kangkung belacan

Ingredients:

1 lb Kangkung3 tablespoon Vegetable or Palm oil1 and half SugarSalt2 tablespoon Dried Shrimp3 tablespoon Chili Paste6 shallots, pealed4 cloved Garlic, pealed2 teaspon Belacan

How to prepare: Soak dried prawns in hot boiling water till softened, drain, reserve some of the liquid. Using blender, grind the softened dried prawns, shallots, garlic, belacan, chili paste into a chunky paste. Heat wok on high, add 2 tablespoon vegetable or palm oil, stir-fry the paste for 1-2 mins, reduce heat cook until quite toasted and turns a shade darker. Add the kangkung, sugar, and salt if necessary [Tips: Belacan is salty]

Stir-fry on high heat, about 2-3 mins

Dish onto a serving dish while it is still quite crisp and serve hot immediatelyTo serve:Serve it with hot rice.

Sambal Belachan

Making your sambal belachan is really easy since theres no cooking involved (except the toasting belachan part), and once you made some, it stores in the fridge for slightly more than a week. Mine is the more Malay style (I think) where theres no frying of the paste involved. But with this basic sambal paste, you can fry it with some dried shrimps, garlic and shallots for a more Chinese version of spicy dried shrimps, or more commonly known locally as heibi hiam (upcoming recipe). A little warning though your kitchen will smell kind of pungent when you make sambal or when you cook with sambal but to me, a small price to pay for something so delicious.

Ingredients- 5 finger length chilli, deseeded- 3 chilli padi aka birds eye chilli (no need to deseed for the heat; omit or adjust to your preference)- 30g belachan, toasted in a dry pan- 1 tsp sugar- 3/4 tbsp lime juice from small limes (calamansi)- 1/8 tsp salt

Tools NeededA mini blender/food processor OR mortar & pestle

Directions1. In a blender, grind chillis and belachan. You can also pound the ingredients using a mortar & pestle.2. Transfer blended paste to a small bowl. Add sugar, lime juice and salt to taste. Stir to mix well. You can store the chilli in refrigerator for one week or so. It can be used as a chilli condiment or in stir fries.

Tips1. Wear disposable plastic gloves when de-seeding chilli to prevent chilli burn.2. Belachan is pungent smelling. Open your windows while toasting belachan and remove all laundry (if you have them in the kitchen) before making the sambal. Air your kitchen after cooking.3. If you do not have calamansi, you can substitute with larger lime or lemon (though I think calamansi gives it the best taste).

Stir-fries recipes using the sambal belachan paste- Sambal Long Beans- Sambal Fried Beancurd (Tau Kwa) with Sugar Snap PeasAssam Fish Recipe

The citrussy flavor or tamarind makes this delicious seafood dish stand apart from all the rest. Its excellent with any white fleshed fish. Try it with prawns. You wont be disappointed.

Ingredients:

3 stalks lemon grass white part

1 tsp turmeric

6 dried chilies soaked, drained and chopped

2 cloves garlic

10 shallots

1 thin slice blachan

2 tbsp oil

2 tsp sugar

1 qt tamarind water

1 tsp salt

1 fish head OR 1 lb fish fillet or prawns

10 sliced okra

Steps:

Blend lemon grass, turmeric, chilies, garlic, shallots and blachan into a paste

Fry the paste in heated oil

Add sugar and cook 5 minutes

Stir in tamarind water and salt

Bring to a boil

Add fish or prawns

Cook until done

Serves 4.

Curry Ikan / Curry Fish Recipe

This is a fish curry that may be used with almost any white fish with firm flesh, such as haddock, angler fish, or swordfish. Snappers are suitable, too. This dish is very tasty and spicy.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup green beans

1 cup chicken stock or water

1 lb. (around 450 g) of fish

1 tomato, cut into quarters

2 cups prepared curry stock

Mint for garnish

Steps:

Heat a wok and fry beans for 1 minute, then set aside. Heat the chicken stock or water and poach fish for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain fish, let cool, and pat dry with a paper napkin. Cut fish into small slices, heat oil, and fry fish until golden. When its finished, keep it warm on a serving platter.

Discard frying oil and heat chicken and curry stocks. Add beans and quartered tomato. Cook for another half minute or so, and then pour over fish. Garnish with mint. Makes 4 servings.

Mee Hoon / Bee Hoon

Mee hoon or Bee hoon is a popular dish in Singapore and is widely sold around many street corners by hawkers. It is fast food for many Singaporeans who can grab one at noon or on the way back from work. It is basically a noodle dish but with elaborate additions that make it attractive to so many.

Ingredients:

100g dried rice vermicelli

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Onion cut in thick slices

1 Egg

1 tablespoon Chicken stock or water

2 tablespoons cooked and finely cut chicken

2 tablespoons sliced Roast pork

1 teaspoon Oyster sauce

2 teaspoons Mushroom soya sauce

1 teaspoon Soya sauce

cup bean shoots

2 spring onions (finely cut)

cup cut lettuce

1 tablespoons fried shallots

1 Lemon cut into four parts

Steps:

Boiling water is poured over the noodles and allowed to cook for 20 minutes.

Oil is heated in a wok and the onion is fried until it becomes soft.

The egg is added and stirred until it is cooked.

Add the softened and drained noodles and swirl continuously so that the noodles become coated with the egg.

Cook a little stock and water in the wok and add the chicken, pork and sauces. Continue cooking for up to 4 minutes.

Add the bean shoots and spring onions and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Serve in plate and garnish with lettuce shallots and lemon.

Easy Tofu Recipe

This Tofu is a delicate dish made of steamed, silken beancurd (tofu) served with shallots and fried onions in a light oyster sauce. It is exceptionally easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 large block of fresh tofu (beancurd)

1 tsp. oyster sauce

2 Tbsp. light soy sauce

1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. fried shallots

2 spring onions, chopped small

Steps:

Slice the tofu into two blocks and place in a baking pan. Pour boiling water over the tofu blocks and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm all the sauces and oils, but dont let them boil.

Drain tofu and place on a large serving platter (pre-warmed if possible). Pour the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with shallots and spring onions.

Makes enough for 4 servings.

Black Bean Fish Recipe

Any fresh fish filet is transformed into a tasty delight with this Chinese Malaysian favorite.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large fish filet

1 tbsp black beans salted

1 tsp sugar

1 cup chicken stock

1 tbsp cold water

1 tsp corn starch

2 spring onions finely sliced

Salt to taste

Steps:

Cook fish on both sides in heated oil until golden

While fish is cooking, stir corn starch in cold water until smooth

Set fish aside in oven to keep warm

Use the back of a spoon to mash beans

Add beans to the wok

Quickly stir in sugar, salt and stock

Lower heat

Add corn starch mixture

Whisk until sauce thickens

Pour sauce over fish

Garnish with spring onions

Serves 2 to 4.

Long Bean Omelette Recipe

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup long beans, sliced lengthwise

tsp. salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

6 eggs, beaten until light

Sambal sauce for serving

Steps:

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in wok. Toss beans just until they start to become tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add beans to beaten eggs and stir.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in wok, making sure to cover the entire wok surface. Pour approximately 1/3 of the mixture into the wok. Cook over low to medium heat until it is set on the bottom, but still moist on top. Fold in half and serve on a warmed plate. Repeat two more times to use up the rest of the mixture. Serve hot with sambal sauce

Sambal Ikan Bilis Recipe

Sambal Ikan Bilis is nice with some nasi lemak at breakfast, and is in fact a widely popular breakfast in Malaysia. Prepared with anchovies, this tasty dish is widely appreciated in Southeast Asia.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

1 cup Anchovies

2 tablespoon Onion thickly sliced

Sambal sauce to taste

1 teaspoon Sugar

3 tablespoon chopped cucumber

Steps:

Fry the anchovies using the vegetable oil until a nice golden coloring is obtained. Drain them and put aside for the moment.

Discard used oil and heat fresh oil in the pan and fry the onions until they soften nicely.

Add the sambal sauce followed by the sugar. Stir continuously. When the sauce is hot, add the anchovies. Do not stop stirring.

Serve with the cucumber.

Hainan Chicken Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

1 fresh chicken of about 3 lbs. (1.5 kg)

2 garlic cloves

1 spring onion, chopped

1-inch piece of ginger

1 tsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. oyster sauce

1 cup long grain rice

1 spring onion sliced thinly

1 cucumber sliced thinly

Salt

Steps:

Rub chicken with salt and let stand for about an hour. Place the coarsely chopped spring onion, ginger, and garlic inside the bird, place in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off froth that forms on top.

Turn stove off, cover the stock pot, and let stand for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from stock, rinse it with cool water, then rub the skin with sesame oil.

Halve the chicken along the breastbone. Cut wings and drumsticks away from the breast. Chop each joint and each breast into 1-inch strips. Set aside

Boil half of the leftover stock uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until it is reduced by half. Add oyster sauce and set aside.

Rinse rice, then cook in remaining chicken broth until done.

Vegetarian Noodle Recipe

A noodle without meat does not need to be bland. Vegetarian noodles can still be as flavorful as non-veg ones, provided the right ingredients are used.

Ingredients:

400 g Hokkien (egg noodles)

1 cup Cauliflower cut into small bits

cup Broccoli cut into small bits

of a carrot, thinly sliced

2 stems of Chinese cabbage cut into small bits

1 cup Bean shoots

1 cup Mushrooms

2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

1 Garlic clove squashed

2 cups of Vegetable stock

1 tablespoons of Oyster sauce (depending on taste)

1 tablespoon dark and light soya sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine

2 teaspoon Cornflour mixed with water

Salt to taste

Steps:

Water is boiled and poured over the noodles.

