To Prep
Place the garlic and chilli in a mortar and use the pestle to crush.
Add the shrimp and long beans and pound a few times to bruise the beans.
Add the peanuts and pound a few more times.
Add the palm sugar and lightly grind until it has dissolved, then add the lime juice and fish sauce.
Add the cherry tomatoes and pound lightly.
Add the papaya and pound lightly, then mix well with a spoon.
Dish out and serve.
Seafood
Stir-fry Lotus Root with Mixed Vegetables (Chap Chai)
To Cook
Heat up wok, add oil and stir fry garlic until fragrant.
Add in lotus root and carrots and stir-fry for 2-3 min.
Stir in black fungus and sugar snap peas and fry for another 1-2 mins.
Stir in soy sauce, chicken stock and Shaoxing wine. Add in scallops and stir-fry for a further 2 mins. Do not overcook the scallops as they cook very fast.
Dish out and serve with steamed rice.
Simmered Prawns (Ebi No Umani)
To Cook
In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup sake, 2 tbsp mirin, and ½ cup dashi. Then, bring to boil.
Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer and place the shrimp in the sauce. Simmer for 4-5 mins, skimming while cooking on low heat.
Once it’s cooked, immediately transfer the shrimp to a container, saving the cooking liquid.
Strain the cooking liquid, preferably over coffee filter or super fine mesh strainer.
Cover and soak shrimp in liquid for a few hours (at least) or overnight. Serve it at room temperature.
California Crab Maki Roll
To Prep the Fillings
Firstly, cut avocado into half, pit and scoop out with a spoon and slice to 0.5cm thick slices. Squeeze lemon juice over avocado to prevent browning.
Then cut cucumber into thin long strips, and slice to remove cucumber seeds.
In a bowl, add crab meat and Japanese mayonnaise, and mix well.
Trim nori sheet according to intended size of the California Crab Maki Roll.
Assembling the sushi:
To prevent rice from sticking to the bamboo mat, wrap mat with cling film.
Tip: Also, rub both hands with mayonnaise before handling rice to prevent them from sticking.
On the bamboo mat, lay one nori sheet down and spread about 1 cup of rice evenly onto the nori sheet. Use your fingers to press and push to rice to form an even layer of rice.
Sprinkle the rice with toasted sesame seeds.
Then, turn the nori sheet over so that the rice now faces down towards the bamboo mat. Align the edge of the nori sheet to the bottom of the bamboo mat.
Add crab meat and arrange avocado and cucumber in a row, close to the bottom of the nori sheet.
Then, pull up the bottom edge of the mat, while using your fingers to roll and tuck the fillings in. Lift the mat slightly to go over the roll, and continue rolling forward while keeping a firm hold.
Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into equal portions. To ensure a clean cut every time, keep a damp cloth handy and clean the knife after every cut.
Serve up your California Crab Maki Rolls on a platter or, stack them up and decorate your very own Sushi Christmas Tree as shown in the video below!
Rice Crackers with Minced Chicken Dip (Khaw Tang Na Tang)
To Cook
Heat oil and fry rice crackers a few pieces at a time over medium flame till crispy and golden in colour. Set aside and drain.
Pound together chilli, coriander root, garlic and peppercorns till fine.
Heat coconut milk in a pot but do not bring to a boil. Add pounded mixture, minced chicken and prawns. Stir to avoid lumps.
Add sugar and fish sauce. When cooked, add peanuts and shallots.
Garnish with parsley before serving.
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Salad (Pla Goong)
To Cook
Combine the dressing sauce ingredients and mix well.
Brush a bit of oil on both sides of the prawns and then grill the prawns for a couple mins each side until they’re cooked through.
Combine the chopped lettuce, mint and coriander leaves, shallots, red onion, lemongrass and chilli peppers and toss through with the dressing.
Finally, add the grilled shrimp to the bowl and toss everything together.
Grilled Lobster with Spicy Basil Garlic Sauce
To Cook
Heat oil in a wok or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and both types of chillies and stir fry until fragrant. Combine the oyster sauce, fish sauce and basil and stir fry for a further minute until well mixed. Add the cornflour mixture and cook until the sauce is thickened. Remove and set aside.
Rub the salt and pepper onto the lobsters. Grill on charcoal, pan grill or under the broiler for several minutes on each side until cooked. Transfer on serving platter.
Spread the spicy basil garlic sauce over the grilled seafood. Squeeze lime over lobster. Serve hot and garnish with crispy fried basil leaves and fresh coriander.
Fried Noodles with Water Mimosa (Sen Mee Pad Kra Shed)
To Prep
In a mortar, pound the garlic, chillies and goat pepper, then mix well with the shrimp paste.
To Cook
In a wok, heat oil on medium and fry the paste mixture. Add a little water, then the prawns and water mimosa, stir-fry well.
Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar, then the noodles. Add water if it gets too dry, stir-fry well and serve, garnish with sliced chilli.
Caramel Prawns (Tom Rim)
To Cook
Heat some oil in the pan and add the chopped garlic and onions. Stir-fry until fragrant. Add prawns and fry until pink.
Add the sugar, fish sauce and black pepper and stir well. Add in the spring onions as it tastes better when it absorbs some of the sauce.
Taste and add extra sugar, fish sauce or salt to taste.
Fry the shrimp on high heat for a few seconds until the mixture caramelised.
Serve hot with rice.
Thai Grilled Fish with Lemongrass (Pla Kapong ob Sos Takrai)
To Cook
Finely crush Valcom Lemongrass, garlic, salt and pepper together. Add water and mix well.
Coat the fish with lime juice, then marinate in the lemongrass paste for 15 mins.
Place the fish on a lined tray and bake in the oven at 180°C until cooked through. Remove from the oven.
Hint: serve with green salad is recommended.
Singapore Fried Noodle with Prawns (Mee Goreng Udang)
To Cook
Boil water and add noodles. Cook for 2 mins; drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok until smoking, add Chinese broccoli, carrot and stir-fry for 1 min. Add the prawns and stir-fry for 3 mins until tender.
Add drained noodles and contents of mi goreng sauce and seasoning sachets and toss to combine.
Serve immediately topped with green onions.
Tom Yum Fried Rice with Prawns (Kao Pad Tom Yum Goong)
To Cook
Combine coconut milk and Valcom Tom Yum Paste in a bowl. Set aside.
Stir-fry prawns in heated oil until cooked. Set 2 prawns aside for plating and the rest to be fried into the rice.
Add onion and green peas and stir-fry until cooked. Stir in tom yum mixture, sugar, prawns, cherry tomatoes and Valcom Kaffir Lime Leaves. Add rice and stir until well mixed and heated through.
Garnish with coriander before serving.
Hint: chicken fillet can be used in place of prawns.