This recipe and others can be found in the following article:

Article and Location Photos by Victor Paul Borg

Ingredients

Instructions

Gut the fish and scrape off any scales. Then make four diagonal slashes on both sides of its belly, and in the slashes rub in salt, and then put the red chiles, ginger, and garlic in the slashes.

Steam the fish on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until just cooked (although cooking time will depend on the contraption used for steaming; be aware that it is very easy to overcook the red snapper).

Deep fry the chopped garlic in hot oil — but not smoking — for a minute, until brown. This is used in the end to sprinkle on the fish.

To make enough chile sauce for about four people, in a pestle and mortar pound or crush 10 red chiles, 4 cloves garlic, then squeeze in about 2 lemons, and mix. You can add a drizzle of water if you want the chile sauce to be less intense, and even a drizzle of Thai fish sauce.

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat the oil in a pot large enough for the stew ingredients. Fry the ginger strips until browned, then remove them from the pot.

Fry the mustard seeds until they pop. Add the onion and garlic, followed by the chile paste and tomatoes, then the shrimp paste and powdered spices.

When the spices are fragrant, brown the chicken pieces. Add water to just cover the meat, season with salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes and sausages and turn down fire to simmer until chicken is tender. Finally add the cucumber, green chiles and roast pork, if using. Leave for a while for flavors to mature and squeeze in lemon juice just before serving.

Ingredients

Instructions

Subdue the crabs by storing them for an hour or so in the freezer.

Bring to a boil a pot of water large enough to submerge crabs. Boil the crabs for about 5 minutes or until they turn pink. Remove with tongs and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process.

Cut away the strings or rubber bands from the claws and pull off the shells by prying under the underbelly flaps. Remove the head sacs, found within the shells, and the spongy gills. Using a knife, detach claws and cut the bodies into 4 or more parts. Use a pestle to crack claws. Leave aside.

Make the sauce. Put the onions, ginger, garlic and chile in a food processor and pulse until it comes into a thick paste.

Heat the oil in a wok. When it’s hot, sautee mixture till fragrant, then add tomatoes. Cook until the mixture is caramelized, then add the taucheow and sugar. Stir well and allow to simmer, adding a little water if it seems too thick, till the flavors come together.

Add the crab pieces to the wok and toss to coat. Taste, and season with a drizzle of light soy sauce, if needed. Top with chopped Chinese celery and serve immediately with crusty bread on the side.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

Instructions

Blanch the bean sprouts and water spinach in a pot of boiling water; or microwave them on high for 2 minutes.

Place yu tiao and taupok in an oven on low for 10 minutes to make them crispy. Cut into small pieces.

Toss the vegetables with dressing, top with the crisp yu tiao and taupok and serve.

For the Dressing:

In a mixing bowl, soften the black prawn paste with a few spoonfuls of hot water. Add the chiles, tamarind water, sugar and lime juice and blend into a thick sauce. Add peanuts. 

Ingredients

Instructions

Bring the stock to a boil, then add the bottled paste lemongrass, red chiles and kaffir lime leaf, followed by the shrimp and mushrooms. Taste and season with fish sauce and the lime juice. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve