PRAWN BASTADOR

Serves 6–8

How did this dish get its name? Bostador literally means slap in Creole-Portuguese and this dish of prawns and green chillies used to be served as a sandwich filling. When the unsuspecting diner bit into a chilli, the heat was just like getting slapped in the face! This dish is now more often served as a side dish with rice. To serve it as a sandwich filling, peel the prawns and chop them into small cubes before cooking.

Cooking oil 2 Tbsp
Onion ½, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt ¼ Tbsp
Chicken stock cube 1

Prawns (shrimps) 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz),
about 20–25 prawns, peeled and
deveined, leaving tails intact

Water 100 ml (3½ fl oz)
Coconut milk 100 ml (3½ fl oz)
Green chillies 5, stems removed and sliced

Chilli Paste

Shallots 15, peeled and sliced
Onions 2, peeled and sliced
Turmeric 5-cm (2-in), peeled

Dried prawn (shrimp) paste (belacan)
30 g (1 oz)

Candlenut 1

Dried chillies 20, cut into short lengths,
soaked for 10 minutes, seeds removed

1.   Pound or grind together ingredients for chilli paste until fine.

2.   Heat oil in a pot and fry onion until soft. Add chilli paste, salt and chicken stock
cube and fry until fragrant.

3.   Add prawns and water stir-fry until prawns change colour and are cooked. Add
coconut milk and bring to boil. Add green chillies and stir thoroughly.

4.   Remove from heat and serve hot.

160

EURASIAN HERITAGE

Cooking