The second dish I wanted to make with the chayote fruit is Jiu Hu Char. I grew up in Kuching, Sarawak. My mother will cook this traditional dish – Jiu Hu Char with jicama (bangkwang) every Chinese New Year. It is one of my more favoured dish. We sauced it with baked beans. Even then, it must be the certain brand that begins with the alphabet ‘H’. We were indeed quite spoiled.

Today I used the chayote fruit but I did not ‘cook’ it. I washed and soaked the cuttlefish strands (Jiu Hu, in Hokkien dialect) and drained. In hot oil I fry till the wonderful aroma emerges. Then I added in beaten eggs. Actually would be better if I make omelette and sliced thinly but I am a tad lazy today. All day it has been wet and cold and deary in Hertfordshire. Then I hand sliced the chayote fruit and added in after heat off from my wok. Together with spring onions and one red chili. I do prefer colourful dish. Seasoning was salt and freshly ground pepper, pinch of sugar and I harvested my calamansi lime and added the juice. Served on iceberg lettuce with dash of chili sauce. Heaven is a filled lettuce leaf?

Most enjoyable time was eating these wraps – kekekekekek I love cuttlefish any which way period. Grilled, processed with chili and sugar, dried and fluffed etc. Today’s cook affirm to me that I do prefer to eat my chayote more towards the raw side.

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Yesterday we had very light dinner so we all woke up a tad hungry this morning. I decided to cook this fast dish as I have everything on hand. So breakfast was within half an hour. Managed to cut some spring onions from my garden. Really needs my spring onions to grow faster.

I have garlic and shallots oil ready. I also have minced pork ready as I always have some in my fridge. This is for a quick kon loh mee or sometimes hubby like the mince on brioche fingers! Try it. It’s very good the combo of sweet brioche and slightly salty mince. I also use them as toppings for a lot of other dishes of mine. Today I added some fish balls for the hubby too. Oh and I also like to tail my beansprouts when I am sat down watching the television. Then I will put them into a vacuum container in my fridge. Last for days and only soak and rinse with cold water when you want to use them and never before!

When I come back from Malaysia I usually dry my salt fish from Kuching. Then I fry them all up and portioned them. They go into my freezer and I eat at will. The loh shu fun was from Singapore, and it is not a bad brand. I happened to see them in a shop yesterday. So, I am a few packets richer now.

TIP – Please season with salt, pepper, pinch of sugar etc. I did not with mine because my mince were highly seasoned and I used shallots and garlic oils. To me just a touch of dark soy sauce and oyster sauce was enough. Season to your taste and make it yours. There is also no need for corn-starch slurry because I used 2 eggs. Break and mix, smooth and yum already. Season anyhow you wish. Make the dish yours.

Note – Just for F-Sake use a claypot. If not please don’t call it claypot noodles. Frying on a wok then serving it in a claypot is wrong! Call it stir fry if you do that! Enjoy.

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First phase. The first basic rule of thumb is 3 : 1 ratio of rice flour : self raising flour. And 1 tbsp of corn flour.

Second phase is where you season to your heart content of whatever spices you like. Add in 2 tsp of baking powder. Today I added 2 tsp turmeric powder; 2 tsp hot paprika powder and 2 tbsp of shallots and garlic oil. I did not add salt and pepper because I added 1 tbsp of chicken powder. I know the dried shrimps (udang kering) I am adding is gonna be a tad salty.

Add in 2 eggs (because I made a big batch). I was also generous with my dried shrimps, I pounded finely and 500 g of prawns was used.

Today my garden did not have enough spring onions so I used some coriander instead. It adds not only to the taste but the aesthetics; I am vain? – kekekekekeke

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Now for the TIPs

1 – Your mixture must be runny, the consistency of semi-skimmed milk. This is important to get the very light crispy texture for the side. Think of tempura.

2 – You must not use too much oil. I used about half a cm. You just add the oil when you need. This is because we use eggs and if too much oil you gets a lot of bubbles. Please remember to let the oil heat up before you drop in your next batter.

3 – The bigger you chopped your prawns the less crispy the parts where the prawns are. So a balance is your target. To eat all crispy is not nice and to eat all soft is just not nice. A balance of crispy with soft surprising burst of prawns is perfect for my taste. It is entirely up to you. Adjust to your own taste.

Have fun and enjoy. Have a look at this normal cucur udang recipe —–> Crispy Prawns fritters

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I wanted to cook crab meat fried rice for awhile now. Luckily on my trip back to Devon a fortnight ago I managed to get some live crabs. Some were cooked chilly crabs immediately and eat with Man-tao bun and some I steamed and picked the meat and freeze.

It is extremely satisfying for me to do everything from scratch as I know I am eating real crab meat and not mixed with the fake ‘crabsticks’. Devon crabs are wonderful.

A guide to how I fry my butter crabby rice with TIPs.

Firstly gets everything ready. Use as much crab meat as you like. Don’t forget the brown meat as that’s where the taste is! I used 3 eggs, 2 chillies, a bulb of garlic, same size ginger as garlic bulb, 2 banana shallots, half bowl of green peas, 2 stalks of spring onions and a lot of love thrown in. Seasoning was only salt and pepper freshly ground. No condiments and no sauces, just crabs.

TIP – First add in half the eggs and let them set a bit before adding rice and the rest of the beaten eggs. This ensures that your fried rice get some nice bits of set eggs and some colour to the rice.

