Serves 2-3
Cooking time: 5 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins + 40 mins standing time
Sambal Belimbing Starfruit Sambal
200 g (7 oz) belimbing, sliced into thin discs
2 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 stalks lemongrass, sliced very thinly on the diagonal
150 g (5¼ oz) fresh prawns, peeled
250 ml (1 cup) thick coconut milk
2 teaspoons sugar
salt to taste
Spice Paste
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
4 red chilies
150 g (5¼ oz) onions
1 Cut each belimbing across into 5-mm-thick (¼-in) slices. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 20 minutes. Very gently squeeze belimbing dry with your hands, transfer to a clean bowl, then rinse well with cold water. Drain again.
2 Grind Spice Paste ingredients until fine. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. When very hot, fry garlic and lemongrass for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and crispy, then transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
3. In the same oil, fry Spice Paste for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add belimbing, prawns, and coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook 5 to 6 minutes more until belimbing are soft. Add sugar and salt, garnish with fried lemongrass and garlic and serve with hot rice.
Serves 4-5
Cooking time: 16 mins
Preparation time: 20 mins plus 20 mins standing time
Pickled Radish with Chilies
A typical Cantonese pickle served with roast meats.
1 whole white radish (daikon), about 450 g (1 lb)
3 red chilies
2 teaspoons salt
500 ml (2 cups) distilled white vinegar
75 g (2½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 Peel radish and cut it into batons the size of a little finger. Slice chilies into large diagonal pieces. Combine both in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 30 mins.
2 Squeeze out and discard as much moisture as possible out of the vegetables, then rinse briefly in cold water and squeeze dry again. Pack into a large, very clean screwtop jar.
3 Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil, then turn off heat and let mixture cool for 5 minutes. Pour over radish and chilies. Let cool completely, then steep overnight, covered, before serving. Pickle keeps for a couple of weeks in a cool place.
Makes approximately 450 g (1 lb) pickle
Cooking time: 1 min
Preparation time: 20 mins, plus 30 mins standing
Chilies, Garlic, and Vinegar
A typical Teochew dip usually served with soy-braised poultry and pork.
6 red chilies
3 cloves garlic, peeled
5 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 Mince chilies and garlic very fine with a cleaver. Mix with vinegar, sugar and salt. A large batch of this can be made up and kept in a screw-top jar, refrigerated, for a few days.
Serves 3-5
Preparation time: 5 mins
Serondeng Roasted Coconut Sambal
A terribly addictive accompaniment, served as part of an Indonesian riijstaffel and also a Nonya long table meal.
200 g (7 oz) freshly grated coconut
3 stalks lemongrass
4 green chilies
6 shallots
¾ teaspoon salt
1 Cut off and discard all but the thickest 6 cm (3 in) of each lemongrass stalk. Slice lemongrass, chilies, and shallots finely and toss with coconut to mix.
2 Heat a wok over low flame and dry-fry all ingredients, stirring constantly, until coconut and other ingredients turn an even golden brown, about 10 minutes. Watch mixture diligently to prevent scorching. Cool completely and store airtight in the fridge; eat within a week.
Serves 4-5
Cooking time: 10 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins
Preserved Beancurd, Shallots, and Lime Juice
A typical Chinese side dish eaten with rice porridge. You can also use white fermented beancurd (foo yee) which has a slightly milder flavor.
3 squares fermented red beancurd (lam yee)
5 shallots, sliced finely
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Lightly mash beancurd until well blended. Gently mix in all remaining ingredients. Serve with porridge or rice and other bland fried dishes.
Serves 2-3
Preparation time: 2 mins
Sambal Goreng Fried Chili Sambal
A basic sambal to serve with meals, especially with dishes like nasi lemak, laksa, Hokkien mee, and mee siam; increase the chilies if you want it hotter. You can use it as a marinade for chicken or seafood—especially prawns and meaty fish—before grilling or barbecuing. And yes, bring it on holiday with you.
6 cloves garlic
4 candlenuts
300g (10½ oz) large onions
8-10 dried chilies, soaked till soft
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
200 ml (¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon) water
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 Grind garlic, candlenuts, onions and chilies until very fine. If paste is very dry, add a little water to obtain a moist but not soggy texture.
2 Knead tamarind with water until pulp dissolves and strain.
3 Heat oil in a wok over low heat. When very hot, add paste and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until paste is thickened and shiny with oil: this indicates the raw spices are adequately cooked.
4 Add tomato paste, salt, sugar, and ¾ of the tamarind liquid to the wok. Stir well and taste to adjust; add remaining tamarind if necessary. Stir for 1 minute, then scrape into a clean bowl or jar. When cool, cover airtight and store in the fridge. This keeps for a few weeks.
Makes Approximately 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) sambal
Cooking time: 12 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins
Sambal Ikan Bilis Crispy Anchovies and Peanut
oil for deep-frying
6 tablespoons raw red-skinned peanuts
200