Steamed Happy Prawns with Bean Sauce

One of my favorite ingredient is tofu as it is rich in protein and low in calories. Tofu is soft and bland, and has very little flavor, therefore it is often marinated and seasoned well to paired with other savory or sweet dishes. There are many types of tofu that you find in most supermarkets. This recipe illustrate a savory version of the serving tofu. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (serve 3)
4-6 large prawns
1 soft tofu
cilantro for garnishing
Sauce:
2 pips of garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. lemon peel, minced
1 Tbsp. red pepper, cut in small cubes
½ tsp. fermented soy bean or bean paste
½ tsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. dark soy paste
1 tsp. honey
½ tsp. sesame seed oil
½ tsp. Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp. cornstarch, mixed with a little water
dash of pepper
Method:
1. Wash and remove heads and shells from prawns, leaving the tail intact. Using a small knife, slit along the back and remove the black thread, rinse well and wipe dry. Poke a small opening in the front part of the prawn and pull the tail and insert into the hole. Set aside.

2. Cut tofu in 4-6 squares and carefully place on steaming tray or individual small dish. Set aside.
3. Mix the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, bean sauce, wine, honey, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and cornstarch in a bowl. Heat pan with some oil and fry ginger and garlic until soft but not brown. Add in the tangerine peel if used, red pepper, followed by the sauce mixture. The mixture will thickens, add warm water and adjust seasonings accordingly to your taste. Remove from heat. Place the prawns on top of the tofu and pour sauce on top.
4. Heat water in a steamer and steam for 5-6 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm.
Cook's Note: Another option of serving is to cook the prawns with the sauce and add in half of the tofu. Use the frying ladle to break the tofu and stir to mix with the prawns and sauce. Remove and serve.

Tips: Tofu are best consumed within a day or and is bad when it starts to look slimy and develops a stale smell.

Tri-color Wishful Prawns

Hello, I sincerely hope you all had a nice holiday with your loved ones. The year 2010 was a busy and eventful one for me. Many things happened--some good and some not so well. Anyway, isn't what life is all about? With a positive outlook and faith that all bad things will come to an end--I shall celebrate this day with a simple dish using some of my favorite ingredients. To start off the New Year with good tidings and blessing, I've decided to post a few dishes with inspirational wordings.
Ingredients:
8 whole prawns, shelled intact and deveined
1 cup baby spinach
6-8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked with water
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup canned kidney beans
1 pip garlic, minced
2 slices ginger, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp. oil
salt and pepper
Method:
1. Pat prawns dried and season with a dash of pepper and salt. Squeeze out most of the water from the mushrooms and slice into strips.
2. Heat frying pan with oil and fry garlic and ginger until fragrant and not brown. Add in mushrooms and some of the chicken stock and fry until mushrooms has absorbed most of the liquid. Remove and set aside.
3. Reheat pan over medium high and cook shrimps until the shells turn red in color. Add in the corn, kidney beans, spinach and chicken stock. Simmer for about 5 minutes and stir in the mushrooms and prawns to mix. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.
Printable Recipe

Curry Prawns

This is a delicious curry in which the prawns is flavored with spices and curry leaf, a specialty in Malaysian local curries. I serve this with nasi kunyit.
Ingredients:
400gms prawns, deveined, washed and drained
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
2 tsp. garlic, minced
¾ cups coconut milk
2 sprigs curry leaves (murraya koenigii)
oil for cooking
Spices: mix to form a smooth paste
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. chilli powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. galangar powder
2 tsp. tomato paste
1½ Tbsp. coriander powder
½ tsp. fennel powder
2 Tbsp. water
Method:
1. In a frying pan, heat 2 tablepsoons of oil and fry onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. Stir in the spices and fry on low heat until oil exudes and separates from the paste (add a little more oil if necessary), for about 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the prawns and stir fry for another 5 minutes, then add coconut milk, curry leaves. Simmer to cook prawns and season to taste. Serve hot with rice.
Printable Recipe

Fragrant Mango Prawns

I like this mango and prawn combination because it has a sweet and tangy flavor. I marinated the prawns with pepper and a little egg white to give it a crunchy and smooth texture.

Ingredients:

½ lb. prawns, shelled

1 firm mango, peeled and slice into bite-size

1 sprig spring onions

2 tsp. cornstarch, diluted with some stock

1 egg white

¼ cup chicken stock

1 pip garlic, minced

cilantro for garnishing

salt and pepper

Method:

1. Washed and rinsed prawns until water is clear, pat dry and season with pepper, some salt and half of the egg-white. Covered and set aside in the refrigerator.

2. In a hot pan, heat some oil and fry garlic till soft but not brown. Add in the mango and fry for about 5-8 minutes. Remove on to a plate.

3. Drain the prawns to remove egg wash. In same pan, heat 1 Tbsp. oil on high. Toss in the prawns to cook, add the mangoes, spring onions, cornstarch mixture, and half of the stock to simmer slightly. Add more stock if mixture is too thick. Season to taste and serve.
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Prawns in Fragrant Spicy Sauce/Udang Wangi Berempah

Years ago, I've submitted this recipe to a nursery in exchange for some kaffir lime leaves. Since then whenever they have surplus leaves, they would send me some in the mail. Now I have a bush of my own and it has given me a few fruits and plenty of leaves. I love the citrus lemon-lime smell in this dish. Masak Udang Wangi Berempah literally means "fragrant spicy prawns" in Malay.
Ingredients:
1½ lbs. prawns
1 large onion, chopped
8-10 dried chilies, pre-soaked, seed removed
4-6 pcs. kaffir lime leaves
2-3 pcs turmeric root or 1 tsp turmeric powder
3 buah keras, or 2 tablsp. chopped cashew nuts
1 inch ginger
4 pips garlic
3 stalks lemon grass, cut in chunks
¼ cup oil
1 cup coconut milk
2 tsp. sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Blend or pound the spice ingredients until fine.

2. Slit the prawns on top, remove the black vein and leave shells intact. Wash well to remove any slim and season with a dash of salt. Set aside.

3. Heat oil and fry the spice past until fragrant over medium low heat until mixture is fragrant and moisture has evaporated, and there is a thin layer of red film of oil on top of mixture. This will take abit longer if your paste is processed through a blender.

4. Add half of the coconut milk and mix in with the chilli paste. Turn heat up to high and add in the prawns to cook. Add the rest of the milk and sugar, then the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt.

5. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped fresh young kaffir leaves on top. Serve with rice.
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