The Best of Malaysian Food (Keropok Lekor)

Keropok Lekor

Keropok are deep fried crackers made from starch and other ingredients that usually give the taste. In Malaysia, Keropok are usually made by grinding fish, prawns, squid or vegetables into a paste, mixing with sago and then deep-frying it. It comes in three main forms: keropok lekor which is long and chewy, keropok losong (steamed) and keropok keping which is thin and crispy. It is frequently served with dipping sauces.

Prawn based Keropok are the most widely available in the west, and are white or light brown in colour. Despite the high amount of shrimps used, any shrimp taste is usually quite subtle. Perhaps the most common form is the Indonesian Keropok udang, made with dried shrimp and hence a light shade of pink.

In Chinese cuisine, prawn crackers may use food coloring (including shades of white, pale pink, green and blue), and tend to be lighter and non-spicy. Prawn crackers are a traditional complementary side dish and may accompany takeaway Chinese food in Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Shrimp chips are usually served with roasted chicken dishes in Chinese restaurants.

Preparation

Keropok are made by mixing prawns, tapioca flour and water. The mixture is rolled out, steamed, sliced and sun dried. Once dry, they are deep-fried in oil (which must be at high heat before cooking). In only a few seconds they expand from thumb-sized semi-transparent chips to white fluffy crackers, much like popcorn, as water bound to the starch expands as it turns into steam. If left in the open air for more than a few hours (depending on humidity), they start to soften and become chewy and therefore are ideally consumed within a few hours of being fried. Storing the crackers in a low humidity environment or an airtight container will preserve the crispness. Packets of unfried prawn crackers may be purchased in oriental stores, or stores that specialise in Asian cuisine. In the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, France, Australia and the United Kingdom they are also widely available in general supermarkets.

Most varieties of Keropok can also be prepared in a microwave oven, in which a few discs can be cooked in less than a minute. This will usually cause them to cook and expand in a way similar to when they are deep fried. For small quantities, this method is less messy, faster and healthier, as the krupuk do not become as oily. However, this may cause the krupuk to retain a stronger aroma of raw shrimp which may not necessarily be pleasant.

Ingredients:

1 cup of fish fillet

1 cup of cassava/tapioca flour

1 cup of cold water

Salt to taste

Cassava /tapioca flour to roll the dough

Water for boiling

Oil for frying

Blend fish fillet, flour and water together to a dough.

Place a little flour on your hands and take a little dough.

Roll it in your palms and put it in the boiling water.

When the dough starts floating, it means that it's ready to be scooped out of the pot.

Let it cool and heat oil to fry. Fry for about 5 minutes or till the edges become crispy.

Serve hot with sweet chili sauce.

The Best of Malaysian Food (Nasi Dagang)

Nasi Dagang serve on banana leaf

Nasi dagang is a Malaysian dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as fried shaved coconut, hard-boiled eggs and vegetable pickles. Nasi Dagang literally means "Trading Rice". It is a well-known breakfast food in the states on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, such as Terengganu and Kelantan. The most famous Nasi dagang of Terengganu comes from Kampung Ladang, an area within the Kuala Terengganu district. Nasi Dagang can also be considered as a festive dish in Kelantan because it is prepared at home for the morning of Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, to be eaten as a breakfast before or after the Eid prayers in the mosque.

Components

Apart from the basic combination of rice and curry, Nasi Dagang usually comes with its different components which can be combined to suit the diner's taste. From a simple serving of the steamed rice and tuna curry usually found at roadside stalls, the complete home-made version may include a sliced hard-boiled egg, fried coconut, vegetable pickle and sambal.

Rice

The combination of fenugreek seeds and coconut milk gives Nasi Dagang its unique flavour and fragrance. The rice may first be soaked in water for several hours to soften it. It is then mixed with thick coconut milk, sliced shallots, lemon grass and fenugreek seeds. The rice is steamed until cooked. It may also be steamed twice, where more coconut milk is added when it is half-cooked. Then the rice is steamed again until cooked. This method ensures a more creamy finish to the rice.

Fish curry

This accompanying dish is only specially prepared for nasi dagang and is sometimes locally called 'gulai darat'. 'Curry' is actually a misnomer as the fish is not cooked using Indian curry powder but in coconut milk mixed with traditional Malay spices such as lemon grass, galangal, chilli paste and turmeric.

