Stir-fry Eggplant Sichuan Style

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized Asian eggplant (quartered and cut into 1 inch lengths)
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 red chili-pepper (finely chopped) - deseed to reduce hotness
• a thumb of young ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• a small stalk of coriander (coarsely chopped)
• 4 tbsp of cooking oil

How to:

• rub the eggplant with 2 tsp of salt and leave for at least 30 mins - to remove the moisture at such it won't absorb too much oil
• pan-fry the remaining salt and peppercorn without oil until the salt turn grayish
• using mortar and pester grind the salt and peppercorn into powder
• using kitchen towels, dry your eggplant - to avoid oil mess while frying later
• heat your oil in a non-stick frying pan (~1 min). Add in the eggplant. Stir-fry till turned slightly yellowish. Remove and set aside
• add in chili-pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry till fragrant
• add in the salt-peppercorn powder
• add in coriander
• add back the eggplant and stir well
• serve with jasmine rice for 2

Xinjiang Lamian

Ingredients:

• 2 serving of wet/dry Chinese Ramen (boiled and strained)
• 200 g of lean pork (sliced thinly) - original recipe is using lamb
• ¼ cut of red bell-pepper (sliced)
• ¼ cut of green bell-pepper (sliced)
• 1 fresh tomato (coarsely chopped)
• 2 red onions (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• a thumb of ginger (finely chopped)
• 1 stalk of spring onion (chopped into 1-inch length)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of chicken stock powder
• ¼ tsp of cumin
• 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup
• 100 ml of water
• 3 tbsp of cooking oil

How to:

• heat your oil in a non-stick pan for 1 minute. Add in onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté till fragrant (~10 seconds)
• add in pork slices, salt, and cumin. Sauté till the meat changes color
• add in red/green bell-pepper and tomato. Sauté for about 10 seconds
• add in tomato ketchup, chicken stock and water. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes with lid on while we prepare the Ramen
• add in the Ramen and spring onion. Stir well and serve for 2

Fruity Prawn Salad

Ingredients:

• 6-8 medium sized prawns (deshelled, deveined, and halved)
• 2 tbsp of cubed apple
• 2 tbsp of cubed pineapple
• 3 tbsp of mayonnaise
• 1-2 tbsp of condensed milk
• a squirt of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp parsley flakes (optional)

How to:

• bring to boil a cup of water and cook the prawns quickly (lift just after they curled and turned red)
• in a serving bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients
• add in the prawns and mix well
• sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve for 2

Curry Flavored Crispy Pork Belly

Ingredients:

• 300 g of pork belly ( sliced into 3 mm thick) - too thin the slice, you won't feel the meaty bite at all, and do try to find a less fatty one for healthy purpose :)
• 1 cup of tapioca starch
• oil for deep frying

Marinade:

• 1 block of Japanese Kare
• 2-3 tbsp of hot water - the idea is to make a medium thickness Kare paste

How to:

• marinate the meat for at least an hour
• coat the marinated meat with tapioca starch
• heat your oil and deep fry the coated meat until golden brown
• serve with sweet chili or your favorite sauce

The Bluffer Curry

My husband strictly avoids coconut milk and chili, and he always gives me a loooooooong sigh whenever I cook curry. SO, I created this recipe. It looks like any other savory fish curry, but contains neither coconut milk nor chili ^o*

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of Dory fish fillets (cut into small chunks)
• 2 peeled, cooked, and chopped tomatoes
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp paprika powder
• 1 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp of cooking oil

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• ½ tsp turmeric powder

Paste:

• 2 red onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 candle nuts
• a thumb of galangal
• 1 tsp coriander powder

How to:

• marinate the fish for at least half an hour
• using a blender or pester and mortar to create the paste
• heat your oil in a non-stick pan. Add in the paste and stir-fry till fragrant (~1 minute)
• add in paprika powder, and stir for 10 seconds or more till the paprika fragrant is released
• add in the tomatoes and simmer for 1 minute (covered)
• add in the fish and simmer for another 1 minute
• adjust taste with salt/fish sauce
• add in fresh chopped coriander, stir twice and serve for 2 with jasmine rice