Fried Prawn Fritters

Guess what I had for afternoon tea today?

My childhood favourite street snack, Fried Prawn Fritters. Today I remembered to get the Chinese Chive and Bean Sprout but I'm going to leave out the bean sprouts next time as it caused oil splatters!! Urgh!!

Oh! The kids had those with the prawn shells removed.

Braised Noodle aka Lor Mee 卤面

Lor Mee is my daughter's favourite local food. I love it to, especially with raw garlic, pickled green chilli and lots of black vinegar!

During the olden days, it has shark's meat it in. Nowadays, to make is simple, beaten egg white is used instead. The recipe I'm sharing is not authentic but it's good enough for my family.

I added crispy fried bean curd skin and ready made Ngoh Hiang to it too.

Ingredients:

• 600g Yellow (flatten) Noodles
• 300g Pork Belly
• 2 Hard Boiled Eggs
• 2 Egg White or 2 Whole Egg, beaten
• Some Bean Sprout

Braising Sauce:

• 500ml Water
• 3 clove Garlic, smashed with skin intact
• 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce

Soup Sauce:

• 1.5 litre Pork Bone Stock
• 1 Star Anise
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese 5-spice Powder
• 1/2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sugar or to taste
• Salt to taste
• Cornflour Mixture (thickener)

How to do it:

1. Combine ingredients for braising sauce together in a pot enough to cover the pork.
2. Add in pork belly and hard boiled eggs.
3. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
4. Braise for an hour till the pork is tender.
5. Remove the pork and cut into smaller pieces.
6. Remove the eggs and half them.
7. Retain the braising sauce.
8. Bring the bone stock to  a boil.
9. Add in the braising sauce, star anise and 5-spice powder.
10. Season with sugar and salt.
11. Thicken with cornflour mixture.
12. Turn off the heat and gently stir in the beaten egg white.
13. The soup sauce is ready to be used.
14. Blanch some noodles and bean sprout.
15. Drain and pour into a serving bowl.
16. Pour hot soup sauce over and top with pork belly, egg and other ingredients.
17. Serve immediately.

Note：

• You can use chicken stock instead of pork bone stock.

Hor Fun 河粉

Hor Fun is one of the common local zichar food. My husband tried cooking for me once many years ago but the hor fun ended up in the trash bin.  LOL Shhhh .... don't tell him I told you. :P He hasn't cook anything since except maybe instant noodle and only once in a blue moon. :/

Too be fair to him, I did struggle with the frying of the kway tiow (hor fun) at first. You need to add enough oil and have to work fast otherwise it doesn't brown evenly and may get burn on some parts where other parts are still white.

Honestly, I think cooking Hor Fun is a lot harder than it looks especially at home with a small wok and fire. My tip for first timers, fry in small portion. If you can get thru frying the kway tiow, the rest is easy peasy. 

Ingredients:

• 300g Hor Fun aka Thick Flat Rice Noodles, separated
• 1/2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• a few drop Dark Soy Sauce

Other Ingredients:

• 5 slices Loin Pork
• 4 Prawns, shelled and sliced on the back
• 1 Squid, cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
• 3 stalk Young Choy Sum
• 1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Cooking Wine
• 1 teaspoon Corn Flour
• 1/2 tablespoon Minced Garlic

Sauce:

• 500ml Chicken Stock
• 1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Fish Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 Egg White or 1 Whole Egg, beaten
• Cornflour Mixture as thickener

How to do it:

