food of the world - malaysia & mongolia, 1st edition 2009

Table of Contents

The best food recipes from Malaysia & Mongolia.

Malaysian Meat Dishes

Beriani Ingredients

• 1 chicken, about 900gms ( beef/mutton ) • 1 tbsp poppy seeds • 1 clove garlic • 1 cup shallots - sliced • 1 tsp curry powder • 2 -- 3 tsps salt • 2 chillies • 1/2 coconut - grated • 5 cm piece ginger • 4 tbsps ghee • 5 cloves • 5 cm cinnamon stick • 10 cashew nuts • 10 almonds • 450 gms long-grain rice

Directions

• Cut chicken into 6 -- 8 pieces • Grind together garlic, ginger, chillies, poppy seeds, cashew nuts and

almonds. • Heat ghee and fry cloves, cinnamon, shallots. • Add in the chicken pieces, 1 tsp salt, ground ingredients and curry powder. • Stir to mix and cook covered for 10 minutes. • Extract 1 - 2 cups coconut milk from coconut. Add in salt. Mixed with

washed rice and cook it.

• When the rice has absorbed all the milk, make a well in the center and put the chicken mixture.

• Cover and allow rice to cook over very low fire.

Char Koay Teow (Fried Flat Rice Noodles)

Ingredients 1 teaspoon salt disolved in 6 tablespoons water

• Lard for frying • 4 eggs • 2 teaspoons pounaed garlic • 11 oz flat rice noodles (kway teow) • 11 oz bean sprouts, washed and drained • 2 tablespoons soya sauce (dark) • Chilli sauce (see below) • 1 pair of Chinese sausages (sliced thinly and fried) • 2 oz chives, cut into 1-2 inches in length • 4 oz cockles (shelled, un-cooked) • 1-2 tablespoons sweet thick black sauce

Directions 1. Heat large wok until smoking hot. Add lard and fry garlic (till light brown). Add rice noodles and bean sprouts.

Add in salt water mixture and dark soya sauce. Stir-fry for 1/2 minute.

2. Add 4 tablespoons lard and scramble eggs. Mix scrambled eggs into noodles .

3. Add chilli sauce.(see below)

4. Add sausages, and stir-fry for another minute. Add lard to sides of wok if necessary to avoid sticking.

5. Make space in centre of noodles. Add cockles and cover with noodles. Add in chives and sweet thick black sauce. Toss for 1/2 minute. Serve hot. Chilli Sauce:

Ingredients • 10 oz liquidized chili ] • 1 teaspoon pepper ] • 1 1/2 tablespoons salt ] = [B] • 12 fl oz water ] • 1 tablespoon sugar ] • 1 tablespoon lard • 3/4 teaspoon shrimp paste (crumbled) • 1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)

Directions 1. Heat lard in a small saucepan. Fry garlic and shrimp paste till brown. 2. Add [B]. Bring to boil gently for 5 minutes.

Hae Mee (Prawn Mee Soup)

Ingredients • 625 g (22 oz) medium-sized prawns • 170 g (6 oz) pork fat • 2 tablespoons oil • 4.5 litres (8 pints) water ] • 625 g (22 oz) pork ribs, cut into pieces ] • 1 pig's tail, cut into pieces ]

• 310 g ( 11 oz) lean pork ] • 2 teaspoons salt ] = [A] • 2 teaspoons sugar ] • 2 teaspoons msg ] • 1 tablespoon peppercorns ] • 2 tablespoons light soya sauce ] • 2 teaspoons dark soya sauce ] • 1 tablespoon crispy shallots • 45 5 g ( 16 oz) bean sprouts • 310 g ( 11 oz) water convolvulus, cut into long pieces • 625 g (22 oz) fresh yellow noodles • 310 g ( 11 oz) rice vermicelli , scalded

Directions 1. Wash and drain prawns. Remove heads and keep aside. 2. Cut pork fat into small cubes and fry in pan till brown . Remove to a bowl . 3. Stir-fry prawn heads with 2 tablespoons oil for five minutes till colour turns red . Set aside in a bowl, for soup. 4. Cook unshelled prawns for 2 minutes in basin with 4.5 litres water. Remove prawns, shell and slice into halves, lengthwise. 5. Return prawn shells to saucepan, add [A] and prawn heads. Cook over a very high heat for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let soup simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 6. Strain soup. Return pork ribs and tail to soup. 7. Slice lean pork and set aside. Garnish:

• 55 g (2 oz) crispy shallots • Lard Oil ? I haven't tried this. If you do, let me know how it goes... • Crispy cubed pork fat • Pepper • 5 red chillies, sliced thinly • 5 green chillies, sliced thinly • Light soya sauce

Directions 1. Boil a saucepan of water.

2. Dip a handful of bean sprouts, water convolvulus, noodles, and rice verrniceili in the boiling water, using a wire-mesh ladle. Drain and place in bowl .

3. Add boiling soup and a few pieces of pork ribs , tail , sliced lean pork and sliced prawns to each bowl .

4. Garnish with crispy shallots, lard-oil and crispy fat cubes. Sprinkle with pepper. Serve with sliced chillies and light soya sauce .

Note: Only very fresh prawns make a sweet soup. (12 servings)

Kurma Ingredients

• 600 gms chicken • 1 cup thick coconut milk • 2 cup thin coconut milk } extracted from 1 grated coconut • 1/2 cup oil • cardamoms • 2 star anise • 2 red chillies • 3 cm piece cinnamon stick • 3 cloves • 3 cm piece ginger • 4 cloves garlic • 4 tbsps kurma powder • 6 shallots

Directions • Pound 3 shallots and 2 cloves garlic together. • Mix with kurma powder and 1 tsp water. Blend well into paste. • Slice finely the remaining shallots and garlic. • Heat oil and fry the sliced shallots and garlic with the spices until fragrant. • Add in the blended kurma powder and fry further until oil separates. • Add in the chicken and 1 cup water. Cook until the beef is tender. • Pour in the thick coconut milk, bring to boil and pour it in the thin milk.

• season with salt to taste and cook further over a low flame until the gravy is thick.

• Add in the large onion and red chilies. Stir once and remove from rice.

Malaysian Stir-fried Beef With Vegetables Ingredients

• 1 lb Flank steak • 2 ts Cornstarch • 1 t Brown sugar • 5 tb Soy sauce • 1/4 c Peanut oil • 1 c Cauliflower, small florets • 1/2 c Green pepper, thinly sliced • 1 c Carrots, matchstick size • 1 c Mushrooms, sliced thin • 1 c Bean sprouts, fresh • 2 ts Ginger, fresh grated • 2 ts Garlic, minced

Ingredients 1. Place the steak on a flat surface and, using a sharp knife, cut against the grain into slices about 2-in. wide. Slice each piece of steak horizontally into 2 or 3 pieces. Stack the slices and cut into 1/4-in. strips. 2. Add the cornstrach to the steak and toss to coat. Place the steak in a bowl and sprinkle over the sugar and soy sauce. Set aside. 3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet and add the cauliflower, green pepper and carrot. Cook, stirring, until crisp-tender. 4. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 30 sec. longer. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for a few sec. longer. 5. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside. 6. Add the remaining oil to the wok or skillet. When it is very hot, add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for a few sec. Add the steak and cook, shaking the wok

and stirring the strips of steak to separate them and cook evenly, about 1-2 min. 7. Return the vegetables to the wok and toss quickly over high heat, then serve. Yield: 4 Preparation

Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles -Malay/ Indian-Style)

Ingredients • 2-3 tablespoons tomato sauce ] • > 1-2 tablespoons light soya sauce ] • 4 green chillies, sliced ] • 4 red chillies, sliced ] = [A] • 4 small potatoes; boiled, skinned and cut ] into wedges ] • Oil for frying • 1 onion, sliced finely • 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges • 225 g (8 oz) Chinese cabbage cut into 5 cm (2 in) lengths • 455 g (16 oz) bean sprouts • 340 g ( 12 oz) fresh yellow noodles • 4 eggs • Light soya sauce • 2 tablespoons crispy shallots* • 6 small local limes, halved

Directions 1. Heat iron wok till smoky. Put in 2 tablespoons oil , and fry onion slices till soft and transparent.

2 . Lightly toss in tomatoes and Chinese cabbage .

3 . Add bean sprouts and noodles and stir for 1 minute . 4. Toss in [A] and mix well .

5. Push noodles to one side of wok. Add 2 tablespoons oil and scramble eggs (two at a time) with a sprinkle of light soya sauce. Mix egg and noodles thoroughly.

6. Add paste for noodles (see below) according to taste. Stir mixture over a very high heat. for 1 minute . Remove to serving plate .

7. Garnish with crispy shallots, and local limes .

Paste For Noodles :

Ingredients • 1 tablespoon sugar ] • 1 teaspoon salt ] = [B] • 225 g (8 oz) onions ] • > 55 g (2 oz) dried chillies ] = [C] • 4 cloves garlic ] • > 1 tablespoon shrimp paste ] • 340 ml (12 fl oz) oil • 55 g (2 oz) dried anchovies

Directions 1. Grind [C] till fine. 2. Heat 115 ml (4 fl oz) oil in pan ; fry anchovies over a moderate heat till crisp . Drain and pound coarsely. 3. In a clean pan, heat remaining oil. Stir in [C] and fry till fragrant and oil comes through. Add B. Lower the heat; add the pounded anchovies. Cook for 2-3 minutes, remove to a bowl. Use as required. Store the remainder in a freezer.

Note: Fry noodles over a very high heat to keep the bean sprouts crunchy and to prevent the noodles from becoming soggy.

Murtabak (Meat Crepes) Ingredients

• Ghee (or substitute with cooking oil) • 4 Eggs • 1 lb plain flour ] • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt ] • 1/2 teaspoon pepper ] = A • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder ]

Directions 1. Mix [A] together into a bowl with 12 fl oz of water. Kneed into a smooth dough. Cover bowl and leave dough overnight.

2. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll out thinly on an oiled marble top (or glass cutting board). Spread liberally with ghee. Fold and shape into balls. Cover dough with a damp cloth. Set aside for 1/2 hour.

