To Cook
Mix together the egg, cornstarch, flour, water, fish sauce, salt and pepper until it is combined well and smoothly.
Add the anchovies, shallots and green onions, stirring gently.
Fill a pan with about 1.5cm of oil at 175°C.
Scoop about 2-3 tbsp of the mixture into the hot oil, making sure that you do this quickly so that it becomes one fritter.
Cook for 2-4 mins per side. The fritters are ready when they are golden and crisp.
Remove the fritters from the oil once they are done and place on a baking sheet or paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Repeat in batches until you have used up the mixture.
Serve while hot.
Deep-Fry
Homemade Fried Spinach Tofu
To Prep
Salt chopped spinach and set aside for 15 mins. Using clean hands, squeeze out liquid from the spinach. Then place the spinach on a square / rectangular baking tin lined with baking paper. Leave aside.
Beat eggs and slowly whisk in soy milk. Then whisk in chicken stock powder. Pour the egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the baking tin. Place the baking tin into a steamer and steam for 10 mins over medium heat. Remove and leave to cool for 15 mins.
To Cook
To make the sauce, heat oil in a pan and cook the Shimeji mushrooms until lightly browned. Then add in sugar, soy sauce and pepper. Mix well. Pour in thickening mixture and allow to cook until the sauce thickens.
Cut the tofu into squares or rectangles. Deep fry until lightly browned. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon over the mushroom sauce. Serve hot.
Jing Du Style Peking Pork Ribs
To Prep
Marinate the pork ribs with Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp sugar, salt, ground white pepper and egg white for 1 hr in the refrigerator. Take out and bring the marinated pork ribs to room temperature.
To Cook
In a wok or cast-iron pan, heat about 2cm oil over medium heat. Just before frying, mix in an additional 2 tbsp cornstarch to the pork ribs if you’d like the pork to be crispier. Fry the pork ribs in batches for about 5-8 mins each batch until golden brown. Drain fried pork ribs on a wire rack.
In the same wok, leave about 2 tbsp of oil used for frying the pork earlier. Add in garlic and cook for about 1 min. Add ketchup. Stir for 2 mins, be careful not to burn the sauce. Then add in water, soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar. Bring the sauce to a simmer at medium heat until sauce thickens. Toss in the pork ribs at medium low heat, stir to coat the ribs well with the sauce. Add in a few drops of sesame oil and continue to stir for 1 min.
Transfer to serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds and some coriander leaves. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Hokkien Style Fried Pork Meatballs (Soh Bak Ngee)
To Prep
In a large, deep bowl, put in minced pork. Combine thoroughly with soy sauce, sesame oil, corn flour, salt and white pepper. Add minced mushrooms, carrots, garlic and shallots. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Marinate the meatball mixture in the refrigerator for at least 3 hrs or best, overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator and mix again. Using hands, press the mixture together so that the ingredients will bind well. Prepare soy sauce mixture. Roll meatball mixture into balls of 3-4cm in diameter.
To Cook
Heat oil in a wok just enough to cover half of the pork meatballs. Dip meatballs with soy sauce mixture and slap the meatball from one palm to the other about 3-4 times. Put into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Turn when needed.
Drain fried pork meatballs on wire rack. Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce or ketchup.
Marmite Pork Spare Ribs
To Prep
Mix all the marinade ingredients and marinade the pork ribs for 1 hr in the refrigerator. Take out and bring the marinated pork ribs to room temperature.
To Cook
In a wok or cast-iron pan, heat about 2cm oil over medium heat. Just before frying, mix in additional 2 tbsp corn starch to the pork ribs if you’d like the pork to be crispier. Fry the pork ribs in batches for about 5-8 mins each batch until golden browned. Drain fried pork ribs on a wire rack.
In the same wok, remain about 1 tsp of oil used for frying the pork earlier. Add in all the sauce ingredients except salt and sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until sauce starts to thicken. Then add in salt and sugar according to taste if needed.
Over medium high heat, toss in the fried pork ribs and stir to coat each piece with the sauce.
Transfer to serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds and some coriander leaves. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Japanese Crispy Pork Cutlet (Tonkatsu)
To Cook
Combine beaten egg and milk in a bowl.
Coat pork in order of flour, egg and milk mixture and Obento Panko Breadcrumbs.
Deep fry crumbed pork in 180℃ hot oil until golden and pork is fully cooked. Place on kitchen paper or resting rack to absorb excess oil.
