RECIPE: FRIED FISH IN TAMARIND AND SWEET SOY SAUCE

Fried fish is one of the ‘must have’ dishes in a typical Malay meal. Growing up in army camps throughout Malaysia, the smell of fish frying before lunch or dinner was a daily occurrence. To give this humble dish a slight twist, my mum used to make a tamarind sauce that she poured over the fried fish to give it some extra oomph. Here’s the recipe.



Ingredients (for 6 small whole fish/fillets)

6 small whole fish or firm fish fillets (I used yellowtail scad aka ikan selar kuning)
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp salt
2 to 3 shallots – sliced fine
2 cloves garlic – sliced fine
2 red chillies - sliced fine
2 spring onions – sliced
1 coriander plant – sliced (see my GLOSSARY post on CORIANDER)
½ red onion – sliced thickly (optional)
1 heaped tbsp tamarind pulp – soaked in 1 cup water and juice extracted (don’t throw away the pulp)
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kicap manis)
2 tsp soy sauce


Method

If using whole fish, make a couple of scores on each side of the fish. Rub the fish with the salt and turmeric and set aside for 15 to 30 mins.

In a fry pan or wok, heat some oil and deep fry the fish until cooked. The skin should be crispy. Lift on paper towels to drain, then arrange on a platter. Set aside.

Remove all the oil bar 2 tbsp from the wok. Saute the garlic and shallots for 30 secs, then add in half the chillies. Cook for 1 min.

Add in the tamarind juice and bring to the boil. Next, add in both the soy sauces. If you would like more gravy, add half a cup of water to the saved tamarind pulp and extract second tamarind juice. Taste, adjust seasoning and turn off heat.

Pour the sauce over the fish, garnish with the spring onions, coriander, onion and remainder chillies. Serve immediately.

RECIPE: BELACAN BEANS AKA SNAKE BEANS WITH CHILLIES AND PRAWN PASTE (KACANG PANJANG BELACAN)

A popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore and traditionally served with rice, curries and sambals. You may add seafood such as prawns, squid and cockles to make it a substantial meal instead of an accompaniment to your meal.


Ingredients

1 large bunch snake beans – tailed and cut into 4 cm lengths
Palm full of dried prawns – soaked in water to softened and then drained
2 to 3 cloves garlic
4 large red fresh chillies or 2 heaped tbsp fresh crushed chillies
1 tsp shrimp paste/belacan powder or 2 cm fresh shrimp paste/belacan (roasted)
1 to 2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 onion - sliced
2 tbsp oil

Method


Pound together the garlic, dried prawns, chillies and belacan to a semi fine paste.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the paste for about 3 mins, adding tablespoons of water to moisten the paste if required.

Add in the beans and mix well with the paste. Moisten with the soy sauce. You may use water instead of the soy sauce if you wish. Continue cooking until the beans are cooked. Remember that the beans should still remain crunchy.

Check your seasoning and add salt if required. Lift and serve hot with rice and other Malaysian style dishes such as curries or sambals such as PRAWN SAMBAL.


PS: I would normally add some fresh prawns or squid to this dish but as I was having it with PRAWN SAMBAL, I omitted using any seafood. If using seafood, add this prior to the beans and cook for a min or two before adding the beans.

PSS: If you cannot find snake beans, you may substitute them with snow peas or French beans.

RECIPE: STIR FRIED SNAKE BEANS WITH MUSTARD SEEDS AND TURMERIC

One of my favourite vegetable dishes…..goes so well with curries especially seafood and dhal. You may add small prawns, squid or ikan bilis (Asian style dried anchovies) to the vegetable if you prefer.


Ingredients

1 large bunch snake beans – tailed and cut into small pieces (around 1 cm length) (see my GLOSSARY post on SNAKE BEANS)
2 cloves garlic – minced
Meat or seafood – optional
1 onion – sliced thinly
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chicken stock powder - optional
¼ cup water, milk or coconut milk
Salt to taste
1 large tomato – diced
1 to 2 eggs
Veg oil


Method

Heat oil in a wok and fry the mustard seeds until they begin to pop. Add in the garlic and onions and fry for 1 to 2 mins. Add in the meat or seafood (if using) and cook until half done.

Add in the beans and toss well to coat with the other ingredients. Moisten with a few tbsp of water if required. Add in the turmeric (and chicken stock powder if using) and salt.

