Lemongrass Crabs

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In Thai cuisine lemongrass is commonly used. Lemongrass has its aromatic citrus flavour with a trace of ginger. It has numerous health benefits especially used in combination with other spices such as garlic, fresh chilies and coriander. Lemongrass has its ability to aid in digestion, pain relief as well as antibacterial and antifungal properties.  

Cantonese Pan Fried Prawns (Kon Jeen Ha Look) 干煎虾碌

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This is an easy stir-fry prawn dish. The prawns are first seared then coat with aromatic sauce. Thanks to Wendy for sharing such great dish.

Rolled Oats Prawn

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Despite having rolled oats in desserts I love to experiment and use it in savoury dishes. This rolled oats prawn is inspired by cereal prawn dish from Indochinekitchen. By looking at the name I'm sure you know why I named it rolled oats prawn :) Yes I substitute Nestum with rolled oats. I love this recipe as no deep frying required. This rolled oats prawn dish has less oil, high fibre, tastes good and easy to prepare. Sounds great right?

Spicy Crabs Songkhla Style

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When I was kids my mum used to cook sweet sour crab. And I love it! I can finish big bowl of rice with the eggy gravy. If you prefer hot and spicy crabs I recommend this spicy crab Songkhla style (Songkhla, is a city in the Songkhla Province of southern Thailand). I have been cooking it for many times and still love it! Ooo…thinking of cooking it again… :D

Adapted and slightly modified from SAMBAL cookbook
Spicy Crabs Songkhla Style

Ingredients:
(A)
3 flower crabs

Some corn flour for coating

(B)

5 shallots
3 pieces bird chilies (cili padi)

3 pieces big red chilies
2 stalks lemongrass
3cm ginger

(C)

1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chili paste
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon chili sauce

(D)
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (asam jawa)

*pour in 50ml hot water, mix and set aside for few minutes before squeezing the juice)
250ml water

*you might need less if you prefer less sauce

Salt and sugar to taste

1 egg, lightly beaten

Methods:

~Preparation

1. Clean and wash the crabs. Cut each crab into 6 pieces. Coat the cut surface with some cornflour (only coat when about to fry).

2. Mill ingredients (B) till fine paste.

~Cooking

1. Heat wok, add in 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil. Arrange crab pieces in wok (facing the coated surface directly in hot oil). Fry till turn golden brown. Dish up and set aside.

*Instead of deep fry in hot oil (which used a lot of oil!), we can choose pan fry to seal the meat. 

Coat the exposed surface with cornflour

Facing the coated surface directly in hot oil

Browned and the meat is sealed!

2. Add 1 tablespoon oil in wok. Together with the remaining oil in wok sauté the milled ingredients on medium heat until the oil separate. Follow by ingredients (C) and continue sauté until fragrant.

3. Add tamarind juice together with water. Taste the seasoning.

4. Return crab pieces into wok. Toss well, cover with lid and cook for few minutes (the shell will change orangey) till cooked. Add in beaten egg. Once the sauce thicken dish up and serve while hot. Enjoy! 

Nyonya Prawns with Shallots Rice

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I prepare this dish for my hubby on his Birthday. Since is special day I put little bit more effort serve Nyonya style prawns with shallot rice and sunny egg :)

From looking at the list I know the ingredients for sauces are quite long. Don't worry as all these sauces are very common and easily find in kitchen pantry. In Nyonya spice paste, salted bean paste (豆酱) is commonly used (Chinese influence). It really gives unique taste to this Nyonya prawns. 

With the flavorful prawns it tastes great just with plain rice. Well since is for special occasion, shallots rice even better! Furthermore it is not that difficult to prepare. Let start with shallot rice first.

Shallot Rice (with rice cooker)
Ingredients:
(A)
3 cups rice, rinsed and drained (I used ordinary rice. Use Jasmine rice if you prefer)
1 pandan leave, knotted
½ teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups chicken stock
*refer type of cup for measure rice

1 cube chicken stock

(B)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
70g shallots

Methods:
1. Slice shallots thinly.
2. Place rice, pandan leave and salt inside rice cooker.
3. Heat up wok, add vegetable oil. Add shallots, fry for few minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Reserve about 1 tablespoon browned shallots and set aside for later used.
4. With the remaining browned shallots in wok, add in chicken stock and chicken stock cube. Simmer till chicken stock boiled. Turn off the heat and pour the hot chicken stock over the rice. Stir to mix. Start the rice cooker according to manufacturer's instructions. Once cooked and rested for 15 minutes, add in the reserved browned onion. Give the rice a stir to fluff up the rice before serving.

Rice is done! Now moving to main dish, Nyonya prawns.

Adapted and slightly modified from 快乐厨房

Nyonya Prawns
Ingredients:
(A)
350g medium size prawn
Some sweet peas

Palm sugar (gula Melaka) to taste
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice 

About 100ml water

(B) Nyonya sauce
2 stalks lemongrass (serai)
20g garlic
½ tablespoon salted bean paste (豆酱)
½ tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon chili paste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon shrimp paste (belacan)
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon plum sauce

Methods:
~Preparations
1. Wash the prawns. Trim off tip of head and legs. Make a cut at the back, remove vein and pat dry with kitchen towel.
2. Thinly cut the white part of lemongrass. Remove skin of garlic. Add both into blender.
3. Making Nyonya sauce by adding the rest of sauce. Blend till smooth into fine paste.
*add little water when needed.

~Cooking
1. Blanch sweet peas and set aside.
2. Heat up wok, add in 2-3 tablespoons oil. Arrange prawns inside and pan and fry at high heat till change orangey. Dish out and set aside.
3. With the remaining oil in wok, pour in Nyonya sauce. Cook at medium heat till aromatic and chili oil begin to separate.
4. Add in palm sugar and stir till melt. Add in water and cook till come to boil. Season well with salt and lemon juice. Add more palm sugar if needed.
5. Add in cooked prawns and balanced sweet peas. Toss well and serve!

I am submitting this post to 

~ Recipe Box#32 hosted by Bizzy Bakes

~See Ya In The Gumbo hosted by Ms. enPlace

Prawns with Garlic 蒜酥虾

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Today is another recipe with prawn as main ingredient. This easy stir-fry garlic prawn definitely is quick to prepare. 

Ingredients:

(A)

150g pea sprout shoot
¼ teaspoon salt

(B)
300g shrimps

6 gloves garlic

(C) marinate

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine

1 egg white

1 tablespoon corn flour

(D) seasoning
½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine

1 teaspoon corn flour

2 tablespoons water

Methods:
~Preparation
1. Remove the prawn shell. Make a slit at the back and remove the vein. Pat prawn dry with kitchen towel. Marinate with ingredients (C) except corn flour and set aside for 10 minutes. Add in corn flour and set aside.

2. Dice garlic.

3. Mix all the seasoning in a bowl and stir well.

~Cooking
1. Add in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in heated wok. Add in pea sprout, salt together with 1 tablespoon water. Make quick stir fry till sprout turn bright green. Dish out on serving plate. Set aside.
 

2. Add in 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil into hot wok. Arrange prawns inside the hot oil. Fry at high heat till turn orangey and cooked. Remove and set aside.

3. With the remaining oil in wok, add in diced garlic. Fry till fragrant and lightly brown. Add in cooked prawns together with seasoning. Stir fry and toss well. Dish out and serve together with pea sprout.

I'm submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover and Recipe Box#32 hosted by Bizzy Bakes

Golden Prawn Bar (金虾棒)

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During Chinese New Year, prawns commonly serve on dining table. In Cantonese dialect ‘Ha’ means laugh (哈哈笑) which symbolizing happiness. This crispy golden prawn bar definitely will catch attention from dinners especially kids. Although is time consuming to prepare, it definitely worth seeing your love one enjoying. Why not gather around preparing this crispy outside and juicy inside prawn dish for coming reunion dinner?

Inspired by 快乐厨房magazine

Ingredients:
(A)
300g prawns (mine 10 pieces)
200g minced pork

(B) marinate
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon corn flour

(C) Coating
All-purpose flour
1 egg
Bread crumbs

Methods:

~Preparation

1. Add in all ingredients (B) with minced pork. Stir till combine and turn sticky. Divide into 10 portions (for ten prawns) and shape into ball. Set aside.

2. For prawn, remove shell with only tail attach. Remove vein and pat dry. Make few diagonal cuts on prawn (leg side). This will ease the wrapping process. Prawn will stay straight once cooked.

3. Get a ball of minced pork, flatten about equal length size of prawn. Place the prawn in the center with back facing up. Gently cover the prawn with minced pork except tail. Repeat the same for the rest.

4. Crack an egg in a shallow pan and slightly beat to mix.

5. Place flour and breadcrumbs separately in shallow pan.

6. Coat the wrapped prawn with flour, egg and lastly breadcrumb in sequence. Proceed with the rest till finish. Now is ready for pan fry.

~Cooking

1. Heat up a wok. Pour in vegetable oil (about half way cover the prawn). Arrange the coated prawn inside. Fry with medium low heat till cooked and golden brown. 

*do not fry with high heat as the breadcrumb will get burn easily.

2. Place on kitchen towel to drain excess oil. Serve with vegetable of your choice.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Homemade Fishcake II - Step by Step and Video

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A lot of readers are interested on making own fish cake. This time I will show with the pictures and video. Hope it helps.

I roll the fish paste with bencurd sheet. Then fry till golden brwon.

Do refer to here for method on shaping fishcake.
Ingredients :

Fresh mackerel fish (weight about 1.5kg)
* Not all mackerel fish is suitable for fishcake. Do ask the seller for the right fish.

~Salt water mixture
150ml water
2 tsp salt
* Dissolve and set aside. Not all is used.

Some pepper



1. This is the type of mackerel used for fish paste. This fish is big, more than 2kg. It can’t fit into my 32cm wok. Ha..ha..

 

2. Rinse well to clean. With a sharp knife cut the sides of the fish. Then remove the meat with the skin still attached as shown.

3. Scoop out the meat from the skin and bone with spoon. Do scrape from tail towards head direction. This is to avoid removing meat with the 'strings' attached. It will affect the texture of the fish cake.

4. Place the meat on the chopping board (do it by batches). Sprinkle some salt water, pepper and chop the meat with“BACK” of your knife (not the sharp edge). Adding salt water little by little during the chopping process. The paste is ready once turns very fine (as below). Remove and put in a big bowl (I used wok). Repeat this process till all finished.

5. Lift up the fine meat and bounce against the wok (bowl). Hope this video will help.

6. You can do it in batches. If you find the fish paste stick on your hand scrape away with spoon. Then, wet your hand with salt water and continue the “bouncing”process. Fish paste is ready once turns springy.

 

7. This fish paste is ready to be stored.

Homemade Fishcake

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Ever since my confinement lady left life very busy for me. Not only taking care of my baby but also the two kids and household. Therefore I have to be quick when come to prepare meals for family. I try using pressure cooker for soup and steam instead of frying with wok. If possible I will try to prepare something “instant” homemade food. So far this fishcake and char siew are my family “fast” food. I just need to preheat them after remove from the fridge.

My hubby hardly help me in the kitchen. He starts give me a hand when I was pregnant with my 3^rd child during last semester. I used to get backache and leg pain especially after long hour of standing. Therefore he will work with me when I was preparing fishcake.

After giving birth I hardly spend time in kitchen. I can’t spend long time since my little girl needs to be breastfeed very frequent. If lucky every 2- 2½ hours and sometimes can be less than an hour! >0< She is very fussy when come to wet nappy. She will cry out once she wet her nappy during her nap. After change then need to comfort her back to dreamland zzz….

Now days my hubby will do the weekly market “purchase”. I am surprise that he offers to help me prepare the fish paste. I helped him remove the meat from the bone (his cutting skill is not good ha..ha..) he took over from there. By the time I returned to kitchen the fish paste is ready to be shaped. Although is not 100% done by him it really “wow” me. Here like to say big “THANK YOU” to him for being a good husband and father to us.

Let me move to today recipe. Preparing fishcake from scratch require a lot of work. The tedious part is to get the fish paste springy. The crucial part is to keep stirring and bounch against the bowl as you work with the fish paste. It will turn pale and sticky and this means springy fish paste is almost there.  

pale and sticky

ready to be shaped

 

Ingredients :

Fresh mackerel fish (weight about 1.5kg)
* Not all mackerel fish is suitable for fishcake. Do ask the seller for the right fish.

150ml water
2 tsp salt
* Dissolve and set aside

Some pepper

Methods:

1. Cut the side of the fish, remove the meat (still attach to skin) from the bone (you can ask the seller to do it for you). Scoop out the meat from the skin with a spoon as much as you can.

2. Place the meat on the chopping board (do it by batches). Sprinkle some salt water, pepper and chop the meat with “BACK” of your knife (not the sharp edge). Adding salt water little by little during the chopping process. The paste is ready once turns very fine. Remove and put in a big bowl (I used wok as require some space for stirring). Repeat this process till all finished.

 

3. With your hand (easy to work with compare utensil) stir the fine fish paste in one direction until well combined. Do grab some fish paste and bounch againts the bowl (wok) as you stir. This will make the fish paste springy. The fish paste is ready once it turns pale and sticky.

4.  Divide into portions. Place into greased plastic bag and shape into rectangle shape (about 2 cm thick). Put into fridge to set (about an hour before fry).

5. Pour some oil into hot wok. Gently place the shaped fishcake into the wok and fry with medium heat till cooked and golden brown.

6. Leave to cool and cut into strips. Serve!

Notes :

1. Make sure use the greased plastic bag (by rubbing some oil) for storing the fish paste. This will help on easy removing.

2. Advise not to shape the fish paste thicker than 2cm as it require longer time to cook through.

3. Store in deep refrigerator if not consume within 3 days. Just take down and fridge a day before you use. Either refry or steam to preheat.

