Fried Prawn Roe Noodles With Prawns And Chinese Chives 蝦球韭菜炒蝦仔麵

I was introduced to prawn roe noodles (蝦仔麵) by a friend from Hong Kong many years back. They might look  just like normal dried egg noodles but in fact they are flavoured with prawns roes or other seafood like scallops squid. The seafood flavour is a rather subtle one but what made me a convert in the first place is the wonderful texture of the noodles. If you are able to find them in your Asian grocer; buy a packet or two as I will be showing you different ways of enjoying these wonderful noodles. Here I am using the classic pairing or Chinese chives and prawns. Some bean sprouts are added for the extra crunch, topped and tailed to give the finished dish a much nicer appearance.
P.S I did use chicken fat in this dish so one can imagine how fragrant it is.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
recipe per serve
you'll need;
2 x prawn roe noodles
6 prawns, shelled and butterflied
1/2 bunch of Chinese chives
a handful of bean sprouts, topped and tailed
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cm piece of ginger, chopped
1 tbs of soy
1 tbs of dark soy
1 tbs of oyster sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
chicken fat or cooking oil

Prepare the ingredients.

Cook noodles til 80% done, drain, refresh and drain again. Set aside.

Saute ginger and garlic with a little oil before adding the prawns.

When the prawns are almost done, add in the noodles mix well. Add seasonings and continue to cook for a minute.

Finally add in the vegetables and cook on high heat for another 30 seconds. Check for seasonings.

Serve immediately with cut chili and soy.

Another very satisfying meal in less than 20 minutes.

Vietnamese Grilled Five Spice Chicken With Sticky Rice

We tried a similar dish at our favourite Vietnamese joint on Victoria Street a while back. The pairing of grilled chicken and sticky rice reminded me of a popular Issarn dish. When I found a recipe for the five spice chicken in my favourite  Vietnamese cookbook I decided to recreate the dish at home. I am pretty happy with the end result; it is not as sweet as the restaurant version and the soy and lime dipping sauce is a rather good break away from the universal Vietnamese sauce nouc cham for once!

recipe for the chicken and sauce adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Kitchen
serve 3 as a very filling one dish meal
oven preheated at 180 C
you'll need;
3 free range chicken maryland
2 tbs of minced garlic
3 tbs of minced ginger
2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of five spice powder
2 tbs of sugar
2 tbs of soy sauce
3 tbs of vegetable oil
salt to taste
3 star anise, toasted and ground

*for the marinade - pound garlic, ginger and sugar to a fine paste before adding the rest of the ingredients (except the star anise powder).

you'll also need;
500 g of sticky rice, soaked overnight and steamed til tender
cucumber slices to serve
tomato slices to serve
crispy shallots to serve

for the lime and soy dipping sauce;
1/3 cup of light soy
2.5 tbs of sugar
1 clove of garlic
3 bird chili
1/4 cup of water
2.5 tbs of lime juice with pulp

Remove excess fat from the chicken and make a few slits and marinate overnight. Add star anise powder just before cooking.

Place marinated chicken on a rack over an oven tray with 2 cm of water in it. Alternatively, grill them on your bbq.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and cook through, baste with the remaining marinade from time to time. Rest chicken for 5 to 8 minutes before serving.

Place soaked sticky rice in a bamboo steamer and steam til tender.

Prepare the dipping sauce - pound chili, garlic and sugar to a fine paste. Add water, soy and juice of one lime and mix well. Check for seasonings.

Serve chicken with some sticky rice, dipping sauce, cucumber and tomato slices.

The chicken will be delicious over a bed of egg noodles with spring onion oil.

This has been submitted to Delicious Vietnam,  an event co-hosted by Anh of A Food Lover's Journey and Hong and Kim of Ravenous Couple.  Javaholic is hosting the current event.

Sambal Udang 參巴蝦 Prawns In Spicy Sauce - "Malaysian Monday 13"

I made some sambal tumis for a friend and saved some to make this delicious sambal prawns for our dinner. There must be hundreds of recipes for sambal prawns and this is one that I grew up eating. Serve this as part of a Malaysian meal, it is also a perfect side dish to serve with nasi lemak. Come on make a big batch of sambal tumis and you will be able to prepare this and other tasty dishes such as sambal telur and mee goreng whenever you feel like. This is another family recipe of my nanny Fatimah, terima kasih Kak Timah!

P.S Come back next week for my first nasi lemak post.

serve 4 as part of a Malaysian meal
you'll need;
1 kg prawns, peeled and butterflied
1 cup of sambal tumis
1 onion, sliced
5 tbs of tamirind concentrate
5 tbs of coconut milk
salt to taste

Coconut milk and tamarind concentrate.

Prepare the prawns.

Saute sliced onion til soften then add in the sambal tumis, continue to fry for a minute.

Next add the prawns and cook for a minute or two then add in the tamarind concentrate.

Finally pour in the coconut milk and cook til the prawns are fully cooked but be careful not to over cook the prawns. Check for seasonings.

