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Yeo Brand Minced Prawns in Spices

Yeo Minced Prawns in Spices Review

I fell in love with this umami-rich shrimp paste from Singapore after first purchasing at a little Asian grocery store in Fredericton, New Brunswick almost 40 years ago. It is produced by Yeo Hiap Seung Ltd., and is made with Shrimp, Chili, Onions and Peanuts as the main ingredients. The shrimp are clearly fermented slightly during the manufacturing process, and the result is quite similar to a Filipino Bagoóng Alamáng, or even a Sambal Ikan Bilis. It is sold mainly as a cookery ingredient, especially for soups and noodle dishes, but I find that it shines best as a cold condiment.

Singlong Sambal Ikan Bilis Review

In my post featuring the Huy Fong Brand Sambal Oelek, I mentioned that a Sambal is an Indonesian chili paste and that the Sambal Oelek is the simplest, and the one on which all other are based. A Sambal Ikan Bilis builds on the basic recipe of red chili peppers and salt by enhancing it with the addition of dried Anchovies, or ‘Ikan Bilis’, as they are known in Indonesia.

This commercial product, made by the Singlong Company in Singapore is certainly a Sambal Ikan Bilis in that it is a chili paste with anchovy added, but it also includes several other flavorings as well. It may not be the absolute best representative of its class, but it is still a pretty decent product.

Jack Hua Sour Shrimp Paste Review

If you are an afficionado of Thai food, you will almost certainly have enjoyed Tom Yum Soup a time or two as it is almost ubiquitous Thai restaurant menus. Making the necessary spice blend at home can be a little difficult for western cooks, though, given the range of ingredients, but this product from the Jack Hua Company in Thailand makes things very simple and convenient. The label on the jar does specifically identify this as being intended for Tom Yum soup (and even provides a simple little recipe), but the paste is extremely versatile and can be adapted to many other dishes as well.

Huy Fong Sambal Oelek Review

A Sambal is an Indonesian and Malaysian culinary paste made with fresh Chili. The simplest, known as a Sambal Oelek (or Sambal Ulek), is based on nothing more than fresh red chili ground with salt. This basic preparation is the starting point for many, many more complex varieties featuring all sorts of ingredients like ginger, garlic, lime juice, or shrimp paste (to name just a few).

The Huy Fong Foods Company is already well known for its famous Sriracha Sauce which graces many restaurant tables worldwide. It is especially recognizable by the same ‘Cock’ Logo seen on the Sambal Oelek jar above. In many ways, Huy Fong’s Sambal Oelek is actually a better product than the Srircha Sauce as it has a much fresher taste. It also contains very little in the way of additional flavorings and is thus much more versatile and useful to the home cook.

Reviews (Page 50)