Comfort Food: Dhal Lemak Telur

There's nothing quite as comforting to me as a bowl of dhal lemak telur. I usually eat it with rice but I could eat it on its own too - the lentils and potatos are warm and filling and the sweet carrots counter the richness of the gravy beautifully. You have egg for a bit of protein too so it's a complete dish!

Unfortunately, there's nothing more perplexing to me than a bowl of dhal lemak telur either.

Gudir for Goondus

It's 2015!

I'm in a bit of disbelief because it's no longer "we're visiting Japan next year" but "we're visiting Japan this year!". I feel like I've been planning the epic journey for way too long, I just want to go already!

Part of our trip to Japan includes stopovers in Singapore. Now, as any self-respecting Singaporean will attest, a stopover in Singapore means eating lots of local food. Additionally, if you're a (ugh) foodie like me, it also means stocking up on ingredients/tools to bring back home to Perth so that one can recreate Singaporean delights in one's Ozzie kitchen.

I've already warned the hubby that I'll be making a pit stop into lots of local bakeries (I must admit, I haven't even used some of the cool tools I bought on my last trip!) to buy a few more toys.

On the list is pretty jelly moulds like my fantail goldfish mould below, which I bought from a random supermarket in Sandakan, Sabah. I've got a few merlion moulds hiding in the house somewhere and I'm hoping I'll get more unique moulds while I am in Singapore.

Cheater's Layang Layang

"Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!
Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Let's go fly a kite!"



This is the song I always think of whenever you mention layang-layang (Malay for kite) to me. I really don't understand why these little nibblies are called layang-layang. They look NOTHING like kites to me.

What I do know is that they're devilishly crunchy and sweet narcotics. You have one and five seconds later, half a container is gone.

In the old days, people used to make these from scratch (and trust me, I will be trying this and sharing this recipe soon. It's on my list). In the last 10-15 years or so though, people have found spring roll skins to be the perfect alternative to making these snacks. Texturally, it's a little bit different (the original layang layang are similar to Italian crostoli, only more "layered" looking and less blistered) but it's still wonderfully irresistable. 

Nasi Minyak

Nasi minyak.

Say those two words to any single Malay/Indian-Muslim and you're likely to get a cringe and semi-nervous laugh if you're lucky... and a slap across the face if you're not.

Now, what exactly is it about nasi minyak (or ghee rice) that can raise such ire? How can such a delicately spiced, luxuriantly buttery dish ignite such negative feelings?

Eid-sy Peasy Lodeh

I'll admit it: while Hari Raya is a celebration to mark the end the holy month of Ramadan... one of the most highly-anticipated parts of the first day, for me... is FOOD. Are we surprised?

While I am a sweet tooth, and as such, my main priority for my Hari Raya binge eating is pineapple tarts... Eid simply isn't the same without my mom's lodeh.

Lodeh is a mild, coconut-based, vegetable-laden thin curry - it would almost be a vegan's delight if not for the use of shrimp paste. It's meant to be a mild curry because you often eat it with a side serve of spicy, heady rendang/prawn sambal/sambal goreng - by the time you're halfway through the meal, the gravy from these curries will seep into the coconut curry and flavour your lodeh. Additionally, most people eat lodeh with serunding - a spicy coconut floss. So you definitely want a mild lodeh gravy to complement the meal. 

That said, I LOVE lodeh. I am quite happy to drown my ketupat/lontong in lodeh and heap lots of veggies on my plate. In fact, I would happily eat this like a soup without rice, without accompaniments. I'd like to think that this is one of the rare ways I'm quite Malay - I am an absolute sucker for coconut milk based curries.

Mom's lodeh is significantly different from other lodehs - she calls her lodeh, Lodeh Kuah Putih, or White Lodeh. You see, most people add tumeric to their lodeh, which gives it a lovely yellowy hue. To be honest though, tumeric-tinged hue just isn't festive to me because it'll make your meal look like a bowl of lontong - which you can get for breakfast any day of the week. I know it's just a minor difference but I like my lodeh to be a bit special than normal lontong gravy. Heh!

Anyhoo, this is a super easy recipe. In terms of prep work, it's relatively simple in that you don't need to chop and blend a spice paste. Simply prep your veg and you're on your way. I was pretty stoked by how well my first batch of lodeh went.

Sorry, I don't have a photo of the batch I made. I was too hungry and only remembered to take a photo AFTER I'd gotten a second serve.


Lodeh Kuah Putih/ White Lodeh (A Work in Progress Recipe)

1 large spanish onion, sliced.
1 large green chilli, sliced at a diagonal
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 inches galangal, sliced and slightly crushed
2 stalks of lemongrass, tops cut off and bulbs crushed
2 Bay leaves
1 heaped tablespoons of pink belacan or fine shrimp paste (amount to be verified)
2 tablespoons of finely crushed dried prawns (amount to be verified)
1 can of coconut milk (amount to be verified)
Approx equivalent amount of water
Salt to taste (I didn't use any tho!)
1kg of your choice of "filling"

Filling options: 

• Cabbage, sliced
• Yam beans/bangkwang, peeled or cut into strips
• Bamboo shoots, cut into strips or squares
• Carrots, sliced at a diagonal
• Snake/long beans, cut
• Young nangka segments
• Potato, cut into chunks 
• Firm tofu, cut into squares or triangles and fried
• Tempeh, cut into thick chunks and fried

Method

1. Stir fry your onion, green chilli and garlic until soft. 
2. Lower the heat and add water and coconut milk.
3. Add your lemongrass, galangal, shrimp paste and crushed prawns. 
4. Add your fillings and boil until tender.

