Sate Ikan (Steamed Fish Satay)

INGREDIENTS1kg Bekar Fish Meat (ask your fish monger to fillet)
1½ small bowl Thick Coconut Milk (rice bowl)
1½ bowl of Ice
20g Salt
10g Sugar
1tbsp Ground White Pepper
10g Starch
100g Sliced Onions

PREPARATION

1.    Using a spoon, lightly pull fish meat to pieces

2.    Using a mincer, mince fish meat. Repeat the process to fine

3.    Slice onions

METHOD

 

1. Add ice to the fish mixture and using your hands, rub the mixture in till fine (about 15mins)
2. Add salt and sugar and mix well
3. Add coconut milk slowly bit by bit to fish mixture while stirring (about 15mins)
4. Add pepper and starch and stir well
5. Add sliced onions and stir evenly
6. Spread mixture in a pan to about 3cm thick and steam for 20 minutes
7. Slice and serve.

 

Lempah Nangka (Green Jackfruit in Lemak Sauce)

INGREDIENTS

1.2kg Green Nangka (jackfruit) – cleaned with skin removed
25g Dried Shrimp
3300g Thinned Coconut Water
3 pcs Salam Leaf
1 pc Langkuas, bruised
2 pcs Lemongrass, bruised
30g Salt
½ tbsp Sugar
1 bowl of Thick Coconut Milk (About 1½ coconuts)
500g Fresh Small Prawns
½ tbsp Coriander

Rempah
10 Big Chillies
10 Small Chillies
30 g Langkuas (Galangal) – sliced
1 thumb Kunyit (Tumeric) – sliced
20g Belachan
3 cloves Garlic
250g Small Onions

PREPARATION

1.    Clean nangka – oil your hands and remove skin, cut and slice into 1cm lengths

2.    Soak in water

3.    Boil nangka for 5 minutes, remove and set aside

4.    Grind chillies, langkuas, kunyit, belachan and garlic till fine

5.    Add onions last and grind a little, not too fine

METHOD

1. In a large pot, combine dried shrimp, thinned coconut milk, Salam leaf, bruised lemongrass, bruised langkuas, coriander, rempah mixture, sugar and salt.
2. Boil for 20 minutes on low heat
3. Add boiled nangka and cook for approx. 15 minutes on medium heat till firm
4. When ready to serve, add fresh prawns and thick coconut milk and boil till prawns are cooked.
5. Serve with a dash of fried onions

Gado-Gado (20 servings)

INGREDIENTS

Vegetables
3 Large Cucumbers – sliced
1kg Long Beans – boiled lightly and cut to 1½ cm lengths
1kg Bean Sprouts – lightly blanched
Whole head of Cabbage – finely sliced
½ kg Lettuce – slice to 1½ cm lengths
5 Boiled Potatoes – slice using egg slicer
10 Boiled Eggs – slice using egg slicer
5 Fried Tauhu (Fried then sliced) – slice to approximately same thickness as potatoes

Gravy
1kg Whole Peanuts
10 Big Chillies
8 – 10 Chilli Padi (depending on how spicy you like it)
10 Small Onions
50g Dried Shrimp
1 tbsp Belachan
200g White Vinegar
65g Gula Melaka
25g Salt
300g Sugar
650g Hot Water

Dressing
Handful of Emping
Handful of Keropok
Handful of Fried Onions

PREPARATION

1.    Fry peanuts on low heat in wok until brown

2.    Remove skin from peanuts and grind to fine

3.    Wash and soak dried shrimp for awhile. Pat dry

4.    Pound dried shrimp until almost fine

5.    Fry dried shrimp until fragrant

6.    Heat up belachan in pan with medium heat until cooked

7.    Pound chillies and place aside

8.    Pound small onions and place aside (pound and use immediately, do not keep)

METHOD

1. Put chilli mixture and onion mixture into a bowl and add vinegar. Soak for few minutes
2. Add sugar, salt, dried shrimp and belachan to chilli mixture
3. Stir and place aside
4. In a separate bowl, place ground peanuts and slowly add hot water while stirring. Stir well.
5. Add chilli and onion mixture to the peanut mixture. Stir well
6. Add gravy to your salad and dress with Emping, Keropok and fried onions on top

Gravy may be kept in freezer for up till 1 week. Thaw and let sit for 1hour before using

 

 

Char Chye Poh (Fried Chye Poh)

Ingredients:

2kg Belly Pork (skin removed)
2kg Chye Poh – sliced,
300g Garlic
150g Vegetable Oil
300g Sugar
Black Soya Sauce

PREPARATION

1.    Wash, slice and soak Chye Poh into very thin slices and soak in water for around 1 hr (depending on the saltiness)

2.    Remove skin from belly pork and cut into around 1cm slices

3.    Pound garlic lightly (not too fine)

METHOD

1. Heat vegetable oil in wok, medium heat
2. Fry garlic until brown
3. Add belly pork and fry until slightly brown
4. Squeeze water out from Chye Poh and add to wok
5. Fry until mixture is almost dry
6. Add sugar and soya sauce to taste

A note on Chye Poh

I recommend using the longer variety in a whole piece as it is tastier

If Chye Po is salty, soak for a little longer, perhaps around 1 hour. Taste the Chye Poh to make sure that it is not too salty.

Babi Goreng Assam (Fried Pork Assam)

INGREDIENTS2kg Belly Pork (remove skin)
20g Salt
100g Sugar
1tbsp Pepper Powder
2tbsp Kecap Manis (sweet soya sauce)
150g Assam, diluted with 1½ bowls of water

PREPARATION

1.    Mix all ingredients well and season for 2 hours or more

METHOD

 

1. Pour mixture in large wok and heat on medium till pork is cooked and liquid is reduced
2. Add some vegetable oil and fry till fragrant

 

Chimichurri Sauce

Brilliant Stuff.

• 1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend together in a food processor till fine, season to taste. Good with beef, frittata, sausages and as a seasoning for chicken or salmon.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

So I have a tub of yogurt and a whole bunch of apples that need eating. Plus, I’ve got this sudden urge to cook or bake copiously.

This recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen looks completely scrumptious, so here goes:

Yield: About 18 Muffins

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) Self-Raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup cold-pressed coconut oil
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed, divided
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) greek yogurt
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 225°C. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the oil and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the yogurt gently. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 200°C, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Verdict: Absolutely delicious. Nothing smells better than baked apples and cinnamon, even on a warm day. I substituted cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil for butter in the ratio 1:1 and it yielded a moist and lighter crumb. Very dangerous, I ate 3 in one sitting!

Soba Salad (Otsu)

8 months and 3 weeks!! It’s been quite a journey and although wonderful and amazing, I’d be lying if I said it’s been easy. So about a month ago, my pelvis started hurting like crazy, to the extent that I can barely walk around now. It’s supposed to be a oral condition for pregnant mums during late pregnancy but honestly, there’s really just so much more punishment my poor body can take!

So I suddenly had the urge to cook again, and amazingly, my appetite got better out of the blue last week. Seeing as I have a packet of Soba noodles that need eating, I decided to try out this recipe that I found on this wonderful website http://www.101cookbooks.com. It’s a recipe called Otsu on the site and I tweaked the dressing somewhat according to what I had in my pantry. So here goes.

Ingredients:

Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon japanese red chilli flakes (Nanami Togarashi)
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Less than 1/4 cup vinegar apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (used shabu shoyu as a substitute)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu, fried
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1/2 packet of baby asparagus, lightly blanched
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish