Lobster Noodle

Bee of Rasa Malaysia took us out for a chinese lunch a couple of months ago. We had so much food and among the things that we ordered are the lobster noodle. I love noodle. I love lobster. Well, actually that's not quite true. I just love seafood! Normally when I buy a whole lobster from the supermarket, I would just steam them since cutting them into small pieces is not an easy task until I found out at Ranch 99 they do it for you for free!

Those 2 things (lunch with Bee and getting the lobster cut for me) are the reason why I was inspired to make this easy and delish meal on my own. It requires very minimal ingredients, which if you are my regular readers you'd know how I love easy-to-cook dish with minimal ingredients and minimal work as well.

Lobster Yee Mee

1 medium size lobster, cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
Kailan, cleaned and cut
3 garlic, thinly sliced
2in ginger, thinly sliced
2 cups water
1 egg
Salt and sugar to taste
Egg noodle, cooked according to packaging

1. In a big wok or pan, heat 3tbs vegetable oil and saute garlic and ginger, slowly add water and let it boiled.
2. Add salt and sugar, stir and taste. Add lobster and kailan and cover. 2min.
3. Uncover, give it a little stir and break an egg. Stir again.
4. Lastly add the cooked noodle and mix them up. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.
5. It can be eaten with pickled green chili and garnish with green onion.

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Spaghetti with Shrimp and Spinach - 3S's

Look at those big and juicy shrimp! I got the idea to make these Spaghetti with Shrimp and Spinach from Justin of Justcooknyc. His sauce is of course more elaborate and basically from scratch while my sauce is straight from the bottle.

Spaghetti with Shrimp and Spinach
serves 2

Spaghetti - I use whole grain
1 cup spaghetti sauce - more if you like extra sauce
10 pcs shrimp - cleaned, de-veined and de-shelled
1/2 bunch of spinach - cleaned and drained
Salt and sugar

1. Cook spaghetti as per the instruction, drain and put on 2 plates.

2. In a pot, heat the sauce on medium heat and add salt and sugar to taste.

3. Add shrimp and stir for like 30sec to 1min.

4. Turn the heat off and add in spinach. Gently fold the sauce on the spinach.

5. Pour the sauce onto the plate of spaghetti and enjoy immediately.

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May Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 - Summer Party Malaysian-Style

Grilling Satay - Chicken and Beef

Summer is approaching and although we always have bbq at our place, it was never a 'full-blown' Malaysian-style bbq party. So what better way to start the summer than having a Summer Party - Malaysian Style to introduce Malaysian food to our American friends/neighbours? None of those watered-down version of 'Malaysian' food that is normally served at the restaurants here. I am so honoured that my Summer Party proposal was chosen by Foodbuzz for their May 24, 24, 24 event.

The first thing on the menu was of course Satay. Grilled on a charcoal grill (that I specifically asked my husband to get when we moved to this apartment last year!). Both chicken and beef, together with peanut sauce, rice cake and cucumber. The meat was marinated overnight so the taste infused inside the meat and also makes them tender.

Next is Grilled Jumbo Prawns with sambal dipping sauce. I just realised that I don't have pictured of my sambal but the prawn was so yummylicious. Only minimum seasoning needed to retain the taste. They are seasoned with salt, turmeric and a dash of lime juice and off they go on the grill!

Then we have Beef with Potato Murtabak and Pickled Onion on the side. I usually used spring roll skins but this time I used lumpia wrapper. They are equally good although for pictures, I would have to say that I prefer spring roll wrapper since they give that nice edges while with lumpia wrapper you would not get it since they are softer and thinner.

G and J made these droolicious Fried Chicken Wonton that are to die for! I was too busy (and too tired!) to really eat anything yesterday but I am glad I managed to eat some of these. They are crunchy and their bite-size made it easier to eat while one was going back and forth, in and out of the kitchen and patio.

For something heavier, S made these Mamak Mee Goreng with seafood. They are spicy and very flavourful. 1 of my neighbours is of American/Korean parentage and as expected, Mamak Mee Goreng is her favourite and she could not stopped for talking about how good they are.

Honey Barbeque Chicken

Among all the things that I made for the Summer Party, I would have to say that making Fried Popiah is the trickiest one. They are yummy to eat but rolling them and making sure that they are wrapped properly is a skill that I discovered I have yet to master. Thank god for K who used to worked in a chinese restaurant who helped me with wrapping them.

For dessert, I made this Malay kuih called Kuih Bakar. This pandan and coconut milk based kuih/cake is as easy to make as it easy to eat. They are usually made with a flower design mould that I could not find here until I found this disposable mould with curves that gives a little bit of that flower effect.

I would like to thank all my friends (especially S and K for helping and taking most of the pictures) and neighbours who came (and help!) to the party and also Foodbuzz for choosing my Summer Party-Malaysian Style as part of their May Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 event. My SUmmer Party that started at 4pm ended till past midnight after a game of poker. Everybody leaves happily and with a full stomach.

I hope I have managed to introduce you a little bit of how we Malaysian do our party which basically involves lots and lots of food. I will be posting the recipes in my next post.

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Squid in Soy Sauce / Sotong Masak Kicap

Crazy is the perfect word to describe the weather here. We had kind of like a heat wave Saturday-Tuesday with temperature soaring up to 100F eventhough here in Huntington Beach I think we maxed at 97F. And guess what is the temperature now? It is like high 60s to low 60s. I don't really like to cook or be in the kitchen when it is hot since we do not have a/c in the apartment. If I can help it, I would totally avoid cooking when the temperature is higher than 80F but of course that is not possible. We all need to eat don't we?

We went to the asian supermarket last weekend (when it was hot and humid!) so I have quite a few goodies and squid is one of them. Actually I wanted to get some durian but unfortunately they didn't have any. Looks like this weekend we have to go to a different store to get my fix of durian. Anyways, back to my squid soy sauce. It is one of the easiest dish to make. No pounding or grinding or processing needed. Just cut the ingredients and stir fry and voila! You are good to go. Here is how I make my squid is soy sauce.


Squid in Soy Sauce
serves 2-3

1lb squid, clean and cut into rings (I used frozen readily cut)
2 garlic, sliced
1in ginger, sliced
2 red chili, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup water
4tbs sweet soy sauce
3tbs light soy sauce
1tbs thick soy sauce
1/2 tsp white pepper (optional)
Salt and sugar to taste

1. In a big pan, heat some oil and saute garlic and ginger.

2. Add in the squid and give it a quick stir.

3. Add water, all soy sauce and all the other ingredients. Keep on stirring for 1-2min.

4. Serve immediately with a plate of warm white rice.

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Sotong Kangkung

Roadside stall food. Just thinking about it makes me miss Malaysia so much. You know, the part where whenever you feel like eating something, you can just drive your car to the location. Or if you wakes up at 2am and feel like having something to munch be it Maggi Goreng (fried instant noodle) or Roti Canai or Nasi Lemak, all you have to do is get in your car and drive to the restaurant or stall. Lots of places are open 24/7. No more feeling cranky during that time of the month where you are just too lazy to cook yet you want to eat that delicious ............... (fill in the blank yourself).


Well, since I am not in Malaysia, the next best thing that could happen to me is when I found something at the asian store where I could make something that is familiar to me. Like this sotong which gave me the idea to make Sotong Kangkung. Sotong is squid although I think for this dish, cuttlefish is the more correct definition while Kangkung is water spinach. So I guess it would be 'Cuttlefish Water Spinach' in English? Hmmm... doesn't sound right to me and that is why I only put the title in Malay instead of Malay/English.

Sotong Kangkung

1/2lb cuttlefish
Water spinach, cut the root and rinsed thoroughly
2.5 tbs Rojak sauce, I used Boy Scout brand
1 tbs Shrimp paste, also Boy Scout brand
1 tsp Sambal oelek
1-2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup water
Coarse ground peanut
Salt
Toasted sesame (for garnishing)


1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except cuttlefish, water spinach and sesame. Taste and adjust according to your liking.

2. In a big pot, boil some water and blanch the cuttlefish for about 2min. Drain and cut into 1-2in. Keep aside.

2. Blanch water spinach for about 1min, drain and cut.

3. In a big bowl, mix cuttlefish with water spinach and rojak sauce well. garnish with toasted sesame and serve immediately

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Lobster Tail with Lemon Curry Butter

I am so lucky to live in SoCal where seafood is easy to get and not too expensive. My girlfriend who lives in Germany always complain to me how she missed eating seafood since they are not easy to get. But then again, she goes back to Malaysia at least twice a year and where she lives, Titisee/Black Forest, it is just so beautiful. So I guess that was not too bad eh? Talking about Black Forest, reminds me of Black Forest Cake. I am not quite sure if they are available here but they are in Malaysia and it is 1 of my favourite cakes and they are so yummy. I had a huge slice when I was in Black Forest and it took me by suprised by the overwhelmingly taste of alcohol in the cake unlike those available in Malaysia.

I think I am confusing my readers now since the title and pictures posted here are not of cake of any kind. No, you are not wrong. I was just reminiscing all the travelling that I did during my younger years. *wink* Now back to the title and pictures, I made Lobster Tail with Lemon Butter Sauce after I saw it at Maya's My Feasts. This is the 2nd time I cooked lobster on my own. The first time, I just boiled it and eat it with chili sauce. I know! Sad huh? After seeing it at My Feasts, I decided to make some myself. Here is my version.

