Crispy Fish Fries

Wooo.. I just love my fish! This recipe uses the frozen sutchi fillet (Catfish) from NTUC and deep fried with a crispy flour batter called 脆浆. I got the recipe for the crispy flour online and despite missing out some ingredients which were not available at the moment, the fish turned out crispy still!

As I cut my fish into small strips, the cooking time was quite short, thus the fish maintained a juicy interior.

Crispy Fish Fries

(a) Crispy flour batter
3 tbspPlain flour/All Purpose flour
1 tsp Rice flour (Omitted)
3 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Omitted)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
120ml or enough water

(b) 1 sutchi fillet
2 sprigs of chopped parsley
1 chopped red chilli (Optional)

Method

1. Mix ingredients in (a) together to form a thick consistency. (You can opt for a more runny consistency if you don't like thick batters)

2. Add chopped parsley & chilli to the batter and leave aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Cut the fish fillet into small strips.

4. Dip the fish in the batter & deep fry in hot oil until light brown and crisp.

5. Remove excess oil with kitchen towel.

6. Eat immediately!

Egg mayonnaise and Gai krapow in wonton cups (Part 1)

Thinking of what to bring for your potluck gatherings? Try making wonton cups! Its really easy to make, versatile and comes with an elegant presentation.

I made my 1st batch of wonton cups using the oven bake method as most ang moh websites did and I'm rather disappointed in the lack of wonton taste although it is definitely the healthier choice. (Some of my friends became my guinea pigs when I brought those wonton cups to Cheryl's house...Sorry :Þ )My 2nd batch of deep fried wonton cups were perfect as only deep frying brings out the wonton taste.


The egg and crabstick mayo was a hit among my friends and family and it goes really well with the cups. I'll post the recipe for my dearest friends as requested..

My version of the Thai Gai Krapow without the fresh basil (Minced chicken with basil) didn't go that well with the wonton cups although I was quite pleased with the refreshing taste of the lime leaves and dried basil in the dish. The downside was that the minced meat was rather tough as I used breast meat. Will try thigh meat next time. Anyway, Gai Krapow is perfect with some steaming white rice. Do try it next time =)

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First up, HOW TO MAKE WONTON CUPS?

1. If you like to lead a healthier lifestyle and don't mind compromising on the taste, you can bake your wonton skins in the oven. All you need is a muffin tray and oil to brush on your wontons. *Important: Brush off excess flour from wonton skins before baking*

2. Else, you can choose to make the deliciously cripsy wonton cups by deep frying them!



You can choose to use another ladle to press down on the wonton skin when frying to retain the shape. Otherwise, use a pair of chopsticks to hold the wonton down while repeating the actions of lowering and lifting the ladle with the wonton skin, in and out of the oil. This ensure that the wonton doesn't get burnt.

Take note that wontons cook super fast. Less than a minute.
Once the wontons is slightly brown, turn it over to cook the edges as in Picture 5 for 3-4 secs. Then remove it and place on kitchen towels to soak up excess oil.


See following post for Egg Mayonnaise recipe.

See next post for Gai Krapow recipe.

Alternative Keropok

Hey guys, here's another short post before I start studying again =)

Keropok -- Pronounced as /Ker Row Pohk/. This is the Malay name for deep-fried crackers. The usual flavours are prawn, fish and vegetables.

Don't be mistaken, I'm not going to teach you how to fry these keropok chips today. Instead, I'm going to share this recipe for an alternative keropok which I kinda invented (Don't know if there's such things outside or not).

This recipe came from my love for imitation crab sticks. However, most of the brands sux and I only stick to 1 brand...(Can't remember the brand, update another day..lol) So please make sure that you only buy the best!


Strippy Crabstick Keropok














Ingredients:
Crabsticks (Depends on how much you like. Beware: It is extremely addictive)
Corn starch
Parprika (Optional)
Black pepper (Optional)
Oil for deep frying (Deep frying is best with more oil as the end product will be evenly cooked and more crisp)

Method:
1) Tear the crabsticks into strips using your fingers or a fork.