3. Roll out each dough picee into a thin rectangle. Place filling evenly in centre of dough. Pat lightly beaten egg over meat. Wrap dough over meat to form a square. Fry in hot ghee till brown on both sides. Serve hot.

The Filling :

Ingredients • 20 oz minced mutton ] • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder ] = B • 1/2 teaspoon salt ] • 1/4 teaspoon salt ] • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder ] = C • 20 oz onions (diced) ] • 20 cardamoms, seeded ] • 2 heaped tablespoons roasted ] coriander seeds ] = D • l level tablespoon aniseed ]

Directions 1. Fry [B] in a little oil. Set aside for later. Fry [C] in 2 tablespoons oil for 2 minutes. Mix in [B] and [D] season to taste.

Laksa Penang Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic ] • 10 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced ] • > 16 oz shallots ] • 1 thumb-sized piece turmeric ] = [A] • 35 pieces dried chillies ] • or 4 tablespoons chiIli paste ] • > 1 tablespoon shrimp paste ] • 8 slices dried tamarind ] • 6 heaped tablespoons sugar ] • 2 stalks phaeomaria (bunga kantan) cut into halves ] = [B] • 30 stalks polygonum (daun kesom) ] • 2 tablespoons salt ] • 5 lb fresh coarse rice vermicelli • 6 oz tamarind • 10 pt water • 2.5/2 lb wolf herring (Ikan Parang) • 6 tablespoons prawn paste, mixed into 3/4 cup warm water

Directions 1. Soak tamarind in 16 fl oz of water. Squeeze and sieve into a saucepan. Repeat 3 times with the remaining water.

2. Grind [A] to a fine paste. Boil tamarind water with [A] and [B] for 10 minutes.

3. Add in fish and let gravy simmer for 15 minutes (until fish is cooked).

4. Set aside fish to cool, remove bones. Set asid flaked fish meat for later use.

5. Simmer the tamarind gravy for 1 hour. Then discard the polygonum and phaeomaria. Add the flaked fish into the gravy, bring to boil. The Garnish:

Ingredients • 15 green chillies, sliced. • 2 lb cucumber, thinly shredded, discard skin and centre • 8 oz onions, diced into small cubes • 2 oz mint leaves • 12 red chillies, sliced • 4 oz preserved leeks, (sliced thinly) • 1 pineapple, diced

Directions

Bring a saucepan of water to a rapid boil. Scald the rice vermicelli and drain.

Place a small handful of scalded rice vermicelli in a medium-sized bowl.

Put hot tamarind gravy and fish over it. Top with garnish, and 1 teaspoon of the thinned prawn paste Serve.

Note: Dried coarse rice vermicelli can be substituted for fresh. Boil rice vermicelli till soft but not soggy; about l5 minutes. Rinse in cold water and drain. Only verv fresh fish is suitable for this dish.

Satay (Barbecued Beef Wtth Peanut Sauce)

Ingredients Meat preparation:

• 10 shallots ] • 2 cloves garlic ] • 1/4 thumb-sized piece turmeric or ] • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder ] = [A] • 4 stalks lemon grass, sliced ] • 2 slices galangal ] • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds ] = [B] • > 2 teaspoons cumin ] • 1 teaspoon dark soya sauce ] • 1 teaspoon salt ] = [C] • > 4-5 tablespoons sugar ] • 4 tablespoons oil ]

• 455g (1 lb) beef, chilled and cut into thin pieces

Directions 1. Pound [A] to a smooth paste.

2. Fry [B] over low heat for 5 minutes , till fragrant . Pound to a fine powder while still hot . 3. Mix [C] in a bowl and add to pounded paste (from step 1).

4. Rub paste mixture into the beef. Sprinkle the coriander and cumin powder over the beef and mix thoroughly. Marinate beef for 1 hour. Thread seasoned meat on to satay sticks or fine metal skewers. Grill over charcoal fire or under hot grill . Baste with oil and water mixture to keep beef moist . Peanut Sauce

Ingredients • 15 shallots ] • > 8 cloves garlic ] • 2 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced ] = [D] • > 20-30 dried chillies, deseeded, ] • or 4-5 tablespoons chilli paste ] • > 4 thin slices galangal ] • 2 tablespoons salt ] • > 8-10 tablespoons sugar ] = [E] • 4 tablespoons lime juice ] • or 4 tablespoons thick tamarind water ] • 455 g (16 oz) freshly roasted ground peanuts • 225 ml (8 fl oz) oil

Directions 1. Pound [D] to a fne paste.

2. Boil pounded peanuts with 900 ml (32 fl oz) water over low heat till thick. Stir constantly for about 1/2 hour. Set aside .

3 . Heat oil in wok and fry pounded paste (step 1) till fragrant and oil seeps through the paste.

4. Add paste to peanut mixture. Add [E]. Boil sauce over a low heat for 5-7 minutes till sugar is dissolved , stirring constantly. Cool peanut sauce and serve separately with barbecued beef and garnish .

Garnish : 2 cucumbers, cut into wedges 2 onions, cut into wedges

Note: If lemon grass is not available use 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind.

Sambal Telor (Chille Eggs)

Ingredients • 10 hard-boiled eggs • 140 g (5 oz) chilli garam paste • 1 level teaspoon sugar • 1/4 teaspoon msg • A pinch of salt • 4 tablespoons water • 4 tablespoons No. 1 milk • Oil for frying

Ingredients 1. Shell boiled eggs and soak in slightly salted water for 20 minutes. Dry eggs on a trav. 2. Deep-fry the eggs in hot smoking oil till light brown, stirring in pan till surface of

eggs is slightly blistered all over. Remove to a plate. 3. Remove oil from pan and fry thawed paste over low heat till oil bubbles through. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well for 1 minute and pour over egg , Serve hot or cold .

Rendang Ingredients

• 1 tsp shrimp paste • 1 kg rump steak ( beef/chicken/mutton ) • 1 stalk lemon grass

----------------------- • 1 tsp salt • 1 tbsp sugar • 1 tbsp soya sauce

------------------------ • 3 stalk lemon grass - sliced thinly • 120gms grated coconut - fried and pounded • 4 slices galangal • 5 candlenuts, Ground • 2 tbsp curry power - blended with 2 tbsps water

------------------------ • 30 dried chillies • 120 gms shallots • 4 red chillies • 1 clove garlic • 2 cm piece ginger

------------------------- • 1/2 cup thick coconut milk - extracted from 1/2 grated coconut • 8 tbsps oil

Directions • Heat oil and fry ground ingredients and curry powder until fragrant • Add in half of the coconut milk and fry until the oil separates • Add in the soya sauce mixture and steak. • Add in also the fried grated coconut and lemon grass. Stir fry for 10 minutes. • Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and simmer until the meat is tender, for

about 1 hour. • Increase heat to reduce gravy until it is thick and oilly.

Bakkut Teh Ingredients

• 1 1/2 kg pork spareribs • 1 tbsp sugar • 3 tbsp cooking oil or lard • ½ tsp pepper • 2 tsp salt • 2 cloves garlic • 1 tsp preserved brown soya bean • 1 tsp dark soya sauce • 1 tsp peppercorn • 1 inch long cinnamon bark • 2 segments star anise • 1 1/2 Litres water

Garnishing Ingredients:

• fried crispy shallots • Chinese crispy crullers (Yu-Char-Koay)

Preparation of Ingredients:

1. Cut spareribs into bite-size pieces and marinate with pepper and 1 tsp salt for ½ an hour.

2. Pound the preserved brown soya bean. 3. Smash the garlic. 4. Cut the Chinese crispy crullers into ½ inch pieces.

Ingredients In a pot, bring water to a boil.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok. Then fry the spareribs until well-browned. Set aside for use later.

In a clean wok, heat remaining oil. Add sugar and carameilze until light brown. Then add the smashed garlic and preserved brown soya bean. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add in the spareribs, dark soya sauce, peppercorn, cinnamon, star anise and remaining salt. Continue to stir fry for another 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and toss into the pot of hot boiling water.

Allow the consomme to boil on high heat for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 1 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

Dish consomme onto a serving bowl. Garnish with fried crispy shallots and Chinese crispy crullers.

Laksa Lemak Nyonya

Ingredients • 500 gm yellow noodles/vermicelli/spaghetti • 1 inch galangal (lengkuas) • 2 stalks lemon grass (crushed)

• 1/2" turmeric root • 10 nos shallots • 2 tbsp coriander seed • 5 dried chillies • 2-3 cup light coconut milk • 10 nos tofu puffs (tofu pok) • 2 sprigs curry leaves • salt & sugar

For Garnish

• 2 fried firm tofu (sliced thinly) (soya bean paneer) • 10 fish balls/chicken balls • 1 pc fish cake (sliced thinly) • 20 gm bean sprouts • 5 boiled egg (halved) • 2 tbsp fried shallots • 1 cup shredded cucumber • chopped spring onions

Directions Grind into a paste the galangal, turmeric root, shallots, dried chillies and coriander seeds. Sauté the paste with enough oil. Once the aroma rise add in the light coconut milk, lemon grass, salt and sugar. Lower the flame and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Finally add in the tofu puffs and curry leaves.

To serve, assemble individual portions of noodles in a bowl, top with the various garnishing and scoop enough gravy on top. Serve it hot. (Do not substitute dried chillies and turmeric root with chilli powder or turmeric powder. Cook the noodles/vermicelli/spaghetti in rapid boiling water and sieve in running tap water before serving in a bowl. For those you could not get tofu pok use shredded boneless chicken).

Fried Prawns in Tamarind

Ingredients • 680g (1 1/2 lbs) very small or medium prawns • 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp, seeded • 1 tablespoon boiling water • 1 teaspoon salt • 6 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions 1. Mash tamarind pulp with boiling water to soften. Add salt. 2. Shell and devein prawns, keeping heads and tails intact. 3. Marinade prawns in tamarind pulp for 1/2 hour. 4. Heat oil and fry a prawn at a time until brown and crispy on both sides. Drain on kitchen or brown paper while frying the rest of the prawns.

