Leftover Magic: Prawn Noodle

We hate to waste food; and are proud to say that we very rarely do so at home! We often reconstruct dinner leftovers for lunch the following day - either for fried rice or noodles. In the above picture, you see our prawn noodle lunch reconstructed from two dishes below:


1. Steamed Prawns

2. Stirfried Kailan with Oyster Mushrooms

The extra ingredients are minimal. Follow the below steps for a delicious lunch!


Level: Easy
Preparation Time: 20mins
Serves: 2


Ingredients:
4 - 5 smal buncles of dry prawn noodles
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp chili oil with chili flakes
1 tbsp olive oil


Preparation
1. Boil half a pot of boiling water. When water starts to boil, put in dried noodles. Remove from boiling water when the noodles are sufficiently cooked. (Make sure they are not soggy)
2. Heat wok, pour 1tbsp olive oil
3. Add leftover prawns (8-10 pieces)
4. Add leftover vegetable stirfry
5. Mix ingredients well in the wok
6. Add the cooked noodles in the wok
7. Add in the oyster sauce, light soy sauce and dried chili oil
8. Mix well for 3-5mins
9. Serve in a bowl. Enjoy!

Steamed Prawns

Steamed Prawns

Being raised in Singapore means having access to fresh seafood at economical prices! I love everything about living in Chicago, but have to admit that one of the things I miss most from home is fresh seafood. Imagine the delight when we discovered fresh prawns at H Mart in Niles! And with head intact to boot! So prawns have become one of our must-buys when we go to H Mart. In order to take advantage of the freshness of the prawns, we decided to have a simple steamed prawns dish today. No complicated flavors; just the freshness of the succulent prawns! Enjoy!

Serves: 2 - 3
Level: Easy
Preparation Time: 20mins

Ingredients
15-20 medium sized fresh prawns (preferably with heads intact)
1 inch of fresh ginger (skinned and sliced)
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
0.5 -1 tsp white pepper (to taste)

Preparation
1. Clean prawns, remove feelers and legs.

2. Add pinch of salt over the prawns, and mix thoroughly
3. In a separate bowl, mix the chopped garlic, sesame oil, white pepper, a pinch of sugar and 3 tbsp of water.
4. Pour mixture over prawns and mix well.
5. Let the prawns marinate for 15-20mins

6. Place the prawns in a plate for steaming. Place the ginger slices evenly around the plate.
7. Get the steamer ready.
8. Steam the prawns for 10-15mins until ready.
9. The prawns go well with a sauce dip that consists of light soy sauce and a bit of dried chilli oil.

10. Enjoy!

Fried Rice with Dried Anchovies (Nasi Goreng Ikan Bilis)

Fried Rice with Dried Anchovies

I love cooking fried rice for lunch. The thing I like best about fried rice is its versatility. You can pretty much make fried rice with anything. Today I wanted a very simple and homely version with ikan bilis or dried anchovies. This dish is a staple in many Malay homes . As you can see in the following, the steps involved in cooking fried rice are very standard. What changes are the ingredients. If you master the technique, this simple dish will reward you with a deliciously satisfying lunch at a fraction of its cost when purchased. I think that 2 things are key in making great fried rice: 
1. The wok has to be super hot, to prevent the ingredients sticking onto the wok. 
2. You need to use overnight rice, that although fully cooked, is 'hard' in consistency. 
We'll get better with each practice. Happy frying! - Ros

Level: Easy

Time: 20 mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

- 1 medium size carrot (diced finely)

- 1 handful of dried anchovies (split to half and cleaned)

- 2 cups of cooked rice (refrigerated overnight and with hard consistency)

- 2 dashes of fish sauce

- 4 thai chillies, 1 red jalapenos (diced finely. Also please adjust to taste, if you don't want it spicy, just delete this ingredient)

- 3 eggs (beaten with a pinch of salt)

- Salt to taste

- Olive oil (3 tbsp olive oil)

Preparation

1. Scramble the egg in a heated wok. Use spatula to cut egg into small bites. Set aside.

2. Strip the dried anchovies into two midway. Clean with running water.

3. Fry the dried anchovies in a heated wok with 1 tbsp of olive oil until crispy. Set aside.

4. Using the same wok, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Fry the diced carrots and chillies for about 2 mintutes.

