Kerabu Pucuk Paku Recipe

Kerabu Pucuk Paku Recipe

(Fiddlehead Fern Kerabu - Nyonya Recipe)

200 g fiddlehead fern tips (pucuk paku)

200 g small prawns (shrimps)

50 g (¼ cup) skinless peanuts

1 tablespoon toasted grated coconut (kerisik), pounded

½ ginger flower, sliced finely

2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced hair-thin

Dressing:

1½ tablespoons sambal belachan (pls refer to more Nyonya Recipes)

1 tablespoon calamansi juice, or to taste

1 tablespoon thick coconut milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar, or to taste

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Method:

Use only the tender part of the fiddlehead fern, which is about 15cm of the tip.  Cut the fern tip into two or three equal segments and blanch in hot water.  Rinse in cold water and drain in colander.  Shell and de-vein prawns and cook by steaming or boiling and set aside.  Wok-roast the peanuts by frying over a low flame until lightly browned.  Cool slightly before crushing medium fine in a mortar and pestle.  Combine the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and add the rest of the salad ingredients.  Mix well.