, have you ever wondered what the most popular recipe here on my website is?
Best Blog Post
Well, it is this butter prawns recipe right here!
The hubs and I adored this Malaysian treat. We served these creamy Malaysian butter prawns recipe in a creamy curry leaf sauce over a big bowl of steamed rice.
And it was absolutely perfect and finger licking good.
Thanks chef Jackie for this fab idea!
Enjoy!
Best Creamy Malaysian Butter Prawns Recipe
Delicious Malaysian butter prawns!
- 24 prawns (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 4 fresh curry leaves
- 1 cup evaporated milk (240 ml)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium red chili
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp caster sugar or palm sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon cube crumbled
- frying oil
1) Let the prawns thaw if you use frozen ones for this recipe. Remove the heads if still attached (put them aside for later, you can make a delicious soup with them). Slice the spine open because you need to remove the black vein. Don't peel the prawns! Rinse them, then let them drain on kitchen paper. Add the prawns and cornstarch to a bowl.
2) Stir until the prawns are coated evenly. Pour some frying oil in a heavy skillet or wok. Place it over high heat until piping hot. Then add the prawns. Quickly stir fry them for 3 minutes until pink and a little crunchy on the outside.
3) Transfer the fried prawns onto kitchen paper to drain. In another non-stick pan add the butter and place it over medium heat until melted. Then add the garlic paste, curry leaves and chili.
4) Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Don't burn the garlic. Then also add the evaporated milk and sugar.
5) Stir again and cook for another minute. Add the fried prawns back to the pan. Season with the crumbled chicken bouillon cube.
6) Finally give the prawns a good stir and then cook them for 5 more minutes until the sauce starts to thicken lightly. Check the seasoning and add extra crumbled chicken bouillon or sugar. Then transfer the prawns and sauce onto deep plates and serve.
Did you like this Butter Prawns Recipe?
Well I sure hope that you enjoyed this Malaysian butter prawns recipe!
Do you love prawns?
How often do you prepare prawns at home?
I always have prawns in my freezer because prawns make a gorgeous last-minute dinner. Just stir fry them, add some colorful vegetables, some fish sauce and oyster sauce maybe. Sesame seeds.
Done.
Prawn Heads
I prefer to buy raw unpeeled prawns, I just love those.
Why?
First of all, cooking them while the head and scales are still attached keeps them way more flavorful. Once that lovely juice inside the heads starts to cook, you get that wonderful prawn smell. If I just need peeled prawns, I prefer to peel them and keep the heads aside for other recipes.
You would be amazed how many dishes you can prepare by just using the prawn heads.
Apart from the butter prawns recipe above, here are some of my favorites: my spaghetti in prawn bisque sauce, prawn croquettes and prawn head soup.
Broth
The simple secret behind that creamy rich flavor?
That is to make a broth with the heads and blend them as fine as you can into a pulp, strain the whole lot and use the prawn liquid as a base for your soups or sauces.
I can assure you: you will love it.
This prawn broth is so rich and creamy but without adding any cream or butter or fatty dairy.
Try it!
You will be amazed…
How To Thaw Prawns
I usually take them out of the freezer the night before I plan to cook them because I like to let them thaw slowly in the fridge. That is the best way to do it.
But then what if you need them quickly for a last minute dinner idea or whatever recipe you want to use them for and they are not thawed at all?
That is a good question.
The quickest way would be to defrost them in the microwave.
But what if you don’t have one?
No Microwave
A couple of ideas I came across while googling the same question.
Place the frozen prawns in a colander and rinse them under cold running tap water for a couple of minutes. Transfer the frozen prawns to a large bowl and submerge them in cold water until thawed.
Opinions differ however when it comes to flavor and texture.
Some say thawing prawns quickly doesn’t change a thing, others claim it is bad because it makes the prawn texture grainy once cooked. Have you any experience with this?
I would love to know!
Food Safety
Mind you: keep an eye on food safety once you have thawed the shrimp.
Don’t let them sit in your fridge for more than one day once thawed because prawns (any any other type of seafood really ) don’t keep for long at all. That is why they are frozen mainly.
Use thawed prawns within 24 hours.
Whatever you do: certainly don’t put thawed raw shrimp back in the freezer!
That goes for all kinds of food by the way.
24 Hours
I don’t have to tell you what happens to prawns that are off and what it does to your body once you have eaten them. If the prawns are thawed but you are not using them immediately, keep them in the fridge at all costs.
Avoid having prawns laying around in your warm kitchen or in sunlight. Heat and warm air will bring the bacteria to life that are still present.
Place them in the fridge to avoid any nasty case of food poisoning!
What Is The Difference Between Prawns And Shrimp?
Have you ever wondered what the difference between prawns and shrimp is actually?
Is there a difference to start with anyway?
Yes, apparently there is. Don’t worry because I also had to google that question to find the answer. Here is what I understand the difference is all about.
Prawns are larger, shrimp are smaller.
The names prawns and shrimp are commonly used interchangeably. Fact is that they are both seafood and look and taste very similar. Once they are both peeled there is no way telling which one is a prawn or a shrimp.
Legs
In addition the difference can be seen when you look at the legs.
Prawns and shrimp both have five pairs of legs. Look closely now to see the tiny claws at the end of the thin legs. How many can you count? Can you see four (two pairs) claws, then it is a shrimp.
Prawns have six (three pairs) claws. So in the end, does it really matter which ones you buy for a specific recipe? Not at all.
Prawns and shrimp both taste exactly the same.
Health Benefits of Prawns & Shrimp
I think that we can all agree that prawns and shrimp are absolutely delicious.
But did you know that these little crustaceans are also a highly nutritious boost for our body? They contain vitamin B12 for instance.
Prawns and shrimp are a good protein source for us to build muscle. Another benefit is that prawns and shrimp are very low in carbs unless other protein sources.
Which makes our butter prawns recipe above a healthy meal.
Enjoy!
Hi June, am from malaysia, glad to see this post from you. I have tried the recipe last night and it was amazing! i rarely compliment my cooks but last night i cant help it, too delicious! tq June for this recipe.