This dish can be served on its own as an appetiser/entree, with a bowl of steamed white rice and sliced cucumber or with a range of other dishes. If prawns are left unshelled, they will be much crunchier and perfect as nibblies!

Penang Curry Kapitan Ingredients

• 1.5kg chicken

• 4 tbsp oil • 2 onions sliced/diced • 2 tsp salt

Ground Ingredients

• 15 red chillies • 15 shallots/small onions • 4 cloves garlic • 2cm piece turmeric root or about 1heaped tsp of turmeric powder • 10 buah keras/candlenuts • 1tbsp(5cmx2.5cm piece) blacan/dried shrimp paste • 4 stalks lemon grass • 1 grated whole coconut + water to make 1cup thick milk & 3cups thin milk

or • 2tins coconut milk • juice of 1 or 2 limes

Directions 1. Cut chicken down to bite size pieces or quarters. 2. Hea oil in wok or pot & lightl;y brown onions with salt. Add ground ingredients & fry till fragrant, stirring & adding a little coconut milk to make a paste & prevent the spices from burning. 3. Add in chicken & fry for a few minutes stirring & coating chicken pieces, pour in thin coconut milk & cook over low heat for about 30mins or until chicken is tender. Add in thick coconut milk before serving & once it comes back to the boil, remove from heat & pour in lime juice & serve with rice or roti jela.

Steamboat Sizzler Ingredients

Plain soup stock: • 2 chicken carcasses, clean and remove fat • 4 litres water • 2 stalks spring onion Seasoning: • 1 tbsp salt • 1 tsp sugar • Dash of pepper Tomyam soup stock: • 2 chicken carcasses, clean and remove fat • 3 stalks lemon grass, smash • 4cm piece galangale, smash • 12 cilipadi • 2 coriander roots (white part only) • 2 tomatoes, quarter • 3 limes, squeeze for juice • 5 kaffir lime leaves • 1 bouillion tomyam-flavoured chicken stock cube • 4 litres water Seasoning: • 1 tbsp sugar • 1 tbsp salt • 2 tbsp nampla (fish sauce) • 250g deboned chicken fillet, cut into thick slices • 250g fish fillet (red snapper, garoupa or pomfret) • 600g mud crabs, halved • 500g large prawns, keep shells intact • 300g squid, clean and cut into thick round slices • 300g cuttlefish, cut into thick slices • 200g abalone mushrooms • 200g button mushrooms • 150g fish balls • 150g sotong paste balls • 2 pieces soft beancurd, cut into big cubes • 1 packet Japanese tofu, slice into thick rounds • 200g sea-cucumber, thinly slice • 150g spinach (tung woh) • 150g Chinese white cabbage (wong nga pak)

• 150g red carrots, cut into desired shapes • 200g glass noodles, soak • 200g fresh wantan noodles, scald Dip sauce: • 1/2 cup chilli garlic sauce • 1 piece red fermented beancurd, mash • 2 tbsp lime juice

Directions Plain soup stock: Bring water to a rolling boil in a stock pot. Add the chicken carcasses and spring onion, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Then add seasoning and strain the stock into the steamboat. Tomyam soup stock: Bring water to a rolling boil in a stock pot. Add chicken carcasses, lemon grass, galangale, cilipadi, coriander roots and tomatoes. Let the soup boil again. Lower the heat and simmer for one and a half to two hours. Then add kafir lime leaves, lime juice, tomyam-flavoured chicken stock and seasoning. Strain stock into steamboat. Note: If the steamboat comes with dual compartments for soups, you can have both types of soups in the steamboat at the same time. If it comes with only a single section, you can opt to have the plain soup first followed by the tomyam soup later. Arrange all accompanying ingredients neatly on a platter. To serve, bring the stock to a boil in the steamboat. Add in your desired ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil again. Dish out in individual soup bowls and serve with the sauce dip. Last to serve will be the glass noodles or the wantan noodles or any fresh yellow noodles.

To prepare the fresh wantan noodles: Scald the noodles in boiling water. Remove, dip into a basin of cold water. Strain and place on a plate. Add a dash of light soy sauce and sesame seed oil. To prepare the dip sauce: Combine all the dip sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Enche Kabin Ingredients

• 1 whole spring chicken, about 1½-2 lb, cut into bite-sized pieces • 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten • 4-6 tbsp cornstarch • peanut or vegetable oil, for frying • Hot chili sauce, for dipping

Ingredients for Marinade :

• ½ tsp five-spice powder • 1 tsp salt • 1 tsp sugar • 1 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tbsp oyster sauce • ½ ground black pepper • 1 tbsp rice wine • 1½ inch ginger, slice • 4 stalks scallions, crushed

Variation : Substitute whole chicken with chicken wings or drumsticks.

Directions In a bowl, coat chicken pieces well with marinade, allow to marinate for at least 30 mins best overnight in the refrigerator Discard ginger slices and scallions stalks Dip chicken pieces into the egg yolks, shake off excess, then coat with cornstarch flour Heat peanut or vegetable oil in a wok or deep fry pan, when hot lower the chicken pieces a few at a time carefully [without crowding them]

Deep-fry until golden brown and cooked, turning often to color evenly Drain on metal rack or paper towels When all the chicken pieces have been deep fried, increase heat until oil is very hot, deep fry chicken, a few at a time, for about 1 min and drain well on a metal rack or paper towels Lightly salt the chicken pieces Garnish with lemon slices or a fresh red chili pepper cut julienne-style at the top [like a 'fan'] Serve hot or cold, with a hot chili sauce for dipping!

Ayam Pongteh (Miso Soy Chicken )

Babi Pongteh [ Miso Soy Pork ]

Ingredients • 3 lb whole chicken, cut into 10-12 pieces OR pork, cut into 2-inch chunks • 5 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp preserved soy beans [mashed] or Japanese Miso paste • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce • 3 med potatoes, quartered • 1 tbsp sugar • 2 scallions stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces • 6 small dried shitake mushrooms, reconstituted in hot water • salt and pepper • 3 red onions, sliced • 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced • 5 cloves garlic

In red to be grounded

Directions Using a mortar & pestle grind onion, ginger and garlic into a paste Heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil in a hot wok, add ground paste, stir-fry for about 1 min Add chicken [or pork], dark soy sauce and preserved soy beans [mashed] or Miso paste, stir-fry for about 5 mins Add 2 cups water, sugar and season with salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 mins Add potatoes, scallions and dried shitake mushrooms Cover, simmer until chicken is cooked, potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens slightly Serve with steamed rice - and if preferred, a side of hot chili sauce for dipping

Assam Laksa [Noodles in Tangy Fish Gravy]

Ingredients • 2 lb fresh or dried thick round rice noodle • 3 oz tamarind paste • 10 cups water • 2-2½ lb fresh wolf herring [ikan parang] or Spanish mackerel - cleaned, kept

whole • 3 heaped tbsp sugar • salt and pepper • 14 sprigs laksa leaves [Vietnamese mint or polygonum odoratum]

[Substitute: fresh mint sprigs] • 2 wild ginger buds [bunga kantan] [Substitute: 4 inch fresh ginger] • 4 pieces dried tamarind skins [asam gelugor] [Substitute: ½ cup key lime

juice] • 3 tbsp prawn paste [haeko - pronounced 'hey-ko', otak udang in Malay],

mixed with 1 cup warm water [optional] • 6-8 garlic • 5 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced • 8 oz shallots • 1 inch fresh turmeric root [lengkuas] • 3 tbsp or to taste, chili paste • 1½ tbsp belacan , also spelt belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste]

[Items in red to be ground or blended]

Ingredients for Garnishing :

o 1 large seedless cucumber, skinned and thinly shredded o 2 red onions, very finely sliced o 1 fresh pineapple, cut into thin strips [Substitute: 4 or 6 oz canned

pineapple] o 10 sprigs fresh mint leaves, stems discarded o 1 torch ginger [bunga kantan], finely chopped [optional] o 4 red Serrano chilies, seeded and finely sliced [optional] o Prawn paste [locally called haeko, or otak udang, in Malay] [optional]

Cook's Note : haeko [pronounced 'hey-ko'] [spelling varies] or Prawn Paste [Otak Udang, in Malay] is made much like belacan; but is different in consistency and tastes a little sweet. It's black in color with a thick consistency like molasses.

Directions To Prepare Gravy : Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind garlic, lemongrass, fresh turmeric, shallots, chili paste and belacan into a paste Soak tamarind in 8 oz of warm water, squeeze and sieve into a saucepan - repeat 3 times with the same water, pour into a stockpot Bring tamarind water to a boil, add ground paste, sugar, laksa leaves, wild ginger buds, asam gelugur [dried tamarind slices], season with salt and pepper, boil rapidly for 15 min Add cleaned whole fish, immediately reduce heat to low, simmer gently until fish is cooked, about 15 min Carefully remove fish from stock, let fish cool, remove & discard bones, flake the fish meat, set aside Simmer stock uncovered for 20-30 mins to reduce and intensify flavor Remove and discard the laksa leaves, wild ginger buds and dried tamarind skins [assam gelugur] Add the cooked flaked fish meat to the stock [with the fish meat added, it should be a light gravy-like consistency] Taste for salt and add accordingly. Keep gravy hot on low heat, for serving

Belacan Clams Ingredients

• 2½ lb fresh clams [Lala in Malay] • ½ cup peanut or vegetable oil • 4 tbsp or to taste, chili paste • 2 tsp belacan, also spelt belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste] • 1 tbsp sugar • 3 limau kesturi [kalamansi limes], juiced [Substitute: 1 kaffir lime or regular

lime] • 3-4 tbsp water • salt • 1 tbsp corn starch combined with 3 tbsp water to make a slurry • 1 small red onion, sliced • 5-6 shallots • 3 stalks lemongrass, sliced thinly • 1 inch fresh galangal [lengkuas, in Malay] [Substitute: ginger], sliced

[Items to be ground or blended in red]

Directions

Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind onion, shallots, lemongrass and galangal into a paste Wash clams under cold running water, drain Heat oil in wok on high, add ground paste, chili paste, belacan and sugar Stir-fry until quite toasted and oil starts to ooze from paste - do not burn! Add clams, lime juice and 3-4 tbsp water, stir-fry well to coat Cover wok, cook briefly until clams open Remove cover, add cornstarch slurry, stir well to coat, taste for salt, add accordingly Serve immediately Cook's Note : The type of clams used in this recipe are locally harvested on the shores of Malaysia. It's the type of clams you usually find in cans, marketed as 'Baby Clams' - imported from Southeast Asia. You can use any type of clams available to you - cherrystone clams, little neck clams, quahogs or manila clams.