5. Add the cooked rice and mix completely.

6. Add 2 dashes of fish sauce.

7. Mix all ingredients well, and finally add back in the scrambled eggs and the fried anchovies.

8. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Balsamic Vinegar Macerated Strawberries With Vanilla Ice Cream

Balsamic Vinegar Macerated Strawberries With Vanilla Ice Cream

Days pass by and Chicago is suddenly thinking of Summer when Spring is barely knocking on our door!  With the sun comes ever sweeter, fresher thoughts of summer food; and just like that - at the exact time we trade our high-heel boots for a pair of strapy sandals while still sporting a light sweater and a raincoat we start to day dream of fruits and cream and refreshingly juicy dishes that are intoxicating to the senses.  To celebrate the 0.5 days we get of Spring in this lovely windy city, I want to share with you a morphed, deliciously easy recipe.  I first came upon part of the idea through epicurious.  The recipe started to change based on the nice little surprises left on the fridge and on the need to either come up with a fresh 'dressed up' solution to dessert fit for company, or a 'dressed down' bite, 'let's chill with a taste of sweet' after an everyday dinner.  The idea of combining berries with balsamic vinegar and pepper is as ancient as the Roman Empire, and still as versatile and delicious as any other dessert.  Somehow, the strawberries bring out the balsamic vinegar's sweetness, and the pepper highlights the strawberries' spice - all perfectly enriched by hints of vanilla and cream.  Simplicity is definitely perfection!  One can creatively change this wonderful recipe by adding ribbons of lemon zest or other types of berries into the mix.  To me, it just satisfies this nagging berries and cream craving I seem to have in dangerously increasing waves.  A spoonful of peppery, sweet and slightly tart berries with ever velvety sweet cream and bang - you are in Heaven! - Connie.

Level:  Easy (Extremely Easy!)

Time to Cook:  10 minutes to prepare; 30 min - 1 hr to macerate

Servings:  2

Ingredients:

-  1lb fresh strawberries (can substitute or add mix of berries, including blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)

-  1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar (better if aged)

-  1 Tbsp sugar (less if strawberries are very ripe)

-  Black pepper to taste

-  2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream per person (can be substituted for 2 scoops of Greek yogurt - which gives it a cream cheese consistency... Or if you are feeling truly decadent, a nice fat dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream will do the trick!)

Preparation:

1.  Clean the berries.  For strawberries, cut the tops and quickly rinse over cold water and dry.  Then cut each large berry in half and preserve the small whole berries (I love the differences in texture and love biting into whole juicy berries every now and then!)

2.  Pour the balsamic vinegar, sugar and a couple of grinds of pepper onto the strawberries (and/ or mix of berries).  Cover the bowl with plastic and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

4.  When ready, assemble the final desert by taking half of the berries into a serving dish and then spooning a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream (yogurt, whipped cream or creme fraiche) and pour some of the liquid on top of it

Dressing the Berries for Company:  To convert this into a truly easy 2 minute dinner party dessert, serve over a partly toasted slice of pound cake with a dollop of cream.  Your company will love it!  

Copyrighted delimilli 2011.

Curried Beef and Potatoes Turnover (Epok-Epok)

Curried Beef and Potatoes Turnover (Epok-Epok)

Epok-epok or curried beef and potatoes turnover is a snack that is often featured in the childhoods of many of us Malay kids growing up in Singapore. They are most often eaten during tea time, or during breakfast. They are also often served to guests who visit along with a pot of hot, sweet tea. I have very fond memories of epok-epok, making them from scratch at home along with my mom and my sister. My mom believed in specialization of sorts. As the least skillful one of the three, it took a long time before I was 'promoted' to the task of crimping or pleating. My sister's skill in this task reigns supreme, and to this day, I still could not make mine as fine, consistent and beautiful as she does hers. In any case, I decided to make epok-epok from scratch today. I have come to realise what a long and complicated task this was - it requires a multitude of skills, one of which was making the pastry. But we persevered and in the end, were rewarded with delicious epok - epok, not too far off my mom's own version. Hopefully this recipe will help overseas based Singaporeans like myself get a taste of home. Happy trying! - Ros

