This was originally planned as a yee sang cooking session which somehow mutated into a lobster fest. We were at Cold Storage searching for fish when I saw this awesome looking lobster for RM 59.88. It’s bright, colorful and knobby in all the right places. I stood there marveling at the crustacean instead of looking for fish. I was still staring longingly at it when Eiling came out of the pork section.
Thus, we decided to forgo the fish and went for lobster instead. I was concerned this wouldn’t fit into my pot and contemplated going for Cambodian lobsters instead. Cambodian lobsters are much smaller than regular lobsters, and doesn’t look like it has a lot of meat in it. There’s a live lobster in the fresh seafood area too, for RM 78 but that monster is definitely too big for my pot.
Besides, it’s regular red instead of this wonderfully hued lobster. =D
Anyway, when there’s Eiling, there’s always wine – she brought along a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut and a bottle of Cadet d’Oc by Baron Philippe de Rothchild. This is what we used to cook the CNY (?) meal:
Lobster
Clams (la la)
Streaky bacon
French beans
John West anchovy fillets
San Remo spaghetti
Garlic and parsley infused olive oil
McCormick Season All Salt
Ripe mango
We started off by cooking the spaghetti until it was al dente with lots of McCormick’s Season All Salt. This is drained and left aside while the other dishes were prepared.
The bacon wrapped French beans is a concoction of Eiling – she shows how it’s done here. The beans are sliced into hors d’oeuvres sized pieces before being dipped in boiling water. Don’t overcook the veggies or it’ll lose the crunchiness!
It is then rolled in a raw bacon slice.
This is how we roll in KL. 😉
The bacon rolls are then fried with olive oil on low heat until it cooks. It is important not to overcook it, you don’t want crispy bacon, but something nice and chewy that drips with mouth watering lard.
Next up: Lobster!
Okay, this motherfucker is a bit of a challenge to put into my pot so I cooked it tail first with the head sticking out. The water is seasoned with LOTS of salt so it would impart some into the lobster (or so my rationale goes).
The lobster needs to be boiled for about 30 minutes or so – we turned it over to let the head cook and found out that after cooking, it is possible to stuff the entire lobster into the pot!
Take a break and dice the mango at this point. Choose one that is firm, yet sweet and juicy.
The clams go in last since they’re quite easy to cook. Make sure your lovely crustacean is cooked before you chuck in the clams. I have no idea how long you should cook it, we just guesstimated and it worked out very well!
You should reheat the pasta at this point – we used the broth from the lobster and the clams to reheat it, and it really imparts some flavor into the spaghetti!
Now it’s time to make the aglio olio sauce for the spaghetti. Remember the frying pan you used to cook the bacon wrapped beans in? That’s perfect as a base due to the flavors imparted by the streaky bacon. Just add in the infused olive oil and pour in a bit of the anchovy fillet grease and you’re set!
Dump the clams into the aglio olio sauce, fry it for a bit and pour the mixture onto your pasta!
Don’t forget your anchovies to add a bit of zing (salt) into your spaghetti!
Eiling was a bit doubtful about the addition of mangos into the dish but I managed to convince her that it’ll taste great. It did!
I really loved the lobster – it came out just nice, and the flesh is sweet and juicy. Digging into the lobster’s head and eating the stuff inside is pure heaven.
The bacon rolled French beans were great – the beans are crunchy and fresh while the bacon was done just right. The mango cubes worked very well too, providing a sweet and juicy burst of nectar which goes very well with the lobster and clam pasta.
There’s a saying that all the meat in lobster is in the tail and I agree…but all the taste is in the head of the lobster!
i’m drooling at the last pic
yummy duh! lobster, fleshy!
omg.omg.omg.
omg.omg.omg.
i’m not even a foodie type of person but.
omg.omg.omg.
debbie: Yeah, the lobster is pretty good. The head of the lobster is GREAT! Flavorful, much better than the tail. 🙂
IyouweBlog.com: Indeed! It was guesswork but we got it down pat – the lobster came out fine! 🙂
Yuen: Had fun cooking during the weekend, it’s one of my hobbies. 🙂
I love cooking since I drink when I cook so it’s kinda like…double the fun. 😉
Do you like cooking?
fresh: Heh! Yeah, I had a lot of fun cooking this. Eh, you were saying about guys and cooking? 😉
You want to cook? It’ll be fun to cook something together.
hey.. next time round.. try the bacon roll with Asparagus… it’s super yummy too..
taste great on the grill as well.. 🙂
wah this is by far the most appetising food post you’ve ever written! haha
PINKPheng: Yeah that was the original plan – asparagus! 🙂
Unfortunately, the Cold Storage outlet we went too didn’t have it. T_T
kimberlycun: Haha! Thanks Kim! I think the only out-of-place ingredient is the mango, and it actually went really well so it doesn’t deserve that title. I aim to put more exotic stuff next time. 😉
Dude..ur cooking is just so very special…a fusion of it kinds…it might attract adventurous glutton like me…i don’;t know about the light hearted one..lolz
U can open seafood restaurant dy… 🙂
MMMM MMMMM Eiling you looking good.