2) Pour enough cornstarch onto the shredded crabsticks to cover them.

3) Sprinkle parprika and/or black pepper if you like.

4) Leave the shredded crabsticks to absorb the flour for around 15mins.
















5) Following that, heat the oil and fry the shredded crabsticks in batches. This will prevent overcrowding.

6) Scoop up the shredded crabsticks when they turn golden brown. Drain off the excess oil and place them on kitchen towels to soak up the remaining oil.

Meat :Paper-wrapped chicken 纸包鸡

I have been wanting to try this recipe as I'm quite fascinated by how we can fry chicken that is wrapped with a paper...And coincidentally, I found this recipe from the Food & Travel magazine which I bought last year. It is a pretty easy recipe, just that the frying process was a hell lot of splurting oil. *OUCH*
But it turned out not too bad for my 1st attempt. =) Lots of beginner's luck...

SO here goes the recipe...

Paper-Wrapped Chicken
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
1 chicken (1.2 to 1.5kg) *I only experimented with 1 big drumstick*
100g ginger
2 tbsp Chinese wine (I use Shao Xing wine, can replace with Meigui Lu 玫瑰露 or cooking sherry)
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 bunch coriander leaves
2 red chillies, sliced diagonally (I used chilli padi & forgot to slice diagonally)
12 pieces of parchment paper (15 cm square)
Oil for deep frying

Method
1. Cut chicken into serving sizes, removing visible fats.

2. Pound ginger to a pulp with mortar and pestle. Then add chinese wine.

3. Squeeze ginger juice over chicken pieces and add the rest of the seasoning. (It will not matter if some ginger pieces dropped in, it will add to the rustic feel of the dish.)

4. Marinate chicken pieces for at least 6 hours, or overnight would be better.

5. Place a sprig of coriander and a few slices of chillies on a square of parchment.

6. Place chicken pieces on coriander and wrap up into a packet. (DO make sure that your chicken is fairly dry and not with alot of marinating juice. Also wrap your chicken properly to prevent the liquid from spilling into the oil.)

7. Deep fry chicken packets in hot oil to brown. Then place in 250 deg C oven for another 10-15 minutes to finish off.
(I used the extra sauce that is still inside the paper packages to thicken into a sauce to pour over the chicken) Serve hot with white rice or plain fried rice noodles.

That's all folkS!

Veggies :Fried Kai Lan

I'm sure many people has eaten stir fried Kai Lan but what about Deep Fried Kai Lan? I came across this recipe in the same cookbook as mentioned in previous post and decided to give it a shot! The verdict? Me and mum felt that it tasted like "cai poh" (Chinese pickled radish).. So weird.. Haha.. But I think it taste goooood.. A good substitute to "cai poh". But the down side is that it also has to be eaten the moment it is cooked as it will lose the crispness pretty fast. But overall an interesting dish to try.

Fried Kai Lan

Ingredients A:
500g kai lan
A small portion of carrot, diced

oil for deep-frying

1/2 tbsp shredded ginger

1/2 tbsp chopped garlic

Ingredients B:
1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp shredded dried cuttlefish (I ommitted this)

1 tbsp small ikan bilis, fried until crispy

Seasoning:
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soya sauce
a little shaoxing wine
a little corn flour water for thickening

Method:

1. Separate kai lan into leaves and stems. Cut leaves into fine shreds and cut the stems into slices. (I diced my stems)
2. Heat up oil for deep frying, deep fry kai lan leaves until crispy. Dish and drain. (I suggest adding all the leaves to deep fry at the same time so that it doesn't burn that easily. Oil shouldn't be too hot and only fry the leaves for approx.1 min)

3. Leave 1 tbsp of oil in wok to saute ginger and garlic until fragrant.

4. Add in kai lan stems & carrots to stir fry for 1 minute.
5. Add seasoning and stir fry till cooked.
6. Thicken with corn flour water and dish up.