Add in the water/milk/coconut milk and mix well. Turn the fire down to low, cover and cook for 3 to 4 mins until the beans are done. Do not over cook – you want the beans to remain crunchy.
Lift the lid and add in the tomatoes. Mix well and make a well in the middle of the wok. Break in the egg/s, lightly scramble them and mix through the vegetables. Check seasoning, turn off the heat and serve hot with rice and curries/dhal.

RECIPE: COCONUT GINGER PRAWNS AND SQUID WITH LEMON GRASS CURRY (UDANG DAN SOTONG MASAK LEMAK DAUN SERAI)

I love seafood, especially prawns, squid and crabs. The sweetness of the coconut milk and the spices used in this dish truly enhances the taste of seafood. The original recipe calls for prawns only but I added squid this time. If desired, you may also add any firm fish pieces to the curry.

If using prawns only, increase the weight to 1 kg to compensate for the ingredients.


Ingredients

500 g green prawns in shell – peeled and shells/heads reserved
500 g cleaned fresh squid
5 cm fresh GINGER – sliced into thin strips (see my GLOSSARY post on GINGER)
3 tbsp Veg oil
3 stalks LEMON GRASS – bottom 1/3 only, hard outer layer removed and the stalks bruised (see my GLOSSARY post on LEMON GRASS)
5 whole kaffir lime leaves
1 cup water
1 cup thick COCONUT MILK (I used tinned COCONUT MILK) (see my GLOSSARY post on COCONUT MILK)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Grind the following:
5 cm fresh TURMERIC or 1 tsp TURMERIC powder (see my GLOSSARY post on TURMERIC)
8 cm fresh GINGER (see my GLOSSARY post on GINGER)
8 finger-length red fresh chillies
10 shallots or 2 large red onions
10 cloves garlic

Method

Heat oil in a pot and add in the ground ingredients. Cook for 2 mins and add in the prawn heads and shells, lemon grass and lime leaves.

When the shells turn pink, add in 1 cup of water and simmer for 5 mins. Then add in the coconut milk and simmer on low heat, uncovered, for 10 mins. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and strain the curry. Discard all the solids and return the curry to the pot and onto the fire. Add in the prawns, squid and sliced ginger and cook until the seafood is done. Serve immedietly with rice and side dishes of vegetables such as STIR FRIED PAK CHOY AND WOMBOK and salad such as CUCUMBER, TOMATOES AND ONION SALAD (recipes to follow in the next few days).

NOTE: You may also add some firm fish pieces to the dish or make this dish with prawns only.

RECIPE: PANDAN STEAMED CAKE (APAM PANDAN)

It’s as if I am a ‘ketagih’ (Malay word for addict) of steamed cakes now. I think the reason is because it is so fluffy, easy to make and healthier than normal cakes as it uses only a bit of cooking oil, as opposed to butter or margarine.

Ingredients

4 xl eggs – at room temperature
120g castor sugar (you can lessen this to 100g if desired)
2 tsp ovalette (cake emulsifier) (see my GLOSSARY post on OVALETT)
100 soft flour (I used Anchor brand cake and biscuits flour)
2 tsp baking powder
40 ml fresh milk
40 ml cooking oil (I used Sunflower oil)
1.5 tsp pandan paste or 1 tsp green colouring and 1 tsp pandan essence (see my GLOSSARY post on PANDAN)
8 inch round tin and steamer


Method

Lightly grease your tin with cooking oil and assemble your steamer. Cover the lid with a thin cloth.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and set aside.

Beat the sugar, eggs and ovalette until very thick and fluffy. Add in the essence, beat for a minute and then add in the flour mix.

Continue beating until well blended. Turn off your cake mixer. At this stage get your steamer boiling.

Using a spoon, blend in the milk and oil. Mix well. Pour into your prepared tin.

Steam the cake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not open the lid of the steamer except at the last 2 to 3 mins of steaming, whilst carefully avoiding any water from the lid falling onto the cake. In other words, do not tilt the lid when you remove it from the steamer until it is well away from the cake.

Cool in the tin for ten minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Serve with some freshly grated coconut (optional).

NOTE: Check out also my post on GADGET AND UTENSILS: COCONUT SCRAPER/GRATER on how to obtain freshly grated coconut.

