Crispy Prawns

"Gate crashed" at this year's National Day Rehearsals. On 3 consecutive Saturdays! Refused to buy tickets, nor book a room at the hotels nearby, so we lugged our boys, neighbors, friends and rough it out on the field at the rehearsals. Boys LOVED it, begging for an encore next year. Pant.

But it was fun. I had a immensely good time myself. There is something magical about sitting unassumingly on the ground in the public with everyone else.

On National Day itself, Aunt Eileen graciously fried a big tray of crispy battered prawns from home and pot-luck to the dinner at my in-law's.

Wow!!! How I love these prawns! It's my next true love after the cows. The crispy batter was fragrant and perfect! Swear I have to make the same at home too.

So I rather shamelessly begged for recipe and viola! Sometimes all you have to do is open your mouth and ASK!

Here's what you'd need

* 150gm self raising flour
* 30gm corn flour
* 230ml water
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 tbsp oil (best to use vegetable oil I heard, I used Canola)
* prawns (shelled, deveined, only with tail on, season lightly with s&p)

This is what I did:

1. Mix two flours and salt together.

2. Drizzle oil round the mixing bowl into the floor, and with a ballon whisk, stir it continuously.

3. Add in water slowly next. Continue to stir as you add till a smooth batter resembling milk shake is formed. Make sure there is no pocket of unmixed flour in batter. Batter is almost ribbon-state.

4. In a pot of deep frying oil, heat oil up in medium heat.

5. Drip in one tiny droplet of batter. It will sink to the bottom of the pot. The droplet of batter will float up once the oil is ready for frying. Reduce fire to small.

6. Coat your prawns generously with the batter, deep fry them till golden brown.

7. Dish up and drain off oil. Serve it warm. To heat up, you may do so in the microwave oven for a quick minute.

Psst psst...
* if your oil is too hot, the crust will turn golden brown too soon while the inside crust will appear undercooked. What you want is to deep fry them real slow and steady, to achieve consistent crust throughout. Hence always reduce fire to small once the oil is ready, this serves to maintain the temperature of the oil too.
* the batter can also be used for fish and chips
* I used Tiger Prawns, about 1kg.

Maki Rice Roll

Son2: Mommy, why does the sun go down at night, and the moon comes out?

Smartie Me: Well, because the sun is up since the morning, and will go back home at night, and the moon will come out because he's been home the whole day. (Reminding myself he's only 3.)

Son2: Then why is the sun up since morning and the moon stay at home?

A little stumbled Me: Well, because the sun wants to go home already. So, it's now the moon's turn to come out.

Son2: Why is it the moon's turn now?

Gaining posture me: Well, you see, they take turn. Just like you and Kor Kor, you guys take turn to hold the ball, right? (He nods his head)... Ya, so, sun and moon take turn too.

Son2: Why are they just like Kor Kor and I?

Losing it Me, mumbling to myself: Sigh,... it's starting all over again... (laughing to myself)...

Son2: What is starting all over again? Why is it starting all over again? Mommy, who were you talking to? Why are you laughing?... ...

Surrendered Me: Oh never mind...

Son2 pressing on: Why never mind?

I reminded myself, right there right then, to cherish these Whys. They are special. And they probably happened only once in a person's lifetime, where they honestly can't stop asking WHY? No amount of explanation will make them stop. So, it really doesn't matter what you replied...

4 years ago, exasperated with Son1's Whys, I broke into the rhyme "Because the sky is so high and the bird sh*t in your eyes."

Son1: Why did the bird shit in my eyes? And why is the sky so high?

Felt like hanging myself.


Since the beginning of this year, I have been tearing my hair out because Son1's been dirtying my b-r-a-n-d n-e-w car. He has to eat his lunch in there while we make our way daily to pick Son2 from his Nursery. Couldn't think of anything that can be a breeze for him to handle in a moving, shaky car. Not to mention the smell of food in the car, is the grains of rice or strand of noodles he will leave behind!!! Yuks!

Till we went to a Jap restaurant over one weekend, and I saw the answer right in front of me! Sushi Maki!!! I stormed right into the supermarket and bought a pack of seaweed and bamboo mat, and sushi we rolled! (Smartie me. Applause.)

So what goes in there? Not Jap rice actually. Muahahahaha... I cooked my usual rice with slightly more water to make it slightly sticky, and wrap with any of the boys' favorite dish. As long as the dish is drained dry, it'll not be a problem to wrap. So far, I have done salmon, minced pork, diced carrots, french beans, asparagus, luncheon meat, ground beef. Not bad at all. Boys are always happy when they see this in their lunch boxes, and they always finish their maki rolls. Best of all, no rice grains on my car mat!

What else can I possibly ask for.

Steamed Xiao Bai Cai

Was going to host a dinner for my cousin visiting from the States. With her 3 boys and her man. Wahahahah... so just like me. Imagine the 6 boys gathering together in MY house!?

Oft times, I am glad I have (temporary) amnesia.

