Kuih Talam

Ingredients for Green layer:-

10 oz rice flour
2 oz sago flour
1 tsp alkaline water
3 cups coconut milk
10 oz sugar
butter, for greasing
3 tbsp pandan juice

Ingredients for White layer:-

2 cups coconut milk
2 oz rice flour
3 oz sago flour
a pinch of salt

Preparation for the Green Layer:-

Sieve rice flour together with sago flour into a mixing bowl
Add coconut milk, sugar and mix well
Add alkaline water, pandan juice, mix well
Pour mixture into a lightly greased tray, just deep enough to form a 1 inch thick layer
Set tray in a steamer, steam for 1 hr - be sure to check there is enough water in your steamer, from time to time, for the duration of the steaming

Preparation for the White Layer:-

Sieve rice flour together with sago flour into a mixing bowl
Add coconut milk, a pinch of salt, mix well
When the green layer is done steaming, carefully remove from steamer, pour white mixture over the green layer
Return to the steamer, steam for 30 mins
When done, carefully remove from steamer When cool to touch, cut into diamond or triangular shapes, serve warm or cold

Bubur Cha Cha

This is a fantastic Nyonya dessert. Most of the Nyonya cooking uses coconut milk, which makes the cooking very tasty and creamy.

Ingredients:-

300g Yam, diced
300g Sweet Potatoes, diced
75g Black-eyed beans, soaked for 3 hours
75g pearl sago
450g garted coconut
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tapioca flour

Syrup:-

125g sugar
4 pandan leaves, shredded and knotted
1 cup water

Preparation:-

Steam the sweet potatoes and yam separately for about 15 minutes or until soft. Set aside.
Boil soaked black-eyed beans until soft.
Drain and set aside.
Put the sago in a sieve. Then place sieve in a large bowl.
Rinse sago under running tap water before cooking the sago in a pot of hot water until transparent.
Remove and rinse under cold water and drain.
Coat with the tapioca flour.
Squeeze and strain grated coconut to obtain thick coconut milk.
Add salt to the coconut milk and keep refrigerated.
Add 5 cups of water to the coconut residue and squeeze to obtain thin coconut milk.
Boil sugar, water and pandan leaves until sugar dissolves.
Add thin coconut milk and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
Add yam, sweet potatoes, black-eyed beans and sago.
Stir evenly.
Add thick coconut milk and at the first sign of boiling, immediately remove the pot from the heat.
Remove the pandan leaves and serve either hot or cold.

Cendol (Coconut Cream Dessert)

Cendol is one of the favourite desserts in Malaysia. It is one of the common Nyonya desserts. It will taste palm sugar. Brown sugar can be a substitute, but it definately taste not the same.

Ingredients:-

2 cups water
1/4 cup cooked moong dal
250 gram tapioca flour
1/4 teaspoon pandan essence
1/4 teaspoon green color
225 gram palm sugar
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
crushed ice -- as required

Preparation:-

Bring the water to a boil. Add green color. Mix the cooked moong dal with tapioca flour and add to the boiling water. Mix well to a smooth dough and add the pandan essence. Knead well, roll out into a sheet and cut into strips. Cook the strips in boiling water and transfer them to cold water. Keep the cendol aside. Dissolve palm sugar in a cup of water and set aside. Mix coconut milk with salt.To serve: Put cendol into a tall glass, add palm sugar syrup, coconut milk and top with crushed ice.

"Bak Kut Teh"

The meaning of "Bak Kut Teh" is meat and bone soup. Pork spare ribs are cooked to gether with pepper and spices to make this dish taste great.

Ingredients:-

1lb 6oz (625g) pork spare rib or belly pork, chopped into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lard

1 tablespoon caster sugar

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon preserved brown soya beans, crushed

1 star anise

1 piece cinnamon bark

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

3 pints boiling water

light soy to taste

Preparation:-

Marinate meat in peper and salt for half an hour.

Heat pan until very hot, add two tablespoons of lard and fry meat until well-browned.

Remove to dish. In a clean pan heat remaining 1 tablespoon lard and caramelise sugar until light brown.