RECIPE: CHICKEN AND BUK CHOY COOKED IN COCONUT CREAM WITH CHILLIES AND TURMERIC (AYAM DAN SAYUR MASAK LEMAK CILI API DENGAN KUNYIT)

A really simple dish to cook and goes beautifully with any sambals or fried fresh or dried fish. I was so impressed with the GOLDEN FRAGRANT CRABS that I decided to make GOLDEN FRAGRANT FRIED EGGS to serve with this dish. The recipe for the eggs is in the next post.


Ingredients – serves 6

1 bunch buk choy – cut to desired length (see my GLOSSARY post on BUK CHOY)
500 g chicken thighs or breast – cut into large cubes
3 cloves garlic – minced
1 large onion – sliced
5 to 8 bird’s eye chillies – sliced or pounded
½ tsp turmeric powder or half inch fresh turmeric pounded
½ tin coconut milk (see my GLOSSARY post on COCONUT MILK and also my post on COCONUT SCRAPER in GADGETS AND UTENSILS)
½ to 1 tin of water (measure using the coconut tin)
Salt to taste

Method

Heat some oil in a pot and saute the garlic for 30 secs. Next add in the chicken and the onions and saute until the chicken is nearly cooked. This should take around 4 to 5 mins. Add in the chillies and cook for a min.

Next add in the vegetables and cook for another min. Add in the coconut milk, water and turmeric. Stir constantly over medium low heat until the coconut milk starts to boil. Simmer for a min, add seasoning, lift and serve hot with rice and side dishes such fried fish, sambals such as SQUID SAMBAL or GOLDEN FRAGRANT FRIED EGGS.

RECIPE: AMBON STYLE STEAMED CAKE (APAM AMBON)

Another recipe from SIS UMMI’S blog. So easy to make and the results will be perfect if you follow the easy steps. I unfortunately dropped some water from the lid onto the cake, which depressed the middle slightly (not that you can actually see it). Excellent for afternoon tea with an Asian twist!


Ingredients

4 xl eggs – at room temperature
100 g castor sugar
2 tsp ovalette (cake emulsifier) – you can get this from Asian grocers in Sydney or Melbourne. Unfortunately I have never seen it in Canberra. I have to thank Shafidah Shamen for posting this to me from Sydney…thank you dear) (see my GLOSSARY post on OVALETT)
100 soft flour (I used Anchor brand cake and biscuits flour)
2 tsp baking powder
40 ml fresh milk
40 ml cooking oil (I used extra virgin oil)
2 tsp rose essence (see my GLOSSARY post on ROSE WATER and ESSENCE)
Red food colouring
8 inch round tin and steamer

Method


Lightly grease your tin with cooking oil and assemble your steamer. Cover the lid with a thin cloth.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and set aside.

Beat the sugar, eggs and ovalette until very thick and fluffy. Add in the essence, beat for a minute and then add in the flour mix. Continue beating until well blended. Turn off your cake mixer. At this stage get your steamer boiling.

Using a spoon, blend in the milk and oil. Mix well.

Separate the mixture into two portion, but one portion slightly more than the other (eg 2/3 and 1/3) and add the red colouring to the lesser portion. Now pour a layer of the plain mixture into the prepared tin, then dollop some of the red portion onto the plain portion. Using your finger or a skewer, make zigzags with the red portion to get a marbled effect. Continue this step until all the mixture is used.

Steam the cake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not open the lid of the steamer except at the last 2 to 3 mins of steaming, whilst carefully avoiding any water from the lid falling onto the cake. In other words, do not tilt the lid when you remove it from the steamer until it is well away from the cake.

Cool in the tin for ten minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cool with tea or coffee.

RECIPE: SQUID SAMBAL

I decided to make COCONUT RICE as it had been quite sometime since I had the works. This time however, I made SQUID SAMBAL instead of the traditional anchovies or prawn sambal. Not much difference in making the sambal, just be mindful of the cooking times as squid tends to get leathery if overcooked. Serve with dishes such as my CUCUMBER IN SPICY SOY SAUCE AND SESAME OIL and STIR FRIED PAK CHOY WITH SQUID AND OYSTER SAUCE.

