Cooking Lab - Water Spinach in Shrimp Paste Sauce (蝦醬空心菜)

**餐廳佳餚在家吃 - 蝦醬空心菜**

Water Spinach can be found in oriental supermarkets, however, this recipe will work splendidly well with brussels sprouts, cabbage or long beans. 

The shrimp paste is quite salty in substance, so use it sparingly .

空心菜是一種很普通，不起眼的青菜，但加入了重口味的蝦醬，馬上搖身一變，成了一道誘人的異國美食。濃郁的蝦醬味，味道很開胃，會讓人不停的想扒飯吃...

(c) GMV - Got My Vote!(o^^o)

A moreish fragrant stir fry in the cool nights. It is widely popular in Malaysia (also known as belacan). All we need is some handmade roti and we can have a good hearty Malaysian feast!

會炒青菜就一定能做出這道美味現炒。

現在是空心菜盛產的季節，天氣轉冷，就特別想吃鹹鹹辣辣的菜餚，好下飯！有了蝦醬的加持，口味一定是很棒的！

Ingredients (材料):

- 1 bunch of water spinach (空心菜一把)
- 50g cooked minced pork 
- 2 garlic cloves (蒜頭)
- 100g enoki mushroom 
- 3 mini vine capsicums (小甜椒2-3個)
- 10ml cooking wine (米酒1小匙)
- 2 tablespoon of cooking oil 
- 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste (蝦醬1大匙)
- 100ml stock or water (高湯或水)

Instructions:

1. Wash the water spinach throughly and cut into equal lengths.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a large fry pan on high heat.

3. Pan fry the enoki mushrooms and capsicums.

4. Season with salt.

5. Remove from heat and set aside.

6. In the same fry pan, add in the rest of the cooking oil.

7. Add in garlic cloves and cook until they are fragrant.

8. Stir in the shrimp paste.

9. Quickly toss in the water spinach to the pan.

10. Add in the pork mince and stir well to combine.

11. A quick stir fry is all the water spinach needs.

12. Ensure the water spinach and mince are evenly coated with shrimp paste.

13. Drizzle in some cooking wine in the final minute.

14. Transfer the wilted water spinach to a large serving plate.

15. Garnish with sautéed capsicum slices.

16. Place pan-fried enoki mushroom on top.

17. Serve immediately with freshly steamed rice.

A. 在鍋中放入兩小匙的油，加入蒜和絞肉一起爆香。

B. 香味出來後，轉中小火，放入蝦醬拌炒。啊！香味四溢了!😄

C. 加入空心菜，稍微拌炒後，就是可以起鍋。

The shrimp paste smell may be strong and linger for a while. But this is an extremely tasty Malaysian dish and it is too perfect for the cooler weather. 

Tip:蝦醬的味道很鹹，一次不要放太多。加入米酒可以降低蝦醬的腥味。

上菜囉！

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Cooking - Snake Bean belacan w Prawns

It was windy tonight. Hmmm.., feel like having something salty, spicy and Asian.

Seeing the long queue outside of Mamak Sydney for Malaysian food ... 

I was suddenly inspired! Belacan Stir-fry!

My first taste of Belacan Dish was at the Singapore restaurants - Tesmak @ Parramatta and Gingers & Spices @ Neutral Bay. Ever since, I was addicted to the salty south eastern stir-fry dish. 

(c) GMV - Got My Vote!" (^-^)

lnterlocking prawns with stir-fry snake beans in fine shrimp paste.

Ingredients:

- Long snake beans x 1 bunch

- Fresh raw prawns x 6

Shelled and deveined prawns.

Marinate prawns with some pepper, soya sauce, oyster sauce, sugar syrup and a dash of white wine.

Heat oil in a fry pan or wok.

Stir fry the prawns for 30 seconds and remove.

Mince garlic shallot and chilli.

Add garlic, shallot and chilli salt in the wok until fragrant. 

Add 1 tablespoon of belacan paste and stir vigorously till it dissolve and mix well with the spices.

Add the snake beans and cook until soften.

Toss in the prawns into the wok again and stir-fry for another 2 minutes to coat in the belacan paste.

Hainan Chicken Rice $2.00 from Singapore Shiok @ Eating World Food Court, Harbour Plaza.

Add- 213/25-29 Dixon Street Haymarket

Tel: 0415 852 655

This is the secret*** - this place serve the best Hainan Chicken Rice in Sydney so far!! The rice is cooked in chicken stock with light ginger taste and it is so flavorsome that I would sometime substitute plain rice with the delicious morish fragant chicken rice. 

This is what I am doing tonight :D The shortcut: buying the authentic chicken rice from here instead of spending hours simming down the  chicken stock!

I have on good authority from my Singaporean friends that this is indeed a hidden gem - who would have thought the best authentic taste is hidden in a foodcourt in midst of Chinatown!