Description
A bold and spicy pasta dish inspired by Southeast Asian flavors, featuring spaghetti tossed in a rich sambal belacan sauce with tender shrimp, fresh chilies, and a bright squeeze of lime.
Ingredients
Scale
- 400 grams spaghetti
- 300 grams raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 fresh red chilies
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 medium shallots
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or coriander
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Blend the red chilies, garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, and tomato paste into a smooth sambal mixture.
- Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the sambal mixture for about 5 minutes until fragrant and slightly thickened. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink.
- Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then transfer the pasta to the skillet.
- Toss everything together, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Stir in sugar, salt, and fresh lime juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Sprinkle chopped parsley or coriander on top and serve immediately.
Notes
- Adjust the number of chilies to control the spice level.
- Do not overcook the shrimp, cook just until pink and tender.
- The sambal base can be prepared up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Southeast Asian Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 185 mg
Keywords: sambal belacan pasta, spicy shrimp pasta, Malaysian inspired pasta, chili garlic shrimp spaghetti