Some brands have become synonymous with the product for example, Kleenex for facial tissue, Pampers for diapers and Dettol for antiseptic liquid disinfectant. Nestum to me is synonymous for a hot breakfast cereal. I mean how can it not be? It was a staple in my family when we were growing up. Mom made sure that we had either toast, cornflakes or Nestum for breakfast before she sent us packing to school. More often than not, we’d find our Nestum prepared and waiting for us on the table to gobble. My brother likes his mixed with a little warm milk so that it’s consistency is chewy but I preferred mine with a bit more milk and mixed until it had a custard like texture. But if one has had it almost everday for 5 days a week for  approximately 18years, it would be shocking if it didn’t become synonymous with something! Surprisingly, I have not been able to find Nestum here in Seattle and I do wonder why it’s not available here. So if you know where I can find it, pray tell. It would definitely make it easier for family members who come to visit us if they could lighten their baggage by not having to bring bags of Nestum for me.

Besides the breakfast regime, you’d want to try Nestum Cereal Prawn. It’s a dish that’s sure to be a hit with anyone. If you ate at a restaurant which had this on its menu, it’s coming close to a crime if you didn’t order it. But if you lived in a place that didn’t have Nestum in its stores, then it’s not surprising that it’s a dish you can never find here, and you’ll have to be your own chef. So maybe the next time your family and friends come visiting and you’re in No-Nestum-land, it’d be a good idea to request that as a souvenir.

For this dish, you’ll need to clean prawns by removing whiskers, legs and devein but keep the shell intact. Do you know how to do this in 1 min? I’m wondering if I should do a video on my prawn cleaning technique and post it. [Updated 18 April - I finally got to making this video and posting it]

Ingredients:

1lb prawns - clean prawns i.e. remove whiskers, legs and edge of tail and devein. Keep shell intact.
1 egg - lightly beaten
2 tbsp corn flour
2 tbsp evaporated milk
3 tbsp salted butter
2 birds’ eye cili - sliced fine
1 garlic - chopped fine
a handful of curry leaves - washed
1 cup Nestum cereal
salt (as required)
oil

Method:

1. Pour half of the beaten egg onto the prawn and mix well. Then add the corn starch and mix the prawns until lightly coated.
2. Heat a pan with oil and deep fry the prawns until pink. Remember to turn over the prawn.



3. Remove and set aside.



4. Add the evaporated milk into the egg and mix. Set aside.
5. In skillet, melt 3 tbsp of butter and add garlic, curry leaves and cili. Stir fry until garlic browns and it starts to become fragrant. This won’t take very long.



6. Push the ingredients in the pan to the side and pour the egg mixture into the pan. Quickly scramble it then combine with the rest of the mixture.



7. Reduce the heat and add in the Nestum. Mix with all the rest of the ingredients. Fry for about a min.



8. Add in the fried prawns, mix well and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.



9. Serve hot with rice.

Tips:

• Make sure the oil is hot when frying the prawns to give a crispy shell.
• Add more cili if you prefer it spicy. The amount of cili here gives a very very very mild flavor. To my tastebuds, it’s non-existent but my kids have yet to develop a taste for cili and so for now I will have to content with mild dishes.
• When buying prawns, make sure it feels firm to the touch and the shell is not coming off. It should not have a stale smell.
• Use fresh prawns for this dish. The flavor does change if using frozen packed prawns.
• Use medium or large prawns for this dish. The small ones leave you very dissatisfied.
• I’m using salted butter so I didn’t add any salt to the dish. You can add a little if you like.