Ever thought of branching out and opening a restaurant? It’ll be a nice change and something to keep you occupied(assuming you’re not too busy now).
Last pix= epic WIN. MmmMmmm
RM60 per lobster, that’s not too bad. But eating lobster of your own catch is the best!!! Lobster hunting together next time?
Charles: Heh! You’re welcome to try! I find cooking fun, not really sure why that is. I actually loved cooking bangers and other stuff my dad gets back from his travels when I was a kid. 🙂
Shirley Snow: Haha! I don’t have the expertise required, unfortunately for such a business venture. 🙂
WEEN: I’m sure your message will get through, she’s reading. 🙂
Cheers: Unfortunately, my day job takes up a SIGNIFICANT amount of my time. 🙁
I have thought about opening a cafe, it’s very lucrative if done right.
Cheers mate, that’s the juicy tail, I love it too! 🙂
fish fish: It’s frozen lobster – the fresh one is RM 78 which is the normal red kind, with huge claws. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit in my pot.
Lobster hunting! I’m definately up for it! Where? 🙂
have to agree with Kim. By far this is the most appetising and edible food you have cooked. Lucky I didn’t suffer from any stomachache and diarrhea. Nice cooking out we had!
Mate, that is not a lobster. It’s a crayfish. Lobster is from US and they have big claws like a crab.
Here’s a tip, do your seafood in court bullion with a bottle or two of white wine.
Anyway, I still think you are obsessed with olive oil. Just render the bacon in a cold pan Gordan Ramsey style without oil. BTW, how did your bacon taste with olive oil?
That crayfish is very cheap, should eat it more often.
Waah Eiling can we get married so you can feed me with yummy dishes LOL!
Ok this is wrong to read when it’s lunch time and you are still in the office, it makes people hungry okay!
=)
hahaha! yeah guys who can cook are hawt 😛
and btw i am an epic fail as a pompuan 🙁 i can’t cook much, taking photos of you cooking would prolly be much easier for me haha!
*grok*grok*
waaa what a feast!
Hey Huai Bin,
Stop, please stop making my mouth water during office hours…the keyboard doesn’t quite agree wtih the drool haha.
Happy Lunar New Year to you!
Cheers, Jacq
Hey Huai Bin,
Stop, please stop making my mouth water during office hours…the keyboard doesn’t quite agree wtih the drool haha.
Happy Lunar New Year to you!
Cheers, Jacq
eiling: Haha! Yeah, this was good, especially the lobster! Too bad we didn’t have space for the yee sang! 🙂
Yup, it was a great cooking session! =D
rocket: Oh, we have lobster here too – the fresh one says it’s caught off the shores of Malaysia. It’s a lobster, with claws and the works.
Hmm…crayfish I had in Aussie was different from this one.
Anyway, we only used a little bit of olive oil for a bacon since it is streaky bacon and has enough fat to sustain the cooking. 🙂
Jester: Eh, why don’t you marry me instead? I can cook nice dishes for you too! 🙂
On ya? Let’s make it 10/10/10! =D
Where do you want to go for the honeymoon? 😉
fresh: Haha! Thanks! =D
Well, you can always help…CLEAN THE PLATES. 😉
That’s the one thing I hate about cooking – the cleaning up. I don’t mind cooking for you as long as you do the dish washing. 😉
ahlost: It’s good stuff, I really loved the lobster! 🙂
KY: Yup, was stuffed and couldn’t even finish the pasta and yee sang. 🙂
The Slog: Heh! Yeah, keyboards are generally not water resistant. 😉
Glad you liked it and happy CNY Jacq! 🙂
I’m back in Melbourne. 🙁
did ur guys have sex after the meal or before the meal?
wow.. u made almost ‘devil’s on horseback’ and the lobster looks to die for.. bow bow.. ciki is not worthy – eiling , woman of many talents.. i will never look upon u in the same light.. no.. uh-uh.. 😉
How la. You make all the dishes look so yummy, I’m drooling now.
Michelle Chin: Alas! No worries, I’ll be dropping by Melbourne in June/July, see ya then! 🙂
QS: Oh it was before, after and DURING the meal. Keng right? :p
Of course we didn’t have sex, we’re friends. 🙂
ciki: Yeah, was planning to make that too in the beginning, along with the asparagus idea but didn’t manage to get toothpicks. I don’t have toothpicks at home. T_T
Haha! Yeah, I was admittedly surprised that she can cook as well. 😉
WinnieKepala: We can cook together! Weekends only la, weekdays too busy. :S
when i read ur tweet i never expected to see a whole lobster on the dish itself. but then again.. sometimes i forget whose blog i’m reading. hah! nice combo with the mango!
clams! spaghetti! aglio olio style!
