Airfried Cheese Grilled Garlic Prawns (budgetpantry.com)
Makes 1-2 servings

What you need:

4 pieces large tiger prawns
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Squeeze of mayonnaise or mentaiko mayo
Shredded cheddar cheese
Spring onions and lettuce, to serve (optional)

Steps:

Preheat your airfryer or oven to 180C.

In the mean time, prep your prawns by cutting a slit along the back and remove the dirty stuff.

Pat dry and stuff with minced garlic, squeeze some mayonnaise and stop with shredded cheese.

Fold baking paper into a boat (I would have used my baking pan if the prawns could fit), lay out your prawns, sprinkle more cheese on top and airfry for 7-8 minutes at 180C until done. If using the oven, you may need to add two more minutes to the timing.

Tip #1: If you oven has the ‘Crispy Grill’ function, cook the prawns for 8 mins and switch to ‘crispy grill’ for another 1-2 minutes and watch the cheese sizzle.

Tip #2: If you have mentaiko mayo, use it!

Enjoy your yummy oven-baked or airfried prawns!

Cajun Seafood Boil (budgetpantry.com)
Makes 2-3 servings

What you need:
400g fresh tiger prawns, veins removed and legs/whiskers trimmed
200g skinless cod chunks (you can also use any white fish)
100g pork belly slices
150g smoked sausages (or you can use luncheon meat)
Handful of broccoli florets
200g pasta (penne or fusilli)
1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly into rings
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
6 fresh shitake mushrooms
1 ear of corn (cut into chunks, and boiled or steamed – or you can use frozen kernels)
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Sprinkle of black pepper
200ml chicken stock or enough to just about reach the top of your ingredients
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Steps:

Cook the pasta until al dente and set aside.

Heat up the butter and oil and fry onion till wilted. Add the mushrooms and garlic.

Add the pork belly and sausages and fry until pork is no longer pink. Add the broccoli and corn, followed by chicken stock until it just about covers all the ingredients. Add the Old Bay, Cajun, garlic powder and sugar. Mix well.

Toss in your seafood and stir until prawn and fish are cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Return the pasta to the pot. Mix everything together. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve immediately.

Chilli Crab Prawns with Enoki Mushrooms (budgetpantry.com)

Serves 2-3

What you need:

15-20 medium prawns, shelled and de-veined
1 packet enoki mushrooms, stems removed, rinsed and separated
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 large egg, beaten
1 chopped chilli padi, optional
2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions, optional
2 tablespoons cornstarch solution (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water)
2 tablespoons olive oil for frying

Seasonings
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
Half tablespoon oyster sauce
Half tablespoon sugar
100ml water

Steps:

Heat up the oil and fry garlic, shallots and ginger till fragrant. Add in prawns and fry til just turning pink.

Add enoki mushrooms and seasonings. Add chilli padi if using. Cook for a minute.

Drizzle egg into the pot, evenly through a fork. Add the cornstarch solution. Stir well, scatter spring onions and dish up. Enjoy with lots of rice!

Stir Fry XO Sauce Seafood Noodles (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 4

What you need:

500g thick bee hoon (粗米粉)
12 prawns, shelled
8 pieces crab sticks (shredded) or 100g crab meat
2 eggs
1 yellow onion, sliced
2-3 stalks spring onions, sectioned
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix together sauce ingredients:
4 tablespoons XO sauce
3 tablespoons crispy shrimp floss
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
4 tablespoons water

Steps:

Submerge the thick bee hoon in hot water for 10 minutes, then rinse in a colander under running water. Drain and set aside.

In a wok, heat up the olive oil and fry onion and garlic until fragrant. Add in the prawns and crab sticks/crab meat and fry till prawns turn pink. Add in the sauce ingredients and fry for one minute.

Making sure your wok is very hot, toss in the thick bee hoon and stir fry to make sure it’s coated with the sauce. I used a pair of chopsticks to mix.

Make some space in the wok and crack in the eggs. Wait 10 seconds before combining everything together. Lastly, add the spring onions, mix well and serve.

Mui Fan (budgetpantry.com)
Serves 2
Cost per serving: $2.50

What you need:

2 servings cooked rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 slices ginger
12 pieces prawns, with tail on
Half a carrot, sliced
2 fresh shitake mushrooms
Handful of leafy vegetables
3 teaspoons concentrated chicken stock (I used Woh Hup)
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Splash of Chinese cooking wine (hua diao jiu)
500ml water
1.5 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
Dash of white pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Steps:

Heat up the oil and fry ginger and garlic till fragrant. Add the carrots, mushrooms and prawns and fry for a minute.

Add the seasonings: concentrated chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and fish sauce and stir fry to combine. Add the 500ml water and vegetables, then bring to boil.

Add the corn starch water and reduce heat to simmer till slightly thick. Hold a fork over your frying pan and drizzle egg mixture through it, ensuring the egg is distributed evenly. Finish with a splash of cooking wine and dash of white pepper.

Ladle on top of hot steamed rice and eat immediately.

How much I spent:

$4 for prawns (I use frozen shelled prawns with tail on)
$0.30 for mushrooms
$0.15 for carrot
$0.60 for eggs
Everything else from my pantry