Bruneian Hot Fried Shrimp (Shells not included)

I once again took the liberty of cooking slightly out of order. We are visiting my parents today, and since my dad returned from a week in Rio de Janeiro not too long ago, I want to bring him back to Brazil for a night. My dad can be a tough critic, so stay tuned for details on this meal...

On Tuesday night we ate a meal from Brunei. Brunei is in Southeast Asia and on the coast of Borneo. The cuisine there is fairly simple with rice, fish, squash, banana and eggplant being common foods. I found a recipe for "Hot Fried Prawns" on the website for Brunei tourism, and I was intrigued by the combination of ginger and tomato flavors. I've also been really tired since I entered the third trimester of this pregnancy, so an easy but fairly unique dish is exactly what I was looking for. Hot Fried Prawns fit the bill.

I cooked the shrimp in a large pan for about three minutes per side, until they became pink. The recipe was not clear on whether or not the shrimp were intended to be eaten with the shells in tact. I prefer my shrimp naked, and am not even sure I would eat a shrimp shell for the sake of this challenge. So, off came the hard outer casings (except the tails). I then set the shrimp aside and fried garlic, ginger, and spring onion (known more commonly as green onion), in olive oil for about five minutes. I added the "seasoning" mixture that I had put together while cooking the other ingredients. This was just a simple combination of chili sauce, tomato paste (which I used instead of tomato sauce), sugar, water and salt. I reintroduced the shrimp to the pan and used a splash of white cooking wine to deglaze and thin out the sauce just a touch.

I served the shrimp with white rice and a big piping hot loaf of soft French bread for soaking up the sauce. Hmmmm... Brunei scored a 3.5.