Yong Tau Foo

Cuisine: Chinese Type of Dish: Central Dish Cooking Method: Boil

Ingredients • 500 to 600g Spanish mackerel (ikan tenggiri); flake and keep bones and skin for stock• 1 tbsp tapioca flour • 1/2 tsp pepper • 1/2 to 1 tsp salt, or to taste • 4 tbsp ice water • 1 block beancurd, halved • 1 bittergourd (seeds removed), cut into 2cm thick rings • 4 red chillies, slit down the middle and seeds removed • 5 ladies´ fingers, slit down the middle and seeds removed • 5 small fried beancurd (tau fu pok), halved

Method Mince fish. Add salt, pepper, water and tapioca flour. Stir in one direction to get a sticky paste with a springy texture. Stuff the paste into the vegetables, beancurd and tau fu pok. These stuffed vegetables can be used for the yong tau foo soup.

Rojak Ingredients

• 1 tbsp or to taste, chili paste • 1 tbsp thick tamarind paste • 1 tbsp belacan , also spelt

belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste]

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce • 3 tbsp palm sugar [ gula Melaka]

or dark brown sugar • 2-3 tsp sugar • ½ cup water

• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved and cut into wedges • 2 cups green apples, peeled, diced • 2 cups fresh pineapples, diced • 1 cup guava, peeled , diced • 1 cup slightly unripe mango, diced • 1 cup jicama, diced • 1 cup fresh acerola [jambu air], halved or 1 cup pears, peeled, diced • 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds • 4 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed • 3-4 Thai Bird chilies, finely chopped [optional]

Directions To obtain thick tamarind paste, soak 2-3 tsp tamarind pulp with 3-4 tbsp hot water, mix thoroughly with fingers, strain, discard seeds In a hot dry pan, crumble and toast the dried shrimp paste for 1-2 mins In a small saucepan, add chili paste, tamarind paste, belacan, oyster sauce, brown sugar, water, stir to mix thoroughly Cook over low heat till brown sugar dissolves, sauce thickens slightly Set aside to allow to cool completely Place all the cut up fruits in a salad bowl Stir in sauce, sugar, crushed

peanuts, sesame seeds, Thai Bird chilies [optional]. Toss lightly, refrigerate to cool if you wish, and serve as a snack or as exotic salad or appetizer!

Babichin • 2½ lb pork belly, cut into 1½-

inch cubes

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil • 1½ tbsp preserved soy beans [mashed] or Miso paste • 1 tbsp coriander powder • 1½ tbsp dark soy sauce • 2 cups water • 1 whole stick cinnamon • 1½ tbsp sugar • 5-6 dried shitake mushrooms • 1 cup sliced bamboo shoots [optional] • salt and pepper • 20 shallots • 10 cloves garlic

[Items in red to be ground or blended ]

Cook's Note : Clay-pot dishes are the Oriental version of the American casserole. The main difference is that it's cooked on top of the stove rather than in the oven. Food cooked in a clay pot retains high nutritional value, maximum flavor, and is visually appetizing! The dish can go straight from the stovetop to the dinner table - and it's good retention of heat keeps food hot much longer.

Directions Soak dried shitake mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling hot water to reconstitute, slice into strips; reserve liquid for cooking Blanch bamboo shoots briefly in hot water, drain Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind shallots and garlic into a paste Heat vegetable oil in a hot wok, add ground paste, stir-fry for about 1 min Add mashed preserved soy beans or Miso paste and coriander powder, stir-fry for another min Add pork belly and dark soy sauce, stir-fry on high for about 5 mins Transfer pork belly into a clay pot [no preheating], add star anise, sugar, reserved [shitake] liquid and additional water [to cover the meat], season with salt and pepper Bring to a boil, add shitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, stir occasionally, until pork is very tender, about 45 mins to 1 hr Serve with Chinese crullers [a light fried dough bread] or steamed rice and if preferred, a side of hot chili sauce for dipping

Baked Fish (Otak-Otak)

Ingredients• 1/2kg boneless fish meat (chopped) • 2 small onions • 1 tsp belacan • 2 stalks lemon grass • 2cm piece galanggal • 3-4 red chillies • 1 tsp turmeric powder • 1 egg • sugar to taste • 1 tbsp cornflour • 180ml thick coconut milk • salt to taste • banana leaf, oil

Method 1. Pre-heat oven to 180C 2. Grind the onions, belacan, lemon grass, galanggal and red chillies with coconut milk to a fine paste. Add the turmeric. Mix well. 3. Mix in the fish paste, egg, sugar, salt and cornflour. Beat the mixture until smooth. 4. Cut the banana leaf to fit a 16 cm ovenproof dish. Scald the leaf and rub some oil over it. Place the leaf in the dish and pour the fish mixture over. 5. Bake fish until firm to touch. (Approx 15-20 minutes.) Cool before cutting.

Malaysian Vegie Dishes

Malaysian Hot Noodles With Tofu Ingredients

• 13 oz Tofu, dried -- sliced • 9 oz Chinese dried wheat noodles • 13 oz Firm tofu -- cubed 1/2" • 3 tb Chinese semsaem oil

• 3 tb Fresh ginger -- minced • 1/2 ts Yellow asafoetida powder* • 1 bn Choy sum**, leaves and -stalk -- chopped in 1" -sections • 3 tb Soy sauce • 2 tb Plain sambal oelek*** • 3 tb Fresh lemon juice • 2 c Mung bean shoots

Directions Soak dried tofu slices in hot water for 15 mintues. When softened, cut into 1" squares, drain, and pat dry. Cook the wheat noodles in boiling water until al dente, a little firm. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Heat oil in wok over high heat, and deep-fry the tofu cubes until goldenbrown. Remove from pan and drain. Next deep-fry the squares of dried tofu until golden brown andslightly blistered; remove and drain. Heat sesame oil in another wok on full heat; saute the minced ginger for 1 minute. Add the asafoeitda and choy sum and stir fry until soft. Add the soy sauce, sambal oelek, lemon juice, tofu noodles. Stir fry for another 2 minutes or until the noodles are hot. Serve immediately.

*asafoetida powder: available at Indian grocers **choy sum: also known as rape ***sambal oelek: a hot condiment made from ground fresh red, hot chilies, popular in Malay and Indonesian cuisine. Available at Asian grocery stores.

Five-Spice Stir Fry Serving Size: 4 Preparation Time :0:35

Ingredients • 8 ounces vermicelli, spaghetti, or linguine

SAUCE:

• 1/2 cup orange juice • 1 tablespoon corn starch • 3/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • 2 teaspoons liquid sweetener

STIR-FRY:

• 12 ounces mushrooms -- cut into 1/4" slices • 1 cup fresh baby carrots -- quartered lengthwise • 1 medium onion -- cut into thin wedges • 2 cloves garlic -- minced • 3 cups broccoli florets (about 6 oz.)

Directions Cook pasta per package directions. Drain and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix until blended. Set aside.

Spray a nonstick skillet or wok with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add mushrooms, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir 4-5 minutes.

Add broccoli, cover, and cook 2-4 minutes or until vegetable are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add sauce, cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until bubbly and thickened.

Serve over pasta.

Crispy Fried Tempe (Keripik Tempe)

Ingredients • 600 gram tempe (fermented soybean cake) - not tofu • 200 ml water • ½ tsp. slaked lime water • 100 gr. rice flour mixed with 25 gram cornstarch • vegetable oil

• Spice Paste Ingredients: • 4 candlenuts • 1 clove garlic • 1 tsp. coriander seeds • salt to taste

• 1 cm fresh kencur

Directions Slice the tempe in thin 3½ x 5 cm squares. Set aside.

Mix the spice-paste together with the water and slaked lime water. Add the rice flour and cornstarch and blend till smooth.

Heat the oil in a wok, dip the tempe in the batter and deep-fry until it is golden brown and crisp.

Note: Make sure that the oil is not to hot, otherwise the batter and the tempe will not be done at the same time.

Makes 5-6 servings.

Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients • 4 c Long-grain rice • 8 Shallots or 1 small onion • 4 Red chillis or 2 tsp chilli -powder and 2 tsp paprika • 4 tb Vegetable oil • Salt • 2 ts Sweet soya sauce • 2 ts Tomato ketchup

Directions The name Nasi Goreng means simply 'fried rice', and it is really a collective description of an indefinite number of slightly differing dishes. You can vary the trimmings and garnishes to suit your taste; but even the most elaborate Nasi Goreng is quick to make. It is a particularly good luncheon dish.

Boil the rice a good long time before you intend to fry it; you can fry freshly boiled rice, but the Nasi Goreng will be better if the boiled rice is allowed to cool. Two hours is a satisfactory interval. Leaving the rice to cool overnight, however, gives

less good results-the rice has time to go dry and stale. An important point to note here is that rice for Nasi Goreng must be cooked with the least possible quantity of water; this prevents it from becoming too soft. For 1 cup of rice, use 1 cup of water. Assuming you have now got your cool, boiled rice, proceed like this: slice the shallots or onion, seed and slice the chilli (or pound the shallots and chilli together in a mortar). Heat the oil in a wok; it makes no difference, by the way, whether you use oil, fat, or butter. Saute the shallots and chilli for a minute or so, and season with salt, soya sauce, and tomato ketchup. Put in all the rice, and stir it continuously until it is well heated: this will take 5 to 8 minutes. Serve in a good large dish, generously garnished with sliced cucumber, tomatoes, fried onions, and Krupuk.