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients – serves 4 to 6

1 kg medium sized squid – cleaned and cut into rings
2 large handfuls of long dried chillies* – de-seeded and soaked in hot water
8 large shallots*
Half a head of garlic*
½ thumb size galangal* (see my GLOSSARY post on GALANGAL)
Small piece of shrimp paste/belachan* (see my GLOSSARY post on SHRIMP PASTE)
1 heaped tbsp tamarind pulp – mixed with 1 cup water and juice extracted

Petai - optional (see my GLOSSARY post on PETAI)
¼ to ½ cup coconut milk
Salt
2 to 3 tbsp veg oil


Method

Grind together * ingredients, using the minimum of water. Heat oil in a wok and fry ingredients until oil seeps through and water has evaporated. Add in the tamarind juice and petai (if using) and cook until the paste is fairly thick again

Add in the squid, coat well with the sambal and add in the coconut milk. Cook until the squid are done. Add salt, lift and serve with COCONUT RICE (NASI LEMAK), HARD BOILED EGGS (see my tip), vegetables such as KANG KONG BELACAN or STIR FRIED PAK CHOY WITH SQUID AND OYSTER SAUCE and salads such as CUCUMBER IN SPICY SOY SAUCE AND SESAME OIL.

RECIPE: COCONUT RICE (NASI LEMAK) – AGAIN

I have published the recipe for COCONUT RICE previously but I thought I’d put it up again, with better pictures this time. Also, I served it with a different medley of dishes such as SQUID SAMBAL, STIR FRIED PAK CHOY WITH SQUID AND OYSTER SAUCE and CUCUMBER IN SPICY SOY SAUCE AND SESAME OIL. I am posting the dishes in instalments. Watch this space!!!


Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6)

4 cups long grain rice
3 to 4 shallots or 1 red or brown onion – sliced
Thumb size ginger – sliced
2 PANDANUS leaves – torn into two and knotted (see my GLOSSARY post on PANDANUS)
1 tsp salt
1 tin coconut milk
Water

Method


Wash rice until water runs clear. Put in all the sliced ingredients, pandan leaves and salt.

Using the rule of one and a half cups of liquid for every cup of rice, measure out the coconut milk first, then make up the remainder volume with water [eg 4 cups of rice equates to 6 cups of liquid (4 x 1.5 = 6); and if only 1.5 cups of milk is available from the coconut tin, top up the rest with 4.5 cups of water].

Put into rice cooker and cook. Halfway through the cooking process, using a chopstick, carefully stir the sliced ingredients through so that they are well incorporated into the rice and not just on top. When cooked, allow at least 5 minutes before fluffing the rice.

Serve with curries or sambal such as SQUID SAMBAL OR PRAWN SAMBAL and accompanied by vegetables such KANG KONG BELACAN or STIR FRIED PAK CHOY WITH SQUID AND OYSTER SAUCE, salad such as CUCUMBER IN SPICY SOY SAUCE AND SESAME OIL and hard boiled eggs.

RECIPE: PRAWNS, SQUID AND BBQ PORK PADPRIK (PADPRIK MASAK UDANG, SOTONG DAN DAGING BAKAR)

I got the original recipe from SIS UMMI’S Blog but have changed the quantities of her recipe to compensate for the amount of seafood and meat that I used. She used prawns and squid in her recipe but as Mr G had made a fresh batch of CHINESE BBQ PORK or CHAR SIEW (click on the link for my recipe), I decided to add some of it to the dish too. You don’t have to add the CHAR SIEW.

Here’s how I made mine.

Ingredients

500 g small squid – cleaned and cut into rings
12 large green prawns
250 g sliced CHAR SIEW (click for my post on CHAR SIEW)
500 g ‘Hard’ vegetables of choice – I used snow peas, baby corn, French beans and carrots
1 large onion – sliced
4 cloves garlic – minced
Thumb size ginger – sliced fine
2 large red chillies – sliced
10 birds eye chillies – smashed slightly (I used 5 cayenne chillies)
3 stalks lemon grass – cut into three and bottom part smashed
Mix together in a measuring cup or bowl – 5 tbsp each of oyster sauce, chilli sauce (I used Yeo’s) and tomato sauce
4 full lime leaves – torn into pieces
1 tsp sugar – Optional
Salt to taste
Cooking oil

Method

Blanch vegetables in boiling water for 1 min. Drain and set aside.

Heat 2 to 3 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant (1 min or so). Add in the chillies and lemon grass and fry for another 2 minutes or so.

