Posted by admin on March 15, 2009
A popular spicy curry noodle soup with endless variations. From the Peranakan culture, which is the merger of Chinese and Malay culture found in Singapore. Typically made with thick rice noodles, the main ingredients for this coconut curry based soup are puffs of tofu, shrimp and cockles garnished with sambal chili paste and cilantro….yum!
1/2 lb large prawns, peeled and deveined and poached
1 lb mussels or clams, poached until just cooked
1 cup thinly sliced fish cake
1 cup fried tofu slices, halved
3/4 lb fresh thin rice noodles
Chili paste
2 x 3 inch piece galangal
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated turmeric or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
7 dried medium sized red chilis, rehydrated and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stem
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
5 candlenuts (substitute almonds or macadamia nuts)
Seasoning
2 teaspoons belacan (shrimp paste)
1/4 cup dried prawns, rehydrated
2 cups coconut milk
2 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup laksa leaves (optional)
Garnishing
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
2 cups bean sprouts, quickly blanched
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and julienned
2 spring onions, sliced thin on the bias
1/4 cup cilantro sprigs
2 tablespoons sambal chili paste
With a mortar and pestle or mini-food processor, grind together the lemongrass and galangal until a thick paste forms to form a smooth paste. Add the fresh turmeric and then the chilis and crush until a reddish paste forms. Add the cilantro stems and shallots and continue to grind into a thick paste. Add the candlenuts to the chili paste and crush until well combined.
In a large sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat and add the belacan, frying until the shrimp paste turns a shade darker and is very fragrant. Stir in the dried shrimp and fry until crisp, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the chili paste and and fry until oil releases and the paste turns a shade darker. Stir periodically, about 10 to 15 minutes. Once all the oil is reabsorbed into the paste, add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and combine well with the chili paste. Once the chili paste thicken, about 3 minutes, add another 1/2 cup of coconut milk and repeat. Add 2 cups of water to the thickened paste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer over low heat. Stir in the remaining cup of coconut milk, lime juice, palm sugar and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
To cook the rice noodles, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the noodles in a deep sieve and plunge the noodles in the water for 30 seconds. Use tongs to divide noodles into individual bowls. Pour a ladle full of hot broth on top of the noodles and immediately drain back into the pot of broth. Top each bowl with cooked shrimp and mussels, sliced fish cake and tofu. Pour a ladle full of broth over the seafood. Generously top each bowl with the wedges of egg, bean sprouts, cucumber, green onions, cilantro and a 1/2 teaspoon dollop of sambal chili paste. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Posted by admin on
Singapore’s unofficial “national dish” originated in the early 1950’s on a seaside hawker stall. This spicy saucy crab dish also has many variations, some are packed with fresh aromatics like galangal, ginger and turmeric, others are sweet and sour tomato laced with chili. Although quite messy to eat, it is so very worth the work, even down to sopping up the sauce with Mantou, steamed Chinese rice buns.
2 lbs (1 large or 2 small) live Dungeness or local crabs
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup canola oil
Chili paste
1/4 minced shallots
1 tablespoons minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 red Fresno chiles, seeded and minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste
Seasoning sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Clean the crabs by removing the carapace. Pull away and discard the spongy gills and cut the body in half and then cut the halves in 4 pieces with the legs attached to the body. Crack the claws with a mallet, rinse the pieces of crab and pat very dry.
To make the chili paste, use a mortar and pestle or mini-food processor to grind the chili paste ingredients into a thick paste.
To make the seasoning sauce, in a small bowl combine the 3 tablespoons of water with tomato paste, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Once the pan is very hot, coat the crab pieces in corn starch and shake off the excess. Add 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan and stir-fry the crab until the shell begins to turn orange and brown on the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the crab to a bowl and reheat the same wok over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and stir in the chili paste sauteing until fragrant, several seconds. Quickly return the crab to the wok and toss well with the chili paste until the crab is well coated. Pour the seasoning sauce over the crab and continue to stir-fry until most of the liquid evaporate and the crab is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh cilantro and transfer the crab to a warmed platter. Serve right away.
Make 4 to 6 servings
Posted by admin on March 14, 2009
Found at Hawker stalls everywhere in Singapore, this poached chicken dish originated from Hainan, and is served with fragrant rice cooked in concentrated chicken broth, ginger and garlic accompanied by a chili sauce, ginger and green onion puree and thick soy sauce and slices of cucumber.
1 3-1/2 lb whole chicken
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 stalks green onions, smashed
3 1/4 inch slices ginger, smashes
4 stalks cilantro
Seasoned Rice
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 1/2 cups long grain jasmine rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chili Sauce
4 red Fresno chiles, seeded
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
Green Onion and Ginger Sauce
3 tablespoons grated ginger
5 stalks green onions, finely minced
1 clove garlic, mashed and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Garnishing
3 shallots, thinly sliced and deep fried until crisp
1 cup cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias
To poach the chicken, bring a large stock pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt, green onions, ginger and cilantro. Carefully immerse the chicken cavity side down in the boiling water and bring to a second boil, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a tight lid and let the chicken poach for 50 minutes. Do not lift the lid.
To make the seasoned rice, place a large sauce pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Fry the the shallots, garlic and ginger until fragrant and then add the rice to the aromatics, stirring until the rice is well coated with oil. Add the chicken broth and the sesame oil and bring the rice to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir the rice and cover with a lid. Let steam for 25 minutes and keep the rice covered until ready to serve.
To make the chili sauce, place the chilis, tomato paste, garlic, vinegar and sugar in a blender and process until a smooth paste forms. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the chili paste until it begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chili sauce to a small bowl. Refrigerate up to 1 week.
To make the green onion-ginger sauce, use a mortar and pestle or mini-food processor to grind together the ginger, green onions and garlic to a paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in the salt and sesame oil. Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat until near smoking. Carefully pour the hot oil over the green onion and ginger mixture and stir well. Refrigerate up to 1 week.
To serve, carefully remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and let rest for 10 minutes. With a pair of poultry shears, cut the chicken into pieces with the bone. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter and garnish with fried shallots and cucumber slices. Serve with the warm rice, 2 sauces and poached leafy green vegetables like kai lan or bok choy.
Posted by admin on
Stir-fried flat rice noodles stirfried with kale, prawns, egg and Chinese sausage. The finest supposedly combines the sweetness from the seafood and sausage, savory from the sweet dark soy sauce and a bit of smokiness from the high heat of a wok. Variations are found throughout Singapore and Malaysia.
1/2 lb fresh wide rice noodles
1/2 lb fresh egg noodles
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Chinese sweet sausage (lap cheong), sliced thin on the bias
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
1 cup thinly sliced fish cake
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups beansprouts
1 cup Chinese garlic chives
Seasoning
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili paste
3 tablespoons water
In a small bowl, combine the seasoning ingredients and set aside.
Heat a wok or a large non-stick saute pan over high heat until the pan is smoking hot. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and stir fry the rice and egg noodles until the separate and begin to turn crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the noodles to a platter.
Reheat the wok over high heat and stir-fry the Chinese sausage until crispy, 1 minute. Add the garlic, fish cake slices and shrimp, stir-frying until the shrimp is just opaque. Push the ingredients aside in the wok and add the beaten egg, scrambling until it’s just set. Add the noodles back to the pan and toss everything together. Pour the seasoning sauce over the noodles, stir-frying until the ingredients are well combined. Add the bean sprouts and chives and toss with the noodles until heated through, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook or over stir or the noodles will fall apart. Serve immediately.