Oseng-Oseng Wortel (Stir Fried Carrots)

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients • 250 g (8 oz) carrots • 4 Shallots • 1 Clove garlic • 1/2 Green or red chilli or • 1 pn Of chilli powder • 4 tb Good stock or 1 ts Dark soya sauce and 4 tb -water • 2 tb Vegetable oil

Directions These are carrots, cut into matchsticks and cooked in a little oil or butter. The word wortel doesn't sound Malay, and isn't. It is borrowed from the Dutch name for the carrot, since it was the Dutch who introduced this vegetable to Malaysia.

Peel, wash, and cut the carrots into small sticks. Slice the shallots and chilli. Crush the garlic. In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or clarified butter. Saute the slice shallots and chilli for 1 minute, then add the garlic and the carrots. Stir continuously for a minute or so and then put in the stock, or soya sauce and water. Cover and continue to cook for 4 minutes. Uncover, taste, and add salt if necessary. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring all the time. Serve hot.

Makes 2 servings.

Terong Balado Ingredients

• 1 lg Eggplant • 3 Garlic cloves, -sliced or chopped • 4 tb Onion, chopped • 1 1/2 c Tomatoes (fresh), ripe • 1 t Sugar • 1 t Salt • 2 ts Red hot chili peppers, -fresh • 1/2 c Water • 2 tb Vegetable oil

Directions Cut the eggplant into long quarter-round strips. Bake them at 400 200 for 20-25 minutes, or until they are soft but not mushy.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the onion, garlic, tomatoes, salt, sugar, peppers and water and mash with a wooden spoon until it forms a coarse paste.

Fry the tomato paste in the oil until the liquid is reduced (about 10 minutes). Pour the sauce over the eggplant and serve immediately

Asinan (Sweet And Sour Cucumber Salad)

Serving Size : 4

Ingredients • 3 ea Cucumber, large • 1 ea Onion, med • 1 ea Thai chile dressing • 1/4 c Vinegar, white • 1/4 c Oil • 1/2 t Salt • 2 t Sugar • 1/2 t Garlic powder

Directions Peel and thinly slice the cucumbers. Slice the onion thinly. Seed and thinly slice the chile. Put the cucumber slices in a shallow bowl, arrange the onion slices on top and sprinkle with the chile slices. Combine all the ingredients with the dressing, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Pour the dressing over the onions and cucumbers and refrigerate a few hours or overnight if possible to allow flavors to blend.

Atjar Tjampoer Serving Size : 1

Ingredients • 100 g Carrots • Salt • 100 g Green beans • 4 ea Scallions • 100 g White cabbage • 2 ea Toes of garlic • 1/4 ea Cucumber • 1 tb Oil • 150 ml Vinegar • 100 g Bean sprouts/shoots • 1 tb Sugar • 1 t Powdered ginger • 1 t Kunjit/kurkuma • 1 t Sambal ulek

Directions Cut carrot into the size of matches. Cut beans in 1" pieces. Chafe the cabbage. In a pan with a little water and salt, boil the vegetables for 5 minutes. Drain. Cut cucumber in *small* cubes.

Peel scallions and garlic. Put in kitchen machine; cut to paste. Mix with sambal, kunjit and ginger.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the herb-mixture for 2 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Add all vegetables (also the ones not cooked yet); add a *little* water if there is too little liquid. Boil softly for 2 minutes. Put in a bowl and let cool. You can also preserve it by putting the hot veggies in sterilized screw-lid

jars (metal lids with a 'dome' in the middle are quite handy, I always save jam-jars when they're empty); add liquid as well. Screw the lids on. Place jars upside down until cooled completely (the 'dome' in the lid will be down, this is to check if the jar closed well). Can be kept for at least a year (store in dark place to avoid having the color goes away). Nice as a present! Kunjit or kurkuma is a herb. If I look on the jar, it says 'powdered yellow-root'. It is used to color this dish, and other dishes as well. In that way it is much like saffron, although kunjit tastes a little bitter.

Sambal ulek: Used as an accompaniment and in cooking. Made by crushing fresh red chilis with a little salt. Remove the seeds from the chilis, chop finely, then crush with salt using a pestle and mortar. Three chilis will make about 1 tablespoon sambal ulek. Also available ready-prepared in small jars from Oriental stores and some delicatessens.

This is a refreshing side dish made of crisp, sweet-and-sour vegetables. Goes really well with Nasi Goreng. The dish can be kept in the fridge for a few days.

Fresh Salad With Peanut Sauce (Keredok) Ingredients

• 1 fresh red or green semihot chili, cut into thin slices • 1 clove garlic, sliced • 1 teaspoon salt • 2 small slices kencur, soaked in water for thirty minutes (optional) • 3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter • 1 teaspoon tamarind, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water • 2 teaspoons sugar • 1 cup thin-sliced cucumbers • 1 cup fresh bean sprouts • 1 cup lettuce, broken into bite-size pieces

Directions Crush the chili, garlic, salt, kencur and peanut butter in a mortar so it’ll become the sauce of the dish.

Add the tamarind liquid and sugar. Mix well.

Toss the sauce with the vegetables until well mixed. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings, with other dishes.

White Curry Jackfruit (Gudeg Putih)

Ingredients :

• 1 kg young jackfruit, peeled and sliced into 5x5x3 cm slice. Soak the slices in plenty of cold water

• 100 g melinjo leaves • 4 bay leaves • 1 cm fresh galangale (lengkuas), bruised • 750 ml coconut milk and 500 ml thick coconut milk from 1½ coconut Spice

Paste Ingredients: • 10 small shallots • 7 small cloves garlic • 10 candlenuts • 1 tbs. coriander seeds • salt to taste • a pinch of sugar

Directions Boil the jackfruit slices in the thin santan together with the melinjo leaves, the spice-paste, salam leaves and lengkuas until the jackfruit is tender.

Add the thick santan. Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering until done.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Steamed Mushroom Wraps (Pepes Jamur Kuping)

Ingredients • 100 gram cloud ear mushroom, soaked in hot water until soft, then drained

• 1 egg, beaten • 125 ml medium thick coconut milk from ¼ coconut • banana leaves Spice Paste Ingredients: • 10 red chilies • 10 bird shit chilies (prik kii nuu) • 7 small shallots • 3 small cloves garlic • 5 candlenuts • 2 tomatoes • 1 cm fresh galangal (langkuas) • 1 tsp. salt • 1 tsp. palm sugar or brown sugar

Directions Slice the mushroom in 1 cm lengths and mix together with the egg, santan and the spice paste blend.

Devide the mixture among 20 packets made of banana leaves. Fold the ends of the packets and seal.

Steam the packets for about 25 minutes until done. Remove and set aside. Broil the packets over medium heat until liquid has evaporated.

Makes 20 Wraps

Sweet Eggplant Stew (Semur Terong)

Ingredients • 1 lb. eggplant • 4 Tbs. vegetable oil • 1 Tbs. shallots • 1 clove garlic, sliced • ½ cup water • 1 Tbs. sweet soy sauce • ½ tsp. pepper • ¼ tsp. nutmeg • 1 tsp. vinegar • ½ tsp. salt • 1 tsp. sugar

Directions Cut the unpeeled eggplant into ½-inch-thick slices, and then cut the slices in half. Fry lightly in 2 Tbs. of oil for 2 minutes, or until light brown and softened. Set aside.

Stir fry the shallots and garlic in the remaining oil until light brown. Add the water, sweet aoy sauce, pepper, nutmeg, vinegar, salt and sugar. Let all of these ingredients cook for approximately 3 minutes to prepare the sauce.

Cook the eggplant slices in the sauce for additional 2 minutes to distribute the flavors. Shake the pan several times to mix but not mash the eggplant.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

Laksa Lemak Nyonya Ingredients

500 gm yellow noodles/vermicelli/spaghetti

• 1 inch galangal (lengkuas) • 2 stalks lemon grass (crushed) • 1/2" turmeric root • 10 nos shallots • 2 tbsp coriander seed • 5 dried chillies • 2-3 cup light coconut milk • 10 nos tofu puffs (tofu pok) • 2 sprigs curry leaves • salt & sugar

For Garnishing:

• 2 fried firm tofu (sliced thinly) (soya bean paneer) • 10 fish balls/chicken balls • 1 pc fish cake (sliced thinly) • 20 gm bean sprouts • 5 boiled egg (halved) • 2 tbsp fried shallots

• 1 cup shredded cucumber • chopped spring onions

Directions Grind into a paste the galangal, turmeric root, shallots, dried chillies and coriander seeds. Sauté the paste with enough oil. Once the aroma rise add in the light coconut milk, lemon grass, salt and sugar. Lower the flame and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Finally add in the tofu puffs and curry leaves. To serve, assemble individual portions of noodles in a bowl, top with the various garnishing and scoop enough gravy on top. Serve it hot. (Do not substitute dried chillies and turmeric root with chilli powder or turmeric powder. Cook the noodles/vermicelli/spaghetti in rapid boiling water and sieve in running tap water before serving in a bowl. For those you could not get tofu pok use shredded boneless chicken).

String-Hoppers (Puttu Mayam)

Ingredients• 250g rice flour • 1/2 tsp salt • 325ml (approximately) boiling water • 2 pandan leaves, knotted

Method Steam the rice flour for about five minutes, then leave aside to cool completely. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and add boiling water; mix. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture into a dough. (it should be light and not sticky to the touch.) Put a little dough into a puttu mayam press or string-hopper mould. Onto a saucer, press out the dough into long strands in a circular motion to form a lacy circle. Place the pressed-out circles on lightly greased rattan steamer trays. Steam for 8-10 minutes over rapidly boiling water (place the pandan leaves in the boiling water). Cool the puttu mayam before easing out from the rattan tray.

Malaysian Desserts

Bubur Pulut Hitam (Black Rice Dessert)

Yield: 4 servings/ Preparation: 15 minutes/ Cooking: 1 hour

Ingredients • 240 g Black glutinous rice (washed & drained) • 60 g White glutinous rice (pulut) (washed & drained) • 7 c Water • 2 Pandan leaves, knotted • 1/2 c Sugar • Pinch of salt • 1/2 T Tapioca flour or cornflour Combined with 2 Tbs water to Form a paste • 1/2 c Thick cocnut milk • Pinch of salt

Directions Put rice in pot with water and pandan leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, remove pandan leaves and simmer for 45 minutes until liquid is thick. Add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and thickening. Remove from heat.

Serve in small bowls topped with 1-2 tablespoons thick cocnut milk.

Coconut Sweet Potato Cake (Getuk Lindri)

Ingredients • 2 lbs. cassava • 200 gram granulated sugar • ½ tsp. vanila • 1 cup steamed fresh-grated coconut, mixed with 1 tsp. salt • 100 cc water • food color

Directions

Put in sugar and vanila in a large stockpot with water and bring it to a boil.

Steam cassava until soft. Peel cassava. Mash cassava while still hot and pour the water mixture and food color (what ever color you like) and blend well.

Use the equipment as shown on the left hand side to mold the mixture. Then put them onto a serving platter, and sprinkle with grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Kue Mangkok (Cup Cakes)

Ingredients • 350 grams rice flour • some water • 150 grams all purpose flour • 200 grams fermented cassava / tapioca (tape singkong) • 400 grams sugar • 200 cc warm water • 2 Tsp baking soda • 250 cc club soda • 1 Tsp vanilla • food coloring (your choice of 3 or 4 colors) • salt to taste

Directions Add enough water to the rice flour so that its weight increases to 500 grams.

Add the all purpose flour to the rice flour mixture and stir well. Add the fermented tapioca and sugar. Mix well. Add the warm water and work the dough for about 10 minutes.-Add the baking soda, the club soda and vanilla. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Finally, add the food coloring and blend until smooth.

Warm the cup molds for about 5 minutes and fill it for about 4/5 full. Put in a steamer with the water already at a rolling boil. Steam for about 20 minutes.

Rujak Medan (Spiced Fruit Salad)

Serves: 6

• 1 small cucumber, sliced thin • 1 cup thinly sliced jicama • 1 cup cubed firm ripe papaya • 1 star apple (carambola), sliced • 1 to 2 cups cubed fresh or canned ripe pineapple • 1 firm green pear, cubed • 1 firm tart apple, cubed

FOR THE SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts • 1 or 2 hot red chilies, sliced and seeded • 1/2 cup brown sugar • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup water and strained • 1 small green banana, sliced (optional)

Directions Arrange the cucumber and any 3 or more of the fruits in separate heaps on a serving platter.

In a food processor chop fine the peanuts, then blend in the chilies, brown sugar, tamarind, liquid, and banana (if used) to form a paste. It is traditional to serve the sauce and fruit separately. Each diner may then select the fruit and dip it into the thick sauce. The modern method is to toss the fruit and sauce together and serve the salad at room temperature.

Multilayered Butter Cake (Lapis Legit)

Ingredients • 570cc or 30 egg yolks • 525-600 g butter, whipped or melted • 100 g flour, sifted

• 300 g granulated sugar • 3 Tbs. sweetened condensed milk • 1 Tbs. special layer cake extract (optional) • 15 g powdered milk • ½ tps. powdered vanilla extract

Directions Place the egg yolks, granulated sugar and vanilla into mixing bowl. Beat to very high soft peak.

Stir in the layer cake extract, flour and butter. The batter should be very thick.

Place wax paper at the bottom of a 8x8x8 inch buttered baking pan. Spread butter on top of the wax paper as well.

Pour 3-4 Tbs. of batter into the wax covered pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven (gas oven is better than electric oven) for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and press the cake evenly and then spread butter (not to much, just for flavoring) on cake top. Pour another 3-4 Tbs. of batter and bake it again for five minutes. Keep doing this step until the batter is finished.

Serve when cool.

Makes 30 slices.

Pisang Goreng (Banana Fritters)

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients • 4 Eggs • 12 T Flour • 4 Ripe bananas • Oil for deep frying • Cinnamon sugar

Directions

Slightly beat eggs and mix with flour and half cup water.

Mash bananas with fork and mix thoroughly with flour and egg mixture. Deep-fry banana and flour mixture by the tablespoonful in hot oil until golden brown.

Drain on absorbent paper and dust with cinnamon sugar.

Crisp Sweet Striped Cookies (Kuping Gajah)

Ingredients • 500 gram wheat flour • 150 gram granulated sugar • ½ tsp. salt • ½ tsp. vanilla • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 1 Tbs. cooking oil • 100 cc water • ½ Tbs. cocoa powder • 800 cc oil for frying

Directions Thoroughly mix sugar, salt and vanilla. Add the beaten eggs and stir well. Add oil, stir once more, and then divide in half.

Divide the flour in half as well. Take 1 Tbs of flour from one part and add it to the other. Mix the flour with each half of the sugar and egg mixture. Add cocoa powder to the smaller mix. Add 50 cc of water to each half. Knead until smooth and not sticky to the touch. There will be two types of dough, white and brown.

Separately, roll both pieces of dough out on a plastic covered cutting board until they are about 1 mm thick. Place the two together, then roll up. Wrap with plastic and place in the refrigerator for approximately an hour or until the dough hardens.

With a sharp knife, cut the dough vertically into flat cylinders about 2 mm thick. Flatten once more with a rolling pin. Fry in hot oil until crisp. Remove, drain.

Sticky Rice Cake in Brown Sugar Sauce

(Biji Salak)

Ingredients Rice Cakes

• 1 cup glutinous rice flour • ½ cup tapioca starch • ¾ cup water • ¼ tsp. salt

Directions To make Rice Cake:

Place rice flour and tapioca starch in a deep mixing bowl and make a well in the center.

Add water and salt, mix well and knead dough until it can be rolled and shaped. Dough should not be to dry.

Roll small rice cakes ½-inch in diameter. Cut diagonally 1-inch in length.

Bring 8 cups of water to a oil. Put it the rice cakes, bring back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set the rice cakes aside.

Ingredients Sauce

• 3 cups water • 1 cup coconut milk • ½ cup palm sugar syrup • 1 pandan leaf • Pinch of salt

Directions To make the sauce:

Combine water, coconut milk, palm sugar, pandan leaf, and a pinch of salt in a small stockpot. Bring to a boil.

Add rice cakes and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cool and serve at room temperature, topped with a tablespoon of fresh grated coconut.

Helpful hints: When preparing the rice cakes, use the amount of water given in the recipe only as a guideline; the quality of flour varies greatly and affects the amount of liquid it absorbs. Add sufficient water to result in a soft, smooth dough. If the rice cakes are dry when shaped, they will be very tough after cooking.

Makes 3 servings.

Sticky Rice Rolls served with Palm Sugar Syrup

(Lupis) Ingredients

• 200 gr. glutinous rice flour • 1 Tbs. slaked lime water • banana leaves • ¼ grated coconut • pinch of salt • Palm sugar syrup

Directions Soak the glutinuous rice in water for an hour and drain. Add the slaked lime water to make the rice rolls more solid, and stir.

Take a piece of banana leaf and fill it ¾ full with glutinuous rice (just like making rice rolls). Secure the ends and tie rolls with string so that they will not burst during the boiling.

Put the rolls in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 4 hours, drain and allow the rolls to cool. Add more hot water during the cooking when necessary.

Serve the rolls by cutting it into 2 cm thick slices.

Sprinkle the grated coconut which a pinch of salt has been added on top of the rolls and pour the palm sugar syrup over them.

Stuffed Pancake Roll (Dadar Gulung)

Ingredients Stuffing

• 2 cups fresh-grated coconut • 10 Tbs. grated Java dark brown sugar • 1 Tbs. granulated sugar • 1 3-inch cinnamon stick, broken in half • ¼ tsp. salt

Directions Stuffing:

Mix the grated coconut, grated Java dark brown sugar and granulated sugar, cinnamon and ½ tsp.salt together.

Fry the mixture in a dry pan over medium/low heat, constantly stirred for approximately 5 minutes, or until the mixture is dry.

Remove the cinnamon stick, and set it aside.

Ingredients Pancake

• 1 cup rice flour • ½ cup cornstarch • 1¾ cups coconut milk • ½ tsp. salt • 1 egg, beaten • 3 drops green food coloring (optional) • Vegetable oil

Directions Pancake:

Mix the rice flour, cornstarch, coconut milk, ½ tsp. salt, green food coloring and egg into a smooth batter.

Lightly oil an 8-inch frying pan, and pour 3 tablespoon of the batter into the pan. Make sure the pan is equally covered with the batter so it becomes a thin layer pancake. Fry for one minute, turn the pancake over and fry for another minute. Remove and set aside.

Place 2 Tbs. of the coconut mixture on the near edge of the pancake. Fold over once, then tuck in the left and the right sides and fold over once more. Press gently to distribute the filling evenly.

Serve at room temperature. Makes 10-12 servings.

Sweet Coconut Rice Balls (Klepon) Ingredients

• 1½ cups glutinous powder • ¾ cup lukewarm water • 2-3 drops green food coloring • 8 tsp. grated Java dark brown sugar • 1 cup fresh-grated coconut, mixed with ½ tsp. salt

Directions Mix the rice powder with the lukewarm water and green food coloring into a firm but flexible dough.

Pull off one full teaspoon of the dough and shape it into a ball with approximately 1-inch in diameter.

Push a finger into the center of the ball to make a hole, and put in approximately ½ tsp. of the grated sugar. Seal, and roll it back into the ball shape with the palms of your hands. Prepare all the balls and set them aside.

Prepare a pot half filled with water and bring it to a boil.

Drop the balls into the boiling water. Remove the balls with a spoon once they float to the water surface and then roll the balls in the grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature. Makes 30 rice balls.

