Udang Pedas Manis - Sweet and Spicy Shrimps

Weekdays can be hectic and busy, and I rely on easy recipes like this udang pedas manis (sweet and spicy shrimps) to slog through the week.

The shrimps are packed with bold flavors from shallots, red chilies, chicken stock, and sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis). And if you start with peeled and deveined shrimps, you can easily make this dish under 10 minutes including prep works.

Whole shrimps vs. peeled and deveined shrimps

Peeling and deveining shrimps takes time, but somehow I prefer that than buying the already peeled and deveined ones.

One reason is, of course, cutting down the cost (it’s always cheaper when buying whole shrimps), but there are two other advantages:

• you get to make seafood stock out of the peeled heads and bodies
• I sincerely believe that the closer the time between shrimps being peeled to being dumped into a hot pan the better

But the choice is yours, and the dish will turn out beautiful regardless of which ones you start with. :)

Storing and reheating shrimps dishes

In an ideal world, we finish the food we cook on the same day. But if you do have leftover, you can store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat, place in a microwave-proof bowl, and reheat/cook in a microwave for 1 minute. Take care not to reheat/cook for too long as shrimps become tough when overcooked.