This is NOT a food blog!

definitely NOT!

but am blogging about the shrimps we had for dinner the other night as a few people have asked how these are prepared and cooked.

I am not a cook by any stretch of the imagination, and the other thing is we rarely eat at home here in Singapore. Eating out in Singapore at the local hawker markets is by far, much cheaper than shopping, preparing and cooking it yourself.

Just that sometimes we have a 'craving' for foods that we like and that we can't get here. So here goes:

first of all we went to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market (Singapore) and purchased one Kg of dried shrimps for $22.00. With hindsight it was a little too much for three of us. Though, having said that, the total cost of the shrimps and the ingredients used was under $30.00 and it has served 10 complete meals. 

According to my calculations - using all fingers and toes - that comes to the large sum of $3.00 per meal.

The dried shrimps keep for a couple of weeks if refrigerated, so don't feel you have to rush home and cook them immediately.


I soak them in cold water for about 5 hours, changing the water at least 5 or 6 times. You could soak them overnight in the refrigerator ... up to you.

 

when ready for cooking, drain the shrimps and set aside. Then over a low heat, cook a chopped onion, some cloves of fresh garlic, some grated fresh ginger and crushed chili. All of these to suit your taste buds. There is no set amount one needs to use. Use what you feel is best suited to your needs and taste. Go easy on the chili for the first time though as the dish can be rather rich.

 

using a large deep pan, add the drained shrimps and the cooked onion/garlic/ginger/chili mix and then add a large dollop of tomato paste and a can of chopped tomato's.

it was at this point I realised I had too many shrimps for the amount of tomato's I had added. I checked my cupboard and saw that I had a large jar of pasta sauce, so added that as well.

Keep stirring gently and adding water when needed, over the cooking time of approximately 2 to 3 hours, I had added about 5 cups of water.

you might think that this dish takes a long time, it doesn't really ..... just prepare the ingredients, cook the onion mix and stir every now and then. Keep the heat low as being full of tomato's, it will bubble and cook very fast .... when you lift the lid to stir, you will have the sauce going everywhere!

yes, am talking from experience here!!

You will know when it is ready. It will be thick and rich and smell simply delicious.

serve with rice, greens or a salad.

Sit back and ENJOY.