Add in the blended sauces, followed by the squid and prawns. Cook for two mins and add in the vegetables and CHAR SIEW. When the seafood and vegetables are nearly done, add seasoning and lime leaves. You may add some water here (1/4 to 1/2 a cup) if you want extra gravy.

Check seasoning, add in sliced chillies, turn off heat and serve immediately with steaming boiled rice. Yum yum!

RECIPE: FRIED RICE WITH THREE SOY SAUCES (NASI GORENG MASAK TIGA KICAP)

This is my favourite way of cooking fried rice. The different textures and flavours of the soy sauces, in my opinion, enhance the taste of the rice. If you can’t find caramel soy sauce, substitute it with the Indonesian Kecap Manis.

Cook your rice at least six hours, preferably overnight, before making this dish and spread it out on a tray. I find a large roasting pan or large cookie tray to work well here. Just before cooking, add pepper and salt to the rice that is on the tray and mix well. This way, your pepper and salt will be evenly distributed before you add the rice to the wok. Another thing - make sure that your rice is not lumpy when you add it to the cooking process.


The beauty of cooking fried rice is that you can put anything you like in it, in terms of meat or seafood, and vegetables. All the vegetables that went into this fried rice (yes the garlic too) came from our garden. There’s nothing nicer than eating freshly picked vegetables, out of your own garden, I say. A big thumbs up to Mr G and his veggie patch!

So, here’s the recipe for my FRIED RICE WITH THREE SOY SAUCES which I served with SAMBAL BELACHAN WITH KAFFIR LIME LEAVES and FRIED EGG WITH CARAMEL SOY SAUCE.


Ingredients – for 6

4 cups of uncooked rice – cook according to method and left to cool
Meat or seafood of choice – I used 300g cooked prawns and 300g diced ham
Vegetables of choice – I used 2 large diced carrots, large handful of snow peas, 200g of sliced French beans and a handful of baby corn (sliced at an angle)
1 tsp salt and pepper to taste – I mixed this into the rice before frying. Go easy on the salt as the soy sauces will already be salty
4 cloves garlic – minced
2 large spring onions – finely sliced
2 to 4 red chillies – finely sliced (I used red cayenne chillies)
4 tbsp or to taste light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp or to taste caramel or sweet soy sauce
2 tsp minced chillies – optional (I would put this in if I did not make any SAMBAL BELACHAN WITH KAFFIR LIME LEAVES to accompany the dish. As I did, I omitted this ingredient)
Oil for sautéing
Cucumber - sliced (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a large wok and sauté the garlic for 30 secs. Add in the carrots and French beans and cook until the carrots and beans are half cooked.

Next add in the ham and prawns and fry for 30 secs. Moisten with 1 tbsp of the light soy sauce and add in the baby corn, snow peas, sliced chillies and crushed chillies (if using). Cook for a minute.
To make it easier to distribute the meat/vegetables, lift out half of it into a bowl. Now add half of the rice into the wok.

Mix evenly and put half of all the sauces onto the rice. Mix well, ensuring that you cannot see any white bits of rice.

Now add the remainder vegetables, followed by the rice and the remainder of the sauces. Mix well and add more soy sauces if you prefer, depending on your preference, how deep you would like the colour of your fried rice to be. If you like it dark, add either more dark or caramel soy sauce, remembering that the dark soy sauce will not only give you a darker colour but could also make your fried rice saltier. I’d recommend using the caramel soy sauce to achieve the intense colour.

Garnish with the spring onions, lift and serve whilst still hot with cucumber slices, topped with FRIED EGG WITH CARAMEL SOY SAUCE and a side dish of SAMBAL BELACHAN WITH KAFFIR LIME LEAVES.

GLOSSARY: SHRIMP PASTE OR BELACHAN

Shrimp paste is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi in Indonesian, kapi in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, and belachan (also spelled belacan) in Malay.

It is made by fermenting ground shrimp, sun dried and then cut into fist-sized rectangular blocks. It is not to be used for immediate consumption - it has to be fully cooked as part of a dish, prior to consumption since it is raw. To many Westerners unfamiliar with this condiment, the smell can be extremely repulsive. It is however an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Shrimp paste can be found in most meals in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is often an ingredient in dipping sauce for fish or vegetables.

Belacan, the Malaysian variety of shrimp paste, is prepared from fresh tiny shrimp of a species known as geragau in Malay. These are mashed into a paste and buried for several months. The fermented shrimp are then dug up, fried and hard-pressed into cakes.

Belacan is used as an ingredient in many dishes, or eaten on its own with rice. A common preparation is sambal belacan. There are many variations of this dish – it can be made with or without cooking the mixture. One method is by mixing toasted belacan with fresh chillies, minced garlic, shallot paste and sugar and then fried. The aroma from the frying mixture can be unpalatable to Westerners who have not become accustomed to it, but is an absolute delight to the Asian connoisseur.

RECIPE: FRIED EGG WITH CARAMEL/SWEET SOY SAUCE (TELUR GORENG KICAP MANIS)

I first came across this method of cooking fried eggs when the Makcik (Auntie in English…..in Malaysia, we have the tendency to call anyone that is much older than us as Auntie or Uncle as a sign of respect….it’s like calling someone Mr or Mrs but without the formality……so we tend to have lots of ‘relatives’ who actually are not even related to us!!!) at my school canteen (when I was studying at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Star, Malaysia) used to sell this. Coupled with her fish curry…..it was to die for. Such a simple dish but oh so nice. Don’t take my word for it…..have a go!

NB: The use of a wok or a small ‘kadai’ (Indian wok) is essential to cook this as the egg needs to be immersed in lots of oil. If you use a frying pan, choose the smallest size possible and you will need plenty of oil.

Ingredients

Egg/s
½ to 1 tsp of Caramel or Sweet soy sauce per egg
½ to 1 cup veg oil

Method

Heat the oil in a wok/kadai until very hot. Carefully crack the egg into the oil, making sure you that do not break the yolk in the process.

Drizzle a tsp of the Caramel or Sweet soy sauce over the egg. Using a slotted egg slide, carefully flick the hot oil over the top of the egg. Turn the fire down to medium heat at this stage. DO NOT at any stage, turn/flip the egg over.


If you like your yolk runny, lift when all the translucent egg white has turned true white (if it is translucent, the whites are not yet cooked) but the yolk is still wobbly in the middle. If you like your yolk well cooked, keep on ‘bathing’ the egg with the oil until the yolk has hardened.

Lift and drain on paper towels and serve as desired. Goes well with baked beans, fish curries or fried rice such as my FRIED RICE WITH THREE SOY SAUCES.

NB: Do not throw out the left over oil in the wok. You can keep it to fry more eggs or for use in other cooking. I normally use it to stir fry my vegies.

RECIPE: VG’S CHICKEN CURRY II

Mr G found some free range chickens (‘kampong’ chickens as it is called in Malaysia and they make the best curry) and had asked me to prepare a curry. We had this for NYE, with some ROTI CANAI cooked on the BBQ and we set up the outdoor setting underneath a nice shady tree in our backyard. We chased it down with a couple of Apple Ciders. Pure Bliss!!! Here’s the recipe for the chicken curry.


Ingredients


2 small free range chickens (approx 1.6 kg)
3 large potatoes – peeled and cut into large pieces
1 tsp whole cloves (see my post on CLOVES)
1 tbsp whole cardamoms (see my post on CARDAMOM)
2 stalks lemon grass – cut into 3 pieces each and bruised
6 tbsp meat curry powder
1 tbsp cardamom powder (see my post on CARDAMOM)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tin coconut cream/milk
1 large tomato – diced
1 coriander plant and 2 spring onions – sliced for garnishing
Water
Veg oil


Grind the following to a paste using minimal water:
300 gm shallots or small red onions
½ a large head of garlic
Thumb size fresh ginger
2 coriander plants
Large handful fresh mint
1 large tomato

Method

Heat oil in a large pot (about 4 tbsp) until hot and add in the cloves and cardamom. Fry for 30 secs. Next add in the ground ingredients and render to a thick paste. Add in 1 cup of water and repeat the process. You want your paste to cook well.

Now add in all the powders (curry, cardamom and coriander powder). Add in 2 cups of water and render this paste until the oils seeps through and the water has evaporated. Repeat this process.