SW: Haha! Cheers! I like to go all out in everything I do, cooking included! 🙂
Yeah, the mango went surprisingly well! I was torn between using bananas or mangos to sweeten the dish and ended up with the nectarine. 🙂
aud: Yeah, it’s good stuff! Mangos too! 🙂
…and salty anchovies.
I forgot to get alfafa sprouts. 🙁
Jester: When do you wanna marry me?!!! *wink*
Ciki: My cooking not up to your palatable standards la dear….
eiling: Kenot! :p
Haha! Jestina is marrying me. 😉
Hmm…we should cook with ciki sometime – hear she can drink pretty well too. =D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobster
And friends can still have a nookie on a lazy Sunday afternoon, espeically after eating crayfish.
rocket: Haha! Oh well, we didn’t. It was just a fun cooking session (with lots of wine). 🙂
Yeah, there was a live lobster there, for just a little more but that is definately too huge for my pot. 🙂
eiling, stop being so farkin modest 😛 chis, just cook for me and i will stop praising you ..mwuahahaha
Ciki!!! Ok we’ll do it one fine day!!
the it defeats the purpose of getting chix to your place, cook her a meal and getting her drunk. You are nto batting for the team, are you? i hope eiling is not to disappointed..
As for the big arse life lobster, just chop off the head, split it down the middle, pan fry in some butter, sprinkle salt and pepper. Don’t over cook. serve on cold rice, tosse with tomato and cucumber cubes mixed with red Spanish onion, season with mirin. Now that’s how you get a chick into your bed.
I’ll be in KL during Melbourne’s winter.
OMG, the lobster looks so delicious! I am hungry ler….
Wah, cant catch up all the topic lol.. Wow i love lobster. How much you bought it? Hehe
ciki: Cook and drink, it’s the only way to fly! 🙂
eiling: I want to see how ciki cooks too. Haha! 🙂
rocket: Erm…but that’s not the point. Cooking was the point. We were cooking and drinking together. Eiling can drink most people under the table, but fortunately not me. Haha!
Hey, that sounds like a great recipe, will try it next time. Cheers mate! 🙂
Michelle: …but winter is fun (except for the really short days, the depressing weather, and er…just about everything else) coz you can go skiing and snowboarding. 🙂
kelly: Yeah, it looks good right? I’m still thinking about that lobster. 🙂
Eriku: It was RM 59.99, quite cheap considering the size. However, fresh ones were going at about RM 78 so that’s even better coz those were HUGE. 🙂
how cruel can you be ! oh my God ! You were naked at the beach. You bad boy !
anonymous: Eh? I haven’t been to a beach in a long time. I don’t know what you’re smoking, but…can I have a toke? 😉
thats lobster seem heavenly but what can beat when u had a nice partner to cook around nice food and share/adventure new recipe… 😉
well ill be damned or blessed or whatever. that tile wall… but aside from that, thats one big lobster. but i never could get bacon wrapped grean beans or asparagus or steak to come out right. not cause its so difficuclt to cook. most times I burn it in one side. but most often cause I ate it before it made it to the steaks or bacon wrapped stuff. I did pre cook it, but it seldom made to the table. ( hey wheres the bacon on these shrimp skewers… well , I dont know… smile. God bless, Hb.
Why do you call it spaghetti aglio olio? I don’t see any aglio (garlic) in yr pasta. 😛
ah nel: Yup! Cooking with friends is a lot of fun! 🙂
tom: I think the trick is to use very low heat when cooking the bacon wrapped beans/asparagus. It takes a bit of patience but you won’t burn it that way. Take care and God bless, my friend! 🙂
AglioFan: Heh! Yup, that’s another thing – we wanted to get fresh garlic but then found this garlic and parsley infused olive oil so we used that instead. It has garlic in it. 😉
call when in doubt bro. . .i can always help. . .lolz
You need to cook the clam with white wine and finish it off with a bit of cream. That would have been a nice sauce for the pasta. And for the bacon and french beans, bechamel sauce would have accompanied them very well or even a bit of lemon butter sauce. 🙂
Bon Appetit!!!
foodcrazee: Okay! Thanks for the offer bro! 🙂
social stranger: Yeah, that was ALSO in the plan. Haha! Unfortunately I prefer to DRINK white wine than to cook with it. 😉
Thanks for the tip about the sauces…lemon butter sounds very promising. Cheers! 🙂
omg!! lobster!! plus got the eggies in it!! omg!! hatechu!!
annna: It’s damn awesome, I love the eggs in the lobster’s head, very very very very very tasty indeed. =D
Wow! This is awesome!!
uLi: Yup, it is pretty awesome stuff. The addition of mangos – trust me, it’s good. 🙂
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great! nice looking lobster! sure taste great, too!