I LOVE traditional salt fish acar or pickles. When I was in my teens my aunts and grandma used to prepare this dish for us and I am still yearning for this tasty savoury pickle. Can you please help me so that I can prepare this dish for my family? – Kiki Yeo

Here’s a recipe for you.

Mango Acar (bottom cup) and Salted Fish Acar .

Salt Fish Acar

• 250g good quality salt fish (danau fish)
• 35g dried prawns, soaked and coarsely chopped
• 4 stalks curry leaves
• Oil for deep-frying

• 15 shallots
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2cm fresh turmeric
• 3cm galangal, sliced
• 8 candlenuts
• 1cm square shrimp paste (belacan), toasted
• 15 dried chillies
• 13 red chilllies

Ingredients (B)

• 200ml white rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste, mixed with 2 tbsp water and strained for juice

• 5 tbsp castor sugar or to taste
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Rinse salt fish and cut into small cubes. Deep-fry salt fish until golden and crispy. Remove and drain from oil. Leave ½ cup oil in the wok, sauté dried prawns and curry leaves until fragrant.

Add ground spice ingredients and continue to fry until oil separates. Add vinegar, tamarind juice and sugars. Bring to a slow boil then simmer for 10-12 minutes until gravy is thick. Cool gravy thoroughly before adding fried salt fish. Keep salt fish acar in airtight glass jars before use.

CAN you please give me a recipe for Honey Barbecued Spareribs? – Doreen Goh

Here you go.

Honey Barbecued Spareribs

• 1kg spareribs, cut into 6cm lengths
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 1 heaped tbsp minced garlic
• 1 heaped tbsp minced shallots
• 1 heaped tbsp minced ginger
• 1½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shao Hsing Hua Tiau wine
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp water

Glaze (combined)

• 5 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

Honey glazed spare ribs

Place spareribs in a large mixing bowl. Add marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly until all the ribs are well coated with the sauce. Add combined cornflour and plain flour. Stir well to mix. Leave aside to sit in the marinade for at least an hour but preferably several hours to allow the marinade to flavour the meat.

Preheat oven at 180°C. Arrange the pieces of meat on a foil-lined baking pan, then bake for 20 minutes. Take pan out of the oven and glaze the ribs with the honey mixture. Return to the oven and continue to bake for an extra 7-8 minutes. Turn ribs over to make sure that both sides are well glazed and the meat is tender and well charred.

CAN you please share with me a basic sweet pastry? I do not really know the exact name for such a pastry. – Wong Mei Fung

Here’s the recipe for a basic sweet short crust pastry.

Basic Sweet Short Crust Pastry

• 180g plain flour, sifted
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 125g butter, chilled and diced
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp chilled water

Place flour into a mixing bowl. Sift in icing sugar and add butter. Work with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add egg yolk and chilled water to form a firm pliable dough. Knead lightly on a floured tabletop until dough is smooth.

Place in a plastic bag. Chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out to use.

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