How to Make Pasembur (aka Indian Rojak)

My perseverance with Twitch finally pays off – my channel got featured in the first slot on the Twitch Australian homepage during this broadcast, bringing in my largest live Twitch audience to date. (No, not about to challenge My Kitchen Rules ratings anytime this side of eternity, but still.)  

As I pointed out in this broadcast, there’s more than one way to replicate the flavour of your favourite Asian dish, so rather than be put off attempting a recipe because you can’t find all the ingredients at your local Asian store, think ingredient substitutions.

The sauce for this is from my restaurant days, whereas the fritter recipes are from the chefs at Shangri-La Rasa Sayang in Penang, where I filmed some TV cooking segments a couple of years ago.

Pasembur

Sauce Ingredients –

• 350g sweet potatoes, diced and steamed
• 800ml water
• 100ml tamarind concentrate
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chicken powder (optional)
• 200g sugar
• 1 brown onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 large chillies
• 3 Tbsp oil

• Sesame seeds, toasted

METHOD:

1. Combine brown onion, garlic and chillies in a food processor and blend.
2. Saute for 2 minutes in pan, then add oil and fry until mixture is browned and oil separates.
3. Blend sweet potatoes until smooth.
4. Add to spice mixture along with all other ingredients and bring to a low simmer.
5. Adjust seasonings, then remove from heat.
6. Pour over salad ingredients and sliced prawn crackers and prawn fritters listed below, and serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

Salad Ingredients –

• 100g yam bean aka sengkuang aka jicama, grated
• 1 cucumber, grated
• 2 potatoes, boiled and quartered
• 100g beansprouts, lightly scalded
• 4 pieces white beancurd (medium firm), deep-fried until brown, then quartered
• 2 eggs, boiled, peeled and halved

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Prawn Crackers

INGREDIENTS:

• 50g plain flour
• 50g rice flour
• 5g baking powder
• 25g tapioca flour
• 25g corn flour
• 220ml water
• 70ml cooking oil
• 4 peeled prawns
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp chicken seasoning powder

METHOD:

1. Mix flour and baking flour.
2. Blend prawns with water and mix with batter.
3. Deep-fry on high.
4. Remove and serve.

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Prawn Fritters

INGREDIENTS:

• 100g prawns with shell on, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 egg white
• 150g plain flour
• 1 Tbsp corn flour
• 1 Tbsp rice flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 150ml water
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 Tbsp spring onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp onion, sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp chillies, sliced
• 1/2 cup beansprouts

METHOD:

1. Mix flours with baking powder.  Add seasoning.
2. Add water followed by prawns and all other ingredients.
3. Deep-fry on low-medium heat. Remove and serve.