Notes

•  If you're in Singapore, you might want to use 2 onions - the onion I used was pretty huge. You essentially want about 1 and half to 2 cups worth of sliced onions.
• You may also substitute onions with shallots.
• I FORGOT the bay leaves when I first made this... and it still tasted pretty spot on.
• Depending on what you choose as your filling, you might have to add each element at different stages of the cooking process so that you don't overcook/undercook anything.
• Some recipes suggest using dried prawns and pounding in a mortar and pestle. However, I use powder fine, crushed dried prawns from my Asian supermarket. It just saves me the hassle of lugging out my giant mortar and pestle. It also incorporates itself into the gravy much easier. 
• It is IMPERATIVE that you use pink belacan or shrimp paste instead of the usual dark belacan - using the latter will give you a very dark lodeh... which defeats the purpose! lol

Masak Merah - Makcik Style

When Natt came to visit in April, I made it my mission to learn how make Ayam Masak Merah (literally, Chicken Cooked Red). Masak Merah is a popular member of the wedding banquet in Singapore and happens to be one of Natt's favourite dishes. She didn't get to have any at her wedding, so I thought I'd try my luck at making it myself.

It's a dark red, spicy tomato-based curry. Similar to a rendang, the gravy is usually reduced to a thick paste - although the extent of reduction varies from individual chefs.

I got this recipe from Julia's Recipe on Facebook. She's a fabulous cook and I can't help but marvel at how she is always in the kitchen... and how she makes it all seem so effortless. Unfortunately, Julia's style of cooking is what I refer to as Makcik-style. I've found that I had to make a few modifications in order to make the dish resemble the Masak Merah I love and that's what I've posted here. I've added notes at the bottom to detail what I changed, if you wanted to compare the two recipes.

Ayam Masak Merah

Ingredients:

1 Chicken – cut in parts washed & drained
2 teaspoons tumeric powder12 whole cloves
15 cardamom pods, lightly crushed to split the pod
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole star anise
2 big onions – sliced
4 tomatoes – cut in quarters
1 cup tomato puree
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chilli sauce
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup of water
Salt & Sugar to taste
 

Blended Ingredients: 

4 big onions
6 dried chillies – soaked in hot water then drained
8 cloves garlic
2 inches ginger, sliced
6 stalk lemon grass, sliced
1 inch galangal, sliced

 

(The basis of any good Malay curry - the paste)

Method: 

1. Coat the chicken evenly with a thin paste of salt and tumeric powder. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes. 
2. In the meantime, blend the ingredients for the paste. You might need to add some water to get your blender going and get a nice smooth paste.
3. Fry the chicken until golden.  
   
   
   
   
4. In a wok, heat up the oil and fry the sliced onions until they have softened. 
5. Once the onions have softened, add the star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves and blended ingredients. Fry until fragrant.
   
   
    
6. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, evaporated milk and water. Stir to combine.
7. When the mixture is boiling, add the chicken and simmer until the gravy thickens. 

Notes:

• I love lots of sauce. I've doubled the amount of sauce ingredients here so that each piece of chicken gets a healthy coverage of spicy, pasty, gravy.
• However, I've kept the amount of evaporated milk the same as a single batch because I found that it made the gravy too light - whereas I am more used to Masak Merah which is as red as tomato puree.
• I've said to use onions in this recipe - I prefer to use shallots as they are closer in taste to the red onions you get in Singapore than the Spanish onions in Australia.
• I've added a lot more spices to my version than asked for in the original recipe to add more complexity to the dish. I found that the original amounts simply couldn't match up to the overpowering tomato paste. 
• Best eaten the morning after cooking once all the flavours have seeped into and infused the chicken.

Acar Buah (Spicy Fruit Chutney)

When I first started cooking properly (ie, I was responsible for a whole dish as opposed to just prep work), I mainly started with angmoh recipes and salads. I'd say that salads are my forte, with my sweet potato salad being one of my signature dishes.

However, as I started to get my groove in the kitchen, I started yearning for dishes from home. The only problem with dishes from home is that you often have to rely on your relatives for the recipe. And to be completely honest, makciks* really are among the worst people to ask for a recipe. Even with the convenience of the internet and online recipes, it can be hard to get hold of a good recipe

I had an overwhelming craving for acar buah so I decided to trawl the internet to compare recipes and combine and modify them as I saw fit. So bear in mind that this recipe a work in progress and that I might tweak it at some stage. However, this rough recipe should give you a good result. 

But what is acar buah?

