Five Kam Heong Recipes That Bring Bold Malaysian Flavor to Your Table

Kam Heong sauce is a flavorful Malaysian-Chinese creation, made with dried shrimp, curry leaves, chilies, and a touch of classic Chinese seasonings. Its rich, aromatic blend of spices brings together the best of Chinese and Malay culinary traditions, turning even the simplest ingredients into something memorable. In this article, I’ll share five Kam Heong recipes, from chicken to seafood and vegetables. Each is bursting with the sauce’s spicy, savory charm. They’re perfect for family dinners or relaxed meals when you want bold flavors without spending hours in the kitchen.

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How to prepare Kam Heong sauce

Let’s start with a brief overview of how to prepare Kam Heong sauce. For a more thorough explanation, please refer to the detailed guide on making this sauce. This will be followed by five Kam Heong recipes that are super easy to follow.

1. First, rinse the dried shrimp thoroughly, then soak them in water for about 15 minutes. After soaking, drain them using a colander and roughly chop them into smaller pieces.
2. Chop the onions, garlic, and chilies into small pieces.
3. Now heat some oil in a pan to sauté the onions, garlic, curry leaves, and chilies until fragrant. Then add the chopped dried shrimp and continue to sauté. After that, stir in the curry powder, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, and any other seasonings. Mix everything well.
4. Add a little water and let it cook down until most of the moisture evaporates and the mixture becomes fairly dry. 
5. Once it’s done, portion the sauce into small, freezer-friendly containers. Store them in the freezer, and you’ll have ready-to-use Kam Heong sauce on hand for whenever you want to make a quick and flavorful meal.

Ingredients:

• 180g (6.5 oz) dried shrimp
• 5 stalks of curry leaves
• 12 bird’s eye chilies
• 4 small onions
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp Malaysian curry powder
• 4 tbsp oyster sauce
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup of water

Five ways to cook with Kam Heong Sauce

Below are five Kam Heong recipes, ranging from chicken to seafood to vegetables. Of course, there are many more ways to enjoy this versatile sauce, and you’re welcome to share your ideas in the comment section below!

Note: The amount of sauce for each recipe is roughly one-quarter to one-third the weight of the main ingredients. For example, if the main ingredient (chicken or others) weighs one pound, the sauce required will be about ¼ to ⅓ of a pound.

1. Kam Heong Chicken

The traditional method is to deep-fry the chicken pieces, then mix them with the Kam Heong sauce. Alternatively, you can bake them, as I do, to reduce the use of oil.

1. First, marinate the chicken with light soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and a small amount of vegetable oil. 
2. Then, preheat the oven to 185°C (365°F) and bake the chicken for about 30 minutes, or until it turns golden brown.
3. After baking the chicken, stir-fry it with the Kam Heong sauce over medium heat until the chicken has absorbed all the sauce and everything is well-coated. Once the sauce is mostly absorbed and clinging to the chicken, it’s ready to serve.

Note: For optimal results, marinate the chicken for at least one hour. However, if you need to shorten the marinating time, let the dish sit for a few hours after cooking before serving. This allows the flavors from the sauce to fully absorb into the chicken.

Ingredients A (marinate)

• 1 pound bone-in chicken, cut into chunks
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Ingredients B

• 150g Kam Heong Sauce
• Curry leaves and cut red chilies to garnish

Note: We have a separate article dedicated entirely to preparing Kam Heong Chicken. You can find all the details here.

2. Kam Heog Lala

Lala is the name of a type of local clam. The cooking process is the same for other shellfish such as mussels, crabs, or shrimp.

1. Start by heating the Kam Heong sauce in a skillet or wok. Add a little water to bring the sauce to a boil.  Once it starts to bubble, add the lala to it to coat them evenly.
2. Do a quick taste test to adjust the saltiness and add more sauce if needed. Once the lala are cooked through and well-coated in the sauce,
3. For a finishing touch, add a few fresh curry leaves as a garnish.

Ingredients

• Kam Heong Sauce 150g
• 3 tbsp water
• 450g Lala
• Curry leaves to garnish

3. Kam Heong Eggplant

Kam Heong sauce isn’t just great for seafood. It also works wonderfully with vegetables. 

I won’t go into detail about how to prep the eggplant. Please refer to this article, which explains the steps clearly. Let’s assume you’ve already prepared it and cut it into your preferred size. 

1. Sauté the eggplant pieces in a skillet with some oil for a minute. 
2. Add a small amount of water and cook for a few minutes until the eggplant becomes tender.
3. Once tender, remove the eggplant from the skillet. Heat the Kam Heong sauce in the skillet. Then, return the eggplant to the skillet and toss everything together until well coated.

And that’s it. That’s how to make Kam Heong Eggplant. Quick, flavorful, and incredibly easy.

Ingredients:

• Eggplants 450g (1 lb)
• Kam Heong sauce  140g
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

4. Kam Heong Long Beans 

Kam Heong Long Beans: simple, quick, and bursting with flavor. This dish also works well with other similar beans.

1. First, cut the long beans into shorter sections, about 2-3 inches. If you’re using French beans, remove the fibrous strings along the sides, then either cut them in half or leave them whole, depending on your preference.
2. Stir-fry the beans in a bit of oil with a splash of water until they begin to soften. Once they’re nearly cooked, add the Kam Heong sauce and stir-fry briefly until everything is well coated and fragrant.

Ingredients: 

• 300mg Long beans (or French beans)
• 90g Kam Heong sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

5. Kam Heong sauce with fried fish

What about using Kam Heong sauce as a topping for fish? Absolutely! You can use it with a whole fish or fish fillets. In this example, I’m using a whole fish and shallow-frying it. I won’t go into the details on how to fry the fish, as I’ve already covered that in an article under the section “Pan-frying the fish”. So let’s assume the fish has already been fried. 

1. Heat the Kam Heong sauce in a skillet or small pan, add a little water, and bring it to a boil. Once the sauce is hot and slightly thickened, pour it over the fish as a topping.
2. For a finishing touch, garnish it with sliced red chili and fresh curry leaves. 

And a quick, flavorful, and beautifully presented Kam Heong fried fish is done.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole fish or fillet of your choice (450g/ 1 pound)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• Sufficient oil to pan-fry the fish
• Red chilies and scallions to garnish
• 150g Kam Heong Sauce

Final Thought: Prepping Your Sauce in Advance — The Secret to Quick, Delicious Meals

Preparing the sauce in advance and large batches is a key practice in restaurant kitchens. It enables orders to be served in just five to ten minutes, significantly reducing cooking time and making your kitchen experience far more enjoyable. With less prep work and simpler steps, I’m confident you’ll enjoy cooking even more.