Add the garlic and soya beans, stir-fry for half a minute, then add the fried meat and everything else except the light soy.

Boil rapidly for ten minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for two hours until the meat is falling-apart tender.

Remove excess oil from surface before serving, and add light soy to taste.

Hokkien mee

Ingredients:-

600g hokkien noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon of water
60ml vegetable oil
2 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 small fres red chilies, seeded and sliced
2 teaspoons of sugar
200g red capsicums, seeded and sliced
150g green capsicums, seeded and sliced
4 green onions, sliced
100g shredded Chinese cabbage
400g Chinese barbecue pork, sliced
80ml soya sauce
80ml oyster sauce

Preperation:-

Rinse noodles under hot water; drain.
Transfer to a large bowl, separate with a fork (being careful not to break them).
Heat a large oiled non-stick pan; pour in half the combined eggs and water.
Swirl pan to make a thin omelette; cook until just set.
Transfer omelette to board, roll tightly, cut into thin strips.
Repeat with remaining egg mixture.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large pan; stir-fry ginger, garlic, chilli and sugar until fragrant.
Add vegetables; stir-fry until cabbage is just wilted.
Remove vegetables from pan.
Heat remaining oil in same pan; stir-fry noodles 2 minutes.
Add vegetables, pork and combined sauces; stir-fry until heated through.
Serve sprinklered with omelette strips.

Asam Laksa

Ingredients:-

2 lb fresh or dried thick round rice noodle
3 oz tamarind paste
10 cups water
2-2½ lb fresh wolf herring or Spanish mackerel - cleaned, kept whole
3 heaped tbsp sugar
salt and pepper
14 sprigs Vietnamese mint
2 wild ginger buds
4 pieces dried tamarind skins
3 tbsp prawn paste
The items below has to be grounded
6-8 cloves of garlic
5 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced
8 oz shallots
1 inch fresh turmeric root
3 tbsp or to taste, chili paste
1½ tbsp belachan

Ingredients for Garnishing:-

1 large seedless cucumber, skinned and thinly shredded
2 red onions, very finely sliced
1 fresh pineapple, cut into thin strips
10 sprigs fresh mint leaves, stems discarded
1 torch ginger, finely chopped [optional]
4 red Serrano chilies, seeded and finely sliced [optional]
Prawn paste [optional]

Preperation:-

If using dried noodles, bring a pot of water to a rapid boil, parboil noodles until 'al dente'
Remove noodles from boiling water, immediately run under cold water to stop cooking, drain well
If using fresh rice noodles, use a sieve to blanch noodles in hot water briefly
Assemble individual serving bowls - put a handful of noodles in each bowl, ladle piping hot gravy over the noodles
Sprinkle a little of each garnishing on top - shredded cucumber, onion, mint leaves, torch ginger and Serrano chilies
Add a dollop of prawn paste [optional] - and serve hot immediately

Beef “Rendang”

Ingredients:-

2 1/2 lbs beef, cut into 1 inch cubes

12 shallots, chopped (or 2 onions)

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 pieces of laos

1 inch of fresh ginger, grated

1 small cup of Sambal Ulek

4 stems of lemongrass

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 curry leaves

3 cups of coconut milk

1 teaspoon of tamarind in 4 tablespoons of warm water

2 Tbsp of soy Sauce

salt to taste

Preparation:-

Process the shallots, garlic, laos, ginger, sambal ulek and turmeric to asmooth paste. Dry fry the coriander and cumin until they give off a goodaroma, then grind them finely and add to the paste. Spoon it all over thecubed meat in a bowl and mix it well. Add the curry leaves and marinate for 30 minutes.

Pour the coconut milk and tamarind liquid into a wok and add the spicedmeat and soy sauce and stir until the liquid boils, then reduce the heat andsimmer gently, uncovered, for 11/2 hours, until the meat is tender and theliquid is very much reduced.

Lemang

In Malaysia, the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the celebration of the end of Ramadan month (the fasting month).

During this festival, you will get the most “lemang”. “Lemang” and “rending” makes the perfect match. They are like bolts and nuts, must go together.