The noodles are drained and rinsed with cold water once they have softened.

Boil the cauliflower, broccoli, carrot and cabbage in water for about two minutes, then pour out the water and set the vegetables aside.

The bean shoots and mushrooms are cleaned with water.

A wok or frying pan is heated. Oil is added and made to cover the whole surface of the wok.

Crushed garlic is added and cooked until a nice aroma is discharged.

Pour in the stock and oyster sauce and allow to cook for some time.

Throw in the egg noodles and fry while stirring continuously to avoid sticking at the base of the wok.

Pour in the soya sauces and continue cooking and stirring.

Add all vegetables and continue the cooking process.

Pour in the rice wine and continue heating until it begins to boil. At this instant, you can add the cornflour paste and stir the mixture until it begins to dry out.

Chicken Ponteh Recipe (Peranakan Food)

INGREDIENTS

1kg chicken2 tablespoon sweet bean paste (sweet tau-chu)300gm shallots150gms garlic300gm potatoes30gms black mushrooms2 tablespoon light soya sauce1 tablespoon dark soya sauce50gms sugar30gms palm sugar (gula melaka)160mls cooking oil1.5 litre waterPinch of salt

METHOD

Clean and chop the whole chicken. Soak black mushrooms in hot water until soft (about 15 minutes), drain and clean properly under running water then set aside.

Wash and cut potatoes into small pieces. Grind the shallots, garlic and bean paste separately into fine pastes.

Heat oil in wok and fry the finely ground shallot paste and garlic paste until brownish and fragrant. Add ground bean paste and fry until fragrant. Add chicken, black mushrooms and potatoes.

Mix well and fry for about five minutes. Pour in water and stir.

Tip:water just enough to cover the chicken. I poured too much water. It still taste nice but next time will reduce the water.

Add light and dark soya sauce, sugar, palm sugar and salt to taste.

Simmer until chicken and potatoes are cooked.

Serve with steamed rice and sambal belacan.

Tips: If the taste is slightly bitter as a result of overcooked garlic and shallots, add a little sugar to taste. Ayam Pongteh can be kept in the fridge for a few days and actually tastes better. Chef Bong says it can also be served with toast for breakfast. I believe her.

Sambal Sotong (Squid) and Sambal Udang (Prawn) Peranakan recipe

Fresh prawn 500gcooking oil 4-6 TbspTamarind pulp 2 tbsp mixed with 250ml (8floz - 1 cup water and strain)sugar 1/2 tbsp to tastesalt 1/2 tsp to taste

Rempahdried chillies 8 pre soakred chillies 3candlenuts 3dried prawns shrimp paste belacan 2.5 x 1cm (1 x 1/2-in) pieceshallots 15 small peeled

(steps have been modified)-Peel and devein prawns. Rinse and set aside. (I also use squid. So i clean and chop them into slices. Both prawn and squid total up to about 300gram).

-Pound rempah ingredients until fine using a mortar and pestle (or you can use food processor like I did)

-Heat oil in a wok until smoking hot. Add pounded rempah ingredients until fragrant but not burnt and oil seperates from paste.

-Add prawns and squid. I do not want to overcook the prawn and squid. So i quickly add the sugar, salt and tamarind juice. Once the prawn changes to pink colour. I switch off the fire and serve immidiately.Curry chicken/pork

Ingredient6 Small onion - cut into tiny pcsbelacan from penang Serai3/4 Curry leafsmall amount Cintan manis + 3 pcs of cintan kayu (optional)1 spoon Cili powderCurry meat + chicken powderSantan powder half packAbout 1 Chicken4-6 PotatoOil2 spoon salt, very tiny amt of ajinamoto

Cooking: medium fire- Put oil in kuali- Put onion + belacan + curry leaf + serai + cintan manis + cintan kayu - stir fry(if its pork curry - add garlic. if chicken - no garlic)- Put the cili powder (small amount) - teaspoon- Put the curry powder - few spoon fullit will burn quickly after put the powder. so off the fire first then dump the chicken and potato then on big fire again.- Put the chicken + potato (stir fry. to make sure that the curry powder is enuf, make sure the chicken is a bit of curry powder color else add some more. if too much wont taste nice)

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- Put the pork (front leg near shoulder and back - chu chang rao - sell in kg) + potato. the rest same as above.- mix the whole thing- add in a bowl of water until it some wat cover the chicken. stir it then cover it

Cover the kuali for 20 min - 30 min(till the potato is soft - can know by poking the potato with the senduk...if can poke thru then its soft)-big/medium fire. after 10 minute interval check the result as different gas stove has different kind of fire.... if fire strong then maybe water will dry up fast. if not enuf water then add in water.Meanwhile mix 2 teaspoon of santan (about half a packet), 2 spoon milk powder into bowl of water.