Cut the pork cutlet into 1cm strips. Serve on a bed of cabbage with a side of Obento Tonkatsu Sauce in a small dish for dipping.
Salted Egg Yolk Chicken
To Prep
Marinate chicken with salt, pepper and rice wine for 1 hr.
Add the beaten egg to the chicken thighs and mix well.
Coat chicken in potato starch, shake off excess and transfer onto a dry plate.
To Cook
Deep fry the chicken till golden brown and crispy.
Transfer onto paper towel to remove excess oil.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a separate pan and melt butter until foamy.
Add curry leaves and fry till fragrant and crisp.
Add garlic, ginger, chillies and mix well.
Add salted egg yolks and cook till the mixture becomes bubbly.
Return the fried chicken to the pan and toss until evenly coated with sauce.
Homemade Fish Crackers (Keropok Ikan)
To Prep
Mix ingredients well and adjust seasoning to desired taste.
Rub hands with some cooking oil and divide the paste into 4 portions.
Roll each portion into cylinder-shaped rolls of about 5-7cm in diameter
To Cook
Steam for about 45 minutes on medium heat or until they are firm and looks slightly transparent.
Allow to cool and where desired lightly colour the outside red with some permitted food colouring
Refrigerate until the dough is firm enough for slicing.
Cut into thin slices of 2 –3mm thickness and spread onto a baking tray lines with baking paper.
Pre-heat oven at 100 degrees and bake for about 1.5 hrs.
Turn the cracker slices after 20 mins to ensure they are evenly baked.
When baked, let it cool then store in an airtight container.
Deep fry for about 30 secs until they puff up crispy.
Drain excess oil on paper towel and serve
Hakka Yong Tau Foo
To Make the Broth
Dry-fry the anchovies until dried, placed into a stock pouch.
Heat the water in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the soybeans and anchovies soup pouch and bring to boil for 30 mins or more. Add in the salt and sugar last.
To Prepare
Combine the stuffing ingredients, mix well and set aside.
Puffed tofu – Make a slit at the center of the puffed tofu with scissors.
Firm tofu – Scoop out a hole at the center of the tofu.
Chillies and okras – Make a slit from the top, stop at 2-3 cm from the end. Remove the seeds.
Eggplants – Slice in from the side to about ¾ of the way, allow the eggplant to open up like a shell.
Bitter melons – Remove the core and seeds.
With a spoon or butter knife, add the stuffing into the vegetables and spread them out to avoid falling out as they will shrink when cooked.
To Cook
In a frying pan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Pan-fry the stuffed firm tofu, meat facing down first, until browned on all sides and place them into the soup.
Pan-fry the remaining stuffed vegetables and puffed tofu covered until all sides are browned and meat are cooked.
Serve the stuffed vegetables and tofu with the soup.
Thai Fried Banana Fritters (Kluay Kaek)
To Prep
In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice flour, potato starch, sugar, coconut, bicarbonate soda and salt, mix well.
Pour the water into the mixture, whisk until you make smooth batter that coats the banana evenly when dipped. If the batter is too thick, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until you reach the right consistency.
To Cook
Pour oil into pan for deep frying, heat until oil is hot. Dip the bananas into the batter and coat well, place into the oil.
When the batter turns golden brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towel. Serve.
Shortcut Sweet and Sour Pork
To Cook
Combine the salt, sugar, egg and cornstarch to form a marinade.
Put the pork pieces in the marinade, ensuring that it is well-coated for approximately 15 mins.
Heat up a deep pan with enough oil to deep fry. Turn the heat to high and when the oil is hot, cook the pork until it is golden in colour.
Remove from the pan when it is ready and remove the excess oil by draining or using paper towels.
Heat up a wok with oil and add the capsicum and pineapple with the sweet and sour sauce.
Once the mixture is hot, add in the pork and combine well.
Once cooked thoroughly, serve while hot with steamed rice.
Thai Style Omelette (Khai Jiao)
To Prep
In a bowl, mix the eggs, lime juice, fish sauce, water and rice flour. Beat the mixture with a fork until frothy. You can break the lumps with your fingers.
To Cook
Heat the oil in a wok on medium-high until it is smoking lightly. Pour in all the egg from 30cm high into the oil and it will puff up immediately. Fry for 20 secs.
Flip the omelette and fry again for 20 secs. Remove and serve immediately.