Tuna is the standard choice of fish but other fish can be used as well, such as tenggiri and salmon. Prawns are also used sometimes, however the 'gulai' is prepared slightly differently.

Fried coconut

Coconut is freshly shaved, mixed with sliced shallots and fried until golden brown.

Hard-boiled eggs

Hard boiled eggs are cut into four or eight slices.

Vegetable pickle

The vegetable is pickled in rice vinegar and sugar. The vegetables commonly used are cucumber, chilli and carrots.

Sambal

Chilli sambal can sometimes be included.

Variants

The Terengganu version uses the normal white rice, while the Kelantan variety uses a type of rice locally called 'beras nasi dagang', which is a type of wild rice that has a light purple colour and a little glutinous.

Ingredients

4 cups of Nasi Dagang

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) thick coconut milk

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) thin coconut milk

10 shallots, sliced

2 cm ginger, cut into thin strips

5g fenugreek

1 teaspoon salt

Preparation method

1.Wash rice, drain and soak overnight in water. Next day, drain the water and steam the rice for half an hour. Remove from steam and stir in the thin coconut milk and resteam for 15 minutes until the rice is almost cooked.

2.Mix the thick coconut milk with the ginger, fenugreeek and salt and then mix well into the cooked rice. Resteam again for another 15 minutes until the rice is completely cooked.

The Best of Malaysian Food (Ketupat and Rendang)

Ketupat or packed rice is a type of dumpling from Malaysia. It is made from rice that has been wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch and boiled. As the rice cooks, the grains expand to fill the pouch and the rice becomes compressed. This method of cooking gives the ketupat its characteristic form and texture of a rice dumpling. Ketupat is usually eaten with rendang (a type of dry beef curry) or served as an accompaniment to satay or gado-gado. Ketupat is also traditionally served by Malays at open houses on festive occasions such as Idul Fitri (Hari Raya Aidilfitri). During Idul Fitri in Indonesia, ketupat is often served with chicken curry, accompanied with spicy soy powder. Among Filipinos, Pusô is also traditionally used as a pabaon or a mobile meal, traditionally brought by workers as a type of packed lunch, served with any selection of stews. "Pusô" is also widely eaten in the side streets of Cebu with pork barbecue, chicken skewers, and other grilled selections.

Varieties

There are many varieties of ketupat, with two of the more common ones being ketupat nasi and ketupat pulut. Ketupat nasi is made from white rice and is wrapped in a square shape with coconut palm leaves while ketupat pulut is made from glutinous rice is usually wrapped in a triangular shape using the leaves of the fan palm (Licuala). Ketupat pulut is also called "ketupat daun palas" in Malaysia.

Ketupat nasi (rice)

Local stories passed down through the generations have attributed the creation of this style of rice preparation to the seafarers' need to keep cooked rice from spoiling during long sea voyages. The coco leaves used in wrapping the rice are always shaped into a triangular form and stored hanging in bunches in the open air. The shape of the package facilitates moisture to drip away from the cooked rice while the coco leaves allow the rice to be aerated and at the same time prevent flies and insects from touching it.

Rendang

In Malaysia, rendang is traditionally prepared by the Malay community during festive occasions. Though rendang is sometimes described as being like a curry, and the name is sometimes applied to curried meat dishes in Malaysia, authentic rendang is nothing like a curry. In Malay classical literature, rendang is mentioned in Hikayat Amir Hamzah as early as the 1550s.

Rendang is made from beef (or occasionally chicken, mutton, water buffalo, duck, or vegetables like jackfruit or cassava) slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, allowing the meat to absorb the spicy condiments. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying as the liquid evaporates. The slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender. The spices may include ginger, galangal, turmeric leaf, lemon grass and chillies. Chicken or duck rendang also contains tamarind and is usually not cooked for as long as beef rendang.

Beef Rendang

There are two kinds of rendang: dried and wet. Dried rendang can be kept for 3–4 months, and it is for ceremonial occasions or to honour guests. Wet rendang, also known as kalio, can be found in Minangkabau restaurants, and without refrigeration, it should be consumed within a month.

Rendang is often served with rice, ketupat (a compressed rice cake) and lemang (glutinous rice barbecued in bamboo tubes) in Indonesia, as well as in Malaysia.

How to Make Ketupat

These firm rice cakes are usually cooked in individual baskets of woven coconut leaves so that the rice swells until it fills the basket and becomes firmly compressed. Here is a simple and more practical way of producing similar results in Western kitchens.

