Pasta barbabietola - beetroot pasta... haha.. that is one long word eh? have been wanting to make this for a long time. Beetroot gives such an intense ruby red colour to sauces, pasta, soups... and a delicate sweet flavour as well. (in this case, I only had a small beetroot, so the pasta was a salmon pink instead, as you can see from the picture). The dinner menu started off simply enough - I was going to make beetroot pasta, then cook it aglio olio style and toss in tiny cubes of deep red steamed beetroot and jade green broccolini. The danger of traipsing of to KK Market on a Saturday is that one can get carried away with all that fresh produce. (the crowded narrow lanes of the makeshift market notwithstanding). At the market, whilst looking for beetroot, the fish stalls announced their presence with an unmistakable odour. Fortunately, the fruits de mer were fresher than the smells suggested. The crabs were very much alive.. the prawns still glistening and clams blowing bubbles. Fellow Cook chose a LARGE crab. We were puzzled - why were these one-pincered monsters cheaper than regular Sri Lankan crabs? Maybe Singaporeans don't like this particular species. Did they taste different? Mutant hermit carbs? "Aiya.. no la!".. the fishwife told us, (like we were retarded or something) "these are damaged - the pincer broke off when they took them out of the traps. Cannot sell to restaurant - so you want or not?"
Oh OK, we'll take him then, put him out of his misery. Oh oo-er... Auntie - how do you kill it? "Eat tonight or tomorrow??" Um..er.. tonight..said I, hoping she would clean it too. Before I could blink, she despatched the poor creature with a swift jab of pointy scissors between the eyes. Talk about the fastest blades in the East. Ah well, that settled the crab. Clutching the plastic bag, now dripping crab juice / blood (do crabs have blood?) we bought some large grey prawns too. I wanted only 10 prawns but the guy selling them had other ideas, so we ended up with a good handful (14 we counted, when we got home).
Back home, one side of the kitchen was a peaceful corner with pink pasta being made, but from the other side (sink side) emanated squeaks and squaks.. eeek! are these the gills?? ooo.. this part feels so "geli"!! Eventually, the crustacean was nicely cleaned and cut into pieces for steaming.
Crab this fresh has to be steamed. Nothing added. Taste the sweetness and freshness without adulteration by spices, herbs and seasonings. Place into a heatproof dish and steam in a wok for 30min. Set aside - can be eaten cold. Still as yummy.
Peel prawns, de-vein and marinate in egg white (by product of egg pasta production), salt and pepper. Coat with corn flour and and pan fry till pink and crisp. Set aside, keep warm. Blanch broccolini and set aside.
Now, the next 2 steps require some coordination. Bring to boil large pot well salted water, toss in egg pasta and cook till al dente - about 2 minutes. At about the same time, heat olive oil in pan, toss in chopped garlic and sautee; do not allow to brown or burn. Toss in pasta, season with pepper (should be salty enough) and add a ladle of pasta water to make it glossy if mixture is too dry.
Plate pasta onto warm plates, top with prawns and broccolini. We shared this with 3 other foodies - washed down with a well chilled white wine, it was a veritable feast!!
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