White vinegar called for in the recipes in this book is the normal distilled vinegar sold in bottles in supermarkets. Some Malaysian cooks prefer rice vinegar or cider vinegar instead. Vinegar is used to make condiments or as a preservative and any type of vinegar may be substituted.
Wild ginger buds (bunga kantan) are the pink buds of wild ginger plants, also known as torch ginger. They are highly aromatic and lend a subtle but distinct fragrance to dishes of Malay and Nonya origin. Ginger buds are available in fresh markets and supermarkets.
Basic Recipes
Satay Sauce
6–8 dried red chillies, deseeded, cut into short lengths and soaked to soften
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
2-cm (¾-in) galangal root
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon fennel powder
6 tablespoons oil
350 g (2¼ cups) roasted peanuts, skins removed, coarsely ground
3 candlenuts or macadamia nuts, coarsely ground
3¼ cups (800 ml) water
1 stalk lemongrass, tender inner part of bottom third only, slightly bruised
3 tablespoons Tamarind Juice (page 7)
3 tablespoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 Grind the chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, turmeric, coriander, cumin and fennel to a fine paste in a mortar or blender, adding a little water if necessary to keep the blades turning.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the grounded spice paste over medium heat for 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove and set aside.
3 Mix the ground peanuts and candlenuts in a saucepan. Add the water and lemongrass. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the fried spice paste. Stir in the Tamarind Juice, palm sugar and salt. Keep stirring over medium-low heat until the oil in the mixture surfaces and the consistency of the mixture slightly thickens. Remove from the heat and serve as a dip with satay dishes.
Toasted Grated Coconut (Kerisik)
200 g (2 cups) freshly grated coconut
1 Dry-fry the grated coconut in a frying pan for about 10 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly until light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
2 When cool enough to handle, pound the fried grated coconut with a mortar and pestle until fine. Store in an airtight container until ready for use.
Crispy Fried Shallots
12 shallots
1 cup (250 ml) oil
1 Soak the shallots in salted water for 5 minutes, then peel and slice thinly. Pat dry the sliced shallots thoroughly with paper towels.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the shallots over moderate heat until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container. Keeps up to 2–3 weeks.
Mixed Pickled Fruit Chutney (Acar Buah)
250 g (1¼ cups) shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
¾ cup (185 ml) water
¼ cup (60 ml) white vinegar
15 shallots thinly sliced
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5 pieces (2.5-cm/1-in) ginger, thinly sliced
⅔ cup (150 ml) oil, for frying
100 g (½ cup) chilli paste
2 tablespoons curry powder
Salt and sugar, to taste
80 g (¾ cup) sesame seeds, dry-roasted
1 tablespoon mustard seeds, dry-roasted
Fruit
15 dried star fruit
6 pickled limes
10 Chinese dates or jujubes (unseeded)
5 pickled plums
5 unseeded preserved or dried prunes
1 tablespoon dried raisins
1 Bring the palm sugar or dark brown sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the vinegar. Add the sliced shallots, garlic and ginger. Return to a boil, remove from the heat and set aside.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the chilli paste and curry powder for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add all the Fruit ingredients and stir.
3 Pour in the palm sugar mixture, season to taste with salt and sugar. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add the sesame and mustard seeds.
4 Remove from the heat and allow to cool thoroughly, then transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated.
Tamarind Juice
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
¼ cup (60 ml) warm water
1 Soak the pulp in the warm water for 5 minutes.
2 Mash well with your fingers and then strain through a sieve to obtain the juice. Discard any seeds and fibres.
Chicken Satay with Lontong
Satay, a common and popular Malay dish, is served with peanut gravy and lontong (compressed rice cakes), along with fresh vegetable slices. This dish can be served during high tea along with other dishes or it can be a starters for part of a bigger menu.
Cucumber slices, to serve
Onion slices, to serve
Satay Sauce (page 6), to dip
Compressed Rice Cakes
500 g (2½ cups) un cooked white rice, washed in several changes of water, drained
8¼ cups (2 litres) water
Pinch of salt
1 pandanus leaf (optional)
Aluminium foil or banana leaves
Satay
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon fennel powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
4 shallots, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
500 g (1 lb) boneless chicken or beef, sliced into 3 mm (⅛ in) x 2 cm (¾ in) pieces
25–30 pieces of 15 cm–18 cm (6–7 in) satay skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour
2 stalks lemongrass, for brushing
Oil, for brushing
1 Make the Compressed Rice Cakes by bringing the rice, water, salt and pandanus leaf, if using, to a boil in a big saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low when the mixture slightly thickens and the rice is cooked and soft. Keep stirring until the rice mixture thickens. Continue to stir until the rice mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan. Remove from the heat.