Seafood fried rice

I opened the freezer today and apart from some ice cubes, I had only a couple of squid left. Last weekend had been terribly hectic for me so I didn't find any time to go to the market to stock up. Racking my brain on how to use the squid, I figured that the best way to stretch the two squids into a family sized meal was to make seafood fried rice.

Usually, i don't like to eat fried rice. However, I make an exception for my own cooking and the superb belachan fried rice at Chinatown cooked by a former army barber turned hawker transvestite. Oh yes, you read that right....

The seafood fried rice turned out to be excellent with the rice infused with the squid. If you have prawns, toss it in as i believe it would taste even better.

Ingredients

4 cups of cooked rice
2 squid, sliced into rings
1/2 red onion - diced
2 shallots - diced
2 garlic cloves - diced
1 cm cube prawn paste (belachan)
1 cube Knorrs Chicken Stock - mashed in water
2 tbsp chilli paste
1/2 cup oil
salt
2 bird's eye chilli
coriander leaf

Heat oil in wok. Add in onion, shallots and garlic.
Once fragrant, add in the chicken stock cube, chilli paste, prawn paste and salt.
Stir fry over medium heat for 5 mins.
Add in the sliced squid and cook until the squid has turned an opaque white.
Before the rice goes in, you might want to taste test first to check the saltiness level.
Finally toss in the rice and stir fry for another 5 to10 mins under high heat.
Garnish with sliced chilli and coriander leaf and there you have it.. Excellent Seafood Fried Rice!

Coconut Rice with Seafood Sambal (Nasi Lemak)

I was supposed to be posting this at ard 8pm but I was so full after dessert and the rain outside so cooling and calming that I slept right after dinner. Woke up just in time for Asian Food Channel's Iron Chef program where today a Thai Royal Chef battled with the Japanese Iron Chef.

Earlier, I was supposed to eat out but its always awkward eating out alone. So I decided to go home and cook up a favourite local dish, Nasi Lemak or Coconut rice. Almost everyone in Singapore is unanimous on where the best nasi lemak is. Changi Village of course. Which is also famous for its transvestite population. Umm...Moving on...

Nasi Lemak usually has fried chicken wings accompanying the dish but I planned for the sambal to be so loaded with seafood that I didn't feel it necessary to fry up chicken wings (Apart from the fact I forgot to thaw them).

There are two parts to this recipe. First up is the rice.

Coconut rice Ingredients:
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 stalk pandanus leaf (if not available, use 3 drops pandan extract)

Wash the rice once. Pour in the coconut milk, water, salt and pandanus leaf.
Place in rice cooker and let simmer til cooked.

Seafood Sambal Ingredients:
- 1 cup chilli paste
- 2 shallots - diced
- 1 red onion - diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1cm knob of prawn paste (belachan) - made into a wet paste with 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp assam paste - made into wet paste with 3 tbsp water
- 2 large squids - cut into rings.
- 300g prawns - shelled
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a wok on high heat.
Fry shallots, garlic and onion until fragrant.
Add in the prawn paste and assam paste. It will sizzle but its ok.
Once there is a pungent smell from the prawn paste, pour in the chilli paste. Add in salt and sugar.
Cover, reduce the heat and leave to simmer. It is important for the chilli paste to be thoroughly cooked.
Generally it take 15 mins on medium heat.
Once the chilli has turned a darker red, add in the seafood.
Leave to simmer for another 10 mins before removing from heat.

As you can see in the photo I served it with a side of cucumber slices and sliced boiled egg. The sambal has already been modified from the original and much more complex Malay recipe. I know the recipe is still a little complicated and takes around 45 mins but its well worth the effort.

Good luck if you ever try this recipe.