Prawn, Mango and Avocado Salad

My favourite salad! The recipe I used is from Woolworths but I don't really measure the ingredients. The link on Woolworths is the actual recipe but the one below is what I used.

Ingredients:

1 plate of cooked, peeled prawns (I am lazy, I just bought one plate off Coles, from their website 200g)
2 mangoes
2 avocados
1 red chilli
1 birds eye chilli (because the first time I made, the red chilli doesn't really give any taste)
A big handful of coriander
1 large lime

Method:

1. Place prawns in a large bowl.
2. Remove mango cheeks by slicing down each side of the stone. Scoop out flesh with a large spoon and dice.
3. Peel avocado, remove stone and slice.
4. Add mango, avocado, red chilli, coriander leaves and lime juice to bowl with prawns. 
5. Gently toss until well combined.
6. Squeeze lime over salad

Enjoy but don't overeat... that's for me :P

Side note: Long weekend coming to an end.. :(

Mum's home cooked braised dried oyster

Mum used to only make this dish during Lunar New Year but because we are all living away from home, she makes this more often, as and when we request for it when go home.

Recipe makes about 23 little parcels.
Note: Mum used eating tablespoon, not the proper measuring tablespoon.

Not advertising or anything - just want to show how the bean curd skin looks like

Ingredients:

23 dried oysters - soak in hot water to soften it.
500g minced pork
100g dried mushroom (approximately 10 large size ones) - soak in water till soften, roughly chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce - reduced to taste depending on how salty the bean curd skin you buy
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
Dash of pepper
Bean curd skin

Method:

1. Wash dried oysters once with water and salt then rinse. Pour water into the bowl containing dried oysters and let the dried oysters soak in this second batch of water (no salt)
2. Add chopped dried mushroom to minced pork and add in soy sauce, fish sauce and pepper. 
3. Wipe bean curd skin with damp cloth or kitchen towel so it is not so salty and easier to wrap.
4. Divide minced pork into 23 portions so that the size is more of less the same and you have enough pork for all dried oyster prepared.
5. Cut bean curd skin into 15x15 cm per piece. 
6. Take one portion of minced pork and put on the cut bean curd skin. Place one dried oyster in the middle. 
7. Wrap like how you would wrap spring roll. 
8. Repeat till all dried oyster and minced pork is used up. 
9. Pan fry all little parcels till bean curd skin is cooked so that it would not burst when braised. 
10. Placed the already pan fried parcels into a pot and pour in the water used to soak dried oyster earlier. Top up the water till it just about to cover the parcels. 
11. Braised for about 1-1.5 hours till the dried oysters are soft. 

Then.. tuck in and enjoy! Here's another photo just to show you how it looks like if you cut it open. It freezes well and you can just steam it in rice cooker when you cook rice straight from the freezer.

Sorry - all the photos are taken with iPhone 4 except the one below.

Side note: I'm the only one I know who watch Criminal Minds. O_o

Mum's home cooked crab

Yes - we served it on the frying pan itself! :P

Mum cooked this when she was visiting because I was missing some crab dish. In fact I have not eaten any crab since left Malaysia. Anyway, like all mums, she cooks with her scientific method of "agak-agak" (means guesstimate). Once I've re-try this I shall update this recipe but in the meantime, just so I don't forget. It taste great and home as mum has always cook crabs this way since I'm a kid.

Ingredients:

6 blue swimmers crabs (I stay in Melbourne and bought this from Queen Victoria Market)
6 shallots (or 1 big onion) - according to Mum, best to use shallots as it is more fragrant (in cooking term)
8-10 red chillies
1 1/2 heaped soup spoon of yellow bean paste (start with 1 heaped soup spoon and scoop another 1/2 spoon. Yes - the Chinese spoon used to drink soup)
Oil to fry

Method:

1. Clean the crabs.
2. Cut and blend the shallots, chillies and yellow bean paste into a course paste (alternatively use mortar and pestle).
3. Heat some oil and fry the paste till fragrant.
4. Put in the crabs, mix well and coat the crabs with the paste.
5. Cover the pan with lid and let it simmer till the crabs are cooked.
6. Serve with mantou (if you have made or have some at hand), else goes with white rice too!