Indonesian-Inspired Sauteed Shrimp

Indonesian-Inspired Sauteed Shrimp

While I was living in a graduate international dorm in Hawaii, I got to taste a lot of different Asian and Pacific cuisines.  This dish is inspired by my Indonesian friends, Nina and Jo, who prepared it one evening and invited me to join them for dinner.  I did not get a recipe but do remember that I loved the flavors.  I also remember that funnily enough, they called this dish their "Westernized" version of sauteed shrimp (because of the Worchestershire Sauce).  If you know what it’s called and have the real recipe, please do share with me.

In the meantime, I tried to recreate this dish from my memory of it (which is pretty faulty and it was over 10 years ago).  I remember distinctly that it had a sweet and tangy flavor from the "W" sauce and there was garlic and green onions in it.

It turned out to be really tasty and very easy and fast to make.  So even if it’s not completely authentic, please do try it because it was gone in even less time than it took to cook it.  Do prep everything ahead of time because shrimp cooks up fast and you certainly don’t want to overcook them.

Indonesian-Inspired Sauteed Shrimp

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter
4 cloves minced garlic
1 pound large (30-35 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp kecap manis

Kecap Manis

Kecap Manis

(if you don’t have this, I recommend using my thick soy sauce as a substitute but use only 1 tsp and up the sugar to 1 tsp)
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
3 stalks green onion, sliced thinly on bias
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1.  Mix kecap manis, W sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl.
2.  Melt butter in saute pan on medium heat.
2.  Saute minced garlic until fragrant and lightly browned.
3.  Toss in shrimp in one single layer.  Cook for 30 seconds and turn them over.
4.  Add the sauce and mix with the shrimp.  Stir-fry until shrimp are just pink, about another minute.
5.  Add the green onions, and toss until just wilted.
6.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Indonesian-Inspired Sauteed Shrimp

Indonesian-Inspired Sauteed Shrimp

Enjoy!

Cheers, Annie

16 thoughts on “Indonesian-Inspired Sauteed Shrimp”

  1. >Apart from the kecap manis (which i can get hold of very easily on my way from work) I have all the ingredients, so no excuses, It looks like a very interesting dish, I am not familiar with Indonesian food, so i’m really curious about it. I think I’ll do that tonight 🙂

  2. >Lovely sauteed shrimps… I dont use the wor. Sauce and Oyster sauce but I do make use of lotsa spices… This is just divine…

  3. >Oh my god. Thank you thank you thank you!!! That amazing first picture got me drooling… and then you posted a picture of Kecap Manis, and I’m pretty sure I can taste those shrimpies. Ahh! Yumm!! I love your blog!

  4. >Wow, this looks sublime! It doesn’t matter that it was 10 years ago, whatever you created from your memory looks fabulous…. I need to go pickup some shrimp!

  5. >That graduate international dorm wasn’t Hale Manoa by any chance? I lived there from 2003 to 2005, and sharing recipes in the kitchen with all the other residents was my favorite part. I still make a mean Thai fish cake thanks to a girl in the kitchen at the other end of the 12th floor 🙂

  6. >@Shirley – we’ve posted our 7 things meme. thanks for the tag!

    @Jo – thanks!

    @Leah – yep, Annie lived in Hale Manoa! We have lots of great memories, and great recipes from there.

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