Dry Curry Prawns With Steamed Turmeric Glutinous Rice

Okay....I know of late, I have been indulging in seafood but I eat in moderation. I love the word moderation :) I managed to get some fairly fresh and big size sea prawns from the shop in Ipoh Garden South selling veggies and seafood....I bought half a kilo and WB asked to cook his all time favourite dry curry prawns with steamed turmeric glutinous rice ( nasi kunyit ).  I told him to help out coz I know he can cook very well esp steamed glutinous rice...hehe so this was actually a team work meal :) 

To make the steamed glutinous rice, WB soaked it for more than 3 hours with a piece of tamarind slice and crushed fresh turmeric. The glutinous rice will turn into a nice yellow color however the crushed tumeric has to be very gently washed out from the rice just before steaming.  The tamarind slice is to give the glutinous rice a shine after steaming.  My glutinous rice is much healthier because instead of adding coconut milk, I add a tbsp of olive oil  :)  Okay, this again is preference...you can add coconut milk to give it an extra flavor if you like.   The dry curry turned out good too and it goes really well with the glutinous rice.  Guess what...not only WB ate a lot....me too had seconds after my first helping ....hehehe the dry curry prawns was so good that we forgot about cholesterol and carbo.  

The glutinous rice was perfectly done by WB and the curry prawns was of course my creation :p  WB can be a good cook if he wants to ...hahaha I hope he will spend more time in the kitchen cooking for me while I pot around in the garden :)

getting the turmeric soaked glutinous rice ready for steaming

I will give WB full marks for making this steamed glutinous rice

with turmeric...beautifully done

this is my cooking :)....I bought the freshly ground curry paste for dry curry from

the wet market....this dish takes very little effort and darn yummy delicious

wow...I want to make this again......

wait have to carry out

the weight lifting workout first

Dry Curry Prawns With  Steamed Turmeric Glutinous Rice  - from WB's Kitchen

Ingredients for dry curry prawns

1/2 kilo large sea prawns- deveined but keep the shell and head

fresh ground curry paste specially for dry curry from wet market

( I asked the lady to give me enough for 1/2 kilo prawns )

1 stalk serai - crushed

3 to 4 tbsp of olive oil 

2 twigs of curry leaves

1 red onion - sliced

1/2 cup of full cream milk

Method:

Heat up wok . Add 3 to 4 tbsp of olive oil , add in the fresh ground curry paste , crushed serai and currry leaves....stir fry till olive oil rises to surface and aromatic.  Add in the prawns and red onions slices and continue to stir fry till the prawns are cooked and the curry paste coats the shell.  Add in 1/2 cup of full cream milk and continue to cook till the gravy thicken and the prawns are coated with the paste. Dish up and serve  hot with the steamed glutinous rice.

Steamed Turmeric Glutinous Rice  / Nasi Kunyit

for two persons

Ingredients

1 thmb size fresh turmeric cut into small pieces and gently crushed

2 muffin cups of glutinous rice - washed clean and soaked with crushed turmeric  and water for 3-4 hours until the rice is stained a rich yellow..

1 piece of tamarind slice

1 tbsp of white peppercorns - wash  clean

1 tbsp of olive oil

Method:

Heat up steamer.  

Drain off water from the glutinous rice and gently rinse away crushed turmeric .  Place glutinous rice on a 1 inch deep dish. Grease the dish with olive oil.  Add in white peppercorns and 1 tbsp of olive oil to the glutinous rice until well combined. Place the tamarind piece on top of the rice. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of water onto the washed rice.

When the steamer water is boiling, put in the glutinous rice and steam for 20 mins.  Open lid and check the rice.  It should be glistening and rice is cooked. If not you can add another tbsp of hot water over the rice and close back lid and continue to steam for another 6-7 mins.

Enjoy!