Acar Buah, literally, means fruit pickle/chutney. To be honest though, this isn't the most accurate description of this dish. Acar buah is indeed a chutney but what makes it unique is that it is made of PRESERVED/DRIED fruit.

Preserved fruits are popular snacks in Singapore and Malaysia. This page shows just a small variety of what you can get in Singapore. You can get all sorts of preserved fruits in Singapore from plums, prunes, nutmeg fruit, mangoes.. and even some obscure fruit which even I never knew existed. But beyond that, there isn't just variety in the types of fruit that are preserved... but the way they are preserved. Plums/prunes (which are generally the most prevalent type of preserved/dried fruit) can be super sweet, super sour or a mix of sweet and salty.

The great thing about this recipe is that you don't have to wait for a season to make it because dried fruit is available all year round. A long shelf life means that if you accidentally buy too much, it's easy to store dried fruit if you can't finish off the whole bag. Heh.

Traditionally, acar buah was served as an accompaniment to rice and curry. That said, whenever acar buah was available, I think I'd end up eating more of it than the curry!

Acar Buah (A Work In Progress Recipe)

Spice paste:
500g shallots
10g dried chillis (rehydrated in hot water and drained)
10 cloves garlic
10cm ginger

Other: 
3 tablespoons fish curry powder (dry fried beforehand over low heat until fragrant)
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup vinegar
1 cup caster sugar
1 cinnamon quill
8 cloves
2 star anise
700g mixed dried/preserved fruit

Some suggestions:
Raisins, prunes, plums apricots, pickled mango, orange peel, dates, cocktail onions, preserved nutmeg, limau jeruk (pickled limes). Most Asian supermarkets will have a range of pickled/preserved fruit but the range differs from store to store. The most common fruits you will get: orange peel, sour plums, pickled mango. 

Method:

1. Blend the ingredients for the spice paste. If you prefer more texture in your chutney, you can blend some of the shallots but slice the rest.
2. Heat oil in a wok and fry the blended ingredients (and shallot chunks/slices) and the curry powder until the mix is fragrant and oil rises to the surface. 
3. Add the cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Simmer for a few minutes.
4. Add sugar and vinegar until the mix reaches an even balance of sour and sweet. Simmer to allow the ingredients to be fully mixed in. 
5. Add all the mixed fruits in and mix well. Simmer for 15 minutes. 
6. Cool the mixture before transferring into an airtight container.
7. Store in the fridge.

Extra Notes:

• I've reduced the amounts here. The original recipe calls for 100g of dried chilli (!!!!!), 500g sugar (!!!!!) and a small bottle of vinegar (ahhh, Malay agak agak instructions at its best)
• On that note, I have to stress that the measurements for the vinegar and sugar are ESTIMATES. Depending on what mix of fruits you use, you might need to vary the amount of sugar and vinegar you use. So add the two ingredients to your mix gradually, until you get an even balance of sour and sweet.  
• The original recipe did not feature the dry spices. However, I did notice it in some other recipes during my research. I've added it here to give the chutney a more complex taste... plus I'm a sucker for the classic star anise, clove and cinnamon combination. 
• Another recipe suggested using mustard seeds - however, I don't have any in my pantry plus I was worried it might make it a bit too savoury for my liking. 
• The original recipe also suggested adding toasted sesame seeds as a garnish when serving - I'm not the biggest fan of sesame seeds and I've never had acar buah with sesame seeds, so I omitted it. 
• The original recipe featured limau jeruk (pickled limes) as an ingredient. As I couldn't find any, I omitted it.  That said, seeing how I had a few kalamansis to spare, I decided to make my own limau jeruk to use for next time. And by next time, I mean, in a month or so, because apparently that's how long it takes to pickle limes. 

*This is the first in what I hope will be a series of "Makcik-Style" posts. Why do I call it makcik-style?

For those uninitiated with Singaporean/Malaysian culture, a makcik refers to a middle-aged Malay woman. The Malay style of cooking is very unprecise and involves a lot of "agak-agak" - agak meaning "guess/estimate" in Malay.

Not many of these makciks refer to recipes; instead, they use their senses when they're in the kitchen. Consequently, sometimes when I try learning recipes from my mother, I spend half my time fuming in frustration because she'll say "just put enough chilli", "if you want it sweeter, add more sugar, if not, don't add so much" and other similarly beginner-unfriendly comments. She doesn't mean it maliciously, of course - it's just very hard to learn when you don't have a basic understanding of the recipe/methods/process to begin with. 

It's not her or her contemporaries' fault because they were brought up to cook intuitively. Many makciks grew up watching their mums prepare said recipes. So when they first embark on trying a recipe on their own for the first time, they already have a vague idea of how to make it. I, on the other hand, wasn't particularly interested in cooking as a child, I wasn't expected to help out in the kitchen every day and my mum hardly made dishes which required too much prep work.

Unfortunately, as much as I despise learning via agak-agak, I am guilty of cooking this way as well, randomly adding ingredients as I see fit. I've tried modifying these recipes to reflect the quantities that I've used and the additions I've made.