1. Heat wok with a tablespoon oil.
2. Stir-fry Hor Fun tossed with light and dark soy sauce.
3. Continue frying till the hor fun are well blended with the sauces. The hor fun should be brown and a little charred at the sides.
4. Dish out and place in a serving plate to be used later.
5. Meanwhile, marinate the pork with light soy sauce, wine and corn flour. This is to make the pork velvety.
6. At the same time, blanch the choy sum in a pot of water with 1 teaspoon oil. This is to give the choy sum some shine.
7. Drain and place the choy sum with hor fun.
8. In the same wok used to stir-fry the hor fun, add 1 teaspoon oil.
9. Stir-fry garlic till fragrant but not brown.
10. Add in the pork and stir-fry till they are just done.
11. Dish and place on top of hor fun.
12. Pour stock in the wok and bring to a boil.
13. Add in the prawn and squid.
14. Add in all the seasoning for the sauce except for egg and cornflour mixture.
15. Gradually stir in the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce to your desire consistency.
16. Turn off the heat then gently stir in the beaten egg. Stirring vigorously will break up the beaten egg and make the sauce cloudy.
17. Pour the sauce over the hor fun and serve.

Note:

• The use of "toppings" depends on your preference. You can use fish slices, fish cake, etc instead.
• Hor Fun is usually served with pickled green chilli.

Fried Prawn Fitters 炸虾饼

I used to eat this when I was a kid with the rest of the Ngoh Hiang 五香罐肠. I don't know if it's me (becoming stingy :P), because I find that it's getting so expensive nowadays that it will always be the first thing I avoid ordering.

I can vaguely remember the vegetables that was added in the batter being bean sprout and something green. :P I'm guessing Chinese Chive. Please let me know if you know the correct ingredients.

This was a last minute dish, hence I could only get spring onions to replace both the bean sprout and Chinese Chive that I recommended using.

Baby prawns is not a must and I doubt it can be easily found. I so happened to see it selling in the wet market and I knew I have to get some to make this. You can always use small prawns.

Hope this brings back your childhood memories. :)

Ingredients:

• 350g Baby Prawns, antenna and legs (etc) cut
• 1 stalk Chinese Chive, diced
• a handful of Bean Sprout, heads and tails removed
• Oil for deep frying

Batter:

• 160ml Water
• 120g Self Raising Flour
• 20g Corn Flour
• 20g Rice Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

How to do it:

1. Add a teaspoon of salt to the prawns and rub and coat well.
2. Rinse, drained and dab dry.
3. Put aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil in pot.
5. Mix batter well and add in chive and bean sprout.
6. Dip ladle in oil then scoop about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon batter to the ladle.
7. Place 3 baby prawns on the batter. 
8. Add a little batter on top if you have problems sticking the prawns.
9. Sink the ladle in the oil. Use another ladle or spoon to push the batter out if necessary.
10. Fry till lightly golden brown then flip over to fry the other side.
11. Once the fritter has turned lightly golden brown, remove and drain on paper towel.
12. Repeat till all batter has finished.
13. Serve hot with your favourite sauce.

Note:

• Add the water to make batter gradually, if you find the batter too thick, add a bit more water.
• If you are not able to get baby prawns, which the shells are thinner, hence we are able to fried till crispy, use regular small prawns but peel them.
• You can cut the prawns into 2 of you find it still too big.
• Mix it with the batter to be fried.
• Do not place it on the batter like what I did with the baby prawns as it does not have the shells to prevent it from drying out from frying.

Hokkien Prawn Noodles 福建虾面

This is not to be confused with any other Hokkien Mee. It is THE Singapore Hokkien Prawn Noodle.  It's my son's favourite hawker food. Even my daughter likes it too.

Those we have in hawker center are always cooked in pork lard which make it very fragrant and tasty. I'm not a fan hence I'm not adding it. If you like that, fry about 2 tablespoon of pork lard and use the oil for the cooking. Add the fry pork lard for extra crunch.

