STIR-FRIED ASSORTED VEGETABLES WITH FISH AND PRAWNS

Original Recipe By Amy Beh

150g garoupa fillet, cubed

4 medium large prawns, shelled and cubed

100g chicken fillet, diced

5 water chestnuts, cubed

5 button mushrooms, cubed

40g celery, cubed

100g carrot, cut into desired shapes, blanched

4 baby sweet corns, cubed

1 tbsp young ginger, minced

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp oil

1 tbsp Shao Hsing wine (optional)

Seasoning (A)

1 tsp salt

Dash of monosodium glutamate

1 tsp corn flour

1 egg white

Sauce (B)

1 tbsp abalone sauce

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp cornflour

125ml fresh chicken stock

Combine fish and prawns with seasoning (A). Mix well then leave aside for 30 minutes. Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok, fry ginger for a while. Add marinated seafood ingredients and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add celery, water chestnuts and carrot to mix and stir in sauce ingredients. Bring to a quick boil.

Splash in Shao Hsing wine if using and add a little more sesame oil to glaze the dish.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.

PRAWN AND SCALLOP OTAK WRAPS

Original Recipe By Amy Beh

Spice ingredients

6 fresh red chillies, seeded

5 dried red chillies, soaked and seeded

Prawn and scallop otak wraps

1.5cm fresh turmeric

10 shallots

3 cloves garlic

2 stalks lemon grass, use white part only

2cm galangal

3 candlenuts

15g belacan, toasted

Coconut milk custard ingredients

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

150ml thick coconut milk (from 1 grated coconut)

1 tbsp rice flour

1 tbsp corn flour

5 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

Seasoning

¾ tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

¾ tsp ikan bilis stock granules

¼ tsp pepper

8 fairly large whole prawns

8 fresh scallops

24-25 kadok leaves

1 banana leaf

Cut banana leaf into 18cm x 15cm rectangles. Scald the leaves to soften.

Shell the prawns, leaving tails intact. Make a slit on the back of each prawn and de-vein. Press out flat and open up butterfly style. Set the prawns aside. Blend the spice ingredients in a food processor into a fine paste.

Combine coconut milk with rice flour, corn flour and seasoning ingredients. Add beaten eggs and kaffir lime leaves. Stir well to mix. Add prawns and scallops to the spiced custard mixture.

Take a piece of banana leaf, form a box-like shape by folding the sides and secure with bamboo toothpicks or staples. Line the base with two kadok leaves. Put a prawn and a scallop on the kadok leaves and spoon over 2-3 tablespoons of custard mixture; cover with another kadok leaf. Steam the bundles of otak for 12-15 minutes over rapidly boiling water or until custard sets.

Steamed Prawns with Egg White

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

2-3 large freshwater prawns, cleaned and halved

3 egg whites

200ml evaporated milk

¾ tsp salt

dash of pepper

A little monosodium glutamate (optional)

1 tsp Shao Hsing wine

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp chopped spring onion

Arrange the halved prawns on a heat-proof dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper and monosodium glutamate over the prawns.

Combine evaporated milk and egg white in a bowl. Beat lightly with a fork until well combined. Pour the mixture over the prawns.

Steam over rapidly boiling water on high heat for 6-7 minutes or until prawns change colour and are cooked.

Remove the dish and add the wine and sesame oil. Add chopped spring onions and serve immediately.

Cheong mang foo kwai

Ingredients
750g pumpkin (slice off a small portion of the top, scoop out the seeds, then wash clean)

Filling
Minced:
100g chicken meat
100g prawns
75g sotong paste
75g waterchestnuts, chopped fine
2 tbsp chopped spring onions
2 tbsp Chinese yin-sai

Seasoning:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder (ng heong fun)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornflour

Vegetable:
12 pieces black mush-rooms (soak, then bring to boil together with 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, pinch of salt, dash of pepper and 1 tsp sesame oil)
50g gingko nuts (peh koay) (shell, remove skin then boil till soft)
10 quail eggs, boil and remove shells
10g fatt choy (soak)

Garnishings:
Carrots (shape into tortoise head, legs and tail)
Broccoli (scald in boiling water, with 1 tsp soda bicarbonate added in)

Gravy:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
A dash of ajinomoto
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
tsp pepper
1 tsp Maggie chicken stock granules
1 tsp sesame oil

Thickening:
Mixed together:
1 tsp wheat starch
2 tsp water
2 tbsp cooking oil

Chopped fine:
2 pips garlic
2 slices young ginger
1 tbsp Shao Xing cooking wine
1/2 bowl of water or soup stock

Method
1. Mix filling ingredients with the seasoning and chopped spring onions and yin-sai. Stuff this mixture into the hollow part of the pumpkin. Steam for 20-25 minutes or till cooked.

2. Remove pumpkin to a big serving dish. Decorate pumpkin.
Heat a wok with oil and saute chopped ginger and garlic.

3. When fragrant, add in the cooking wine, then water.

4. Mix in the vegetable ingredients and stir well. Add in thickening and bring to a boil.

5. Pour ingredients surrounding the assembled tortoise. Garnish as desired.

6. To serve, slice through the pumpkin together with the filling.

Note: This dish is appropriate for the Chinese New Year, especially with the tortoise which is symbolic of long life. Thus here you have longevity together with fatt choy and the other ingredients around that will bring
wealth and prosperity throughout the year.

Bitter gourd with prawns and beancurd puffs

Ingredients
1 medium-sized bitter gourd cut into thin slices
300g prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
7 beancurd puffs or tow foo pok
1 red chilli, chopped
1 rounded tablespoon black bean with garlic (Lee Kum Kee)
1 tsp sugar
200ml water

Method
1. Add a heaped teaspoon salt to the bitter gourd slices, stir and squeeze them with your hands. Rinse off with water, and drain in a colander.

2. Scald tow foo pok with boiling water, and drain. Cut each into two with scissors.

3. Heat oil in wok, fry garlic, add chilli and black beans. Fry till fragrant.

4. Add prawns and stir-fry till they are pink. Add bitter gourd.

5. Stir-fry, then add in water, tow foo pok and sugar. Cover and cook for five minutes.

Note: You could add salt if it is not salty enough.

Prawn Dumplings

Original Recipe by Amy Beh

200g medium prawns, shelled and diced

100g pork with a little fat, finely chopped

3 water chestnuts, finely chopped

2 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and diced

20-25 pieces wantan skins

Seasoning

½ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Dash of monosodium glutamate

½ an egg white

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp cornflour

Combine pork, prawns, mushrooms and water chestnuts in a bowl. Add seasoning ingredients and stir with a pair of chopsticks until the mixture is well combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take a piece of wantan skin and place a teaspoonful of filling in the centre. Fold into half and pinch the edges together, then gather the edges to form pleats. Leave the dumplings in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before boiling.

Prepare your own soup stock and drop in the prepared dumplings to cook.