Fiddlehead Fern Salad~ Kerabu Pucuk Paku- Penang MFF #4

My hubby's aunt has a favourite Penang nonya restaurant in SS2 Petaling Jaya and we dine there quite often together with her. One of the dishes that she always orders is this "kerabu pucuk paku"

Actually I didn't plan to cook this for MFF Penang, but that fateful morning..... after a hot spell, came the rainy days and the wet market was once again selling fern shoots and that morning's collection was utterly beautiful! Sometimes, they look matured and skinny but not this morning... it was fat and young, not too young that it's super slimy, but just perfect! I totally cannot resist and quickly bought everything I needed for this dish.

The outcome  is very much similar with the one at Tanjung Bungah Restaurant except that this has added  shrimp. Aunt CP, try this and you will be a very happy lady :)

As always.... I drank the gravy when everything was eaten up.

Kerabu Pucuk Paku, Penang Nonya style
by WendyinKK
Reference: Nonya Flavours

250gm trimmed fiddlehead ferns
1/4 cup cleaned shrimp, steamed
3 shallots, sliced
4-5 petals of torch ginger, finely sliced
1 Tbsp toasted peanuts, crushed

Dressing
2 red chilli
1cm cube shrimp paste/ belacan
2 Tbsp calamansi juice (30ml)
2 tsp light brown sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 Tbsp coconut milk (45ml)

1. Prepare dressing. Pound red chilli with belacan until it turns to a coarse paste. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and taste it. Adjust if needed. Make it slightly oversalted.
2. Blanch fiddlehead ferns in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and place it on serving dish.
3. Pour gravy over and top with sliced raw shallots, steamed shrimp, torch ginger and peanuts.
4. Toss and serve.

*Add a small pinch of baking soda to blanching water will keep the ferns green.

 I am submitting this to Malaysian Food Fest Penang Month 

hosted by Alan of Travelling Foodies