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

• 100g Thick Rice Vermicelli 粗米粉
• 80g Yellow Noodle
• 1 Squid, head, innards and 'skin' removed
• 4-5 Prawn
• 1 thin strip about 30g Pork Belly
• a handful Bean Spout (I had the head and tail removed)
• Some Chinese Chive 韭菜
• 1 Egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
• 250ml Chicken Stock

How to do it:

1. Blanch squid (tube), prawn and pork belly in stock till almost cooked.
2. Remove and cut squid into rings, shell the prawns and cut pork belly into smaller pieces.
3. Set them aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and stir-fry garlic till fragrant.
5. Push the garlic aside in the wok.
6. Crack egg and scramble it.
7. Add in both the rice and yellow noodles.
8. Add in 1 tablespoon fish sauce.
9. Stir-fry in middle high heat for a few minutes.
10. Add stock to the noodles.
11. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
12. Add the blanched prawns, squid rings and pork belly.
13. Add in bean sprout and Chinese chive.
14. Continue stir-frying till sauce has reduced and thickened.
15. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce or according to taste.
16. Stir fry well.
17. Dish and serve with Sambal Chilli and Calamansi.

{ Blanched Cockles with Garlic } 蒜香伴氽烫血蚶

Cockles!!  Like what I said previously when I shared this recipe, you either love this or hate it.

I love it but hate the scrubbing part, especially when you get small cockles. I happened to see cockles bigger than what I usually see in the supermarket and couldn't resist them. I bought some home and made this. Missed it so much.

If you too like eating cockles, hop over HERE for the recipe. :)

Sweet Pan Roasted Chestnut 炒糖栗子

This was in my draft folder since January this year! :P I might have thought that I have published it and this could be a duplicate. O_o

Roasted Chestnuts has always being my favourite and my sister's too I think. I couldn't resist buying if I see or smell it. I will follow the aroma to get to it! However, you don't get to see roasted chestnuts very often.

These homemade one can't beat those roasted with those small burned stones which help roast the chestnuts evenly. Nonetheless, this will do till I get my hands on the "professionally" done ones. ;)

Ingredients:

• 400g Raw Chestnut, washed, cleaned and dried
• 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
• 100ml Water 
• 1-2 tablespoon White Sugar

How to do it:

1. Slit chestnut carefully with a sharp pointed knife to prevent 'explosions' during cooking.
2. Pan toast the chestnut on medium low heat for 5 mins to dry them.
3. Remove and toss chestnut in oil to coat evenly.
4. Return to pan and roast for 15 mins covered.
5. Remove the cover and stir regularly to prevent burning.
6. Meanwhile, melt sugar in water by simmering it.
7. Add sugar solution to the pan.
8. Continue to let the chestnuts to cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning (like me :P) until the water evaporates and the chestnuts are tender.
9. Peel and eat while it's hot!

Mini Sesame Balls 迷你芝麻球

I vaguely remembered having these when I was a little girl. I don't remember how it tasted like though.

After trying them out after so many years, I find that it's like eating the deep version of Muah Chee. It's sort of crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Sadly, It didn't bring back my childhood memories. :P

Ingredients:

• 250g Glutinous Rice Flour
• 20g All purpose/Plain Flour
• 1/3 teaspoon Vanilla Essence 
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• White Sesame Seed for coating
• Oil for deep frying

Sugar Solution:

• 80g White Sugar
• 140ml Water

How to do it:

1. Prepare the sugar solution by simmering the sugar in water till it dissolved.
2. Set aside to cool for later use.
3. Mix glutinous flour and plain flour together.
4. Add the sugar solution, vanilla essence and egg to the flour mixture.
5. Mix and knead into a smooth dough.
6. Roll dough about 5g-7g into a ball.
7. Coat with white sesame seeds.
8. Deep fry till golden brown.
9. Remove and drain on paper towel.

Blanched Cockles with Garlic 蒜香伴氽烫血蚶

Blood Cockles. You either love it or hate it. Both me and my husband loves it. My son eats it too.

My father used to buy 5kg of cockles to make his famous chilled dark soy sauce cockles. Each time he made it, he will bring some over to him. I tried and tried but I just couldn't get the taste of cockles that my father made. He even bought the dark soy sauce to me once but still I just could get the right taste. His is still the best!