Next add in the chicken and lemon grass and coat well with the masala (spice paste). Whilst stirring occasionally, cook for 5 mins or until the chicken has changed colour. Add about 2 cups of water and cook for 15 mins, on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the chicken is half cooked, add in the potatoes and check the liquid in the dish. If it is too dry, add another cup of water. When the chicken and potatoes and nearly done, add in the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins and just before lifting, add in the tomatoes and garnish. Mix well and serve hot with rice and breads such as ROTI CANAI.

RECIPE: DARK AND SWEET BEEF (DAGING MASAK HITAM MANIS)

Whenever I want to get my ‘fix’ of Malay style cooking, I always visit my good friend Sis Ummi’s blog for inspiration. She is such a good cook and the best thing is, her food is not ‘pretentious’. In other words, good home style Malay cooking. Thank you Sis Ummi, for all your yummy recipes and for making me the ‘best mum’ coz my kids are always happy with the food that I cook (although I do get some whinging when I ‘accidently’ make some dishes ‘too’ hot – there’s only so much compromise I will make with chilli, wink* wink*).

Anyway, back to today’s post, which I have adapted from Ummi’s blog. I really don’t know if it has an anglicised name so I have given the direct translation here although technically, it should read ‘Meat Cooked Black and Sweet ’. However, it just does not sound right in English!

I have also changed some of the measurements and given my interpretation as to the amounts of some of the spices that are used as they were not given. Above all, don’t be put off by the colour of this dish. Yes, it is very dark and may not look very appetising (unless you have eaten this before and know that the colour is synonymous with the dish). This is because the main ingredient is thick sweet sauce which is very ‘black’ (hence the name). It however tastes divine. So thank you Ummi , and now I present to you, DARK AND SWEET BEEF.


Ingredients

1 kg diced beef (rump, skirt or chuck)
½ cup sweet soy sauce – I used the Indonesian brand ‘ABC Kecap Manis’
¼ cup light soy sauce
4 tbsp of wet ground chilli paste – deseed and soak a large handful of dried chillies in hot water. Drain and grind the chillie in a food processor, with minimal water, to make a thick paste.
Veg oil for cooking

A – Ingredients to be dried pan fried until aromatic, using low heat and then ground to a powder
3 tbsp fennel seeds
3 tbsp cumin seeds

B – Ingredients to be ground together into a fine paste in a food processor
½ a large head of garlic
4 medium red onions
Thumb size fresh ginger

C – Misc ingredients
3 large whole star anise (left intact in the ‘flower’ shape)
2 large cinnamon sticks
1 tsp whole cardamom pods
3 to 4 dried tamarind pieces (asam keping/gelugur)


Method

Put the beef in a pot with both lots of soy sauce and simmer the beef until it is nearly cooked. If required, add (very) minimal water during this process to ensure that the meat is submerged in liquid.

Drain the meat but make sure you KEEP the STOCK. You need this liquid to continue the cooking process.

Now, add a third of the A and B ingredients to the ‘drained’ cooked beef. Mix well and leave to marinade for 5 to 10 mins.

Heat oil in a pot and shallow fry the ‘marinated’ beef. All we want to do here is seal the meat so 2 mins would suffice. Drain the meat into a bowl.

Using the same pot, add oil if required, and add the remainder of the A and B ingredients and the chilli paste and fry until the oil seeps through. Add a few of tbsp of the ‘stock’ during this process and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. If the paste gets dry, add more stock. We want this paste to really cook well.

Add in the meat, the remainder of the stock and all of the C ingredients. Add more of the sweet soy sauce if the dish is not ‘dark’. Cook until the ‘gravy’ is quite thick and the meat is very tender. Lift and serve hot with rice. Delicious!

PS: I know that there is quite a process associated with this dish but t really isn’t difficult to make. As with everything in life, ‘no pain, no gain’ and in the end, the effort is worth it!

RECIPE: FRIED NOODLES - WET STYLE (MEE GORENG BASAH)

Whilst surfing through my favourite food blogs, I came across this recipe on Mr Mat Gebu’s site. Immediately my senses were tingling and I knew I had to make this dish. I have always been partial to fried noodles but I have never used stock or tomato sauce before and I was not disappointed with the finished result. As usual, I changed the recipe to suit my taste and whatever ingredients I had handy. As I made this with a one kg packet of noodles, I have also changed the measurements. Being a chilli lover, I have put extra chilli in this dish. Please adjust according to you taste.

This is how I made this dish.