4. Do not throw away the bone. It can be used for making fish stock. Just pan fry the bone and boil with water for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and the fish stock is ready.

after remove the flesh

slightly fry and ready to boil with water as stock

Fish Paste Bean Curd Rolls

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These fish paste bean curd rolls are my hubby childhood favourite food. His mother used to make for him whenever there is fish paste around the house. He used to tell me about this dish whenever I bought mackerel fish for making fish paste.

Therefore, I asked my mother-in-law for the recipe during my recent visit home during CNY. This recipe is using flat bean curd sheet as the wrapper. These bean curd sheet need to be fried then soak into cold water (room temperature will do). This is to soften the bean curd sheet before use it for making the rolls.

Ingredients :

500g fish meat (Mackerel)

(A)

1 tsp salt

5 tbsp ice water

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp corn flour

(B)

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp chopped fat pork (optional)

(C)

2-3 tbsp Oil for frying

1 packet flat bean curd sheet (about 100g)

*cut into manageable sheet (big sheet is required). I cut with scissor into half.

(D)

Some ikan billis stock (any stock you like)

Methods:

1. Chop fish meat until very fine and slowly add in (A) to form into fish paste. Add (B) and stir in one direction until well combined and very sticky. Set aside.

2. Heat up wok. Pour in oil, turn to low-medium heat, add flat bean curd sheet. Fry till golden brown. You might need to move the bean curd sheet front and back to ensure every side of the sheet is well fried.

3. Immediately place the fried bean curd sheet into cold water. This is to soften the sheet for later used.



4. Drain the bean curd sheet. (Just pour out all the water). Now is ready to wrap with fish paste.

5. Transfer each sheet on working surface. Thinly coat the fish paste on the bean curd sheet surface.

6. Gently roll into swiss roll shape. Cut the roll into half if too long.

7. Place the rolls in a steaming plate. Pour in the stock (just about to cover). Steam the rolls on high heat about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with some diced green onion and serve. If you want to keep for future use, keep the rolls in airtight container by layering between with plastic bag. Freeze for up to months. Just thaw in refrigerator several hours before you use it.

Giant Hard Shelled Clams

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I read from Wendy blog about her Clams in Broth dish. These remind me the giant clams that I bought and cook few weeks ago. So far I can’t see any thin shelled clams (lala) selling here.  

Have you ever seen these giant size clams in Peninsula? They have very thick shells compare to lala. We spot them during our visit to friends' house. My hubby is kind of lala fans. Since we can't find any in Kuching, we decide to buy 2 kilograms and give it a try. How am I going to cook them??? Well, the seller told me she used to cook them in boiling water. Eat the flesh with dipping sauce.

Initial, I like to stir-fry with ginger and garlic, treat like thin shelled claims. I change my mind as I don't feel like heating up a wok. I steam them instead of cooking in boiling water as the seller did. Since they are hard shelled clams, it took about 5-6 minutes to "open"! Surprisingly, these giant clams flesh taste like lala! The liquid that release from the clams are indeed sweet although without adding any seasoning. We can have flesh and broth at the same time J. We like these clams. Next time will buy if happen we meet these giant clams again.

Fish Paste with Mushrooms and Tofu

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This is a simple dish which can be done in advance. Do try and enjoy during this Chinese New Year celebration !

Source: Agnes Chang delightful snacks & dim sum
Ingredients:
500g fish meat (Mackerel)

(A)
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp ice water
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp corn flour

(B)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp chopped fat pork (optional)

(C)
7 fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 pieces firm tofu
corn flour for coating

(D) seasoning
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 egg (beaten)

Methods:

1. Remove the stem of mushrooms, coat mushroom with little corn flour. Cut each tofu into half. Make a cut in the center to make a pocket. Apply little corn flour inside the pocket. Set aside.

2. Chop fish meat until very fine and slowly add in (A) to form into fish paste. Add (B) and stir in one direction until well combined and very sticky.

3. Fill the mushrooms cap and tofu with the fish paste. Smooth the surface with some water (pat the surface gently with wet hand).

~ Stuffed Mushrooms

4. Arrange on a plate. Steam on high heat for 6-8 minutes till cooked.

5. Drain the stock from cooked stuffed mushrooms in a pan. Add in seasoning from (D) except beaten egg (add water if needed). Cook till boiling. Lastly add in the egg to thicken the gravy. Pour gravy over stuffed mushrooms. Decorate with carrots, cauliflower and roe (fish egg).

~ Stuffed Tofu

6. Panfry with some oil till golden brown and cooked. Serve with ikan bilis soup.

Notes:

1. Coating corn flour on mushrooms and tofu before adding fish paste will prevent separation of paste once cooked.

2. Fish paste can be cooked on its own too. Shape into balls and cook in ikan bilis soup or any stock you prefer.