Cincalok Omelette

 

My brother has recently returned from a short getaway to Malacca, Malaysia with a bottle of cincalok - fermented small shrimp. Usually served as a condiment, the pungent salty pink little shrimps can also be fried with dishes. One of the easiest way to showcase that unique gorgeous flavour, is to fry it with an omelette. Absolutely delicious, if you ask me.

Ingredients:

2                              eggs
1/2                           white onion or 4 shallots, sliced
1                              red chilli or 2 small chilli padi (if you like it spicier), sliced
1 tablespoon            cincalok or more if you prefer
2 tablespoons          cooking oil

Method:

Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add in the sliced onion and chilli and fry until it is fragrant.

Beat the eggs with the cincalok and add into the frying pan.

Fry each side of the omelette on high heat for about 30 seconds and serve.

Cereal Prawn

 





Prawns are one of the many auspicious food that are served during the Lunar New Year. Its Cantonese pronounciation - Har, sounds like laughter and it symbolises a year of happiness and joy ahead.

 

I believe that my dearest Mum would like the family to experience more happiness during the year of the snake. That's probably the reason why she bought a good 10kg worth of prawns back from the fishing port. There are only five of us at home by the way. Needless to say, I was given the task to create some different prawn dishes over the next few days. Here's one.

 

Serves 5

Ingredients:

 

10 large                   prawns, washed and trimmed slightly

2 stalk                     curry leaves, plucked from the stem and washed

4                              chill padi, sliced thinly (reduced to 2 stalks if you can't take too spicy)

2 tablespoons          butter

2 packets                 instant cereal with milk powder and sugar

                                ground white pepper

                                salt

 

Method:

Deep fry the prawn with the shell intact, till 80% cooked. Set aside.

 

Heat butter in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add in the curry leaves and chopped chilli padi. Fry till fragrant.

 

Add in the instant cereal, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.

 

Add in the fried prawns and stir fry for another minute.

Serve immediately.

 

 

 

Stir Fried Celery with Shrimp

I've had plently of celery and carrots left from making a bolognese sauce and there wasn't a better way to finish it up than frying it. As with any Chinese stir fry dishes, high heat is a definite must in order to achieve that crunchy tasty result at the end. Goes superbly well with a bowl of steamed rice.

Ingredients:

4 stalk                             celery, sliced
2 small                             carrots, sliced
2 cloves                           garlic, minced
4 slices                            ginger
2 tablespoons                  chinese shaoxing or hua tiao wine
10                                   medium shrimp
1/4 teaspoon                   chicken powder
1 tablespoon                   cooking oil
1 tablespoon                   water

Method:

Heat a wok on high and add in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in the minced garlic and sliced ginger and fry till fragrant.

Stir in the shrimp and add in 2 tablespoons of chinese wine. Stir fry for 30 seconds or until the shrimp turn slightly pink.

Add in the prepared celery and carrot with 1 tablespoon of water and stir fry for another minute. Add in the chicken powder and serve.

Stir Fried Broccoli with Shrimp

I NEED vegetables on my table. Be it a simple plate of poached kailan or some easy stir fried bean sprouts, I'm easy to please. One of my favourite vegetable dish is stir fried broccoli and I personally think that shrimps / prawns make a perfect combination with its vibrant pink colour and fresh seafood taste.

Ingredients:
1 head                 broccoli, cut into florets
1 clove                garlic, minced
8 small                shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon       cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon       chicken powder
2 tablespoons      water

Method:

Heat a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in 1 clove of minced garlic and fry till fragrant.

Add the shrimps and stir fry another half a minute.

Mix in the broccoli with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the wok for about a minute.

Remove the cover and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of chicken powder. Mix evenly and serve.

Fiery Sambal Udang

Sambal Udang (Prawns with Sambal) is one of my favourite 5-minute dish when I need a quick fix or when I'm super hungry. All you need really, is a good bottle of sambal belachan. The bottled ones are a little lacking in flavour as compared to the homemade version but nonetheless still deliver the heat required. It is also a lot more convenient as its shelf life of a year ensures that you'll always have sambal belachan in the fridge whenever you need it.

One key ingredient in this dish is the usage of tamarind (also known as assam) that gives it a little tangy sour taste. This is often soaked in advance to obtain tamarind water but since we have only got 5 minutes to spare, I have opted to include the tamarind into the dish itself. A reminder though, to always remove it before serving.

Ingredients:

8             large prawns, deveined with head and tail in tact
1             garlic clove, minced
2             shallots, sliced
1 tbsp     sambal belachan
1 slice     dried tamarind (assam)
1 tbsp     vegetable oil
1/4 cup   water

Method:

Heat pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add in minced garlic and sliced shallots and fry till fragrant.

Add in 1 tablespoon of sambal belachan, fry slightly and add in the tamarind slice and water.

Add in the prawns and cook till they are pink and the sauce reduced. Remove the slice of tamarind from the pan and serve with a bowl of hot steaming rice.