Sambal Prawns

Ingredients:
800g prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp cooking oil
prawn stock (See note)
1 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 - 2 tbsp lime juice, to taste
a few sprigs of Vietnamese coriander (daun kesum) 

Grind into paste:
1 big red onion
3 - 4 bird's eye chillies
1 large long sweet red capsicum

• Heat up cooking oil in a frying pan.  Add in paste and stir fry until aromatic.
• Add in prawns and stir fry until half cooked.
• Pour in enough water to cover the prawns.  Add in sugar, salt, fish sauce, lime juice and daun kesum.  Simmer until prawns are just cooked.
• Dish out and serve hot with rice.

Note:

• With a little oil, stir fry 2 slices of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic (smashed) and all the prawns' heads and shells until they turned red.  Using a spatula, press into the heads to get the maximum flavour.  
• Add in water (just enough to cover the prawns' heads & shells).  Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Strain the stock.

Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:

90g white bread, torn into small pieces (without crusts)
45g milk
990g ground beef
400g ground pork
2 large onion (170g), finely chopped
30g finely minced garlic
30g fresh flat leaves parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten
60g grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

• Soak pieces of bread in milk while you prep the other ingredients.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, pork, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs and parmesan cheese. Add in soaked breadcrumbs.  Use hands to mix everything together. 
• Lightly oil your hands to prevent from sticking and gently compress and shape the meatballs  to your preferred size.
• Heat a little olive oil over medium high heat in a frying pan and brown the meatballs in batches.  Once browned (but not cooked through), transfer them onto a plate.

To make pasta sauce:

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
olive oil

• With the same frying pan, add a little olive oil.  Saute chopped onion until soft. Add in minced garlic and fry until aromatic.
• Add in crushed tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add in meatballs and simmer for about 20 minutes, turning the meatballs occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve the meatballs on cooked pasta.  Garnish with more parmesan cheese.

Steamed Rice Cake (Chwee Kuih 水粿)

Steamed Rice Cake, also known as Chwee Kuih (literally translated to Water Cake) is a popular breakfast item in Malaysia or Singapore. It is made of a variety of flours and water and steamed in small metal bowls.  It is served with preserved radish topping and chilli sauce or sambal.

Ingredients:

200g rice flour

25g tapioca flour/cornflour

12g wheat starch

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

250ml cold water

750ml boiling water

3 tbsp cooking oil

• Sift flours together into a mixing bowl.  Add in sugar and salt; then pour in cold water and mix to combine.
• Pour boiling water into the mixture. Stir well to prevent lumps.  Transfer batter into a pouring jug.
• Pour batter into individual moulds.  Steam over high heat for 15 - 20 minutes.
• Remove cakes from steamer and leave to cool.
• Unmould the cakes using a small pastic knife.
• Serve with toppings.  

Topping:

200g preserved chopped radish (chye poh) 

40g dried shrimps, chopped finely (optional)

3 shallots, finely sliced

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

40ml cooking oil

sugar, to taste

soy sauce, to taste

• Wash and rinse the preserved radish a few times.  Squeeze dry.  Set aside.
• Heat oil.  Saute shallots and garlic until fragrant.  Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
• Stir fry dried shrimps with a little oil until fragrant.  Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
• Stir fry preserved radish. Then add in the sauteed shallots and garlic as well as the dried shrimps.  Add in sugar and soy sauce and stir to combine.