"Chinese food", she said. She's sick of ang moh dish. She wants local fares. So, I cooked Chicken Curry (never mind if her husband appreciates the spice), Black Sesame Oil Pork Belly, Sweet & Sour Pork, Creamy Corn Soup, and this ... for the sake of a name, I call it "Steamed Xiao Bai Cai". But really name doesn't do it justice.

Adapted from Wendy. Regrets, my photo didn't capture the green. Sigh. I should set up my DSLR next time. The thought of it... double sigh...

Here's what you'd need:

* Pack of Xiao Bai Cai
* Fish paste
* Wolfberry
* Corn starch
* Garlic
* Chicken Stock powder

This is what I did:

1. Cut xiao bai cai into half, longitudinally.

2. Boil it slightly in water (to soften the stem slightly; be careful not to overcook like me! You'll end up with mustardy veg)

3. Drain and set aside. Dust the stem area with corn starch (to hold the fish paste).

4. With a spoon, scoop fish paste on it. Dot it with wolfberry.

5. Line them up neatly in a round plate. Steam for 10-12mins till fish paste is cooked.

6. Remove from steamer to stop the heating process. Set aside.

7. In a bowl, add 1 tsp of corn starch, 1 tsp of chicken stock powder, and 1 soup spoon of water. Stir to dissolve.

8. In a wok with oil, fry garlic slightly. Add in the stock and stir quickly.

9. Drizzle onto the steamed xiao bai cai. Serve.

Salted Egg Prawns

I'm late! I'm so far behind my post!

These days I realised, I have to rely on my posts to dig out my last cook in order to recall the steps. There are just some inevitable 'off-days' that I simply find it difficult remembering what I did. Maybe it is my benefit that I started on this. In the unfortunate event that I start turning senile or develop acute dementia, I can look back at these and remember how crazy I used to be.

Man brought us to this real ulu restaurant at Sungei-something and we ordered this Salted Egg Butter Crab. And it was sooooooooooooo good! Served piping hot, with that buttery taste, infused with salted egg... it was heavenly! I scrutinized the dish, probed every nook & cranny,... and swear I must replicate it at home. Coz it was soooooooooooo expensive for that plate of 2 Sri Lanka crabs. *Heart attack*

Since my boys can't quite appreciate Crabby yet, I tried it on prawns. And wolala! It was good. Except I should have added m-o-r-e salted eggs. I only used 2 here; I would use 4 next time. And slightly more seasoning on my prawns.


Here's what you'd need:

* B-i-g prawns (shelled, deveined)
* Salted Egg (need yolk only. I used 2 here; will use 4)
* Corn starch
* 1 egg (chicken egg)
* Minced garlic
* Curry Leaves (a handful)
* 1 tbsp Butter
* Lettuce (for base to soak oil; can use kitchen towels instead)

This is what I did:

1. Wash prawns, shelled and deveined them. Season with chicken stock powder and pepper (else, you can season with salt and pepper). Set aside.

2. Wash the salted eggs off the black mud cover. Boil and cook the egg (liken hard boiled eggs). Remove yolk from the white after cooked. (Whites can be used for other purposes). Mash yolk till crumby. Set aside.

3. Prepare your batter: 1 chicken egg with corn starch. Adjust amount to get that starchy, pasty consistency for deep frying the prawns.

4. In a wok with heated oil, deep fry the batter-coated prawns till 80% cooked. Slightly golden brown. Drained and set aside.

5. Remove some oil from the wok, leaving just enough for stir-fry.

6. Add minced garlic, fry slightly.

7. Add curry leaves. Fry till fragrant.

8. Add butter. Fry till it's bubbly. Add in the salted egg. Fry.

9. Add in the prawns. Stir fry slightly and coat prawns with the salted egg batter in the wok.

10. Dish up and serve hot. (Garnish with coriander leaves for styling if you like)

Pork Ribs Salmon Belly Soup

Another one of my boys' favorite soup, because 1) they love celery, 2) they love salmon, 3) they love porky,... basically, 4) they love soup.

This soup is power-packed with all imaginable goodness. Read the ingredients and you will know what I mean.

Ingredients:

Pork Ribs
Salmon Belly
Celery (diced, 2 stalks)
1 Carrot (diced)
1 Tomato (diced)
1 Potato (diced)
Pepper corn (handful, crushed slightly, packed into soup stock bag)
Ginger (sliced)
Salt to taste
Tofu (optional)

Here's what I did:

1. Blanch the pork ribs, and cook a pork rib soup (I cooked this early in the morning in my thermal pot, and set aside till ready to prepare dinner).

2. Rinse salmon belly and descale them. Cut away sections of salmon belly with fins / bones. Do not discard these. Put them into a soup stock bag with sliced ginger (This is prevent the bones from going into the soup during boiling).

3. Add diced celery, carrot, tomato, potato into soup. Add in the pepper corn stock bag, and salmon belly bones' stock bag.

4. When the soup is boiling, add in the salmon belly. Add salt to taste.

5. Bring soup to a boil and simmer in low fire for 15mins. Ready to serve.