Fried oyster omelette (called Oh Chien in Hokkien) is one of my favourite dishes at the hawkers in Malaysia. In Malaysia alone, there are a few types of fried oyster omelette. In Kuching and Pulau Pangkor, the omelette is crispy much like crackers whilst in Pontian, Melaka and Penang, it is slightly soft and sticky (owing to the use of potato starch).

Before you start going “ooh-aah, Pablo can cook!”, let me tell you that this is what I ate in Pontian a couple of months ago and “No”, I did not cook this. I might try cooking it one day if I can get my hands on fresh small-sized oysters. The other ingredients in this dish are pretty much standard and easy to find. I have eaten fried oyster omelette which has medium or slightly larger sized omelette but found them a tad too overpowering in the taste of the oyster. Besides, I think using larger sized oysters are a waste. Better have them fresh with a squeeze of lemon instead.

If at all you can find the ingredients, why not try this Fried Oyster Omelette recipe by Amy Beh? Read the rest of this entry »

Before I decided to put up this recipe, I have no idea that this gourd that I’ve been eating the past 30 years or so is called Ridge Gourd. I’ve always known it as “kak kue” in Hokkien (meaning pointed or corner gourd). So, I had to do some googling and finally saw the picture of the familiar gourd - the ridge gourd. Simcooks has a picture of it and a different recipe for this gourd.

Whilst the size of this gourd may seem intimidating (it can measure up to 50cm long!), there is not much of it left by the time you finish cooking. You see, it is pretty much like a sponge and hence, it is also known to be your bathroom loofah in dried form (minus the skin, of course). To serve a plate of ridge gourd, you will need at least 2 pieces of ridge gourd measuring at least 30 cm in length each. Slice off the skin using a peeler and cut them into chunks much like potato wedges. Don’t worry if after preparation you have a big heap of ridge gourd chunks because it will eventually reduce into at least 1/3 in size. Oh, by the way, just like how crab or prawn shells will change colour as it cooks, the ridge gourd flesh will turn from white to green upon cooking. Nice isn’t it?

This is my recipe for Stir-Fried Ridge Gourd with Eggs and Prawns Read the rest of this entry »

Some say Sweet & Sour Prawns are delicious but some say it does a disservice to the prawns. Fresh prawns (especially those caught from the sea compared to prawns reared in freshwater) is delicious cooked by steaming them with julienned ginger and a dash of chinese cooking wine so that you can taste the natural sweetness of the prawns. As for those less fresh prawns, one might want to consider “masking” it by cooking it in sweet and sour sauce. It is not to say that it does not taste great. This dish tastes good in itself and some kids love them. But it is a matter of choice as tastebuds vary from one person to another.

Try this Sweet & Sour Prawns

Ingredients

• 300 grammes of medium or large prawns (either shelled or intact at your preference)
• 1cm of ginger(sliced)
• 1 large onion (quartered)
• 1 stalk spring onion (cut into 2 inch lengths)
• 30 ml warm water
• 5 tablespoons palm oil

Seasoning

• 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• a pinch of salt

Method

Heat oil in wok and fry the prawns for 30 seconds till shell completely turned to red or cooked. Dish out and set aside. Remove oil from wok leaving approximately 2 teaspoons of oil in the wok.

Saute the onions and ginger till fragrant. Return prawns to wok, add seasoning and water. Stir well to coat the prawns. Sprinkle spring onions onto the prawns before dishing out.

For variety, you might want to add cubed cucumbers, pineapples and / or capsicum when you saute the onions.

technorati tags: sweet sour, prawns, recipe, chinese, stir-fry
keotag tags: sweet sour, prawns, recipe, chinese, stir-fry

Abalone is a sought after food item for the Chinese community and it is prized for its claimed nutritional value. Scientists are still figuring out whether abalones are indeed high in nutrition but for me, unless you eat it everyday, eating it once a year won’t make a difference to your health. Abalones are probably one of the most expensive sea-produce and it is no wonder that some countries are actively cultivating them for the commercial market - Australia and Chile, to name a few.

There are many ways to cook abalone but the usual ways are in soup and braised with mushrooms. Some restaurants offer abalone yee-sang as well. Be prepared to pay a premium for those. For those at home, one of the most popular way of eating abalone is to make an appetiser out of it. Get a can of abalone, slice it thinly and garnish it with chilli and garlic.

This is my recipe for Abalone Appetiser with Chilli and Garlic

Ingredients

• 1 can of whole abalone (slice abalone thinly. Use the water in the can to boost up your chicken soup)
• 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 red chilli (deseeded and finely chopped)
• 3 pieces calamansi / limau kastur

Method

Slice abalone thinly and arrange on a serving plate. Wrap with cling film and chill in fridge for 1 hour.

Before serving, sprinkle garlic and chilli over the abalone and squeeze the juice of calamansi over the abalone.

Technorati Tags: recipe, abalone, seafood, calamansi, garlic, chilli