Kung Hei Fat Choi: Prawn Toast

Happy Chinese New Year!


An occasion like this is the perfect excuse for a naughty and oh-so-tasty treat. Diehard Chinese takeout fans will most certainly be acquainted with everyone's favourite entree - the prawn toast. With some of the prawn toast I have tried at certain Chinese restaurants, I find they are drenched in oil and devoid of prawn. All the more reason to make them yourself!


This recipe is a combination of Kylie Kwong's prawn toast and one that I found somewhere on the internet. A word of warning - they are incredibly addictive to chomp. Make at your own risk; you've been warned.

Ingredients (makes approx 32)
800g fresh prawns, de-shelled and deveined (for reference,I used about 25 medium banana prawns)
1/4 cup spring onion, chopped
1/4 cup coriander, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, diced
1 teaspoon shao hsing wine 
1 teaspoon cornflour
1.5 teaspoons soy sauce
1 egg white
a few drops of sesame oil
8 slices of thick white bread, crusts removed and cut into 4 triangles
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Vegetable oil for frying


1. Combine the first 9 ingredients in a food process and pulse until fine:

2. Using a teaspoon, spread the filling on each piece of bread. Sprinkle with sesame seeds:

3. Heat the oil in a wok or deep fryer. Test with a small piece of bread crust. If it sizzles in seconds, the oil is ready. Working in batches of 5-6, lower the the prawn toast, filling side down, in the oil. Deep fry for approximately 1 minute. Adjust the temperature if necessary, ensuring they don't go too brown too soon. Turn the toasts over and fry for another minute, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.


4. Remove from the wok and drain on paper towels.


Now here comes the challenge: try stopping at one chomp.

On a final note, these prawn toasts are certainly not restricted to Chinese celebrations. Let them be the highlight canape at your next dinner party!

Yours Chompfully,

Jen

Fast Festival Feasts: Glass Brasserie

I have never met an Asian who has never bothered to take advantage of at least one cheap eating deal in their life time. When I was growing up, my parents relied heavily on fast food coupons you get in the mailbox and on shop-a-dockets. Buy-one-get-one-free (or, as Mr Chomps calls it, BOGOF) Big Macs on the weekend was a family ritual. Similarly, Mr Chomps and I practically live and breathe on deals. Entertainment Book, Groupon, Scoopon, Cudo, Our Deal, Ouffer - you name it.We have a stash of them.


Our lastest eating deal was dinner at a Fast Festival Feasts restaurant - Glass Brasserie.


The Fast Festival Feast offer is quite simply one set main and one set beverage for $30 per person. The main was a Vanilla & celery poached Marlborough salmon, fennel puree, pickled celery & white asparagus salad. I was a tad skeptical about "poached" salmon at first. "Poached" in my mind equates to boring and bland. I have always liked my salmon pan-seared with a snap-crisp skin. Vanilla poached got me even more skeptical. I mean, isn't vanilla only found in desserts? My middle name is "closed minded" in case you're wondering. 


Perhaps I judged too soon when Mr Chomps exclaimed "hmmm yum" on first bite (just between you and me, Mr Chomps refuses to eat most things bland). He summed it quite well as the salmon was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The vanilla element was not overpowering but subtle enough to taste it. The fennel puree was just delicious and well seasoned (read: enough salt) that I could eat spoonfuls of it by itself. This was a dish I could chomp on forever. 

Choosing from the menu is off limits, unless you're willing to fork out extra, which we did in this case. And I am glad we did because these parmesan truffle fries made some pretty hardcore salty-oily explosions in my mouth. Ok, so $13 for some string potatoes may sound far-fetched, but man! These were goooooood.

And as for the beverage? It was a glass of McGuigan white wine. I got one aswell even though I don't drink. So, Mr Chomps downed two glasses of McGuigan. I could have asked for the alternative, which was the bottle of Tasmanian Rain water, but went against it. Us Asians and our value-for-money mindset...sheesh!

Yours Chompfully,

Jen

JFC (Jen's Fried Chicken)

Let me begin by saying that I wish this was indeed my fried chicken recipe. This recipe was adapted (ok, more like copied) from Neil Perry's crispy buttermilk chicken. Whilst I can't claim this dish as my own, I can take some credit for it. Firstly, I modified the recipe slightly by using boneless breast pieces instead of thigh bone-in pieces. Secondly, I added a bit more salt than what was called for. Seriously, how could one not resist, salty, crispy chicken?

Chicken like this couldn't be any easier to prepare - really!

Ingredients (serves 4 very hungry people)

Vegetable oil, for frying

250ml buttermilk
sea salt and ground pepper
600g boneless chicken breast, cut into portions and flattened to roughly 1/4 inch

lemon wedges, to serve
Coating

2 cups self-raising  flour
1 tbsp garlic powder
1.5 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chilli powder
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste


1. Fill a deep pot or wok with about 10cm oil. The original recipe states to heat it to 180°C, but I didn't bother doing this.


2. Combine all the coating ingredients in a large bowl, then split it between 2 bowls. Pour the buttermilk into a third bowl and season with salt and pepper. Now place the bowls in a line with the milk in the middle and a tray or plate at the end of the line for the coated chicken:

3. Dip each chicken piece in the first bowl of coating, patting off any excess, and then dip into the buttermilk, allowing the excess milk to run off back into the bowl, then dip into the second bowl of coating. Place on the plate and repeat with remaining chicken:

4. Lower the pieces into the oil. Fry the chicken pieces for 1 minute, then carefully move them around in the oil and fry for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through, golden brown and crisp.

Remove from the oil and drain chicken on paper towels.

Hmmm...crisp on the outside and succulent on the inside. Enjoy!

Yours chompfully

Jen