Ketupat (Compressed Rice Cakes)

These firm rice cakes are usually cooked in individual baskets of woven coconut leaves so that the rice swells until it fills the basket and becomes firmly compressed. Here is a simple and more practical way of producing similar results in Western kitchens. Serves 6

Ingredients • 500 g Short or medium grain rice • 4 cups Water • Banana leaf or aluminium foil

Directions Bring the water and rice to the boil. Cover tightly with lid. Turn heat very low and cook for 35-40 minutes until all water is absorbed. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Then press rice into a cake tin or pie plate to a depth of about 2.5 cm (1 inch). Use a piece of washed and greased banana leaf or greased aluminum foil to cover the surface of the rice and put another plate on top. Press down very firmly the plate. Put a weight on top and leave at room temperature for a few s, until very firm. Remove weight, plate and banana leaf and use a wet knife to cut rice into 5 cm squares. Serve with spicy peanut sauce.

Sweet Dodo Ingredients

(A)

• 1 cup sugar • 1 cup brown sugar or palm sugar • 1 cup water • 1 pandan leaf • 1 cinnamon bark (3cm length)

(B) Combine and strain

• 2 cups glutinous rice flour • 2 tbsp rice flour • 4 cups thick coconut milk • 200g durian pulp (optional)

Directions

• COMBINE ingredients A and microwave cook on "High'' for five minutes.

Add ingredients B and stir well. Microwave on "Medium High'' for eight minutes.

Add durian and stir well. Microwave on "Medium High'' for four minutes. Stir and return. Repeat this step until mixture thickens.

Serve.

Kueh Bahulu Kueh bahulu is a perennial favourite among Malaysians of all ages. It's soft and slightly dry texture goes very well with black coffee. Kueh bahulu comes in different shapes, but the popular ones are the goldfish and the button (see picture right).

Ingredients • 3 egg yolks • 4 egg whites • 100gm sugar • Half teaspoon vanilla essence • 100gm wheat flour • 1 tablespoon tapioca flour • Quarter teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Sieve wheat and tapioca flour together with baking powder. 2. Whisk the eggs and sugar until stiff. 3. Add the vanilla essence. 4. Fold in 20grms of sifted flour with 100ml of egg batter. Preheat oven to 250 degrees centigrade. Lightly grease the mould (to prevent the bahulu from sticking) and spoon in batter. Do not fill to the top. Bake bahulu for about five minutes.

Alternatively, you can bake bahulu the traditional way – using charcoal fire. You have to place the hot coals on top of and under the mould.

Bahulu keeps quite well in an airtight container, but will harden with time.

Almond London Cookies Ingredients

• 125g butter • 75g icing sugar • 1 egg yolk

Sift: • 225g plain flour • 1/2 tsp rice flour • 300g whole almonds, toasted • 450g chocolate, melted • Almond nibs, toasted • Small paper cases

Directions Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg yolk. Stir in sifted dry ingredients and blend well to form a dough.

Take a small piece of dough, the size of a marble, wrap it around the almond and shape into a ball.

Place dough on lightly greased trays. Bake in preheated oven at 175°C for 20-25 minutes or until cooked and golden. Remove and cool on wire racks.

Put cookies inside small paper cases and top with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with almond nibs.

Ping Pei Mooncake with Custard Filling

Ingredients • Unbaked pastry skin • 150g icing sugar • 180g kou fun (commercial cooked glutinous rice flour) • 40g shortening • 180g ice-cold water • A few drops peach colouring • 1/8 tsp vanilla essence

Filling (1):

• 500g lotus paste • Custard filling (2): • 30g plain flour (A) • 45g corn flour (A) • 20g custard powder (A) • 10g milk powder (A) • 150g castor sugar (A) • 65g evaporated milk (B) • 65g whipping cream (B) • 80ml coconut milk (B) • 1 egg (B) • 20g butter • 80g cream style sweet corn

Directions Custard filling (2): Mix (A) together in a mixing bowl.

Add in (B) to mix. Strain mixture into a saucepan. Add in butter and cook over a very low heat, stirring with a hand-whisk until mixture turns creamy. Transfer to a tray and steam for 10–12 minutes.

Remove from the steamer, add in sweet corn and blend until fine in a food processor.

Divide into 40g portions. Wrap 1 portion lotus paste (60g) around the custard filling. Leave aside.

Pastry skin: Sift kou fun and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add shortening, essence and water. Quickly knead until dough is soft and smooth. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. Divide dough into 1/3 portion and add in peach colouring to blend. Leave the remaining portion plain.

Combine plain colour and coloured dough together and cut each into 60g. Flatten dough by rolling between two sheets of plastic wrap. Coat balls of filling with kou fun before wrapping.

Press into a wooden mooncake mould. Knock out to dislodge ping pei mooncake. Chill ping pei mooncake in the refrigerator.

Date and Oat Cookies Ingredients

• 200g plain flour Sifted • 3/4 tsp baking powder • 1/4 tsp salt

• 75g almonds, coarsely chopped • 30g quick cooking oats • 140g butter • 125g castor sugar • 3/4 tsp vanilla essence • 1 small egg

Topping

• 100g good quality plain chocolate, melted

Directions Line baking trays with greased greaseproof paper. Put the oats in a food processor and blend until fairly fine. Remove and set aside.

Beat butter, sugar and essence until light and creamy. Add the egg and continue to beat for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.

Sift in flour, baking powder and salt to mix. Briefly stir in the oats, chopped dates and almonds with a metal spoon.

Lightly form into balls Place them on prepared trays and bake in preheated oven at 170°C degrees C for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool for 1 minute on the trays before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

To melt the chocolate

Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of hot water and stir until chocolate melts. Put into a piping bag and pipe fine lines over the cookies.

Coconut Mooncake (Yeh Yoong Mooncake)

Ingredients • 600g freshly grated coconut (white part only) • 100g cooked glutinous rice flour (ko fun)

(A): • 150g crystallised candied melon (tung kwa)— chopped • 50g melon seeds (kwa chee) — toasted • 75g olive kernels (lum yan) — toasted • 100g sesame seeds — toasted • 50g milk powder

(B): • 4 tbsp corn oil • 4 tbsp water • 150g sugar • 1/2 tsp salt

Egg glaze: • 2 egg yolks • 1 tsb water • A pinch of salt • A drop of dark soy sauce (for colouring)

Directions

STEAM grated coconut for 30 mins until soft then leave to cool. Mix (B) together in a mixing bowl. Stir in coconut and mix well. Add in (A) and stir well to mix. Lastly add in ko fun to combine the ingredients.

Divide mixture into equal portions of 110g each. Add a salted egg yolk in the centre of each portion. Wrap up with pastry dough. Seal up the edges. Place into a lightly dusted mooncake mould. Press slightly with the flat of your palm. Knock out the mooncake.

Bake mooncake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 10 mins. Remove mooncake from the oven and leave aside for 2 mins. Brush with egg glaze and bake again for 8 mins or until golden brown.

To make egg glaze: Mix well before use.

Preparation of salted egg yolk: Wash the salted egg yolk and roll over in sesame oil. Steam for 2 minutes. Leave to cool.

Nutty Blossom Cookies Ingredients

• 125g butter • 90g sugar • 1 tbsp peanut butter • 1 egg yolk

Sift: • 200g plain flour • 25g rice flour • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 100g peanuts, toasted, skinned and halved • 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions Grease baking trays with corn oil or melted butter. Preheat oven to 180°C.

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk and peanut butter until pale. Add sifted ingredients and mix well into a dough.

Place dough in between plastic sheets and roll out to 3/4cm thickness. Cut out with a cookie cutter and place on prepared trays. Brush lightly with egg white.

Press peanuts on cookies and bake in preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Leave cookies on baking tray for one to two minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

Malaysian Sauces

Bajak Chili Sauce (Sambal Bajak)

Ingredients • 8 red chilies, seeded and sliced • 1 tsp. dried shrimp paste (terasi), toasted • ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced • 6 shallots, peeled and sliced • 1 tsp. salt • 1½ tsp. chopped palm sugar • 2 Tbs. oil • 2 salam leaves • 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised • ½ inch galangal (laos), peeled and sliced • 4 Tbs. tamarind juice

Directions Grind with a mortar and pestle or blend the first 7 ingredients very finely.

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Sauté the ground ingredients along with salam leaves, lemongrass and galangal. Stir it frequently until the mixture changes color and becomes very fragrant.

Lastly, pour the tamarind juice and let it simmer for about a minute and then leave to cool.

Remove salam leaves, lemongrass and galangal before serving.

Note: Keeps up to 1 week or longer

Dried Shrimp Chili Sauce (Sambal Terasi)

Ingredients

• 15 red chilies, sliced and seeded • 2 Tbs. dried shrimp paste • 2 medium-sized tomato, chopped • 2 small shallots, peeled and sliced • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised • 2 Tbs. oil • 1 tsp. sugar • 1 Tbs. salt • 1 Tbs. lime juice

Instructions Heat oil over medium heat and sauté the first five ingredients for approximately 2-3 minutes.

With a mortar and a pestle, grind the sautéd ingredients along with the rest of the ingredients.

Note: Keeps up to 1 week or longer if refrigerated

Peanut Sauce (Sambal Kacang)

Ingredients o 3 cups deep-fried peanuts o 4 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised o 12 bird's eye chilies, sliced o 3 inches kencur (like galangal), peeled and choped o 3 kaffir lime leaves o ½ cup sweet soy sauce o 2 tsp. salt o 6 cups water

o 1 Tbs. lime juice

Instructions Grind or blend the first four ingredients until coarse or fine depending whether you like it coarsed or fine.

Put all ingredients in a pan except the lime juice.

Simmer over very low heat for approximately 1 hour, stirring to prevent sticking.

Stir in lime juice just before use.

Note: Peanut sauce is used for variety of Indonesian Meat Dishes, such as Mixed Vegetables with Peanut Sauce (Gado-Gado), Fresh Salad with Peanut Sauce (Keredok), Chicken Satay (Sate Ayam), etc.

Shallot Chili Sauce (Sambal Bawang)

Ingredients o 20 shallots, peeled and sliced o 12 red chilies, seeded and sliced (be cautious!) o 8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced o 1 tsp. salt o 1 Tbs. dried shrimp paste (terasi), toasted o 1 Tbs. lime juice o o 1 cup oil

Directions Heat oil over medium high heat.

