I thought about how to celebrate the opening of my new, permanent blog on this very first post. (yes I decided to leave Tumblr as it didn’t truly give me a blogging vibe). What’s better than having a feast? 😋

To be fair, my tumblr blog was really made half assed. 😒 And Tumblr style really isn’t mine (neither was blogspot). I wanted something I could have full control over. I finally decided to go with hosting my own website. Well to be fair I finally have a stable job to pay for it now (I mean compared when I started blogging in secondary school).

Phew, being able to pay for my own web hosting and domain surely feels good! It’s not really expensive either. Like a cup of starbucks? But I was a horribly poor student before I entered working life so I definitely couldn’t afford it anyway. 😅

ANYWAY, since I can’t host a feast so I guess the best I can do is to share my favourite fried rice that my mom used to cook for us. Its not a lavish dish but it’s one that always brings my heart back home with every bite.

Ingredients – for blending

• 5 handful of dried red chilli – cut and deseed
• 6 shallots / 1 large red onion (basically 1 fist size of onion)
• Half bulb of garlic – mince extra and set aside if you love garlic like me!

Optional blending ingredients:

• 1 inch of ginger – feel free to omit
• 1 Tablespoon of shrimp paste / belacan if you like (I burn it before blending
• 2 red bird’s eye chilli if you love spice!

Ingredients for frying

• Half bulb of onion (white), roughly chopped
• Extra minced garlic as above if you like
• Large deshelled and deveined prawns (roughly 6 per serving). Rub in sugar during prep
• Overnight / cold rice (2 large bowls)
• Cooking oil

Optional frying ingredients:

• Finely chopped spinach / bak choy / Lettuce (I have mine raw as garnish)

Instructions

1. Boil dried chilli has been deseed for 5-8 minutes.
2. Once chilli appear plump and soft, drain well and transfer to blender.
3. Blend boiled dried chilli with other ingredients above until it becomes a nice thick paste. Add 1-2 Tablespoon if water if the paste appear too coarse, and continue to blend it. Try not to add too much water!
4. Rinse away sugar from prawns and drain prawn until dry.
5. Heat up cooking oil in wok – don’t be stingy with the oil, you need enough to be able fry everything at the end. Add in prawns when hot at medium heat.
6. Remove prawns semi cooked once it turns pink. Remember, you’re cooking it again later.
7. Now turn on high heat. Add in your 5 tablespoon of blended sambal. Depending on the types of dried chili you have, the spice level will vary. Add more if you prefer to torture your taste buds.
8. Once the oil appear to mix well with your sambal, add in chopped onions.
9. Add in your rice and try your best to separate chunks of rice with your spatula. Mix well with the fried sambal
10. Add in your chopped vegetables now! 
11. Throw the cooked prawn back into the wok. Add salt generously!! Salt is what brings this dish out!! 😱 Mix well and taste, adjust salt as desired.
12. Serve hot garnish with spring onion / cucumber / your preferred vegetables🔥

P/s: extra sambal can be frozen up to 3 months!

P/p/s: im terrible with measurement……. I just add sauces and salt until the ancestor within me say ‘stop’