Lobster Tail with Lemon Curry Butter

1 lobster tail, halves
2 garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 tsp hot chili powder
1 tbs curry powder
1/2 stick unsalted butter -softened
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

1. Saute minced garlic and shallot with 2 tbs of butter.

2. Add in chili and curry powder and saute for 1 min. Let it cool and add in lemon juice. Keep aside (or you can refrigerate) until ready to use.

3. Seasoned lobster tail with salt and pepper. Lightly butter a frying pan and cook the lobster tail. (Just like shrimp, this should not take long)

4. When the lobster is done, pour some of the Lemon Curry Butter on top. Eat with steamed vegetable like broccoli and carrot. You can also drizzle some of the Lemon Curry Butter on the vegetables like I did.

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Crab Curry with Pineapple / Kari Ketam Nenas

Last week the weather has been kind of cold. Too cold and gloomy that we did not even go for our walk on the beach last weekend. Of course it was not as cold as in the East Coast who got another round of snowstorm but still cold for Orange County in March. In a way, it is good since it makes me want to cook even more. And I really cook a lot more last week.

I have been meaning to cook Crab Curry with Pineapple for a while but I never remember to get canned pineapple when I go groceries shopping, until recently. I may not fancy curry much but every once in a while I would have this craving for some. Here is my Crab Curry with Pineapple recipe. I hope you will try it and love it as much as I did.

Crab Curry with Pineapple
serves 1-2

2-2.5lb crab, cleaned and cut (I separate the claws and cut the body in half)
3 shallot, sliced
2 garlic, sliced
2in ginger, sliced
4-spice (2in cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 4 cloves and 4 cardamom seed), rinsed and drained
2-3 tbs curry powder, mixed with a little water to form a thick paste
3-4 pineapple ring, each cut into 4-6 pieces
1 small can coconut milk (165ml)
165ml water (I used the coconut milk can)
Salt and sugar to taste
3 tbs vegetable oil

1. In a wok or big pan, heat the oil and add the 4-spice until fragrant. Add shallot, garlic and ginger. Stir until fragrant.

2. Add water and coconut milk, stir until boil. Add sugar and salt to taste.

3. Once boiled, add in the crab and give a little toss so all the crab parts are covered by the sauce. Cover and let it cook. Just like other seafood, this should not take too long. Once the shell is bright orange, they are cooked.

4. Take the lid off, add the pineapple and stir well. Taste and serve with warm white rice.

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Sardine Tart

I don't know why I love sardine. I just do. I think it is simple, easy to make, cheap and yummy to eat. That is more than enough reasons to like sardine, don't you think? Anyways, yesterday I made some of these sardine tarts. Truth is, I wasn't sure what to make when I bought the flaky dough sheet. I knew that the filling is going to be sardine but not of the shape. I thought of making sardine rolls but then I wrongly cut the dough so I just let it flow and thus emerges the Sardine Tart. All within 30min! Hah! Rachel Ray, here I come!


Sardine Tart
makes 24 in mini muffin tray

1 can Pillsbury Flaky Dough Sheet
1 can sardine in tomato sauce, 5.5oz
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 serrano chili, finely chopped (optional)
3 tbsp ketchup
salt and sugar

1. Preheat oven at 375F

2. In a bowl, mix everything except the dough sheet and taste.

3. Lay the dough sheet on to a flat area (I used my wood chopping board) and cut into 24 pieces.

4. Fit the dough into the mini muffin pan and fill with the sardine mix.

5. Put it into the oven and bake for 13-15min.

Want more of sardines? Check out my Spicy Sardine Sandwich.

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Sambal Tumis Udang (Prawn/Shrimp Sambal)

Sambal Tumis is a cooked chili paste. It is the basic sambal that is normally enjoyed with Nasi Lemak. Add some squid, you will get Squid Sambal, add some eggs, Egg Sambal and the list goes on and on. I love to have some hot and spicy stuff when the weather is chilly like now so a few days ago I made a big batch of sambal tumis so I can enjoy some while freeze the rest for later use. Yesterday I decided to make some Prawn Sambal to enjoy with my white rice.

Nasi Lemak with Sambal Tumis is very popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia (although I think it is called something else in Indonesia) and is available the whole day from breakfast to late supper. For those unfamiliar with the number of meals available for us, there are breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper. Didn't I tell you we ate a lot? *wink*

Sambal Tumis Udang / Prawn Sambal

A.

12 medium to large size prawn/shrimp, cleaned and deviened (you can also deshelled)

1/2-1 onion, sliced about 1/2cm wide

B.

