Chinese Recipes | Cooking Tips | Good Eats

What kind of prawns (shrimp) do you like? Small, medium, large, extra large, white, dark, tiger striped?

Mom says to always buy prawns with their heads on because they are fresher.
Prawns must have a good color and be heavy for their size. They must have all their limbs.

I bought 10 white prawns, head on (count 26/30) from Ranch 99, for $4.79. These can be used for my Mee Rebus, Mee Siam, Stir-fried Kailan, Kway Teow, Prawn in Chilli Oil and future dishes, for example Tom Yum Soup.

Unfortunately, I have to limit my intake of prawns for this period of time because of the growing foetus. Mom said to eat less prawns, sambal belachan and even hei bi (dried shrimp).

A friend told me that “Prawns function as filters in the ocean and they take in toxins and stuff but are geared not to fall sick themselves (that is why Chinese believe that prawns are ‘poisonous’ and give you pus if you had an operation, etc) and guess who gets all that toxins at the end of the day? Ditto for other shell fish (Clams?!) and Crabs (scavengers).”

Umm… heavy stuff. So I did some research on “filter feeders” and came across a paragraph in an article which said “Uncooked shellfish may contain disease-causing bacteria, viruses or parasites. Raw oysters, clams and other shellfish pose a particular risk since they are filter feeders - straining tiny particles from the seawater for food. If the seawater contains disease-causing microorganisms, these accumulate in the shellfish. The Norwalk virus, which causes intestinal illness in humans, is often associated with eating raw oysters and clams. For this reason, it is important to get raw shellfish from a reliable source, or ensure that your shellfish is cooked thoroughly.”

Umm… heavier stuff. But isn’t the keyword here: “raw”? Well, never mind. I better listen to mom.

So the 10 prawns I bought are all meant for J, cos he likes to eat prawns. I’ll just watch.

How do you prepare your prawns (shrimp) for storage?
Here are a few preparation and storage tips:

1. Wash prawns and pat dry.

2. Remove the antenna.

3. Trim off the long and short “legs” (appendages) of the prawn. The long “legs” are called “pereiopods” and the short “legs” are called “pleopods”.

4. Cut off the very sharp “beak” on top of their head. This “beak” is called the rostrum. They can actually hurt you if you are not careful.

5. Portion the prawns according to what you plan to cook over the next few days, store them in plastic bags and freeze them. If you are unsure of your upcoming menu, then store the prawns in smaller portions so that you can thaw a few portions for your requirements.

Because of all the preparation work you have done above, cooking prawns will be a breeze.

Whenever I come back from my big supermarketing day, I am always busy packing my poultry and vegetables for storage in a way that preparation then becomes easy when I need them.

Here are some tips taught by my mom, and it has made cooking a more enjoyable process, without the need to crush garlic or slice ginger everytime I need them.
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So you thought you can just buy a pack of green beans, throw them into the frying pan and start frying your heart out eh?

Wrong.

If you buy your green beans from a Chinese supermarket, they usually do not come pre-washed. Rachael Ray’s advice is that when we come back from the supermarket from our major supermarketing day, we should take some time to wash and pack our vegetables so that they are ready to be used anytime. Is that correct?

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