I had wanted to try my hands making my father's version of chilled cockles but realised I didn't have dark soy sauce with me. So change of plans. :P

This is (another) replica of what we have tried at Putien Restaurant sometime back. I shall try to conquer my father's revision another time.

* Giving the cockles a good 'body' scrub. Hate doing it but it's all worth it. *

Ingredients:

• 350g Cockles
• 1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and chopped finely
• 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Mirin or Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1/2  tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• Chicken Powder or Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Prepare the garlic first by heat oil in pan.
2. Add in chilli and Garlic and stir-fry till fragrant but not browned.
3. Add in Mirin, Light Soy Sauce and Chicken Powder. If you are using Chinese Cooking Wine, add a pinch of sugar too.
   
4. Stir to coat well.
5. Let the seasoned garlic cool.
6. Now, scrub the cockles clean. I used a toothbrush here.
7. Soak clams in salted water to let it 'spit' out sand.
8. Boil a pot of water enough to cover the cockles.
9. When the water is boiling, turn off fire and throw in all the cockles.
10. Drain them out in 3 seconds. *1
11. Place them in cool water or normal tap water and drain so it's not too hot to handle. *2
12. Remove half the shell and any dirt that maybe be there.
13. Place some seasoned garlic on each cockles and place then on a dish.
14. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. *3

Note:

• I blanched then for 3 seconds here. If the cockles you bought are bigger or if you preferred them more cooked, ie, less bloody, blanch for 5-7 seconds. Anything longer than that, it's likely that will be cooked. *1
• Cool the blanched cockles partially is to stop it from continue cooking and also to make it less hot to while removing the shells. *2
• The cockles taste better when chilled but if you can't wait, go ahead to have it immediately. *2

Curry Vegetables 咖喱菜

Curry Vegetables is one of my favourite dish. I love it with rice, noodle, even on it's own. I stopped having it so often when my cholesterol level increased. :p I tried replacing the coconut milk with other alternatives. It just doesn't taste as good.

Ingredients:

• 600ml Water or Stock
• 150g Yam Bean aka Jicama Bang Kwang (豆薯), skinned and cut into sticks
• 100g Cabbage, cut
• 1 large Carrot, skinned and cut
• 5 Long Beans, cut into section
• Dried Beancurd (豆包) or Firm Beancurd (豆干)
• 500ml Coconut Milk
• Salt to taste

Grind into paste:

• 1/2 tablespoon Dried Shrimp, soaked to soften
• 5 Dried Chilli, soaked to softened before hand
• 10 Shallot
• 3 clove Garlic
• 1 stalk Lemon Grass (white part only), sliced thinly
• 3 Candlenuts aka Buah Keras
• 7g Turmeric aka Kunyit
• 15g Galangal aka Lengkuas

How to do it:

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil and stir fry paste till fragrant.
2. Add in stock and bring to a gentle boil.
3. Add in all the vegetables.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Gradually stir in the coconut milk.
6. Continue to simmer till the vegetables are cooked and softened to your liking.
7. Add salt to taste.

 

Rickshaw Noodles 车仔面

I have been very lazy to think of what to cook. I asked my hubby if there’s anything he wants to eat and for once he gave me an answer other than “Anything lor” He suggested the noodles soup my mother used to make.

Ahh! That reminds me of my primary school days. An “Ah Pek” will carry a big aluminum pot of noodles to sell near some housing blocks. We skimpily call it Sek Mee Teng (in teochew) at home. Translated as Cooked Noodles Soup, more commonly know as Rickshaw Noodles or Kan Chia Mee

Why was this called Rickshaw Noodles? My understanding was in the 60s, the Rickshaw puller had this practically everyday as lunch!