Ingredients : Serves 6

500 g

4 cups

Short or medium grain rice

Water

Banana leaf or aluminium foil

Method :

Bring the water and rice to the boil.

Cover tightly with lid.

Turn heat very low and cook for 35-40 minutes until all water is absorbed.

Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.

Then press rice into a cake tin or pie plate to a depth of about 2.5 cm (1 inch).

Use a piece of washed and greased banana leaf or greased aluminum foil to cover the surface of the rice and put another plate on top.

Press down very firmly the plate.

Put a weight on top and leave at room temperature for a few hours, until very firm.

Remove weight, plate and banana leaf and use a wet knife to cut rice into 5 cm squares.

Serve with spicy peanut sauce or Rendang.

How to Cook Rendang

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Oil

3 cm (1 1/4 in) Cinnamon Stick

2 Cloves

4 Star Anise

2 Cardamom Pods

500 grams,(1 lb.) Topside Beef, cubed.

1 cup thick Coconut Milk

1 Slice Asam Gelugor, or 2 teaspoons dried Tamarind Pulp soaked in warm water for juice.

2 fragrant Lime leaves, very finely sliced.

1 Turmeric leaf, very finely sliced.

2 Tablespoons Kerisik,(see Helpful Hint below).

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Salt to taste.

Spice Paste

2 Shallots

2 cm (3/4 inch) Galangal (from Marks & Spencer !!!)

3 Lemon Grass

2 Cloves Garlic

2 cm (3/4 inch) Ginger

10 Dried Chillies, soaked in hot water

Steps

1) Chop the spice paste ingredients then puree in a blender until fine.

2) Heat the Oil in a Pot on a Medium setting until hot, then turn down to Low and add the Spice paste, Cinnamon, Cloves, Star Anise, and Cardamom and cook for 5 minutes. If it starts to burn, add a tablespoon of water.

3) Add the Beef, Coconut Milk and asam gelagor or Tamarind juice.

4) Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until the meat is almost cooked.

5) Add the Lime and Turmeric leaves,kerisik,sugar and salt.

6) Lower the heat and simmer until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up.

Approximate cooking time is 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

7) Helpful Hint :-

Kerisik is ground coconut.

To prepare the kerisik, roast 10 oz,(300 g) of fresh grated coconut, either the traditional way in a dry Wok,stirring constantly, or in a slow oven until brown.

Then grind finely, preferably when hot, because then it's crispy and easier to grind. Coconut oil may be produced if the coconut is old, in which case, simply combine it with the ground coconut.

The Best of Malaysian Food (Nasi Lemak)

A Complete set of Nasi Lemak

In Kuala Lumpur, it is called the national dish, a national heritage of Malaysia. It is not to be confused with Nasi Dagang sold on the east coast of Malaysia or Terengganu and Kelantan although both dishes can usually be found sold side by side for breakfast. However, because of the Nasi Lemak's versatility in being able to be served in a variety of manners, it is now served and eaten any time of the day.

With roots in Malay culture, its name is a Malay word that literally means 'rice in cream'. The name is derived from the cooking process whereby rice is soaked in coconut cream and then the mixture steamed. Sometimes knotted screwpine (pandan) leaves are thrown into the rice while steaming to give it more fragrance. Spices such as ginger and occasionally herbs like lemon grass may be added for additional fragrance.

Traditionally, this comes as a platter of food wrapped in banana leaf, with cucumber slices, small dried anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, and hot spicy sauce (sambal) at its core. As a more substantial meal, nasi lemak can also come with a variety of other accompaniments such as chicken, cuttlefish, cockle, stir fried water convolvulus (kangkong), pickled vegetables (achar), beef rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices) or paru (beef lungs). Traditionally most of these accompaniments are spicy in nature.

Nasi Lemak is widely eaten in Malaysia, even as a dish served in Malaysian schools. Nasi lemak is a common breakfast dish, sold early in the morning at roadside stalls in Malaysia, where it is often sold packed in newspaper, brown paper, or banana leaf. However, there are restaurants which serve it on a plate as noon or evening meals, making it possible for the dish to be eaten all day. Nasi lemak kukus which means hot nasi lemak is another name given to nasi lemak served with hot cooked rice.

