Fried Cuttlefish Balls

Fried Cuttlefish Balls Recipe

12 cuttlefish balls
Oil, for deep-frying
Chili sauce

Method:

Defrost the cuttlefish balls. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Heat up a wok with oil for deep-frying, or heat up a deep-fryer. Deep-fry the cuttlefish balls until they turn golden brown. Transfer the cuttlefish balls out with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil with paper towels.
Skewer three (3) cuttlefish balls into one bamboo skewer and drizzle each skewer with chili sauce.
Serve immediately.
Cook’s Note:

Most frozen cuttlefish balls in the Asian markets here in the United States are loaded with flour and lack texture, and once fried, they expand to almost 1.5 times the original size. I find the BEST brand cuttlefish balls springy and QQ.

Spring Rolls

Spring Rolls Recipe

Ingredients:

6 shrimp (shelled, deveined, and chopped into small pieces)
1 piece bean curd (diced into small pieces)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 shallots (chopped)
1 jicama, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
6 long beans (chopped)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
White pepper powder to taste
1 pack of frozen Popiah wrappers / 25-30 fresh Popiah skin
Oil for deep frying

Sealing Paste:

2 tablespoon corn starch
5 tablespoon of water

Method:

Pan-fry the diced bean curd with a little oil until they turn light brown. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the garlic and shallots until aromatic. Add shrimps, julienned jicama, shredded carrot and long beans. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and cook for 5 minutes.

To assemble the spring rolls, lay a spring roll wrapper (Popiah skin) on a clean cutting board. Put some filling in the middle and add some diced bean curd on top of the filling. Fold in the two sides and roll up the wrapper tightly to form the spring rolls. Seal the spring roll with the sealing paste and deep dry them over medium heat until golden brown. Drain the spring rolls on paper towels and serve them with chili sauce.

Cook’s Note:

For chili sauce, Rasa Malaysia recommends Lingham’s hot sauce, Maggie brand garlic chili sauce (if you are in Malaysia) or Sriracha hot chili sauce (if you are in the US) for the spring rolls.

Steamed Fish Rolls Recipe

Recipe: Fish Rolls with Hoisin Chili Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

3 eggs (makes about 6 small fish rolls)
6 sheets of roasted nori or seaweed
1/2 pound fish paste or half a box of frozen fish paste
1 red chilli (deseeded and chopped into tiny bits)
1 stalk scallions (chopped into tiny bits)
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Japanese mirin (optional)

Rasa Malaysia Special Hoisin Chili Dipping Sauce


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Lee Kum Kee hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

Mix the sauces together. If it’s too salty or spicy, add 1 tablespoon or 2 tablespoons of boiled water to dilute it to fit your taste.

Method:

Defrost the frozen fish paste and add in chopped chili, scallions, sesame oil, and white pepper. Blend well and set aside. Beat the eggs and add mirin plus salt. Heat up a non-stick pan (I use a 9.5 inch diameter pan) and make about 6 thin omelets. Set aside the omelets and let cool.

Transfer an omelet onto a dry and clean chopping board. Lay a piece of roasted seaweed or nori on top of the omelet. Cut the edges of the seaweed sheet off so they match the shape of the omelet perfectly. Then, spread a thin layer of the fish paste evenly on top of the roasted seaweed sheet and roll the omelet up firmly. Seal the omelet with the fish paste so the fish roll is nice and tight. Repeat the same for the remaining omelets. (For picture instructions, please refer to My Kitchen Snippets.)

Transfer the fish rolls onto a plate and steam in hot boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until the fish paste fillings turn opaque. Cut the fish rolls into small pieces and serve immediately with the hoisin chili dipping sauce.

Firecracker Shrimp Recipe

Firecracker Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients:

20 shrimps (shelled and deveined but leave the tail on)
20 spring roll skins
1 stalk of scallion (finely chopped)
1/2 red chili (finely chopped)

Marinate:

3 inches of ginger (peeled, pounded with mortar and pestle, and squeezed for the juice)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 spoon of sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon of corn starch
3 dashes of white pepper powder
1 egg white (lightly whisked for sealing purposes)

Method:

Pat dry the shrimps with paper towel and marinate with the above ingredients and the ginger juice. Add in the finely chopped scallion and red chili. Marinate for 20 minutes.

