Sugpo sa Gata is a simple Filipino dish of large prawns sautéed with garlic, chillies and onions then cooked in coconut milk.
This is one of those dishes that will make you eat more rice, just look at that sauce, it packs a lot of flavour from coconut and the juices from the prawns, you just want to drench your rice on it. I know for non-Asians having the head of the prawns in their dish puts them off, I remember when I was starting this blog many years ago, I had one comment on a dish that calls for an unshelled prawn, she said she was afraid of dishes like this specially when the eyes are still there, she felt like it was looking at her. Fair enough, I had the same sentiments when I see a whole goat head served in a platter which is quite common in Middle Eastern cuisine, but having said that head portions of different animals like this prawns has a lot of flavour tucked in it, in fact when we eat them we usually don’t use utensils, we eat it with bare hands because it is quite messy. Why messy? Let me explain to you how we eat them, usually we remove the shells as we eat, we then grab the head and either press the head butter or suck it all out, we then grab some rice with that coconut milk sauce then eat the shelled prawn. Sound like you can do it? Yay or nay?
Raymund, Swedes leave the head on their shrimp/prawns. As a matter of fact, if you go to any supermarket here you will find a bulk frozen head-on shrimp. You just grab a scoop and scoop up how much you want. But, nice fresh large tiger prawns usually come with the head removed. When I do need to remove the heads and shells for a recipe I save them for making stock. A lovely recipe and one I shall attempt soon.
Raymund This dish sounds interesting to me. This reminds me of a goa trip where the fishermen were fishing for crabs and the customers asking them to behead the crabs as they looked scary, and fishermen mocking the taste over the look denied the approval. Your recipe looks delicious and we eat rice in majority.
This is beautiful. Raymund – I could dig into those prawns right now! I don’t mind the heads at all – perhaps I have seen enough in my travels that they never bother me (nor would the goat’s head!). The only problem, is getting prawns here with the heads on… not easy in the U.S.
What a gorgeous dish! And it looks so easy to make. I have everything but the fish sauce, but I could probably leave it out. A great meal for the coming week. Thanks Raymond.
This is the kind of dish that would make me want more PRAWNS!! Gosh..look at those giants…save me some, Raymund please :-))
Raymund, Swedes leave the head on their shrimp/prawns. As a matter of fact, if you go to any supermarket here you will find a bulk frozen head-on shrimp. You just grab a scoop and scoop up how much you want. But, nice fresh large tiger prawns usually come with the head removed. When I do need to remove the heads and shells for a recipe I save them for making stock.
A lovely recipe and one I shall attempt soon.
★★★★★
Raymund
This dish sounds interesting to me. This reminds me of a goa trip where the fishermen were fishing for crabs and the customers asking them to behead the crabs as they looked scary, and fishermen mocking the taste over the look denied the approval. Your recipe looks delicious and we eat rice in majority.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Wow this dish looks incredibly tasty!
★★★★★
★★★★★
Raymund!! This dish looks absolutely amazing!! I love anything with coconut milk and yes I would have to eat more rice!
★★★★★
Raymund!! This dish looks absolutely amazing!! I love anything with coconut milk and yes I would have to eat more rice!
This is beautiful. Raymund – I could dig into those prawns right now! I don’t mind the heads at all – perhaps I have seen enough in my travels that they never bother me (nor would the goat’s head!). The only problem, is getting prawns here with the heads on… not easy in the U.S.
What a gorgeous dish! And it looks so easy to make. I have everything but the fish sauce, but I could probably leave it out. A great meal for the coming week. Thanks Raymond.
★★★★★
Oooooo…that looks so good. Something like our “masak lemak” (cooked with coconut milk). Gotta try one of these days.
Truly appreciate the way you made this wonderful recipe. Everything is so nicely described that really helped me.
★★★★★