Indonesian prawn capcay

Visit any streetside Warung or restaurant in Indonesia and you’ll likely find capcay pakai nasi featured on the menu. An Indonesian staple, capcay is a simple, fragrant and surprisingly healthy dish comprising of stir-fry vegetables, boiled rice and the protein of your choice, such as seafood, chicken, tofu or beef. Capcay being one of Andrew’s go-to dishes, I wouldn’t be much of a fiance without nutting-out a replication of my own for whenever we find ourselves missing our island home.

Method

In a shallow pan, bring a generous lug of olive oil to a simmer. Stir in sliced garlic and season with salt, then fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, turning occasionally.  Using a slotted spoon, remove garlic pieces and set to drain on a piece of paper towel, preserving the used oil.

In a non-stick frypan, bring the used oil to a medium heat and stir through minced garlic and onion wedges. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, then add in prawns, broccoli and baby corn. Stir for a minute or two before adding in the chicken stock and topping with a lid.

Cook for the vegetable mixture for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, then add in bokchoy. Once prawns have coloured and the vegetables are still slightly crunchy, mix through the sauce and remove from heat.

Plate the boiled rice into two deep bowls. Top with vegetable and prawn mixture, then ladle in the remaining sauce (don’t worry if it seems somewhat watery, capcay has a soupy texture). Top with fried onion pieces and serve piping hot.