Taking A Break

After two years of blogging intermittently, I am taking a break. "Taking a break" in a relationship usually means its over but not in this case. For those of you who visit my blog regularly, I'm sure you would've noticed that posts are getting fewer and further in between. Call it laziness or inspiration vacuous maximus, I'm at a point where blogging has turned into a chore. And for this reason, I must take, as Christian Siriano from Project Runway 4 says, "a vay-kay!". I will be back in a couple of months after I settle some work stuff and renovating my flat. Until then, I leave you with a delicious recipe for angel hair pasta with prawns & rice wine. I made this for Hunky a few years ago when I saw a recipe in Flavours. Since I can't remember the recipe, this impromptu one is even better! Always follow your instincts right? 

Angel Hair Pasta With Freshwater Prawns & Rice Wine

Recipe for three, cooking time 5 minutes

• 10 freshwater prawns, cleaned thoroughly (I removed the shell but left the head on as all the flavour comes from the head)
  
• 1 tsp of chopped garlic
  
• 6 stalks spring onion sliced lengthways and cut into long strands (I used mainly the base and reserved the green strands for decor)
• dash heavy cream
  
• a ladle or two of broth (mum's chicken soup was just next to the pan at the time, very handy!)
  
• Chinese rice wine (Shao Shing Hua Tiao Chiew)
  
• sea salt to taste
  
• ebbiko /tobiko (whichever you can get your hands on, this packet was 50g I think)
  
• angel hair pasta (usually 100-150g per person)

1. Bring a pot of water up to boil, add salt. Angel hair pasta cooks in 2 minutes so you should try to time it. The prawn sauce will take around 5 minutes.
2. Heat some oil in a heavy-based pan, stir-fry garlic and spring onions
3. Add prawns and continue to fry on high heat, add Chinese rice wine (as much as you like dahlink!) and flambe. (You should have a orange-tinged sauce here from all the glorious prawny roe).
4. Remove the prawns at this point or they will be over cooked. Add some broth to deglaze the pan and reduce broth. Mine was a little runny at this point which is why I added some cream. Probably would've tasted even better without as the cream mellowed out the taste. 
5. Reduce heat and throw the prawns back in, season to taste and turn off the heat.
6. Add drained pasta & prawns, toss with tongs and lastly, toss in the ebbiko and spring onions.

I think if you are following my recipe it would benefit from a hit of lemon juice just to lift the dish from the mellow creaminess. Enjoy and see you back here soon-ish!