Ingredients:

• Flat yellow noodles
• Cai Xin, cut into sections
• Prawns, blanched
• Chicken Broth
• Salt to taste  

How to do it:

1. Blanch the prawns.
2. Remove shells and slice prawns in half.
3. Blanch the noodles to get rid of excess ghee.
4. Boil your broth.
5. Add in your vegetables and noodles.
6. Add salt to taste.
7. Serve with prawns when noodles are cooked.

Note:

• This dish is meant to cook when ready to eat. You can't ‘keep’ the noodles in the soup as it will turn soggy and the soup will have the taste of ghee.
• You can use stock cubes if you don't want to make home-made broth.

Pork Ribs and Prawn Noodle Soup 排骨虾面汤

Every time I buy prawn to cook dishes, I would keep the shells in the freezer. I had 3 portions of shells before I cooked this 排骨虾面汤. It’s shells from 1.5 kg of prawns. Hmm… the soup is full of sweetness from the prawns.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Prawns, shelled
• 500g Pork ribs, blanched
• Fish cakes, sliced thinly
• Water Spinach (Kang Kong), cut into sections
• 750g Fresh yellow noodle
• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• Rock Sugar to taste
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying
• 2 litre Water

How to do it:

1. Add ½ tablespoon garlic and stir fry till fragrant.
2. Add prawn shells and stir fry till cooked. Set aside.
3. Bring water to boil in a pot.
4. Add in the prawns and remove when cooked.
5. In the same pot, add in the cooked prawn shells and pork ribs.
6. Simmer in low heat for 2 hours.
7. Strain the soup into a clean pot.
8. Return the pork ribs.
9. Add in dark soy sauce, rock sugar and salt.
10. In another pot, bring water to boil.
11. Add in noodle, water spinach and fish cake.
12. Drain when they are cooked.
13. Place prawns and pork ribs on top.
14. Ladle over some hot soup.
15. Serve with pepper and fried shallots.

Note:
You can add bean sprout and lean pork too. Ohhh… and those sinful crispy pork fat cubes if you like.

Glutinous rice balls 汤圆

It was Winter Solstice 冬至 yesterday. I had my first attempt in doing glutinous rice balls. Being my first attempt, I don’t want to be so ambitious. I bought all ready-made ingredients.

The outcome was okay. I’m not skillful enough. The balls keep breaking when I knead them and all peanut fillings came out. Lucky, I have enough dough.

Oh well! Practice make perfect. I’ll be better …. next year.

Ingredients:

• Glutinous rice dough
• Grind peanut
• Gula Malaka according to taste
• 3 Pandan leaves
• 2 slices of Ginger

How to do it:

1. Knead dough into a ball.
2. Fatten it.
3. Put some grinded peanut in the middle.
4. Slowly knead to close-up the opening and into a ball.
5. In a pot of water, add gala malaka, pandan leaves and ginger.
6. Wait for gala malaka to melt before adding the glutinous rice balls.
7. It’s ready when the balls float.

Hokkien Mee 炒福建面

Cook this dish last week for the first time. Not too bad. My hubby rated it 4-star. ^_^ I like it because it's simple and fast to cook. ^_-

Ingredients:

• Yellow flat noodles
• Prawns, shells removed and deveined
• Squids, sliced
• Cai Xin, cut into section
• Fish cakes, sliced
• Stock or water
• Corn starch mixture

Seasonings:

• 1/2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Oyster Sauce

How to do it:

1. Stir-fried the prawns, squids, fish cakes and cai xin with garlic.
2. Set aside.
3. In a pot, cook the noodle with enough stock to cover it.
4. When the noodle is cooked, add in the seasonings, prawns, squids, fish cakes and cai xin.
5. Let it cook for ½ minute then slowly stir-in the corn-starch mixture to thicken the sauce.
6. Serve.

Note:

You can add any other ingredients of your choice. You can also blanch your ingredients instead of stir-frying. I only add-in the ingredients to the noodles during the last part so not to over-cook them. Adjust the amount of seasonings. If you like a darker look for your noodles, add more dark soy sauce.