Ingredients:-

1000 gm Glutinous/Sticky Rice
1/2 liter Coconut Milk
To taste Salt
300 gm Sugar
2 nos Screwpine Leaves

Preparation:-

Steam the glutinous/sticky rice with salt until cooked.
Combine durian meat with coconut milk, sugar, salt and screwpine leaves, then boil until the sauce thickens.Serve hot.

Otak Otak

The basis of the dish is that it is some form of seafood with coconutmilk and spices made into a paste, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled.

Ingredients:-
600 gms fish

600 gms crab meat

Half a cup thick coconut milk

One smallish red onion

Two cloves garlic

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon shrimp paste

Half a teaspoon sugar

Spices: fresh red chilly to taste, turmeric, galangal (thai ginger),lemon grass, lime peel, coriander seeds.
Fresh banana leaf about the length and width of a videocassette.

Preparation:-

Take all the ingredients and mix-to-death in a blender, or pound to a paste in a mortar and pestle. Spread two rounded teaspoons full of the paste lengthwise in the centre one-third of a piece of banana leaf, leaving a space all around. Foldthe sides over. Encase this again in another leaf folded similarly (a singly-wrapped one will burn and insides will stick to the outsides).

Staple the ends or attach with toothpicks. Barbeque over coals for about ten minutes. The outside layer can blacken in parts, it only adds to flavour and presentation.

Sambal Ikan Bilis

This dish is served in almost all meals. It really gets your appetite to roar for more.

Ingredients:-

1 cup dried Ikan Bilis [Dried Anchovies]
1 large red onion, sliced
½ cup peanut or vegetable oil
3 tsp tamarind pulp with ½ cup hot water to make tamarind paste
4 tbsp or to taste, chilly paste
6 shallots
1 tsp belacan [dried shrimp paste]
4 cloves garlic
1 large onion, sliced into rounds

Preparation:-

Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind chilly paste, shallots, belacan and garlic into a paste
To a wok or saucepan, add peanut or vegetable oil, heat on high until oil temperature is 350F, fry ikan bilis until crispy
Remove, drain well on paper towels
Remove all but 2 tbsp of oil, sauté ground paste for 1-2 mins
Add red onions, tamarind paste, sugar, salt to taste
Cook until gravy thickens [to a dark reddish brown]
Add ikan bilis, mix to combine, remove from heat
Dish a serving portion of coconut rice onto a plate [or banana leaf!], a little of each garnishing and some sambal ikan bilis - served hot or at room temperature

Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice)

One of the most common and simple dish you get every where in Malaysia. Anyway, the best “Nasi Lemak” is when it is served hot. The Coconut smell is fantastic when you open the rice pot.
You can also add some “Pandan” leaves for fragrance enhancement.

Ingredients:-

1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or clarified butter
1-1/2 cups coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 salam leaf or bay leaf

Preparation:-

Soak the rice in cold water for 1 hour, wash, and drain. Heat the oil or butter in a saucepan and saute the rice for 3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, salt, and salam leaf or bay leaf, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Reduce the heat, cover as tightly as possible, and simmer for 10-12 more minutes. Or you can put the half-cooked rice into a rice steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Discard the salam leaf or bay leaf before serving.

Nasi Ulam

“Nasi Ulam” is a traditional dish for the Malays in Malaysia. There are various kinds of preparation for “Nasi Ulam”. It comprises of shredded raw leaves and some spices. Just mix it with rice and it will be ready for serving.
The best part about this dish is that you won’t put your spoon and fork down.

Ingredients:-

1 grated coconut - dry fried and pounded
12 shallots - finely sliced and fried until brown and crispy
10 cloves garlic - finely sliced and fried
1 tumeric leaf - finely shredded
1 tbsp lime leave - finely shredded
600 gms fish - fried and flaked
600 gms small prawns - cleaned and fried in 1 tbsp oil
5 cups cooked rice
1 cucumber - diced
3 red and green chillies - sliced
1 bowl chicken stock
Salt to taste Oil for fryingPreparation:-
Mix the rice with all the ingredients, adding in a little at a time. Use the chicken stock to moisten the mixture to taste. Serve with a “sambal” of your choice.