Udang balado facts for kids
Udang balado Padang style prawns in spicy sambal or balado sauce
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| Alternative names | Sambal goreng udang |
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| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Shrimp (peeled or unpeeled) in hot and spicy sambal spice mixture with a lot of red chili pepper |
Udang balado is a super tasty and spicy shrimp dish from Indonesia. It's also known as Sambal goreng udang. Imagine shrimp cooked quickly in a hot, spicy sauce called sambal. This dish is often served hot and is a main part of a meal. You can find it all over Indonesia!
Contents
What Makes Udang Balado Special?
Udang balado gets its amazing flavor from a special mix of spices called bumbu. This spice mix is what makes the dish so unique and delicious.
The Secret Spice Mix
To make the bumbu, chefs use many fresh ingredients. These include shallots, garlic, and candlenuts. They also add ginger, a bit of shrimp paste, and yellow turmeric. Another important spice is galangal, which is like ginger but has a different taste. Of course, lots of red chili peppers are used to make it spicy!
All these spices are mixed together with salt and a little water. They are ground into a smooth paste.
Cooking Udang Balado
Once the spice paste is ready, it's cooked in a pan with a little oil. This oil is usually palm or coconut oil. As the spices cook, they release a wonderful smell. Other ingredients are added to the pan too. These include crushed lemongrass, daun salam (which is like an Indonesian bay leaf), and citrus leaves.
After the spices smell great, the cleaned shrimp are added. The shrimp can be peeled or left with their shells on. They are stir-fried until they are perfectly cooked. Sometimes, other yummy things are added to the dish. These can be green beans, quail eggs, fried diced potatoes, or even green stinky beans (which actually taste better than they sound!).
Where Can You Find Udang Balado?
Shrimp cooked in spicy sambal is very popular across Indonesia. Different regions have their own special ways of making it.
Regional Favorites
You can find this dish in many Indonesian cooking styles. For example, it's popular in Minangkabau (Padang), Malay, Sundanese, Javanese, Balinese, and Manado cooking. In the Minangkabau tradition, it's known as balado udang. It's one of many spicy balado dishes they make. Each region might add its own special touch to the recipe!