1 small bottle of sambal oelek, 8oz

2 medium-sized onion, quartered

5in ginger

1-2 stalks lemongrass (I used 1 tablespoon grated lemongrass)

1 tbsp belacan powder or 1 sq in belacan block (optional)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 small can tomato paste/puree

1/2cup water

1 tablespoon powdered tamarind (or 3tablespoon of fresh tamarind juice)

1 1/2 tablespoon salt

1 cup sugar

1. Grind all ingredients in B.

2. Heat up the oil in the wok (med high) and put the B ingredients in. Keep stirring for about 10min.

3. Add water, tomato paste, tamarind powder/juice, salt and sugar. Continue stirring for another 4-5min. Taste and add salt/sugar if necessary.

4. Add in the sliced onion and prawn, stir a little bit, cover and simmer for 2-3min.

5. Uncover, stir and taste. Let it set for another 3-4min and serve.

You can enjoy these Prawn Sambal with Nasi Lemak , plain white rice or with your roti pratha.

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Crab in Spicy Plum Sauce

Seafood is plenty here in California but being Asian, there is only so much of steamed seafood with butter or seafood in creamy sauce that I can take before I am craving for that spicy, sweet and sour seafood. Not to mention that it is also very pricey to eat seafood out in the restaurant.

For our 4th anniversary last month, we went to the Joe's Crab Shack. The crab legs are pretty good but somehow it does not satisfy my crave for crabs. So later in the week, we headed off to the asian supermarket and got me 2 huge dungeness (i think!) crabs for less than $4/lb. I would normally make sweet and sour crab but this time I decided to use the plum sauce that I bought and was very happy with the result.

Crab in Spicy Plum Sauce
serves 1-2

1 crab, cleaned, separate the claws and half the body
8-10 thai chili
1in ginger
3 garlic
1 shallot
7 tbsp plum sauce
1/3 cup water
salt and sugar
1 egg, slightly whisked
2 tbsp veggie oil

1. Pound thai chili, ginger, garlic and shallot until it forms a paste.

2. In a wok or deep pan, heat the oil on medium heat and sauteed the paste until fragrant.

3. Add water, plum sauce, salt and sugar. Stir and taste to your liking.

4. Add in the crab, turn the heat to high. Flip the crab until all covered with sauce. Cover. 1min.

5. Uncover, flip the crab again and add in the egg. Turn the heat off and keep flipping the crab until they are all covered with the egg.

6. Serve immediately with white rice or toast.

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Prawn Fritters / Cekodok Udang

I love fritters. Be it Flour Fritters, Banana Fritters or Prawn/Shrimp fritters or Cekodok/Cucur Udang as they are fondly called by Malaysian. They are easy to make and very filling. I have to say that cekodok is our favourite breakfast on weekend.

Prawn Fritters / Cekodok Udang

Makes 18-20

18-20 medium size shrimp - cleaned, deveined and/or de-shelled

1 egg
1/2 medium size onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cold water

Oil for deep frying

Steel ladle

1. In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg. Add in chopped onion, flour, turmeric powder and salt. Stir a little bit and then add in the water. Stir well.

2. In a wok, heat the oil on medium.

3. Run the ladle in the hot oil just to lightly coat it to avoid sticking. Pour about 1-1.5 tbsp batter into the ladle and place 1 shrimp on top. Lighly press into the batter.

4. Put it into the hot oil and give it a little shake/wiggle so the batter comes off the ladle.

5. Flip the fritters once or twice until golden brown.

6. Continue until all batter are used. Fry between 4-5 fritters at one time, depending on the size of your wok.

7. Enjoy on its own or dip into sweet chili sauce.

**Note

Because of the water in the ingredient, the fritter could/would splatter when frying. Please be very careful when deep frying them.

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Chili Tuna Pasta And Oven Roasted Brussel Sprout

I bought some brussel sprouts yesterday to make the oven roasted brussel sprout that Jo made at her blog but I cant just have that for dinner, can I? So I walked back and forth opening the fridge, freezer and all the kitchen cabinets thinking what else should I make. Then I saw a can of the Bumble Bee Spicy Thai Chili Tuna and decided to make my favourite pasta that I used to order everytime I go to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet in Malaysia, Chili Tuna Pasta.

You can also check out my other recipe using Chili Tuna, Roti Pratha with Egg and Spicy Thai Chili Tuna.

Chili Tuna Pasta
Serves 1-2

1 can 5oz Bumble Bee Spicy Thai Chili Tuna

1 tomato, cubed

2-3 thai chili, sliced (optional, only if you like it hot)

2 tbsp olive oil

Cooked spaghetti or pasta of your choice

In a pan, heat olive oil on medium heat and add everything in. Stir occasionally. Serve on cooked spaghetti.

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Serves 1

8 Brussels sprouts, cleaned and halves lengthwise

Olive oil

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven 400F

1. Lay out the brussel sprouts on a baking pan in a single layer.

2. Sprinkle some olive oil, salt and black pepper.

3. Baked for 30-40 min, depending on the amount of brussel sprouts that you use.

4. Serves immediately as they taste better hot. Crunchy and yummylicious good.

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