Ingredients


1 kg packet Hokkien/Yellow noodles
1 small packet of bean sprouts – tailed and rinsed
1 bunch of Chinese/garlic chives – cut into 4 cm lengths (see post on Garlic Chives)
Meat of choice – I used chicken, prawns and fish cake
4 cloves garlic – minced
Sufficient veg oil for cooking
Large handful of dried chillies – deseeded and softened in hot water and then ground to a paste with minimal water. Use according to your taste. Any extra can be frozen for later use. Just defrost in a microwave for a min or two. FYI, I used 4 heaped tbsp.
Fresh chillies – sliced finely for garnishing
1 large tomato – sliced in wedges for garnishing
1 lime - sliced in wedges for garnishing
Fried shallots – for garnishing (you can find this at most Asian grocers or the Asian food aisle in Coles or Woolworths)

Sauce ingredients – mixed together in a bowl or small jug the following ingredients:

3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp chilli sauce – I used Yeos Chilli Sauce
2 level tbsp thick/caramel soy sauce
3 tbsp or to taste, light soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
¾ to 1 cup Stock – I used the heads and tails of the prawns, boiled in 3 cups of water for 5 mins and strained.

Method

Rinse the noodles well to get rid of the excess oil, soak in hot water (I used the hot water from the tap) for a min; drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large wok and fry half of the garlic until aromatic and slightly golden. Add in the chicken (thinly sliced) and when nearly cooked, add in the prawns and fish cake. Cook until done. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Without washing out your wok, heat more oil, add in the remainder garlic and fry till aromatic. Add in the chilli paste and cook until the oil separates in the paste. Now add in the combined sauce ingredients, bring to the boil and add in the meat.

Next add in the noodles. Combine well and add in the chives and sprouts. Mix well. Add extra stock and light soy sauce if your noodles are too dry. Cook for 2 to 3 mins. Make sure you don’t over cook here as you want your sprouts to remain crunchy. Lift and serve with the garnishing ingredients and make sure you squeeze the lime on the noodles before eating.

NB: You can use Chinese greens such as buk choy or choy sum in this dish too. Add the vegetables to the sauce just before you add the noodles to the dish. Cook for one min and follow the rest of the process. Bon Appetite!

RECIPE: GLORY™ NYONYA SAMBAL CHILLI WITH PETAI

Have you tried the Glory™ sambal range? It is a collection of ready to eat sambal sauces, which comes in different flavours such as ‘Nyonya Sambal Chilli ’, ‘Anchovy Sambal Chilli' and ‘Sambal Chilli with Prawns’. This is a really great substitute if you are pressed for time or are on holidays and don’t have the necessary gadgets to make your sambal from scratch. If you are anything like me and need to get your 'fix' of sambal, this is a product for you. In my opinion however, stay away from the ‘Sambal Chilli with Prawns'. I am not partial to it at all. But I have to admit that I have not tried this in a few years, so if the manufacturers have changed the recipe, I am unaware of it. So if you do try it, let me know what you think.


As you can see, I made the prawn sambal using the ‘Nyonya Sambal Chilli ’ mix. To make it even tastier, I added some extra ingredients to the sauce. This is what I did.


Ingredients

½ kg green prawns. As I was on holidays, I used the ready shelled prawns (available from the deli section at your local Coles or Woolies supermarket). I find the green prawns in their shell to be much nicer in taste
3 cloves garlic – minced
1 large onion – sliced
1 tomato – cut into 8 wedges (optional)
Petai (See my post on PETAI) – thaw if frozen and drain if using Petai in brine. Rinse in cold water.
1 jar Glory™ Nyonya Sambal Chilli or Anchovy Sambal Chilli – available at most Oriental Asian grocers in Canberra.
3 to 4 tbsp tomato sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce

Method

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok (there is already oil in the pre made sauce, hence the reason I put minimal oil – just enough to sauté the garlic). Sauté the garlic and add in the Glory™ sauce, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Cook until the oil seeps through and add in the petai. Cook for 1 min. If not using petai, just cook this oil seeps through and proceed to the next step

Next, add in the prawns. Cook for 2 to 3 mins or until the prawns are done. Just before lifting, add in the onions and tomato wedges. Stir well, lift and serve hot with rice.

PS: I did not add salt as the pre made sauce already has salt in it. In addition, the soy sauce is a substitute for salt too.