Thoughts From an Epok-Epok Newbie:  Well - these 'empanadas' were delicious!  I call them 'empanadas' as in Latin America, these turnovers would be equivalent to traditional empanadas (only that the filling is different).  We had fun with Ros, as I shared with her that other empanada-types exist in the world.  From the US (apple turnovers), to Guatemala (sweet empanadas), to the UK (meat pies) to Spain (empanadas de jamón), everyone has a version of this wonderful dish.  One of my oldest memories of 'empanadas' were the ones that doña Olimpia made - they were amazing!  Doña Olimpia, the Spanish mom of a friend, was the most wonderful cook and I recall tasting her signature empanadas over a summer many, many years ago.  Since then, I've been hooked to the dish.  The Malay epok-epok was definitely a new find for me, and specially unique as it merged in one dish my Latin American/ Western heritage (the 'empanada' concept) and my Asian roots (the curry meat and potato filling)!  What I loved, was to find in the filling the 'surprise' of a piece of hard boiled egg.  It gave moisture to the curried potatoes and made it scrumptious!  Now, being a complete novice in this art I did try to crimp one with Ros but it didn't even make it to this blog.  The crimping is an art that definitely remains in my long list of things to learn!  My 'epok-epok' was so bad looking and stained with yellow filling on the 'outside' (as well as on the inside) that my recommendation for all of you out there making it for the first time - is to take it slow and do small ones if at first you have trouble - or instead of crimping make the closure by using the tines of a fork.  But definitely do try this dish - it is amazing!!  I thank Ros for sharing with me such unique eats and happy times.  Empanada, epok-epok, pie, turnover, etc etc - it all spells comfort to me! - Connie

Level: Advanced (or for Connie - Super Advanced!)

Time to cook: 2 - 2.5hrs (this is according to Ros, for me it felt like 2 days!)

Servings: 10 pieces 

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

- 3 cups of flour

- 3 tsp olive oil

- A pinch of salt

- 1 mug of hot water

For the filling

- 3 hardboiled eggs (cut sideways into 4 pieces each)

- 3 potatoes (peeled and diced)

- 1 sweet onion (diced)

- 4 tbsp curry powder

- 0.5 lbs minced beef

- Salt and sugar to taste

Preparation:

1. Add 1+ tbsp water to the curry powder to make it into a thick paste.

2. Heat the wok, add 2 tbsp of olive oil
3. Stir fry diced onions until they are translucent and wilt

4. Add the minced beef in the wok and fry together for 2 - 3 minutes, until the beef is cooked

5. Add the curry paste into the wok and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the potatoes.

6. Add water to cover the ingredients. Turn heat to medium and let the potatoes cook.
7. Season with salt and sugar.
8. For extra spice, add freshly cracked pepper and some crushed red chili flakes.

9. Let the water evaporate as the potatoes cook. In the end, you should be left with a thick mixture.  Potatoes should be fork tender, but not disintegrated into a paste
10. Let the mixture cool for an hour or so.

11. In the meantime, make the pastry dough.

12. Put the flour in a big bowl. to a mug-full of f hot water. Add  a pinch of salt and mix it.

14. Add the water and oil mixture gradually into the flour. 

15. Kneed the dough as you go, and add just enough of the water and oil mixture to make into a pie dough consistency (not too hard or too soft).

16. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30mins and cover with a piece of plastic wrap
17. Roll the dough until it is approx 0.2" thick, cut into round pieces with a cookie cutter - approximately 3.5 inches in diameter.

18. Roll the cut out further until it becomes 4 inches in diameter 
19. Put in about 2 spoonfuls of potato paste inside the dough, along with a slice of egg as shown below.

20. Fold dough into two. Crimp / pleat the edges.

21. The result should look like the above.
22. Repeat for all the pastry.

23. Heat the wok with peanut oil over medium heat. Wait until the oil is sufficiently hot (little bubbles should come up when you stick a wooden chopstick into the bottom of the wok). Slide the epok-epok into the hot oil.

24. The final products are shown below. 

25. You may want to have a side orange and herb salad with guacamole, along with the epok-epok. Enjoy!