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Self soothing: Cook this creamy coconut milk soup with prawns and ‘petai’

Malay Mail
Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — There is so much to unpack these days.

Living in this day and age is a tightrope walk between fears of climate change and the increasingly addictive draw of doom-scrolling. Traffic jams and Twitter tyrants. Things that go "bump” in the middle of the night (usually your insomniac neighbour).

It’s easy to fall prey to all the negativity, to all the things that happened and the many more that didn’t (but we can’t help but keep thinking about).

Let’s spend some time in the kitchen instead and calm ourselves.

I’m taking a leaf from Academy Award nominated actress Florence Pugh who would cook a giant meal for her friends and family at the end of a long, stressful day of filming.

The Midsommar and Little Women star has the right idea and the weekend is the perfect time to unwind with some pan, pot or wok lovin’.

This weekend, I’m hankering for a creamy coconut milk soup that I first had at Kub Kao Kub Pla, a Thai restaurant in Bangkok some time ago. The dish in question was tom bai lieng kati goong sod or melinjo leaves in coconut milk soup with fresh prawns.

Make sure you get the freshest prawns.
Make sure you get the freshest prawns.

Make sure you get the freshest prawns.

It wasn’t the melinjo leaves that fascinated me, however, despite its star presence in the menu listing. It was the presence of petai or stinky beans in the soup.

Now I’m used to petai in fried rice and stir-fries but this was the first time I had encountered it in a soup! Paired with rich coconut cream and toothsome prawns, it was a revelation.

Fast forward a few years and I decided I wasn’t going to hunt down melinjo leaves (see what other greens we can use in the recipe below). But the petai was non-negotiable; this was the ingredient that made the dish click for me.

Pungent 'petai' or stinky beans.
Pungent 'petai' or stinky beans.

Pungent 'petai' or stinky beans.

Indeed, this might be what it does for you too. A spoonful of this soup will soothe you; a whole bowl and you’d be ready for the rest of the weekend.

COCONUT MILK SOUP WITH PRAWNS AND PETAI

It bears noting that while I call this a coconut milk soup (it’s what I’m used to), we are actually using the thicker coconut cream or santan here. To avoid confusion, consider this the first draw or squeeze of the mix of freshly grated coconut flesh and water.

Traditionally tom bai lieng kati goong sod uses melinjo leaves (in addition to the requisite coconut cream and fresh prawns). Given that the focus of this recipe is the pungent petai, you’ll forgive me for forgoing the melinjo leaves in favour of other leafy greens.

Coconut milk or the thicker coconut cream or 'santan' in this case.
Coconut milk or the thicker coconut cream or 'santan' in this case.

Coconut milk or the thicker coconut cream or 'santan' in this case.

Spinach, I find, is a perfectly acceptable substitute; the smaller leaves of baby spinach need only a quick dunk in the hot soup to wilt.

Check out what else is available or interesting in your neighbourhood pasar. Edible ferns are delicious, especially the younger leaves, as are tender bamboo shoots and even banana blossoms (known as jantung pisang in Malay).

One last note: I have used shrimp paste for the subtle yet formidable fermented flavour as a base for the soup. Try whatever you have on hand, from Malaccan belacan to Cantonese hā jeung.

It’s a nice accent to the petai and prawns but if you’re concerned it might be too strong, feel free to omit it. I didn’t have any once and the resultant soup was more delicate albeit still creamy and delectable.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cooking oil

4 shallots, minced

1 tablespoon shrimp paste

500ml chicken stock

2 lemongrass stalks, crushed

4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

5 cili padi (bird’s eye chillies), sliced

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

100g petai (stinky beans), halved

A handful of green vegetables

250ml santan (coconut cream)

8 prawns, peeled and deveined with tails left intact

Juice of 1 fresh lime

Fish sauce (optional)

Method

In a large wok, heat the cooking oil over medium flame. Once the oil is hot but before it smokes, add the minced shallots. Sauté briefly before adding the shrimp paste. Continue sautéing until aromatic.

Aromatics include lemongrass, 'cili padi' and limes.
Aromatics include lemongrass, 'cili padi' and limes.

Aromatics include lemongrass, 'cili padi' and limes.

Add the chicken stock and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to low then add the lemongrass, garlic, cili padi, salt and sugar. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the petai and cook for another 5 minutes. Once the petai has become tender, remove the stalks of spent lemongrass then add the more fragile vegetables.

Allow the greens to wilt before stirring in the santan. Bring it back to a simmer then add the prawns. Simmer for a couple more minutes (or less, depending on the size of the prawns) until the prawns are cooked.

A spoonful of this soup will soothe your senses.
A spoonful of this soup will soothe your senses.

A spoonful of this soup will soothe your senses.

Remove from the heat, stir in lime juice and check for taste, seasoning further with fish sauce if necessary. Ladle into individual bowls and serve immediately.

For more Weekend Kitchen and other slice-of-life stories, visit lifeforbeginners.com.

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