7. Put fried kai lan leaves on top of stems, sprinkle Ingredients B over it and serve.

*Fry your stems and carrots first and deep fry leaves last to ensure crispness*

Meat : Veggies :Deep fried onion chicken in special sauce

Found this recipe inside one of the cookbooks called Hawkers' Fair Simplified. The taste turned out pretty good except that the onions turned soft and not crispy after a while if not taken hot. The chicken wasn't very crispy after a while too. I think its the corn flour that was used.. I should experiment on what flour is best for frying one of these days when I'm more free...

Anyway, I made some changes to the recipe as you will see later.

Deep Fried Onion Chicken in Special Sauce (Best eaten hot!)

Ingredients:
2 chicken thighs, removed bones
1 onion, cut into think rings

Corn flour for coating chicken

Marinade:

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp curry powder (Couldn't find this at home, so I used the Curry instant noodles seasoning instead and cut back on the salt.)

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 egg

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp sesame oil (Not in the recipe)

Coating for Onion Rings (Mixed):
1/2 egg
1/2 tsp salt

Sauce:
2 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp chilli sauce
1tsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp light soya sauce
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp sesame oil (Not in the recipe)
A dash of Shaoxing wine (Not in the recipe)
A dash of pepper (Not in the recipe)

Method:
1. Combine chicken thighs with marinade and season for 30 minutes. (I left for around 3 hrs)
2. Then coat with corn flour and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Dish up and leave to cool before cutting into serving pieces.

3. Dip onion rings in egg and salt mixture, the coat with corn flour and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Dish up and arrange on top of chicken.

4. Leave 1 tbsp of oil in wok, pour in sauce ingredients and cook until thick. Pour over onion rings and chicken. Serve hot. (I feel that the sauce should be left aside as a dipping sauce)

Seafood :Menu for the day (Part 2) ---Dinner

Dinner
Dinner was more like an experiment as I wanted to try cooking beer batter fried fish as I just bought frozen dory fish from NTUC Fairprice the other day. It comes cheap in a packet of 3 big fillets. As for the beer part, I used Carslberg which was the only type of beer I have at home.

The Good:
1) The fish tasted good when it is piping hot.
2) The taste of the paprika and cajun seasoning was strong as I liked.

The Bad:
1) There was totally no beer taste although I put in more than 1/2 a can.
2) I didn't really like the eggy taste of the batter although the egg is supposed to make the batter thicker.
3) The batter turned soft after leaving out for a while.

As a result, I shall not post the recipe at the moment until I find the perfect batter.
Below is the beer batter fried fish when it was just fished out from the hot oil.



As this was only a trial, I followed my mum's advice and took only 1 fillet to experiment with. I then made another dish with the remaining fillets. I made a paprika mayo fish, which is like my own invention. You may think it sounds weird but its really good & easy to make! Here's the recipe...

Paprika Mayo Dory

Ingredients:
2 fillets of any kind of white fish (I used dory fish)
3 heaping tsp of mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp of paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp of dried basil leaves

Method:
1) Dry the fish fillets with kitchen towel to ensure that the end product will not be watery.

2) Preheat oven at 200 celsius

3) Mix mayonnaise and paprika together, adding lemon juice a little at a time. Mix until fairly smooth.

4) Sprinkle salt & pepper on the fish.

5) Using a spoon, spread the paprika mayo mixture onto the fish.

6) Sprinkle basil leaves on the fish and bake fish at 175 celsius for 10 mins. After 10 mins, increase temperature to 250 celsius and bake for another 10 mins. (Baking time may vary depending on different ovens. Just make sure that end product is a nice brown and not watery.)

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**Note that the paprika mayo sauce can be also used on prawns too! A really versatile sauce.
Here's a pic of the prawns that I've made before.