Chinese Food Culture

I do eat vegetables as well as other foods. I really do. I just don’t post them that considerably on this blog (which I intend to change soon) due to the fact seafood dishes are a great deal more photogenic than, say, tofu, beans, turnip, chicken with skin and bones. I am partial to seafood, but I also adore my greens, poultry/pork, eggs, soy products, and other foodstuff. 1 vegetable dish that I merely cannot do with out in my cooking repertoire is really a signature Malaysian dish referred to as kangkung belacan or stir-fried water spinach/morning glory with shrimp paste, even though it means that I have a stinky house! The key ingredient is none other than belacan, the Malaysian variety of shrimp paste. (Shrimp paste is an important flavoring medium in Southeast Asian cooking.) Strong, pungent, yet aromatic at the same time, the pairing of belacan with vegetables is probably one particular of your most fascinating stir-frying strategies for greens. The taste is bold, exquisite, and never boringâ��

For today’s creation, I employed yam leaf/sweet potato leaf (蕃薯叶), which functions as well as drinking water spinach. While it might seem or appear simple, ideal execution is not simple. Wok hei (the breath with the wok) and timing are exceedingly critical; a tiny too much wok hei or a tad as well long in the wok can render the dish a complete failure, for instance: burned belacan that tastes bitter or overcooked vegetables that appear purple-ish in color.

Whilst I appreciate this recipe, I must warn you that it’s an acquired taste, specifically for an American palate. Even so, it���s well worth a try because you most likely cannot locate an additional vegetable dish as intriguing or delicious as this one particular! Other signature Malaysian recipes may be discovered here.

RECIPE: STIR-FRIED YAM LEAF (SWEET POTATO LEAF) WITH BELACAN (SHRIMP PASTE)

INGREDIENTS:

one box of yam leaf (approximately .8 lb)

1 tablespoon of belacan/shrimp paste

2 red bird’s eye chilies or one normal red chili (remove seeds and thinly cut)

three tablespoons cooking oil

three cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon roasted chili paste

one tablespoon dried shrimp

A few dashes fish sauce

ROASTED CHILI PASTE:

A handful of dried chilies

2 tablespoon of cooking oil

Drinking water

Technique:

Grind the dried chilies and cooking oil in a blender. Create a tiny drinking water whilst blending.

Heat the wok, pour some cooking oil and stir-fry the chili paste for about 3 minutes. Put aside.

Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 10 minutes, then coarsely pound them utilizing mortar and pestle. Put aside.

Cut the stems in the yam leaf. Maintain only the tender part with the stems. Rinse with cold h2o and then set aside.

Fire up the wok to HIGH heat and increase the cooking oil. Wait till smoke comes out from the wok then create inside the chopped garlic. Do a quick stir, add inside the belacan, dried shrimp, and roasted chili paste and continue stirring. As quickly as you smell the pungent aroma of belacan, toss in the yam leaf. Stir continuously until the leaves started to wilt. Include in a couple of dashes of fish sauce, proceed stirring (make certain the colour of the vegetable remains green)!! Dish up and serve hot.

COOK’S NOTES:

In the US, sweet potato leaf (蕃薯叶) is marketed as yam leaf.

In the event you use water spinach, the Recipe functions the same.

Dried shrimps need to complement the belacan as opposed to competing with it, so you don’t need to use too significantly of them.