Different versions

Nasi Lemak, here served with fish cake, ikan bilis, egg, and buah keluak chicken

There are different versions of Nasi Lemak as prepared by different chefs in different cultures. Hotels have nasi lemak on their menu with elaborate dishes, such as beef rendang and the addition of other seafood, while humble roadside stalls sell them ready packed, known as "Nasi Lemak Bungkus", meaning "Wrapped Nasi Lemak", with minimal additions that costs between Ringgit Malaysia 1 to 7 per pack. There are Malaysian Chinese and Malaysian Indian versions.

Malaysian Indian version

The Malaysian Indian version is similar to the original version. However, Hindus do not eat beef. Beef is not included while preparing Malaysian Indian version of nasi lemak.

Malaysian Chinese version

Although it is not common to see Malaysian Chinese stalls and restaurants selling nasi lemak, there is a non-halal version that contains pork sold in towns and cities such as Malacca and certain parts of Kuala Lumpur. Some Malaysian Chinese hawkers are known to make minced pork sambal.

Vegetarian version

In certain parts of Kuala Lumpur, some Malaysian Chinese and Malay hawkers offer vegetarian nasi lemak in which the meat is substituted with tofu.

How to Make Nasi Lemak.

Ingredients for rice

1 Cup Rice,(washed and drained)

2 Cups Santan

1 Pandan Leaf, (tied in a Knot)

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Ingredients for Prawn Sambal

10-12 Prawns,(shelled and de-veined)

1 Large Onion,(sliced)

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Sugar

2 Tablespoons Tamarind Juice

2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil

Pound together :-

2 Dried Chillies

2 Fresh Chillies

1 Small Piece Blacan

1/2-inch piece Lengkuss

1 Candle Nut

Ingredients for Garnishing

2 Hard-Boiled Eggs,(cut in wedges).

2 Tablespoons Ikan Bilis,(deep-fried till crisp).

1 Piece Yellow Bean Curd,(deep-fried & sliced thinly).

1/4 Cucumber,(sliced thinly).

2 oz Kangkong,(scalded)

Steps

1) Wash and clean the rice and put it in a small pot. Add the Santan and the Pandan Leaf and bring to the Boil.

2) When the rice begins to boil, lower the heat.

3) Simmer gently for 10 -15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and remove from the heat.

4) Loosen rice grains with chopsticks. Cover up and allow rice to cook in its own heat for 10-15 minutes.

5) While the rice is cooking, prepare the Garnishing and Prawn Sambal.

6) For the Sambal, heat oil and fry the onions until slightly brown.

7) Add the pounded ingredients and fry until fragrant. Add Prawns and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.

8) Add Sugar, Salt and Tamarind Juice. Allow to cook for another 4-5 minutes and serve.

9) Serve the rice with the Sambal and other Garnishing.

The Best of Indonesian Food (Soto)

Soto ayam or chicken soto. Note the transparent yellow broth, the emping and fried shallot

Soto, sroto, tauto or coto is a common dish to be found in various regional variations of Indonesian cuisine. It is a traditional soup mainly composed of broth, meat and vegetables. There is no clear definition what makes a soto, but normally all traditional soups are called soto, while western/foreign influenced soups are called sop.

Ingredients

The meats that are most commonly used are chicken and beef, but there are also variations with offal, mutton, water buffalo meat and pork. The soup is usually accompanied by rice or compressed rice cakes (ketupat or buras). Offal is a very common ingredient in soto, and is considered as a delicacy: the rumen (blanket/flat/smooth tripe), reticulum (honeycomb and pocket tripe), omasum (book/bible/leaf tripe) and the intestines are all eaten.

Other ingredients of soto include soon alternatively spelled as sohun (rice vermicelli), mung bean sprouts and scallion.

Soto spices include the following: shallot, garlic, turmeric root, galangal, ginger, coriander, salt and pepper.

Soto can have a clear broth, a yellow transparent broth (coloured with turmeric) or a milky coconut-milk broth.

Soto in Malaysia and Singapore is the clear chicken broth type. Like many dishes, it may have been brought into the country by the many Javanese migrants in the early part of the 20th century.

The Best of Indonesian Food (Nasi Uduk)

Nasi uduk is an Indonesian style steamed rice dish originally from Jakarta, which can be widely found across the country.

A basic nasi uduk

Preparation

Nasi uduk is made by cooking rice soaked in coconut milk instead of water, clove, cassia bark, and lemongrass.

Nasi uduk is commonly served with emping (melinjo chips), empal, fried chicken, and fried onion sprinkled on the top of the rice. Additional side dishes might be added according to one's taste. Chili sauce is also common in nasi uduk preparation.