Seafood Pasta En Papillote With Pan Seared Scallops

Nothing beats having your pasta wrapped in paper bag, parchment paper or foil and baked in preheated oven for 20 mins....the aroma of the ingredients get infused and the flavor, juices from the seafood and aroma trapped in the pasta....the scent of the sea will burst on your tongue as you savor the pasta...mmmmm I love food cooked in papillote.  En papillote , a french word for " in parchment " is a method of cooking in which the food is put into folded pouch or parcel and then baked.  The parcel can be made from folded parchment paper and other materials ,such as a paper bag or aluminium foil may be used.  For me, I prefer to use parchment paper...healthier and the juices won't leak out...keep the taste and aroma trapped in...besides pasta you can cook fish in papillote too.  I have a few fish recipes cooked in papillote that I can share with you here. Let me digress a bit since I am on the topic of cooking en papillote :p

chicken :  Baked Chicken Fillets In Papillote 

              Curried Chicken Peppers And Peas In Papillote

fish :      Salmon And Tomatoes en Papillote 

             Salmon Baked In Papillote  

             Scad Ikan Selar In Papillote  

Back to the seafood pasta...it is healthy as not much oil is used...packed with iodine and the dried mixed herbs gives it the final aromatic scent besides the sea scent from the seafood.  A good delicious combination that gives me pleasure in tucking in the pasta after a bout of flu.  Hubby enjoyed it as much as I and we look forward to more cooking in papillote.

            

of course the pasta has to be cooked to al dente first....drained

mix with sea salt and mixed herbs and fresh tomatoes . Teh baby octopus needs to be

scalded with hot water for a mins..drained and mixed together with the NZ mussels

then pour onto parchment paper and wrapped into a parcel.

Place on baking tray and baked in preheated oven for 20 mins.

this is so appetizing...packed with my favourite seafood :)

the aroma when I opened the parcel really makes us drool....everything

was perfectly cooked...the baby octopus and the NZ mussels plus the additional of

pan seared  US fresh scallops..bigger than the 50 sen coin...hehehe

thanks Piggy Joanna for the scallops...love it!

this is one awesome pasta

Seafood Pasta En Papillote

spaghetti for two persons - cooked till al dente - drained

2 tsp of dried mixed herbs
2 tsp of chopped garlic
6 pieces of baby octopus- scalded with hot boiling water for a min
8 pieces of NZ mussels
5 cherry tomatoes - cut into halves and deseed

sea salt to taste
1.5 tbsp of olive oil

Parchment paper - 2 pieces - big enough to wrap the pasta and seafood

Pan Seared Scallops
8 pieces of fresh US scallops ( seasoned with black pepper and sea - salt to taste )
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp of olive oil for pan searing the scallops

Pan seared on non stick pan ...each side 4 mins.


method:

Spaghetti pasta has to be cooked to al dente first....drained off excess water. Add in chopped garlic , sea salt and olive oil onto the cooked pasta in a mixing bowl. Add in dried mixed herbs and cherry tomatoes. Mix well. Add in the scalded octopus and mussels last.

Place the pasta with the sea food onto parchment paper and wrapped into a parcel.

Place on baking tray and baked in preheated oven for 20 mins. Serve the seafoid pasta with the pan seared scallops.

Serve hot.

Spicy Prawns With Kaffir Lime Leaves

I have been wanting to cook this for a long long time.  Saw this recipe in one of the newspaper cuttings many years back and have kept it in my to do list filed in a paper file . I cooked this a week before I was attacked by the flu bug.   This spicy prawn dish is to die for.  The aroma from the kaffir lime leaves gave the dish its signature flavor and taste.  I did not follow the recipe to the dot and used ingredients that is available in the fridge.  The original recipe uses cut ingredients but I shortcut it by using fresh ground chilli paste mix from the wet market with some addition of fresh turmeric and fresh  ketumbar.  After cooking, the aromatic paste will stick to the prawn shell giving it the dry curry look.  This is finger licking good that WB requested that I cook this again for him.  Well, of course ! I have added this dish to my everyday menu list.   A keeper for sure :)

love the aroma of the kaffir lime leaves

I grow them in my garden and it is also

my prized plant in the garden

when making this dish , the prawns must be fresh

Spicy Prawns With Kaffir Lime Leaves

Ingredients

8 large sea prawns - devein but keep the shell and head

1 stalk of lemongrass- crushed
5 kaffir leaves - centre spine removed and sliced thinly
2 tbsp of ground chilli mix paste ( more fresh turmeric and fresh ketumbar ) from the market
2 bird's eyes chillies-  sliced
1 red onion- sliced
1 clove of garlic- chopped
2 tbsp of milk
salt to taste
1.5 tbsp of olive oil or vegetable oil

Method:

Heat up 1.5 tbsp of oil in a wok,  add garlic, sliced onions,  2 tbsp of  ground chilli paste mix , crushed lemongrass , onions, stir fry till fragrant. Add in the prawns and pan fry till cooked.  

