Shrimp Spaghetti with Creamy Sambal Sauce

Shrimp Spaghetti with Sambal Bechamel Sauce

Shrimp Spaghetti with Creamy Sambal Sauce

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Asian American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Marvellina

This Shrimp Spaghetti with sambal bechamel sauce brings a unique fusion of comfort and spice to your table, perfect for any pasta lover looking to try something new!

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

225 g dry spaghetti
450 g large shrimp peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter divided

Creamy sambal sauce:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk plus more as needed, see notes 1
2 Tbsp sambal oelek more or less to your taste, see notes 2

Seasonings:

Salt and freshly ground pepper to your taste

Garnish: (optional)

Fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped. Parsley or basil works too

Instructions

Cook the onion:

Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft and slightly browned or caramelized for extra flavor, about 5 minutes or so. Remove the onion from the skillet

Cook the shrimp:

Pat the shrimp dry with absorbent paper towel
To the same skillet, add the rest of the 1 Tbsp of butter and let it melt. Add the shrimp and cook over medium heat. Season with a small pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook until the shrimp turn pink, which may take about 2-5 minutes or so, depending on the size of the shrimp you use. Remove the shrimp from the skillet

Cook the spaghetti:

Bring a large pot of a water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the instruction on the package. You want to cook it to al dente (firm to bite)

While spaghetti is boiling, prepare the sambal sauce:

Heat up the milk in the microwave just until it is warm. It doesn't have to be boiling hot. This is to prevent the sauce from forming lumps when you add it to the roux later
Using the same skillet earlier, preheat the skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of butter and let it melt. Add all of the all-purpose flour and use a whisk to stir vigorously to form a thick paste, about 2-3 minutes until slightly browned
Gradually add the milk and keep whisking.
It may seem to clump up here and there
Just keep whisking and the sauce will smooth out and start to thicken. This is actually a bit too thick here (as shown in the photo). So I add more milk to thin it out a bit more
Add the sambal and keep cooking for another 1-2 minutes. If it gets too thick add another splash of milk and keep whisking until you get a sauce that is "runny" in consistency. The sauce continues to thicken as it cools down, so you don't want to cook it until it gets too thick
Have a taste and season the bechamel sauce with more salt and pepper as needed to suit your taste

Putting everything together:

When the spaghetti is done cooking, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid and drain off the rest of the liquid. DO NOT rinse the spaghetti so the sauce clings better to the pasta
Add the cooked spaghetti, onion, and shrimp to the sauce and use a tong to help you toss everything. Make sure the sauce coats everything evenly. Season with salt and pepper to your taste

To serve:

Serve the spaghetti immediately while it's still nice and warm. Garnish with some chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, or basil if you like

Notes

I use 2% cow's milk. You can also use whole milk if you want a richer taste. Evaporated milk can also be used to add extra creaminess
You can also use your favorite chili sauce such as sriracha chili sauce, garlic chili sauce, or even chili oil if you just want some hint of spiciness

Nutrition