Wrap each shrimp with a spring roll skin. Heat up a frying pan with oil and deep fry the shrimp until light brown. Serve hot.

Fried Wontons

Fried Wontons Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 lb minced pork
12 bay scallops (chopped into small pieces)
1 pack of wonton skins
3 water chestnuts (peeled and chopped into small pieces)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
2 sprigs of coriander (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of corn flour
1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce
A few dashes of white pepper powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

In a bowl, mix the minced pork, bay scallops, water chestnuts, chopped coriander, and corn flour. Add in half the beaten egg (save the other half for wrapping the wontons). Mix the ingredients well and season with fish sauce, salt, and some white pepper powder. Set aside.

Wrap the wontons with the wonton skins (please refer to the above video clip). Heat up some cooking oil in a wok and deep fry the wontons until golden brown. Serve hot with chili sauce or eat plain.

Fried Shrimp/Prawn Balls Recipe (炸虾球)

Ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1 teaspoon salt (or fish sauce)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon oil (or some pork fat)
A few dashes of white pepper powder
Wonton skins

Method:

Defrost, shell, and devein the shrimp. Set aside. In a mini food processor, beat the egg white until frothy and then add in the raw shrimp and the seasonings. Blend until the ingredients form the shrimp paste.

Cut the wonton skins into tiny strips and lay them on a flat surface. Wet your hands and form the shrimp paste into balls (slightly smaller than a ping pong ball) and roll the shrimp balls onto the bed of wonton skins. Make sure that the wonton skins coat the shrimp balls evenly. Deep fry the shrimp balls in a deep fryer or wok until they turn golden brown. Dish out and serve hot with some Thai sweet chili sauce or your favorite chili sauce.

Egg Roll Recipe

Egg Roll Recipe
Ingredients:
1 package egg roll wrappers (or spring roll wrappers), about 25
1 lb. pork, trimmed of fat and cut into strips (I like the dark meat best)
2-3 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese cooking sherry
2 tsp cornstarch
4 tbsps vegetable oil (like canola or corn oil, but not olive oil)
1 cup green onions, cut into 1-inch strips
4 cups cabbage
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 cup bamboo shoots, cut into strips
1 cup Chinese mushrooms, stems removed and cut into strips
1 egg white, beaten (for egg wash)
3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Defrost the egg roll (or spring roll) wrappers according to the package instructions. Keep the wrappers under a damp cloth while not in use. In a small bowl, mix the pork, soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch together. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and half of the green onions in a sauté pan on high. When onions begin to sizzle, add the cabbage and bean sprouts and stir-fry until they are wilted. Remove from pan and set aside in a medium bowl. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil with the rest of the green onions on high until the onions sizzle. Add the pork to the pan and stir-fry. When the pork is almost cooked through, return the cabbage and sprouts to the pan along with the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Sauté until cooked. Remove from heat. If there is excessive liquid in the pan, you can drain that off.

On a clean work surface, orient a wrapper so that a corner points toward you. Place 2-3 tablespoons of filling (more if your wrapper is larger) near the corner closest to you. Fold that corner over the filling and then fold the sides over toward the center. Roll the rest up toward the far corner. Wash the edges of the far corner with the beaten egg white and gently seal the egg roll. Repeat until all of the filling or the wrappers are gone.

In a medium saucepan, heat the frying oil to 375°F and fry 3-4 egg rolls at a time for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the egg rolls from the oil and set on a baking rack to cool. (Paper towels will make them soggy). Serve hot with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sweet and sour sauce, etc. Makes about 24.

Sweet Bean Paste Rolls

Ingredients:

17 oz. can of sweet red bean paste
~12 spring roll wrappers
powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

Follow the wrapping instructions above except place 2 tablespoons of sweet red bean paste in the wrapper instead of the savory filling. Frying time will likely be faster – about 2-3 minutes at 375°F to reach golden brown. When the rolls are done, remove from oil and let cool on a baking rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Makes about a dozen.