After the 20 min - big fire- open the cover.- add some salt and very little ajinamoto.- taste the mixture to see whether adequate salt

But the bowl of mix santan milk into kuali then stir until boiling - abt 2-3 min(santan cannot cook too long as it will turn into coconut oil)- taste to see taste ok. if not enuf salt can add. Take it out and transfer to pot and ready to eat!!Curry Chicken recipe to compliment the Thosai (Part 2)

I wanted to prepare for 3 ppl. Therefore I wont be using a whole chicken. I cut down on the proportion:-3/4 of half a chicken4 tomato3 potato4 small onion and 1 big onion2 pandan leaf/ 2 stalk of curry leaf/ fragrant leaf (not sure of exact name but its a replacement for corriander leaf according to my mum) / seraiCilli powder/ Baba's Meat Curry Powder /2 teaspoon of Santan and 2 teaspoon of Milk

I also add 2 clove of garlic and ginger4 Clove (Bunga Cengkih)1 Star anise3 Cardamon pods1 Cinnamon

Prepare-Cut the potato and tomato into quarters-Chop the garlic, ginger, small and big onion into pcs - blend in food chopper-Clean the pandan leaf, fragrant leaf, curry leaf and serai-Flatten the serai. Put on the chopping board and use something hard to flatten the serai-Once that the curry is almost ready. Lastly mix the santan and milk in a bowl and add some water

Cooking.1. Pour some oil into kuali. Stir fry with small fire all the spices - Cinnamon, Star anise, Cardamon pods, Clove for few seconds.2. Stir fry the mixture of onion/garlic/ginger/serai3. Put in the fragrant leaf/ curry leaf4. Put in the tomato, potato and chicken5. Put in a very humble amt of cili powder - about half a teaspoon6. Put in the curry powder. Make sure the curry powder cover the chicken adequatelyCurry powder burn easily so make sure to control the fire. Overall I use medium to small fire.7. Stir fry until its fragrant but dont burn the curry powder or the spices. If the spices burn then the curry will turn bitter

8. Transfer the whole mixture into a soup pot. Pour water till it covers the chicken. Dont pour too much else the curry will be too watery.Cook about half hour - 45minutes. Check intermediary. Medium to small fire.

15 minutes before the chicken is ready put in the pandan leaf.

Once done put some salt to taste. Add in the santan/milk. Once we add the santan we cant cook for long as the santan can turn into oil if cook too long.Mian Fen kao (Boil)

-Put 300gm of tepung gandum onto plate-1ts salt-1 cup of water-Mix and knead the dough-Leave it for 30 min to let it rise a little

Boil ikan bilis stock

-Put the ikan bilis into pot and add water-Boil for half - 1 hr-Purpose is to boil a ikan bilis stock

After half hour (dough)-Take a portion of dough, roll into cylinder, pinch into balls, flatten and stretch it.A) STEAMED CHICKENIngredients- 1 kampong chicken (you can use regular chicken, or bigger chicken if serving more people)- 1.5 bulbs garlic (separated to cloves and slightly bruised with mortar and pestle to release the flavour)- 3 stalks spring onions, cut to 2 inch lengths- 10 slices ginger- sea salt

Directions- Chop off the (dead!) chickens head n feet. Reserve feet for making chicken soup at the end. Clean the inside, empty innards if this hasnt been done by your butcher (usually they are already cleaned). Rinse chicken thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.- Rub salt all over the chicken.- Stuff cavity with garlic cloves (about 1 bulb worth) , 5 slices ginger and half of the spring onions.- In a deep and wide dish (chicken broth will be collected at the end of cooking), placed the remaining garlic, spring onions and ginger at the bottom of the dish. Then place the chicken on top.- Steam in a covered steamer over high heat for 40-50minutes. Watch the water inside the steamer, adding more water in the steamer dish if it has evaporated.- To test if the chicken is cooked, insert a fork in the thigh area. If clear liquid (no blood) runs out, it is cooked.- A substantial amount of concentrated chicken broth will be collected in the dish this is really good stuff so DO NOT THROW AWAY the chicken broth. Empty the cavity liquids into the broth pool.- When chicken has cooled, carve the chicken and set aside the bones. DO NOT THROW AWAY the bones as well as you need it to make the herbal chicken broth.

B) CHICKEN RICEIngredients 1 3/4 cup rice, rinsed- broth from cooking the chicken (reserve some for recipe C2 & C3, add more water/msg-free chicken cube stock if needed)*- 5 cloves garlic, slightly bruised- 5 slices ginger- 1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot

Directions- Cook rice in rice cooker using the above ingredients.* For the quantity of broth to add, follow the usual amount of water as you would to cook plain rice (mine is slightly less than 2 cups).