Shrimp & Dried Anchovies Fritters a la Marina (Cucur Udang a la Marina ;P)

excellent snack.. 

I remember my first attempt to make fritters... i was doing my English preparation course at a University in California. I met my first boyfriend there.. and wanted to impress him with my ermm cooking skills.. I lived in the dorms. So all 50 something girls shared both the kitchen and the TV.. :D My roommate then was a Malaysian girl too.. she always made these fritters and we'd have them while watching tv at the lounge with the other residents. I've seen and sometimes helped her out making 'em fritters so I thought.. I could make it too. hahaha boy I was wrong. they turned out uncooked, and with every bite you can see the flour.. OMG it was a disaster! hahaha it was embarrassing then. but now it's just hilarious.. It's been 17 years? boy time flies.. I'm older now... much older... am not in any relationships right now.. but I sure can cook :D But despite my failed attempt at cooking these fritters back then.. It's not that hard to make. My mistake then was that I didn't stir the batter well enough, and the pan was too hot. otherwise it would have turned out great ;p

I made shrimp fritters as I had shrimp. You may substitute it with dried anchovies if you had too. For this recipe I used both shrimp and dried anchovies. You can even make it a vegetarian dish and simply omit all seafood in it. I've never tried it with calamari, crabmeat or any other meat for that matter. Perhaps because mum has always used either shrimp, dried shrimps or dried anchovies for this recipe that I never even thought of using any other protein for this dish.

Usually I make these fritters with just shrimp or dried anchovies and onions/spring onions/chinese celery .. I sometimes add corn kernels and potatoes.. but I usually boiled the potatoes first because the batter cooks so quickly that sometimes the potatoes turn out raw. Then recently I watched Masterchef Malaysia's masterclass, where Chef Jo showed his take on this recipe. He cut it into strips.. so that it cooks much faster.. so I tried that.. and I found that I don't have to cook the potatoes before adding it into the batter.. :) cool!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 tbsp rice flour (optional - this makes it slightly crispy on the edges)
shrimp (cleaned, deveined)
dried anchovies (fried)
1 potato (cut into strips)
carrot (cut into strips) - same amount with potato
chinese celery - sliced (optional)
onions sliced
fresh chili  (seeded and cut into strips)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup water


3 cups oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Add all ingredients together. Pour the water little by little until you get the consistency of a pancake batter. 
2. Heat oil in a wok.
3. Drop spoonful of batter into hot oil and fry until golden. Drain with paper towels. 
4. Serve with chili sauce :) yumssss

yummy... 

Kerabu Bihun (Thai Vermicelli Salad)

I'm supposed to be on diet. I've gained too much weight the past few months. Probably of all the cake recipes I've been testing and trying.. So I thought perhaps for dinner I'd just have salad. Not just any salad, Thai inspired Salad. I saw the recipe online once... but it's kinda too complicated.. Too many ingredients that I wasn't even sure what they were.. then I saw Nigella made it on tv. It's really simple. Like that Chef who's been Chasing the Yum said, it's all about balance..

Ingredients:

Salad:
Vermicelli - blanched
bean sprouts - blanched
tofu - diced and deep fried
carrot - julienned
egg - boiled (optional - can also use chicken or seafood or meat... your choice)
coriander

Vinaigrette:
Extra virgin Olive Oil (or other neutral flavored oil - soybean oil/canola oil)
lime juice (3 parts oil to 1 part lime juice)
bird chili - sliced
honey/sugar to taste
fish sauce/salt to taste
shallots/ green onions/onions (i used onions.. it's the only thing I had at home)  (sliced)
garlic (minced)
ginger (julienned)

Method:

1. Mix the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Set aside. 
2. Mix the Salad ingredient and toss in the vinaigrette. Mix well. :)
3. Indulge :D

sila makan :D

Tomato-Cilantro Bruschetta

The SEA Games football match between Malaysia and Cambodia just ended and I was starving.. But I didn't want to cook and I wanted something light. Since my vege intake today has only been onions.. I thought of going vegetarian tonight. :)

Tomato-Cilantro Bruschetta

For times like these... I thanked God for Bruschetta. In Italian, bruschetta is pronounced [brusˈkeːtta]. It's an antipasto recipe originated from Italy. Usually consists of roasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. There are many variation to this bruschetta which includes toppings of tomatoes, avocado, cheese, meat.... It makes a great snack or appetizer.. Also great if you want to have something light for dinner. :)

For this recipe, I used the wholemeal loaf I bought from Carrefour. I simply love that bread. It's soft, delicious and it's cheap. It's very versatile too. I use it all the time for mini pizzas, bruschetta, garlic bread.. endless possibilities. :)

This recipe is enough for one.. or two if you're generous. If you're like me.. it'll only be enough for one ;p Enjoy the recipe :D

Ingredients:

3 slices of bread (sprinkled with olive oil)
1 small tomato chopped
some cilantro coarsely chopped
3 parts extra virgin olive oil
1 part lemon juice

black pepper and salt for seasoning

From Top Left: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon, Cilantro/Coriander, Tomato, Lightly Oiled Bread.

Method:

Toast the bread in 180degC oven for about 10 minutes

Toasted bread

Mix Tomato, Cilantro or Coriander, Lemon and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and season it with black pepper and salt. 

Tomato mixture

Top the tomato mixture on the toasted bread evenly.

Bruschetta ready to be eaten :) 

Sardine Rolls for brunch :)

my brunch with a grande cup of
hazelnut white coffee:)

It's Sunday, and you have half a loaf of Gardenia bread that's supposed to have expired about a week ago in the fridge, so what's a girl to make? Sardine Rolls of course. I always have a small can of sardine in the pantry. For rainy days.. actually more like days like this when I don't feel like creating a buffet of dishes.. or simply felt like having easy snack like foods like this.

Since I already had an egg-milk mixture leftovers from the mini quiches I made for YM aunty yesterday... All I needed was to make the sardine rolls filling. It doesn't really matter how you want to shape the rolls.. I made it into a roll because I prefer it rolled. Some just make it in the triangle shapes. If it's in the triangular shape, then you need not roll the bread first with rolling pin. Simply cut it into triangles and sandwich the sardine mixture. That'll do. But that's no fun ;p

Ingredients:

Sardine mixture

1 can of Sardine (small can will make about 6-7 rolls)

onion (small - sliced thinly)

bird chili (I used 2 small one and sliced thinly for heat)

1-2 tbs lemon/lime juice (this to get rid of that sardine smell)

2 eggs (beaten) + a bit of salt

6-7 slices of white bread (rolled with rolling pin - or just use the back of the pan, lined and smack the bread)

oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for sardine mixture together. I personally drained the tomato sauce in the sardine because I don't it to be too liquidy, thus absorbed by the bread and it becomes soggy. Plus it smells fishy.. :( Mash it up so the sardine is broken into smaller pieces.
2. Roll the bread with a rolling pin. Or if you don't have any rolling pins, use the back of your frying pan. Smack your bread with the back of your frying pan. Line it first though :p. This will make the bread easier to roll :)
3. Heat oil. I heated the pan first and then added the oil so the oil heats up quickly.
4. Take about a spoonful and a half of the sardine mixture and put it on the rolled bread. Just spread it on 1/3 of the bread. Roll it over.
5. Dip the rolled bread into the eggs and use the eggs to seal the bread.
6. Fry the roll in the heated oil until golden brown.

hehe my rolls.. a lil more brown than golden but who cares? :p