Add in milk and  salt to taste and add in kaffir leaves and turn heat on for a few mins to give the prawns extra crunch and the milk has thicken.  Dish up and serve with plain rice or yellow glutinous rice.

Smoked Chicken

Smoked chicken taste better than roast chicken.  The distinctive smoky flavor is to die for.  I used to roast chicken for WB but since I learnt how to smoke chicken using the wok, I have been making these smoked chicken for WB . I learned how to smoke in the wok from my cg leader when I helped her make smoke chicken drumsticks for some fund raising project.   Who say we stop learning once we are retired...hahaha for me it is still learning process till I take the last breath :p

I smoked some for him a week before we caught the flu bug. WB prefers his chicken to be  marinated with just black pepper and plenty of sea salt.  It is really addictive and WB is still craving for it ....ok I promised to make some again once we recover from this flu :)  This smoked chicken is a keeper for sure. Now I dont have to think what to cook for the coming Christmas....smoked chicken it will be :p

you need a piece of alumium foil to line the base of the wok

throw in some tea leaves ( puer or any type of tea leaves)

with some brown sugar...when the tea leaves and brown sugar get burnt,

 it gives out a distinctive smoky flavor which is absorbed into the chicken

meat

smoke the steamed marinaded chicken  for 

20 mins till brown

the meat remains tender and juicy

love this method of smoking chicken

I can have these pieces of smoked chicken all to myself :p

.......aromatic and finger licking good smoked chicken

great for parties and I am sure you will woo your guests with 

this home smoked chicken

Smoked Chicken 

1 whole chicken - cut into 4 parts with skin on

2 tsp of ground black pepper

2 tsp of sea salt

1 piece of aluminium foil big enough to cover base of wok

4 tbsp of tea leaves - any choice will do

1 tbsp of brown sugar

Method:

Marinated chicken parts with black pepper and sea salt and leave to rest for at least a few hours. Steamed them in a boiling steamer until the chicken parts are cooked.

Prepare the wok for smoking process.  Place a piece of aluminium foil at the base of wok.  Throw in the tea leaves and brown sugar and mix evenly.  Place a rack  over the tea leaves mixture.  Place the steamed chicken parts on a bbq aluminium netting tray and place the tray on the rack .  Cover the wok with lid and set the stove fire on high.  Smoked the chicken parts for 20 mins until the chicken turned golden brown and has the distinctive smoky flavor.

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Fish Fillets With Wood Ear Fungus

After a bout of cough and fever....cooking something simple like this dish is most welcome.  Both WB and myself  were down with fever and cough for the past week.  Fever gone but the cough still persists ....I managed to whip up this stir fry fish fillets with wood ear fungus.  Eaten with a bowl ofplain hot porridge was truly heavenly :)  Taste so good and delicious.  Especially with homegrown spring onions.  After taking medication for a week, this dish definitely boost up our appetite.  Dont be sick...stay healthy and stay away from crowds ! We survived on plain porridge and pressure cooker really makes life much easier when one is sick  :) love my pressure cooker.

I love this simple stir fry with lots of wood ear fungus

Stir Fry Fish Fillets With  Wood Ear Fungus

ingredients:

300 gm fish fillets- red snapper ( your choice of fish )

2 cloves of garlic

an inch ginger - slice thinly

a bunch of spring onions - cut into 1" length

shredded carrots

2 pieces of wood ear fungus- soak till soft and cut into shreds

1 tbsp of olive oil

seasoning - mix seasoning ingredients together

light soy sauce

1 tsp of corn flour

1 tsp of chinese cooking wine

a pinch of sea salt

a dash of pepper * I leave this out coz of my cough

1/3 cup of water

Method:

Heat up wok and add in oil, throw in ginger and garlic and saute till fragrant. Add in wood ear fungus, carrots and fish fillets. Continue to stir fry till fish is cooked. Add in seasoning sauce and stir fry till  gravy thickens.  Add in spring onion after a quick stir fry, dish up and serve hot with plain porridge or hot rice.

Enjoy !