10 Dinner Party Tips

I've awoken to a stinking hot day with an equally stinking hangover. We hosted a dinner party for 6 intrepid guests last night and mercifully, the dirty dishes had been done, thanks to my handy guests+ dishwasher, which, by the way, is man's true best friend. As it turns out, in an inebriated state, I had wiped the crab shrapnel off the floor, walls and furniture. Brilliant.

For months now, I'd promised my friends Singapore chilli crab, so 2 days ago, I ventured to the Fish Markets in search of said crustacean. And this was when I learnt the first of many lessons that would arise from this seemingly benign dinner party.

1) Do not speak to/coo over live mud crabs when selecting them or you'll soon find yourself persuaded by those innocent beady eyes and wavering in your mission.

2) Mud crabs are large and infuriatingly unyielding creatures. Chop them in quarters instead of

halves to avoid doing battle with them in the wok.

3) Buy a Microplane if you cook a lot. I used to think it was a "wannabe-chef's wank", but after grating my right arm to death, I'm getting myself one. Asap.

4) Whipping cream + egg whites are a breeze with a Kitchenaid mixer.

5) When making semi-freddo, ensure berries are chopped into sufficiently small pieces. Otherwise, you'll end up with lumps of frozen rock hard berries in your dessert. Not good.

6) Meringues are a great way to deal with the egg whites leftover from making semifreddo. The sugar cuts through the tanginess of the strawberries as well. Waste not, want not!

7) Sugary meringues will stick to baking paper. Yes. And you'll have to scrape each and every one with a small knife

or throw the buggers away. So use silicon baking paper or parchment paper.

8) Hay Gor (smelly shrimp paste) is not Belacan (smelly shrimp paste). Go figure. Regardless, it goes alright in Sayur Lodeh (vegetable curry), and makes for a sweeter broth.

9) David Thompson (author of Thai Street Food), you are my new God. Thank you for the Grilled Pork Skewer recipe.

10) Copious amounts of red wine gives you a headache. This is not a new lesson, but one I relearn each time we have a party.

Here is the menu and the corresponding recipes. Semi-Freddo works well after a heavy/spicy dinner and can be prepared in advance. (Please excuse the multiple fonts and formats. My head hurts, you see).

Thai Grilled Pork Satay

Singapore Chilli Mud Crabs

Sayur Lodeh (Malaysian Vegetable Curry)

Strawberry, Pistachio and Rosewater Semifreddo with Meringues

Thai Grilled Pork Satay

(Adapted from David Thompson's Thai Street Food)

Makes 12-15, enough for 4

300gm pork neck (with fat)

bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 30min)

Marinade:

1 tspn cleaned and chopped coriander roots

pinch of salt

1 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tspn white pepper

2 tblspn shaved palm sugar

dash of dark soy sauce

2 tblspn fish sauce

2 tblspn vegetable oil

Slice pork into thin pieces. Pound coriander and garlic in a mortar and pestle, combine with rest of marinade ingredients. Marinate pork for at least 3 hours or overnight, then skewer and bbq over a hot flame.

Singapore Chilli Crab (from Straits Cafe)

Serve 4

1/2 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Peanut oil

1 md Onion, finely chopped

5 Tbs Ginger, grated

4 Cloves, grated

5 Red chilies, finely chopped

2 Cups Ketchup

1 Cup Water

2 Tbs Soy sauce

2 Tbs Sweet chili sauce

1 Tbs Rice wine vinegar

2 Tbs Softened brown sugar

Wash the crabs well and scrub the shell.

Using a large cleaver, cut the crabs in quarters and rinse well under cold water, carefully removing the yellow gills or spongy parts. With the flat side of the cleaver, crack the legs and larger front claws.

Lightly and carefully coat the shells with a little flour.

Heat about 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a large wok and cook two crab halves at a time. Using a metal utensil, carefully turn and hold the crab in the hot oil until the shell just turns red. Repeat with the remaining crab halves.

Add the remaining oil to the wok and cook the onion, ginger, garlic and chili for 5 minutes over medium heat and stirring regularly.

Add the ketchup, water, soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar and sugar. Bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes.

Return the crab to the wok and simmer, turning carefully in the sauce for 10 minutes or until the crab meat turns white. Do not overcook.

Sayur Lodeh

Serves 6-8

1/4 head of cabbage, chopped

1/4 head of cauliflower

1 large carrot, sliced

300 gm green beans

200gm tempeh (fried) and cut into pieces

400gm coconut milk

2 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

paste:

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp dried shrimp, soaked and drained

2 tsp belacan or hay gor

2 tbsp chilli paste

1 inch ginger

2 stalks lemongrass, chopped

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

In a mortar and pestle, pound aromatics to a paste, then mix in powders, shrimp and hay gor. Heat oil in a pot, fry paste and bay leaves over a medium heat for about 5 min, then pour in coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, add vegetables and tempeh, then simmer until vegetables are soft.

Strawberry, Pistachio and Rosewater Semifreddo (adapted from Bill Granger's recipe)

14 egg yolks

600 ml whipping cream

7 tblsp honey

4.5 tsp rose water

375 gm strawberries (chopped into small pieces)

160gm shelled, chopped pistachios

1. Whip cream until double in volume and soft white peaks form.
2. Beat the egg yolks and honey together with electric beaters for 10 minutes, or until thick, pale, creamy and doubled in volume. Fold in the whipped cream and rosewater until just combined.
3. Line the base and two sides of a 22 inch cake tin with a piece of plastic wrap, leaving the wrap hanging over the sides of the tin. Spoon the mixture into the tin, fold the plastic over the top to cover the semifreddo and freeze for 1–2 hours, or until partially frozen. Remove from the freezer and stir through the strawberries and pistachios. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer until completely frozen.
4. Before serving, leave to soften in the fridge for 20 minutes. Turn out of the tin, cut into slices and serve with a few extra strawberries.

Meringues

Makes 16

Whites of 4 large organic eggs

115gm castor sugar

115gm icing sugar

Preheat oven to 100 degrees celsius and line 2 baking trays with silicon paper or parchment paper. With an electric mixer at medium speed, beat egg whites until light and fluffy. Turn speed up, add castor sugar one tablespoon at a time to eggs (this prevents meringues from bleeding). When soft peaks form, sift icing sugar into the mixer and fold through. With 2 dessert spoons, form blobs of the mixture on parchment paper, then bake for about 1.5 hours or until coffee brown and breaks with a "snap". Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.