Nyonya Yee Sang Recipe

(Nyonya Recipe)

Ingredients: Serves 5-6

450 g treated cuttlefish, scored and blanched for 1-2 minutes then cut into 2.5 cm pieces

150 g fresh jellyfish, blanched and cut into 0.5-cm strips

600 g turnip, peeled and cut into thin strips

450 g Chinese lettuce, cut into 1-cm pieces

300 g cucumber, seeded and cut into thin strips

Prawn Fritter (Hair Chee)*

Yee Sang Sauce*

Ingredients for Prawn Fritter:

110 g plain flour, sifted

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 grade A (60 g) egg

125 ml water

1 teaspoon baking powder

60 g small prawns (shrimps), coarsely chopped

250 ml cooking oil

Ingredients for Yee Sang sauce:

0.5 cm (¼ inch) peeled galangal, finely pounded

3 red chilies, finely pounded

90 ml tomato sauce

60 ml chili sauce

180 ml plum sauce

½ heaped teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

60 ml water

110 g mashed potato

30 g roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded

2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds, coarsely pounded

Method:

To make yee sang sauce:

Bring to a boil all the Yee Sang ingredients, except peanuts and sesame seeds, and cook until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat, add peanuts and sesame seeds.

To make prawn fritters:

Mix the flour, pepper, five-spice powder and salt in a bowl. Add the egg and stir. Gradually add water and mix into a smooth batter. Strain into a bowl. Proof the batter for an hour. Add baking powder and prawns (shrimps) and mix well. Heat the cooking oil in a non-stick frying pan (skillet) and pour in the batter. Swirl the pan so that the batter spreads evenly. Fry for 7 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain. Cut fritter diagonally into 0.5-cm thick slices.

To serve:

Arrange all the ingredients on a large serving plate and serve with the sauce.

Note: Chinese cruller (Yau Char Kway) can be added, if desired. If you use fried jellyfish, soak it in water overnight and change the water several times. To cook it, blanch the jellyfish in boiling water for half a minute. Remove and rinse with cold water. Do not overcook the jellyfish or it will be tough. When you use small prawns (shrimps) for the fritter, do not shell them. You can also deep-fry the fritter. Pour a few tablespoons batter on a hot flat ladle, add prawns (shrimps) and leave the ladle of batter in hot oil. Remove ladle gently when batter hardens. Fry fritter until golden brown.