A friend gave me a shark fin melon and I have been waiting to do something special with it besides just soup and tong sui.

I was chatting to a friend last week and she told me that she simply loves this melon and could I plan to plant a lot in my garden next year so she can have a few. Shockingly I have found out from her that these melons can be kept for a long long time even years!

Anyway she said some people treat them as noodles and so this light bulb moment was hatched. I want to turn this one into a nice bowl of mock glass noodles soup. I am happy it turned out quite well.

Next I would be using crab stock and even chicken with shredded chicken. The possibilities are endless.

Sarawak Laksa – a dish I cook a few times a year when I feel the urge and when I really, really miss the taste and when I feel a bit hardworking. I always ended up slurping a big bowl of the broth though.

I am quite particular when cooking Sarawak Laksa. I will buy fresh prawns, clean them, fry the heads and make a big pot of prawns broth. You can do this days or weeks ahead.

Then I will buy a corn fed chicken and boil it for chicken broth. Both the broths with be combined to make the main Sarawak Laksa stock. First fry the Sarawak laksa paste and then add in both the broths and bring to a boil. Let the stock simmer slowly for an hour or so or as long as you can stand it, before sieving and transferring to another clean pot.

TIP – You can make this the night before than on the day itself you only need to reheat and add in your coconut milk and evaporated milk. When I make this I never have enough broth and even worse when I invite my friends who all insist on tapaus! I think next time NO tapaus

To make the sambal to go with this I always used the sieved paste. My way is to fry the paste with the ‘oil’ from the Sarawak Laksa broth and add belacan, dried chillies & udang kering (dried shrimps). Season with a pinch of sugar to taste. Please refer to the pics.

Sarawak Laksa is special to all who have grown up with it. In fact for Sarawakian aboard the mere mention of Sarawak Laksa will make us really homesick! This is the same as Asam Laksa to Penangites. Non other paste in the world can compare to it’s distinctiveness. One taste you will be hooked forever. Like my friends here who have never eaten Sarawak laksa before until I cooked for them. Now they will always ask me for Sarawak Laksa when we do have a gathering. However my pastes are precious.

I am indeed lucky to have classmates who will bring over and classmates who will send me the paste. I am seriously considering importing Sarawak laksa paste to sell in the UK ——- if only I were 10 years younger and bother to – kekekekeke

Recently a friend reminded me I have not make my special crispy shallots rice for a long time. Years! This is because garlic and crispy shallots rice is very moreish and extremely bad for diabetic I peeled a lorry load of shallots and made shallots crisps the other day and I just have to cook the rice to satisfy my craving.

I decided today is the day I treat myself! Tomorrow I will abstain from carbohydrates and sugar both.

I ate a whole bowl of rice and really wanted more so I had another scope. Sacrilege but I can just eat the rice without and accompaniments.