TIP – Only add the red chillies and spring onions at the last minute before serving as cooking them will make them soft, soggy and lose the fresh taste. (in my opinion)

TIP – I boiled my rice last night and let dry in the fridge and I make sure I separate each grains before using.

TIP – The seasoning I used was only salt and pepper as I wanted to taste the crab. There is a hint of ginger at the back; is what I like with my seafood. Although I would prefer a whiter rice, my Devon eggs yolks were extremely red! Next cometh the most difficult part. Plating.

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My husband do not like eating fresh tomatoes and as I always challenged myself to make him eat his words, literally so – hahahaha I am thus am quite happy that he not only licked his lunch plate cleaned but asked if there is any leftover for dinner. I think I have won!

I harvested my tomatoes that are red and racked my brains as to how to make him eat by cooking something he likes. I have cod cheeks in my freezer as after coming back from Devon I have stocked up lots of seafood and I also made some onsen style eggs with my Sousvide machine. So this dish is born.

I would not be giving an exact measurements of recipe as I used 2 large onions and double the amount of tomatoes. I used a whole bulb of garlic and the ginger was same size as a bulb of garlic and no, I did not weight it! Recipe like this don’t need a hard and fast rules. It’s not baking a cake. Just cook, taste and taste and season to your liking.

Sometimes we just have to use what is on hand. For example, I would have preferred to use green chillies for the contrasting colours but I only had red. (I forgot I have green chillies still growing in my little kitchen garden! Alamak!

I have also added some king prawns because my daughter loves prawns but the hubby called them scavenger of the sea. The recipe is a guide to making a basic masala onion base.

I have saved half for another day because I have aubergines incoming from my garden soon. It is a good TIP to remember when you make paste from scratch, always make a tad more to keep.

Have fun and enjoy cooking.

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Tomatoes onions masala cod cheeks with added onsen eggs

Ingredients

A basic Tomato Masala

• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Chilli
• Oil
• Masala powder
• Chilli powder
• Turmeric
• Salt
• Sugar

I used ghee then blend my onions to fry, adding the ginger, garlic and chilli. Washed and even peeled my tomatoes, as so fresh and firm very easy to peel before blending and adding in.

While the tomato masala is cooking down let’s prepare the cod cheeks. Remove the sinew from the cod cheeks then seasoned and floured. I used salt, turmeric powder and freshly ground black pepper. Lastly dusted with rice flour. Shallow fry in oil for a few minutes then add to your prepared tomato and onions masala paste.

I then cracked in 3 onsen styled eggs cooked in my Sousvide. Braved the drizzle outside and harvested some laksa leaves to add in because I have and because I love the taste.

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I boiled my 7 minutes eggs last night, cool them in the fridge with cold water and while watching MasterChef UK I sat and peeled them very carefully and slowly. Then I gently placed them into my pot to soak overnight for the taste and colour.

The next morning I removed the eggs, then I skimmed most of the congealed oil from the pot and heat up to do the final seasoning adjusting and adding in my cornflour slurry to thicken the sauce and to give them that extra shine. Then I turned off the heat and add the eggs back in to warm up. Daughter had a plateful before she went to work this morning. Early shift today but she is happy for a serving at 6:30 am!

Please note the timing of your eggs also depends on the thickness of the shells. Not all egg shells are laid equal! I noticed my eggs this time possesses harder shells so I bring water to boiling, add in eggs for 7 minutes. Then I quickly poured away the hot water and drenched them with cold water to quickly cool them down. I did a few rinse of cold water. Keep in the fridge or outside your garden like mine if it 5 degree Celsius! Gently crack the eggs all over and peeled with inner kung-fu strength.

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Stir-fried Glutinous Rice (生炒糯米飯)

Ingredients

Basic must have

• Glutinous rice
• Dried shrimps
• shallots
• garlic
• Eggs omelette cut into strips
• Spring onions
• red chilli

Add on (optional)

• Chinese sausages
• Dried scallops (soaked and separated)
• Mushrooms (soaked and sliced)

Seasoning

• Chicken stock – Chicken powder + water
• salt & pepper
• Dark soy sauce
• Light soy sauce
• Pinch of sugar

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House Special Devon crabs fried rice

Ingredients

• Garlic and shallots flavoured oil
• White crab meat
• Brown crab meat
• Ginger
• Shallots
• Minced garlic
• Yellow bean paste
• Salt, Sugar
• Drizzle of rice wine
• Coriander and spring onions

Instructions

• For instructions, please refer to pics

While frying, taste and season to your taste buds. Pinch of sugar, salt, pepper and rice wine round the side of wok before heat off. DO NOT add soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce etc etc. I want the clean taste of CRAB

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Yangzhou fried rice (扬州炒饭)

Ingredients

• Leftover rice
• Chinese ham or char sui
• Slice pork or chicken
• Raw Prawns
• Eggs
• Rice wine
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Salt & Pepper
• Spring onions
• Soy sauce

Instructions

• Heat wok, add oil and fry the shallots and garlic. Add in your char sui and then the raw prawns.
• Add in your overnight, fluffed rice. Continue to fry for about 10 minutes until the rice are separated, dry and dancing on your hot wok.
• When happy with your rice, pour in your eggs. Continue to fry for another 10 minutes or so – exercising your bingo wings – kekekekeke
• Meanwhile while frying, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a dash of soy sauce.
• Turn your heat up high and drizzle rice wine around the rim of your wok all the way round.
• Right after drizzling your rice wine, turn the heat off, give your rice a good stir then add in your spring onions.

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