Life is like a box of Prawns.You never know what you going to get.

Sugar cane is a coarse, tall and fibrous member of the grass family with high sugar content. Initially native to tropical south Asia, it is now cultivated in close to 100 countries with production at more than 1,743 million metric tons.

These sugar cane plantation is near where we live.

Brazil and India are the leading producers accounting for roughly 50 percent of worldwide production. The most important product of sugarcane is sucrose which is used in diverse food industries as well as in energy generation. Ethanol has been increasingly used as a clean fuel though this has divided opinion among policy wonks worldwide.

Sugar cane plantation

Spicy Sugar Cane Prawns Satay

 My Sunday comfort dinner ....Spicy Sugar Cane Prawns Satay

Ingredients
6 king prawns
1 -2 tbsp water
1/2 tablespoon chopped ginger
1/2 tablespoon garlic
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp rum ( optional, for Muslim avoid this ingredient ) 
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tbsp oil
3 Sugar cane  skewers

Simple but very flavorful grilled prawns.

The use of this sweet sugar cane skewer is quite common in many Asian country and they are know to impact the sweetness flavor of the sugar cane sugary sap to the food.

Serve grilled prawns with chilli sauce or BBQ sauce.

1/  Wash and peel prawns shell, keep the head, the last segment of shell and the tail tip . Make a slit at the back of prawns and de-vein. Rinse and pat dry.
2/  Mix  all the seasoning ingredients together except the sugar cane skewer. Season the prawns with the seasoning mixture.
3/ Cover with cling wrap and chill in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Fresh prawns  at the wet market.

4/  Cut a small slit in the middle section of the prawns. Thread the prawns with sugar cane skewer, 2 prawns on each skewer.
5/  Grill for 2 to 3 mins on each side or until cooked depend on the size of the prawns.

6/  You can use outdoor BBQ pit  or oven to grill the prawns.
7/  Serve with coconut rice and salad.  Garnish as  desire and serve together with rum coke.

Sugar Cane Skewer

1/ Wash and scrub the sugar cane stalk.

2/  Cut length wise into 4 pieces.
3/  Ensure sugarcane do not have cracks, blackened areas, brown or red flesh.
4/  Use your sugar cane skewers immediately and avoid storing them.

Orang Utan too enjoy chewing sugar canes.

I love biting into the sugar cane after the savory grilled prawns.

ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD
1 Cucumber, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp black sesame seed ( optional )
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/  Combine all ingredients together. For best results, allow to marinate overnight. Serve chilled.

STICKY COCONUT RICE
1 cup Jasmine/ fragrant rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/3 tsp salt

1/  Wash and rinse rice.
2/  Combine all ingredients in a rice steamer or similar cooking device and cook until the rice is slightly over cooked. Or you can steam the rice.
Note:  I reduce the water and coconut cream cos I wanted a more fluffy rice.

RUM COKE ( For Non Muslim only )

Half fill the glass with cracked ice, add 2oz Rum and  follow by 6 oz coke. Garnish with  a slice of lime. Relax with a glass of refreshing Rum cocktails.

Other uses on sugar Cane
Rum is produced from a base of sugarcane by products – particularly sugarcane juice and molasses – by fermenting and distilling them. Normally, the resulting liquid is then aged in oak barrels to enhance the taste, but the aging process differs widely depending on the type of rum.

Sugarcane And Rum, there is no doubt that rum owes its exotic palate appeal to the unassuming sugar cane plant. Alcohol distillers use molasses or fermented cane juice to produce rum. There are different factors which can affect the flavour and quality of rum.

The sugar content in molasses-which stands at 50 percent- can influence the flavour.
In addition, the fermentation recipe-what is commonly referred to as” wash”- and the use of wild or cultured yeast will determine the final outcome.

On average, it will take 24 hours to several weeks to produce light or heavy rums. Dark and golden rums will take anything from 3 to 12 years of aging. The color of rum is a function of barrel aging and the addition of caramel.

Rum aging in barrels

Have a fabulous week  ahead, best regards.