Sambal Tumis Udang (Malaysian Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Gravy)

This classic accompaniment to nasi lemak basically comprises half a batch of my sambal recipe that I blogged about three years ago, stir-fried (or "tumis" in Malay) with some onions and shell-on shrimp. Thank you to my ever-reliable foodie friend Marisa for helping me perfect this!

Some quick tips before you start:

1) I personally recommend making double or triple batches of sambal in advance to store in the fridge for future use, so you don't have to pull out your food processor every time. You'll thank yourself when your next Malaysian craving hits!:)

2) Stick to frozen shrimp, unless you live near the coast or can see them swimming in the aquarium just before you buy it. The "fresh" stuff sold in cities is often just defrosted previously frozen shrimp, which might already have been sitting around for days. 

3) Use shrimp with at least part of the shell on if possible, as it imparts a richer flavour. I like to use frozen, deveined, easy-peel headless medium shrimp that I can get extremely cheap in Chinatown Manhattan for $10.99/2 lb bag. You can of course use whole ones with the head still attached, or larger tiger prawns instead of shrimp, or if you really must then fully shelled ones are okay too. Whatever the case, if they are not deveined make sure to do it yourself by slicing across the top and cleaning out the black stuff.

4) Make sure to stick to raw shrimp, no matter what kind you choose. Under NO circumstances should you substitute with the pink ready-to-eat cooked stuff, as it will absorb none of the beautiful spices and go completely rubbery.

With that, happy tumis-ing!

Sambal Tumis Udang (Malaysian Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Gravy)

Serves 4-6

Defrost 1 lb of frozen shrimp (which was about 35 pieces in my bag) by running under cold tap water for a few minutes. Make sure it is fully defrosted before cooking. Set aside.

• Prepare the sambal paste

Deseed 50g dried chillies by tearing them in half and shaking the seeds out. Do not skip this step, or you'll burn your tastebuds right off!

Boil the chillies for about 30 mins to further reduce the heat. Drain off the liquid and rinse in cold tap water to cool. Drain.

Chuck in a small spice mill, blender or food processor and grind to a thick paste (or pound with a mortar and pestle if you're a purist): 

The boiled chillies above

2 medium cooking onions, cut into chunks

10 cloves of garlic

1/2 cube ikan bilis stock (or grind whole dried anchovies to a powder)

1/2 tsp belacan (dried shrimp paste)

Ikan bilis stock cubes- I get my supply from Malaysia, not sure where to get it in NYC I'm afraid

• To cook

Heat some oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat. 

Slice up 1 medium onion to half-rings, and stir-fry for a few mins until softened and a bit charred.

Add the prepared paste and tumis until fragrant. 

Stir in 2 tbsp dark brown sugar or gula melaka (coconut palm sugar), and about 2 tbsp asam jawa (tamarind juice)*. 

*If you've never used tamarind juice, it's simple- just soak a chunk of tamarind pulp in hot water for 5 mins, stir to loosen, then press through a sieve. Discard the seeds.

Throw in the defrosted shrimp and a bit of water. Stir fry for about 5-10 mins until the shrimp turns pink.

Dish up and serve immediately with nasi lemak or plain rice. Enjoy!

With nasi lemak

Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon with Ginger

An easy-peasy Japanesey dish if ever there was one, and very good for you too! :)

Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon with Ginger

Serves 4

Rinse and pat dry 4 medium skin-on salmon fillets.

Stir together in a bowl and spread all over the fish:
3 tbsp white miso paste

2 tbsp honey

1" fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp sake

Dash of rice vinegar

Dash of sesame oil

*I leave out soy sauce and salt as the miso paste is already salty

White miso paste

Stirring the ginger into the marinade

The coated fillets

Place in fridge to marinate at least half an hour (the longer the better).

To cook, arrange the fillets skin side down on a foil-lined tray and place under an oven grill at 180 C for about 5-8 mins. Flip over and continue grilling a further 5-10 mins or until the skin turns crispy and caramelises.

Garnish with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately alongside some hot rice and steamed vegetables.

Smoked Fish Cakes with Spring Onion and Chive

Sometimes mushing together a bunch of leftover ingredients that urgently need using up yields the most delicious result :)

These hearty flavour-packed patties are formed from a combination of potatoes that had started to quite seriously sprout, some gradually withering spring onions left from a previous recipe experiment, the last few lonely capers swimming around in a jar of vinegar and a lemon that had been waiting so long for its turn it had started to look a bit sulky. Throw in some smoked fish bought off a supermarket reduced rack, a good dash of seasoning and an egg to bind it all and voila- a warm and satisfying meal perfect for spring.

Adapt as needed to make it a starter or main, and serve alongside tartare sauce or salsa.

Smoked Fish Cakes with Spring Onion and Chive

Makes about 12 fishcakes

500g potatoes (2 large)- Cut into chunks and boil in salted water for about 15 mins until tender. Drain thoroughly until as dry as possible, then mash and set aside.

400g boneless smoked fish fillets (I used smoked cobbler which happened to be on discount, but any smoked fish works fine)- place in a deep frying pan with about 1 cup milk (or use water if you don't want to waste milk) and poach over low heat about 5 mins until the fish flakes easily. Lift the fish pieces out and break into chunks with a fork.

Combine the flaked fish and potatoes well in a large bowl with:

1 egg, beaten

A handful of fresh chives, chopped finely

A few spring onions, chopped

1 heaped tbsp capers, chopped

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Good squeeze of lemon juice (I used about 1/4 of a lemon)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour about 3 tbsp plain flour onto a plate (or use breadcrumbs if preferred, or some people dip in flour then in egg then in breadcrumbs to create a thicker crust). Drop a tablespoon of the fishcake batter into the flour and press it lightly to form a round pattie. Use two tablespoons to flip and dust it until lightly coated on both sides. Shake of excess flour and place fishcake onto a tray/plate. Repeat until all mix is used up.

At this point, the fishcakes can be frozen for future use if desired.

To cook, heat some olive oil in a large heavy frying pan and fry several fish cakes at a time over medium heat, about 5 mins on each side flipping midway until golden brown. If cooking from frozen, don't bother defrosting- just

fry straight from the freezer for 10 mins each side.

Serve straightaway with a lemon wedge and tartare sauce or salsa. Dig in heartily with a fork!

Thai Seafood Kerabu Salad

Light and cool, mouth-wateringly tangy and boldly flavoursome with a spicy kick all at the same time. Plus it's easy peasy!

Bring to boil:
1 ½ tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes
2 small fresh birdseye chillies, finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp palm sugar/brown sugar

Add and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes:
200g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
200g squid, sliced into rings or pieces
200g seafood sticks, cut into small chunks (add near the end to prevent unravelling)

Let cool to room temperature. Drain the excess liquid (can be kept in a container and used as stock/flavouring).

Finely chop together and stir into seafood:
1 small onion
Generous handful fresh coriander
1 tbsp fresh mint (if available)
1 stalk lemon grass (if available)

Place on top of lettuce leaves on a plate. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until well chilled.

Best served cold with hot Thai Pineapple Fried Rice.