Vacation time

First of all, I would like to thank you for your support in reading my posts. Thank you, thank you. Secondly, I want to let you know that I will be on vacation for the next 2 weeks so no cooking at all. Will start again in the new year. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Aunty Celia

Fried asam prawns (tamarind fried prawns)

Some people say this is a Hokkien dish and others claim it is a nyonya dish. Whatever the origin is, it is absolutely delicious because it is sourish and sweet at the same time. The most important thing is the prawns must be very fresh. 

Ingredients 

30 medium - large prawns

The amount will depend on how many you want to cook

Tamarind pulp

Method

Trim off the head and legs

Slit the back and remove the intestine

Wash and drain the prawns

Season with a little sea salt

In a mixing bowl add:

100 gm asam pulp

1 tbsp light soya sauce

2 tbsp sugar (this is to caramelize the prawns)

Sufficient water to mix the ingredients into a fairly thick paste

Put the tamarind paste mixture onto the prawns and mix thoroughly

Marinate for 1 – 2 hours

Heat up the cooking oil in the wok

Add the prawns and fry till the shells starts to caramelize

Transfer to a platter and serve immediately 

Steamed tofu with minced pork

This is another simple and easy to prepare side dish which is popular with children. You can use a single large piece of tofu or small ones like these. Tofu is bland and quite tasteless so it is the sauce that gives flavour and taste.

Ingredients

4 pieces small soft tofu

100 gm minced pork

5 pieces lettuce leaves

Gently rinse the tofu and put on a plate

Tip the plate to let the water drain down

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a heat proof plate

Place the tofu on the leaves

Make a cross cut on each of the tofu

Put the plate into the steamer

Cover and steam for 10 minutes

Heat a little oil in the wok

Add some chopped garlic and fry until fragrant

Put in the minced pork and mix thoroughly

Season the meat with:

1 tsp light soya sauce

1tsp oyster sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

A pinch of sugar

Salt and pepper

Drain away some of the water from the tofu

Spoon the fried minced meat into the slits in the tofu

Serve immediately

Stir fried sengkuang (jicama) 豆薯

Sengkuang is the main ingredient for popiah, pie tee and vegetarian puffs. It remains crunchy and juicy no matter how long you cook it. You can use meat or prawns in this dish but we like it plain and eaten wrapped in lettuce leaves. 

Sengkuang is actually the Malay name for our so-called turnip. It is known as sweet turnip or yam bean in English, sha ge (沙葛）or dou shu (豆薯) in mandarin, bang kuang in Hokkien and sah kok in Cantonese. It is rich in vitamins A, C, E, K and Bs. The high vitamin C content helps prevent capillary damages, thus reducing the risks of nose bleeds and helps prevent cold and flu. There is a good balance of sodium and potassium present in sengkuang, making it useful for alkalizing the blood. The minerals in this vegetable are calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc. It has excellent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are helpful for relieving breathlessness and asthma. It is low in calories, cholesterol and fats. It is delicious whether eaten raw or cooked and is an ideal food for health.

Ingredients

1 small sengkuang (sweeter)

2 carrots

4 dried mushrooms

Julienne the sengkuang and carrots

Soak and slice the mushrooms thinly

Heat up 2 tbsp cooking oil and 1 tsp sesame oil

Put in the mushrooms and mix well in the oil

Add the carrot and sengkuang

Stir until the vegetables are totally coated with the oil

Add a little water at a time to prevent the vegetables getting burnt

Season with salt, pepper and a little chicken stock

Cover and cook on low fire for 30 minutes

Check frequently to make sure that there is enough water to help it cook

Tom Yum Goong

Tom yum goong or tom yam is a type of hot and sour Thai soup. Goong means shrimp in Thai language as the soup is usually made with shrimp and a combination of different seafood such as squid and fish and herbs. It is tangy, spicy and aromatic with exotic herbs. Have it with rice or pour it over rice noodles. It is great for clearing blocked sinuses. In fact, everybody loves tom yam soup including people who say that they cannot eat spicy food!! Ha-ha!! 

Ingredients

2 medium size white sotong

1 slice ikan tenggiri

4 large prawns

½ pack of oyster mushrooms

4 slices lengkuas

2 tbsp bunga kantan

2 stalks serai

5 limau purut leaves

3 chilli padi

Thai chilli paste

Thai tom yam paste

Fish sauce

Clean and cut the fish and sotong

Remove the prawn heads and legs and the intestine along the back

Boil sufficient water for the soup

Put in the prawn heads and the herbs

Add

2 tbsp Thai chilli paste (add more if you like it spicier)

3 tbsp tom yam paste  

250 ml fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

Let it simmer for about 30 minutes

Put in the prawns and sotong and let it simmer for 20 minutes

Add the fish and simmer for 10 minutes

Finally add the mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes

Dish out and serve

 Here I am trying out the tom yam paste that a friend brought back from Thailand. The taste is ok but I find the paste made the soup too thick 

I had to use 2 packs otherwise it was not spicy enough

Had to add the herbs, chilli paste and fish sauce and lemon juice

This is the ready prepared soup

Stir fried kiam chye (mustard greens) with pork belly

I like using the long variety of kiam chye instead of the round variety for this dish because I love the taste of the leaves together with the crunchiness of the stems. This dish is really yummy eaten with plain porridge.

Ingredients

1 piece pork belly

2 stalks long kiam chye (salted mustard greens)

4 chilli padi

Wash and soak the kiam chye for 10 minutes

Repeat the process 3 times to reduce the saltiness of the kiam chye

Remove the pork skin and cut the pork into bite size pieces

Squeeze the water from the kiam chye and cut into small pieces

Heat up 2 tbsp oil and fry the pork belly until golden brown so that the pork is slightly crunchy and don’t have the oily taste

Add 2 tsp chopped garlic and 1 tsp sesame oil

Mix thoroughly

Put in the kiam chye and stir until it is well coated with the oil

Add 3 tsp sugar add a dash of pepper

Mix thoroughly and then add 50 ml water

Cover and simmer on low fire until the kiam chye is soft

Remember to keep adding a little water at a time to prevent it being burnt

Remove the children’s portion

Add the chillies and a little more water

Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes

Check the taste and adjust accordingly

Dish up and serve