Kiam Hu Kut Gulai [Salted Fish Vegetable Curry]

One of the popular Nyonya style curries with slightly different ingredients for the similar kind of curry.  Some recipes do not add shrimp paste [belacan] to the spices.

Very strong flavour, spicy curry with various vegetables.  Good serving it with plain rice.  Sometimes, I love to spread the hot curry over blanched instant noodles.  Wow!, reminds me of my working days in KL when my aunt used to prepare it for me.   One point to note - taste before adding salt cos' the salted fish bones and some types of belacan or shrimp paste may be rather salty.

Ingredients

[original recipe from Nyonya Flavours with slight modifications]

Curry Paste Ingredients [blended and mix with other paste ingredients]

1 tsp white peppercorns

2 stalks lemongrass

100 gm [10-15] shallots

10 gm [2 pips] garlic

20 gm [15] dried chillies

20 gm shrimp paste/belacan
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp tumeric powder

3-4 pieces salted fish bones - rinsed and soaked for 5-10 minutes

200 gm long beans

1 long brinjals - cut 2x4 cm pieces
100 gm cabbage - optional

1 cup taufu puff/taupok - halved

200 gm small prawns - head and tail removed

100 ml coconut milk [I used milk]

750 ml water

salt and sugar to taste
100 ml oil

1. Heat oil in pan, saute salted fish bones for 1-2 minutes.  Dish out.
2. Using the same oil, add in curry paste.  Fry until aromatic and oil separates.
3. Add in long beans and brinjals.  Stir fry to mix ingredients.  Add in a little water for easier stirring of ingredients. 
4. Add in cabbage leaves [if using] and fried salted fish bones.  Stir fry for a minute. 
5. Add in remaining water, bring to boil.  When vegetables have softened, add in the prawns and taufoo puffs.  Let curry boils for another 1-2 minutes.
6. Add in seasoning to taste and lastly pour in coconut milk.  Bring to boil again.
7. Off heat, serve curry with plain white rice.
   
   
   
   
   
   Notes: Visit this site for it's Nutritional Facts [here]

I'm linking this post to Cook Your Books #4 hosted by Joyce

 of  Kitchen Flavours

Nyonya Prawn Sambal Curry [Sambal Udang]

My mum used to cook this at home quite regularly but using ready bought fresh curry paste from the wet market.  The taste varies each time.  I came across this recipe from the book Nyonya Flavours where the curry paste is quite simple to prepare but rather spicy and tasty.   So here is the recipe.

The Sambal Udang was good with Nasi Lemak and freshly sliced cucumber. Hmmm..... yummy, yummy. yummy.  You can use shelled small prawns for this dish. This was cooked at my MIL's place and I wasn't able to take better shots of the dish cos' we were all too busy enjoying this piping hot curry.

Ingredients - Sambal Udang

Ground Spice Paste

10 dried red chillies [15 gm] - soaked and deseeded

10 shallots [100 gm] - peeled and cut small pieces

1 stalk lemongrass -  slice the white part only

2-3 garlic [10 gm]

5 gm tumeric [I used 1 tsp tumeric powder]

500 gm prawns [medium or small] - shelled

5 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt to taste

3 tbsp sugar to taste [can reduce]

10 gm tamarind pulp [1 tbsp]

300 ml water

1. Blend the spice paste ingredients in a processor until fine, then add tumeric powder.  Mix well and set aside.
2. Dissolve tamarind pulp in water to extract the tamarind juice.  Strain and discard the tamarind seeds and pulp.
3. Heat oil in wok, saute ground spice paste until aromatic and oil separates [can prepare paste until this stage and store in refrigerator until later use].
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add in the tamarind juice and seasoning.  Bring to boil for several minutes, then add in the prawns.  Continue to stir fry to coat prawns with curry paste.
5. Taste to adjust seasoning and boil for a few minutes until prawns are cooked.
6. Dish out to serve with plain rice or nasi lemak.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Notes: Visit this site for it's nutritional facts [here]

I'm linking this post to Cook Your Books #4 Event

 hosted by Joyce of  Kitchen Flavours

Ginger Bud Dipping Sauce For Blanched Meat

Torch ginger is a pink flower bud known to Malaysians as 'Bunga Kantan' and is a common herb in most Asian kitchens.  It is a member of the ginger family. The bud when cut gives an invigorating aroma and is used to flavour tangy curries/soups [Gulai Tumis, Assam Laksa etc.] and rice [Nasi Ulam and Nasi Kerabu].  Here, it is use as an aromatic ingredient for a nice dipping sauce.

A very easy, simple yet good dipping sauce for blanched meat fillet or steamed/boiled chicken meat.  Savoury, sourish and sweet taste with fragrant aroma of chopped coriander leaves and the wild ginger flower [bunga kantan] is really appetising.

 

Ingredients
[recipe adapted from Yum Yum magazine]

1 stalk wild ginger flower [bunga kantan] - finely chopped

1-2 stalks of coriander leaves - finely chopped

3 red chilli padi - chopped

50 ml light soy sauce

Juice of 3 limes

1-2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fine preserved soya bean paste [taucheong]

•  Prepare and mix all ingredients together.
• Serve with blanched thinly sliced meat fillets or steamed chicken - chopped.

Steamed Chicken Whole Legs With Ginger Bud Dipping Sauce

2 chicken whole legs [with skin] - neatly trim off  sides and excess fats

-marinate for 30 minutes with 

1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper

2 tsp sesame oil - to brush on chicken skin after steaming

• steamed chicken over high heat for 20-30 minutes or until cooked and brush sesame oil over chicken skin OR
• boil in boiling water for 5 minutes, off heat, cover and soak chicken for 15 minutes.  Drain and brush with sesame oil.
• chopped into bite size pieces and serve with dipping sauce.

Notes: Visit this site for it's Nutritional Facts [here]

I'm linking this post to Cook Your Books #4 

 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

 

I'm also linking this post to September 2013 Cooking With Herbs Blog Challenge hosted by Lavender and Lovage

    

Preserved Green Mustard Beancurd Soup

Came across this soup recipe in Agnes Chan's latest book 'Let's Eat'.  I happened to have some roasted pork ribs from my mom and cooking this soup is a good way to clear them.  Surprisingly the soup tastes very flavourful and appetising.   I think this soup is not new cos' some blogger friends have cooked this soup before.

Since roasted pork ribs are quite oily, I suggest it is better to boil them with some water, drained and rinsed the ribs well before cooking with other ingredients.  This way the soup will be clear and free of scums.
Ingredients

[serves 3-4]

[recipe slightly modified]

2-3 pieces roasted meaty pork ribs

3 pips garlic

3 slices ginger

1/4 tsp white peppercorns - crushed

some chicken meat - optional

750-1000 ml water

1 tomato - cut into wedges

100 gm preserved green mustard [kiam chye]

1 preserved wet salted plum

1 piece soft bean curd - cut into 6 pieces

1/4 tsp chicken stock granules

some wine and sesame oil

1. Bring water to boil.  Add in roasted pork ribs.  Boil for 1-2 minutes.   Drained and rinse to clear off the scums.
2. Place ginger, garlic, peppercorns and cleaned roasted pork ribs in a soup pot. Add water and bring it to a boil.  Lower heat to simmer until meat is tender [about 20 minutes] and soup is fragrant.
3. Add in preserved green mustard, tomatoes, wet plum and chicken meat [if using] .  Boil for several minutes.
4. Lastly add in beancurd, wine and sesame oil.  Add some salt and msg to taste.
5. Garnish with cut spring onions and serve soup hot.

Notes: Visit this site for it's Nutritional Facts [here]

I'm linking this post to Cook Your Books #4 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Kuih Seri Muka

Very happy with the 'performance' of my electric steamer, I made this steamed Nyonya kuih as I have the pandan juice and blue pea flower [bunga telang] water  left over from making of the snowskin mooncakes.  If you don't have the indigo colour, it is alright to make it plain.  In fact, I shouldn't have mix the blue and plain colour rice together, then I would have a more distinct tri-colour kuih [white, blue and green].

Not too difficult to prepare yet the kuih is good and definitely worth the to make for the family and friends.   My friends told me this kuih is good.

Ingredients - original recipe from Home Cooking Magazine with slight modifications

[I used 15x23 cm oval shape steaming tray of my electric steamer]

Rice Layer

100 gm glutinous rice - washed and soaked for 4 hours

100 gm glutinous rice - washed and soaked with blue pea water [please refer here for preparation]

150 ml thin coconut milk

2-3 pandan leaves

1/2 tsp salt [use 1/4 tsp for each portion]

Top Pandan Layer

125 ml thick coconut milk

110 gm sugar

1.5 tbsp cornflour

50 ml pandan juice [blend 5 blades of pandan leaves with 50 ml water, strain to obtain the juice]

3 eggs

a drop of green colouring [optional]

1. Drain rice and combine the rest of ingredients.  Place in a steaming tray and steam for 40 minutes until rice is cooked.   Cool for a while and discard the pandan leaves.
2. Transfer rice to a lightly greased steaming tray.  Press rice gently to level out.  Steam for 10 minutes over high heat.
3. Mix all the topping ingredients well.  Strain into a double boiler with boiling water.  Stir mixture until it thickens.
4. Pour mixture over the steamed rice and continue to steam for another 25 minutes over low heat.
5. Cool thoroughly [several hours] before slicing.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Notes: Visit this site for it's Nutritional Facts [here]
   
   
   I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up - September 2013 Event  organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Joceline of Butter, Flour & Me

I'm also linking this post to September Cooking With Herbs Blog Challenge

 hosted by Lavender and Lovage

I'm  also linking this post to Cook Your Books #4 Event hosted by 

Joyce of  Kitchen Flavours