Serve immediately as part of a Malaysian meal.

Come back next Monday for my first nasi lemak post.

Our new friends Nate and Annie from House Of Annie will be hosting the September event. They have set up a form for all submissions.

Warm Eggplant Salad 蒜油拌茄子

This is such a simple dish I was contemplating if it should be posted at all. But It is so delicious and I know I will make my vegetarian friends quite happy. This is one of my favourite childhood dishes, many different vegetables are simply blanched and dress with the same dressing. Try it with coz lettuce, bokchoy, kailan or even broccoli.
Another good week in term of blogging as my blogger friends continue to trust me with my recipes, thank you guys....
My friend and a fellow Malaysian in Bangkok Ija from Arah tried out 3 recipes this week;
Taiwanese beef noodles,  Cold tofu with crispy garlic and dried shrimps and Crumbed boxing chicken
Another Malaysian friend in Nagoya, Hana from Hana's family tried my Curry laksa

P.S I won't have access to a computer for the next few days but regular post will be posted soon.

serves 4 as part of a Chinese meal
you'll need;
1 kg of Asian eggplants
4 tbs of garlic oil
3 tbs of oyster or mushroom sauce for a vegetarian version
2 tbs of light soy
1 tbs of sugar
pepper to taste

I always have a bowl of this on standby.

Prepare the dressing.

Cook eggplants til tender then drain and cool slightly.

Peel of the skin and mash it lightly with a fork to produce long silky strands.

Arrange eggplants on a plate and pour the dressing over.

Sprinkle with some chopped spring onions.

A delicious vegetarian side dish is ready. Serve it immediately as part of a Chinese meal.

Quick Dry Tossed Noodles With Chicken Fat 特快雞油撈麵

What do you eat when you are on a run or run out of food in the house? This is what I prefer to have when such situations occurred. I always have different types of dried noodles in my pantry; together with my standby chicken fat, lard or garlic oil, a delicious and wicked meal is only a few minutes away. I am always satisfied after a bowl of this but feel free to add some leftover roast chicken, some char siu or perhaps a fried egg if your heart desires. This will only take a minute longer than cooking a packet of instant noodles and you know you are eating something real and delicious instead! Happy cooking and have a great weekend!
P.S For an equally tasty version substitute chicken fat with garlic oil and oyster sauce with mushroom sauce.

serves one as a super quick meal
you'll need;
1 - 1.5 bundles of dried wheat noodles
bokchoy or Asian greens of your choice
1 spring onion, chopped
1 bird chili, sliced
crispy shallots or crispy garlic
chicken crackling

for the dressing;
1.5 tbs of chicken fat
1.5 tbs of oyster sauce
1/2 tbs of caramel sauce (生晒油)
1 tbs of light soy
1 tbs of the noodles cooking water
pepper to taste

If you prefer something a little healthier, substitute chicken fat with garlic oil instead.

Prepare the dressing.

Cook noodles til al dente, drain well and add to the prepared dressing.

...and mix well.

Add blanch bokchoy and top with chopped spring onions, sliced chillies, cracklings and some fried garlic or shallots. Sometimes I add an extra fried egg too.

Mix well and enjoy. Try this simple but completely wicked noodle dish and say goodbye to msg laden instant noodles for good!

Crumbed Boxing Chicken 香脆拳頭雞

Here's another dish I made for my 18th birthday and I still remember quite vividly preparing more than 5 kgs of chicken drumlets... again that was a very long time ago. I have been experimenting with different batter or coating for deep frying and I find mixing panko breadcrumbs and sweet potato flour to yeild some of the best results. Try to put your own stamp of the dish by playing around with the marinade a little. There you go another delicious and attractive appetizer or finger food  that is simple to prepare and easy on your wallet! For something similar with a Thai accent please check out spicy boxing chicken with chili and lime dipping sauce.
P.S I am slowly cooking and eating through my 18th birthday's menu and I'll be posting them one at a time so please stay tuned!

makes 12
you'll need;
1/2 kg of chicken drumlets
1/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs*
1/3 cup of coarse sweet potato flour*
1 egg beaten
sweet chili sauce or Lingham chili sauce to serve
* mix ingredients marked *

for the marinade;
1.5 tbs of oyster sauce
1 tbs of light soy
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tsp of grated garlic
dash of Chinese cooking wine
dash of white pepper
a pinch of five spice powder
a pinch of salt

To prepare the chicken - first remove the excess fat, with a sharp knife cut around the thin end of the drumlet til the skin and sinewy bits are separated from the bone.

Pull the meat down with the help of a knife and you will get a little chicken lollipop. Repeat with the rest of the drumlets.

Marinate the chicken overnight or for at least 2 hours.

Dip chicken in beaten egg then coat it with the panko and flour mixture. Repeat the rest.

Deep fry in batches til golden and crispy.

serve immediately with some sweet chili sauce or Lingham chili sauce.

Another delicious appetizer or finger food that will be very popular with both children and adults alike.