Watermelon Bites With Lap Cheong

Watermelon ... Lap Cheong? Who would have thought! One of the best combinations, I dare say after helping myself to one after another.

I sat, waited with a grin as I watched my best friend's face light up with a bright smile. He was astonished at how yummy it tasted. At the same time, I was admonished for not making more. "Well, this was an experiment. How was I supposed to know!" I defended myself against the look of displeasure that was made in jest.

This is another Christmas creation as you will notice from the colours red and green. It all came about because of my current infatuation with the Lap Cheong. My mint plant has also made itself very at home on the balcony outside. It was spreading like weed. I thought I'd use the two away in a recipe.

Thus, Watermelon Bites With Lap Cheong was born. Juicy sweet watermelon, savoury Lap Cheong ; intense flavours that are balanced out with a burst of fresh mint. The mint was a nice touch. Really.

Watermelon Bites With Lap Cheong

Here's a little information about Lap Cheongs (Chinese sausage) in case you're wondering what it is. I'm using a variety that is typically found in Malaysian supermarkets. Wikipedia  describes it as:

Lap cheong (Cantonese) or là cháng (Mandarin) (臘腸/腊肠) is a dried, hard sausage usually made from pork and a high content of fat. It is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned with rose water, rice wine and soy sauce.

This is the recipe. Easy-peasy! 

Watermelon Bites With Lap Cheong (Toothpick Appetiser)
Ingredients:
- Lap Cheong 
- Sweet ripe watermelon
- Fresh mint leaves
- Cooking oil

How-to:
1) Use a melon baller to cut watermelon out into balls. Leave to chill in the refrigerator.
2) Soak the lap cheong in water for about 30 seconds. Peel the casing (outer layer) off. Cut into thin slices.
3) Pan-fry the lap cheong in cooking oil until slightly charred. Then, remove the lap cheong from the pan and place it on a strainer to drain excess oil .
4) To assemble. Press all the ingredients through a toothpick in this order : Charred lap cheong first. Next, the mint leaf and finally, the chilled watermelon ball.

1) Three ingredients - Watermelon, Mint, Lap Cheong.
2) Pan-frying the lap cheong.
3) Lightly charred lap cheong.

Arrange the Lap Cheong in this order.

Watermelon Bites With Lap Cheong ready to be served!

Yummy Watermelon Bites With Lap Cheong

Eat and be merry, for it is good!

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Emping Padi Baru (Rice Flakes)

My recent trip to Melaka, a short getaway with the family, was fun and foodful. From chicken rice balls to durian cendol, we tried it all. The city is a favourite haunt for tourists. It is steeped in Dutch and Portuguese history, and has been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008.

I stumbled across this snack while souvenir hunting at Medan Samudera, a small shopping complex that sells mainly Malaysian food products and many things that would make great mementos of Melaka. Ahem, I opened my wallet more than once!

Emping Padi Baru (Newly Harvested Rice Flakes)

Emping Padi Baru (newly harvested rice flakes) is a traditional local delicacy that is said to be more commonly found in the paddy growing northen states of Peninsular Malaysia. It is a treat that is rarely heard of these days, but not impossible to find. It is still sold in old markets up north and touristy cultural shopping complexes.

How this is made:
Freshly harvested rice (with husk) is rinsed and soaked overnight. Then, it is dry fried in a wok until it begins to snap. This is transferred into a traditional wooden mortar where it is pounded and flattened until the husk separates from the rice. Using a bamboo sieve, the husk (now light) is tossed out with several flipping motions, leaving the flattened rice behind.

Interesting?

Rice Flakes

There are several ways of enjoying this. This is what is written on the packet I purchased.

Instructions : Soak in hot water for a minute to soften. Mix with palm sugar and fresh grated coconut or eat with milk.

I paired mine with dessicated coconut and a drizzle of honey. It dawned on me that this snack could go a lot of ways ~ slices of fresh fruit, nuts, raisins and so forth.

Rice Flakes with Dessicated Coconut and Honey

Rice Flakes mixed with Dessicated Coconut and Honey

Another way of enjoying this is to dry fry it again, straight out of the packet. The rice flakes will be crunchy, much like biting into the crispiness of a potato chip. This is also eaten mixed with grated coconut and palm sugar.

For me, emping padi baru  would be great 'party food' because it is quick and simple to do. It isn't something I would eat in a large quantity so an appetiser or dessert would be how I would go about it.

Happy trying!

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