The Best of Indonesian Food (Oncom)

Red oncom

Oncom ("on-chom") is one of the traditional staple foods of West Java, in Indonesia. There are two kinds of oncom: red oncom and black oncom. Oncom is closely related to tempeh; both are foods fermented using molds, as is blue cheese.

Usually oncom is made from the by-products from the production of other foods -- soy bean sediment (okara) left from making tofu, peanut presscake left after the oil has been expressed, cassava sediment when extracting the starch (pati singkong), coconut presscake remaining after oil has been expressed or when coconut milk has been produced.

Because oncom production uses these potential waste streams to make food, oncom production increases the efficiency of human nutrition in unique ways, and in a world with ever-increasing hunger and ever-dwindling cropland, this carries great promise for those of us who could most use help.

Red oncom also reduces cholesterol levels of rats, suggesting effects in humans.

Red oncom is made by using the mold Neurospora intermedia var. oncomensis; it is the only human food produced by Neurospora species.

Black oncom is made by using the mold Rhizopus oligosporus.

Toxicity

In the production of oncom, sanitation and hygiene are important to avoid contaminating the culture with bacteria or other fungi like Aspergillus flavus (which produces aflatoxin). Neurospora intermedia var. oncomensis and Rhizopus oligosporus reduce the aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus. However, aflatoxin-producing molds (Aspergillus spp.) are often naturally present on peanut presscake and coconut presscake can harbor the very dangerous Pseudomonas cocovenenans, which produces two highly toxic compounds - bongkrek acid and toxoflavin. Thus careful attention to sanitation during oncom (and tempeh) production may not be sufficient to ensure the safety of the final product.

While it is known that soybeans are the best substrate for growing R. oligosporus to produce tempeh, oncom has not been as thoroughly studied; the best fermentation substrates for producing oncom are not yet known.

The Best of Indonesian Food (Gado-Gado)

Gado-gado is a traditional dish in Indonesian cuisine, and is a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing, eaten as a main dish. It is widely served from hawkers carts, stalls (warung) as well as in restaurants both in Indonesia and worldwide.

Gado-gado is part of a wide range of Indonesian dressing & salad combinations, along with lotek, pecel and karedok. In many places, to retain authenticity in both the production and flavor, the peanut sauce is made in individual batches, in front of the customers. However, since the dish has gained popularity (because of the increase of Asian-themed restaurants) Gado-gado sauce is now mostly made ahead of time and cooked in bulk, although this is probably more common in Western restaurants rather than in Indonesia. Compared to Western and Indonesian salads, Gado-gado has much more sauce in it. Instead of being used as a light dressing, the vegetables should be well coated in the sauce.

Many stores now offer Gado-Gado dressing in dried blocks to which you simply add hot water, making it easier and cheaper to cook at home.

A traditional Indonesian way of making gado-gado.

The exact composition of the vegetable salad varies, but usually comprises some form of mixture of:

• blanched - shredded, chopped, or sliced green vegetables (such as cabbage, kang-kung), bean sprouts, young boiled jack fruit, string bean, bitter melon, and corn (outside of Indonesia, people improvize with whatever vegetables that are available). uncooked - sliced cucumber and lettuce.

• fried tofu and tempeh.

• sliced boiled potatoes.

• peeled and sliced boiled eggs.

The authentic gado-gado does not have carrot and tomatoes. Only the aforementioned vegetables are added to the dish.

Gado-gado stall displaying ingredients of the dish.

What distinguishes gado-gado from a plain vegetable salad is the peanut sauce dressing, which is poured on top of the vegetable salad before serving. The composition of this peanut sauce varies as well. One may use a commercial Indonesian peanut sauce or satay sauce, or make the sauce oneself. For making the sauce, the common primary ingredients are as follows:

• ground fried peanuts (kidney beans may be substituted for a richer taste)

• coconut sugar/palm sugar (can substitute brown sugar)

• chillies (according to taste)

• limo lime juice

• terasi (dried shrimp paste)

• tamarind water

• water to dilute

Note the above is for Jakarta style gado-gado. Gado-gado is always served with some kind of crackers, usually tapioca crackers, or also with Emping (Indonesian style fried crackers, which are made from melinjo)

In Indonesia, Gado-gado is usually served with rice or lontong (rice cake wrapped in banana leaf).