Sauté all ingredients except for the lime juice for approximately 2-3 minutes.

Cool, then add the lime juice.

Note: Keeps up to 1 week or longer if refrigerated.

Soto Chili Sauce (Sambal Soto)

Ingredients o 6 red chilies, boiled o 10 bird's eye chilies, boiled o 1 clove garlic, fried o 3 candlenuts, fried o salt to taste o a pinch of sugar o lime juice

Directions Grind/pound the red chilies, bird's eye chilies, garlic and candlenuts together until it forms a paste. Add the salt and sugar.

Last, add 3 Tbs. water aand limejuice to taste. Serve

Note: Keeps up to 1 week or longer if refrigerated.

Sweet Chili Sauce (Sambal Kecap)

Ingredients o 5 red chilies, sliced o 4 small shallots, peeled and sliced o 4 Tbs. sweet soy sauce o 1 tsp. lime juice

Directions Mix all ingredients well and ready to serve...easy, huh?

Sweet Soy Sauce (Kecap Manis)

This particular sauce is one of the most important ingredients used in Indonesian recipes.

Ingredients o 2 1/2 cups sugar o 2 3/4 cups Chinese dark soy sauce o 3 cloves garlic, cracked o 1/2 tsp. star anise pods o 2 salam (Indian Bay) leaves o 2 pieces laos (galanggal) o 1/2 cup water

Directions Carmelize the sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. When the sugar has melted, add the soy sauce and all the other ingredients.

Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

All this somewhat-thickened syrup to cool. Before pouring it into one or more bottles, you have the choice of straining the sauce or not. Sweet soy sauce could last for several months if refrigerated.

Makes approximately 2-3 cups.

Sambal Oelek Ingredients

o 1 Dozen red chillies o 1/2 t Shrimp paste o 1/2 t Salt o 1 T Tamarind juice

Directions Pound chillies, shrimp paste and salt together in a mortar. Stir in tamarind juice.

Alternatively, blend all ingredients in a blender.

** This mixture is an ingredient used in most Indonesian dishes. It can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Aubergine Sauce (Sambal Terong)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients o 2 sm Aubergines o 1 lg Spanish onion o 4 Cloves garlic o 1 tb Vegetable oil o 2 ts Chilli powder o 1 sl Terasi o 1 ts Brown sugar o 2 lg Tomatoes

Directions Slice the aubergine and sprinkle it with salt; leave to stand for half an hour, then rinse and dry. Cut up the tomatoes and remove the seeds.

Crush the terasi and garlic together. Slice the onion thinly, and fry until slightly brown. Add the garlic and terasi, the sugar and the chilli powder. Put in the aubergine, and mix well. Add the tomatoes, cover the pan, and continue cooking gently for 5 minutes. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Then put the mixture into a pudding basin and steam it for 20 minutes.

If you want this relish to be really hot--spicy hot--then take 4 green chillis, seed them and chop finely, and put them into the frying-pan at the same time as the onions. Alternatively, use dried red chillis: soak them for at least 15 minutes and put them into the mixture, whole, when everything goes into the basin for steaming.

This is a relish which can be used hot or cold.

Sambal Dabo Lilang Ingredients

o 1 md Onion, cut into -thin strips o 1 sm Tomato (ripe), -cut into small cubes o 1 t Basil (fresh), -chopped fine o 1 Lime rind, chopped -into tiny pieces o 1/4 c Lime juice (fresh) o 1 sm Hot red chili (fresh), -stemmed, seeded, cut -into thin strips o 1 sm Hot green chili (fresh), -stemmed, seeded, cut -into thin strips

Directions Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Let it sit for several hours, stirring occasionally.

Garam Masala (Ground Mixed Spices)

Ingredients o 115 g (4 oz.) coriander seeds, washed and dried o 55 g (2 oz.) cumin seeds, washed and dried o 2 tablespoons black pepper o 1 tablespoon white pepper o 3 teaspoons cardamom seeds o 30 g (1 oz.) cinnamon bark, broken into small pieces o 2 teaspoons cloves o 3 nutmegs

Directions Spread the ingredients in a large aluminum tray. Heat under a warm grill till fragrant and very lightly browned - do not allow to darken. Grind mixture, while still warm, in a coffee grinder till very fine. Keep in an air-tight bottle and store in fridge.

Sambal Limau Ingredients

o 4 red peppers o 2 tsp belacan ( shrimp paste ) o 2 limau fruits* o Palm sugar and salt to taste

Directions Grind the peppers, belacan, salt, and palm sugar ( not too fine ). remove the seeds from the limau's and press it ( into the paste ) to get the juice and mix well.

Serve it with fresh salads or crispy fried fish/chicken.

* Limau is still family from lemon but it is smaller than a normal lemon ( as big as cherry ). It has dark green collour and it's give very special flavour. If you can not find it in a Indonesian food shop, you can replace the fruit with 2 fresh lemon leaves, chop it fine and add 2 tsp lemon juice on your sambal.

Rudy's Sambal Ingredients

o 250g red (spanish) peper, seeds free o 1 big onion o 2 cloves garlic o 2 medium tomatoes o 1 tsp terasi (shrimp paste) o 1 dsp ebie (dried shrimp), soaked in hot water o 2 cm of laos o 1 salam leaf o salt o palm sugar o 1/2 cup of corn oil for frying

Directions * Blend/grind all ingridients except the laos and salam leaf in the food processor until smooth paste.

* fry the chilly paste in a pan with hot oil and put the laos and salam leaf, give 1/2 cup extra of hot water on it. * stiring about every 3 minutes untill it get nice thick and slightly paste.

Peanut Sesame Sauce o 6 Tbsp. peanut butter o 1/4 cup water o 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce o 6 Tbsp. dark soy sauce o 6 Tbsp. tahini (sesame paste) o 1/2 cup dark sesame oil o 2 Tbsp. sherry o 4 tsp. rice wine vinegar o 1/4 cup honey o 4 medium cloves garlic, minced o 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger o 1-2 Tbsp. hot pepper oil (see instructions below)* o 1/2 cup hot water

Directions combine all ingredients except hot water in a blender or food processor fitted with steel blade and blend until smooth. Thin with hot water to consistency of whipping cream.

Sauce for Duck/Mango Salad o 3 Tbs water o Half tsp salt o One to 2 tsp sugar o Half tsp sesame oil o Half Tbs tomato ketchup o One tsp chilli sauce o One-and-a-half tsp cornflour o One-and-a-half Chinese plum sauce or apricot jam o 2 tsp vegetable oil

Directions 100. Mix all the sauce ingredients together except for the oil and plum sauce. Heat oil in a wok and add the mixture, stir well till sauce thickens, add plum sauce or apricot jam and turn off heat. Cool in the fridge.

101. To serve, pour the sauce over the duck at the table and all the guests

should toss the salad together.

Chili Crab Sauce Ingredients

o 3 Tbs tomato ketchup o One-and-a-half Tbs sugar, according to taste o Quarter tsp salt o 3 cloves of garlic o One tsp pounded salted brown soya bean paste o One cup water o One-and-a-half tsp cornflour o Half tsp rice or malt vinegar of freshly squeezed lime juice o Quarter tsp dark soya sauce

Directions Mix sauce ingredients except for the vinegar or lime juice. Heat wok, add oil and when hot, add the garlic, stir fry for one minute, add chillies, stir fry for another minute and add crab or lobster pieces.

Spicy Chicken Sauce Ingredients

o 1 star aniseed o 1/2 tsp brown peppercorn o 1/2 tsp clove o 1 piece cinnamon stick o 1 cardamom o 1/4 dried tangerine peel o 5 cups water o 2 tbsp sugar

Directions Bring spicy sauce to the boil until 4 cups of water is left. Strain. Add light soy sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil again. Put chicken in spicy sauce. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Can be used for baking or grilling, too!

Fresh Petai Sambal Seeing piles of fresh petai in the markets in Kuantan, Malaysia, was exciting. I usually make do with bottled or canned ones. The market stalls offered both the twisted whole beans and the bright green seeds removed from the pods. I bought the latter and created a sambal which featured those flavours (Indian, Chinese, Nonya) which come together so harmoniously in the food of Malaysia. Serve as an accompaniment to rice and other dishes. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients o 3 tablespoons peanut oil o 1 sprig fresh curry leaves o 2 tablespoons chopped garlic o 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger o 12 sliced hot chillies o 1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (blacan) o 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger o 1 tablespoon mild chilli paste o 3 tablespoons salted yellow beans o 4 tablespoons dark roasted coconut, finely ground o 500 g/1 lb fresh petai seeds or canned petai, drained o 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar o 1 torch ginger bud, very finely sliced o or 4 tablespoons chopped Vietnamese mint

Directions Heat oil and toss in curry leaves. After 30 seconds add chopped garlic and ginger and sliced chillies and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add blacan and fry, crushing it against the wok with back of frying spoon.

Add grated ginger and chilli paste, salted yellow beans and roasted coconut. Add the petai and 1/2 cup water, stir into the spice mixture, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until petai are tender. Stir in sugar. Serve sprinkled with sliced ginger bud.

Red Coconut Sambal

Ingredients o 75 g/2 1/2 oz/1 cup fresh grated or desiccated coconut o 1 teaspoon salt o 1 teaspoon chilli powder or to taste o 2 teaspoons paprika o 2 teaspoons pounded Maldive fish or dried prawns o 1 small onion, finely chopped o 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice If using desiccated coconut, sprinkle with o 3 tablespoons hot milk or water and toss to moisten.

Directions Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, rubbing ingredients together. Serve in a small bowl, and if liked add a fresh chilli, finely chopped.

Mongolian Meat Dishes

Mongolian Lamb Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients • 1 lb Boneless lamb -- leg or shoulder • 3 tb Soy Sauce; divided • 1 tb Cornstarch • 2 Garlic cloves; pressed • 2 1/2 ts Cornstarch • 1 ts Sesame seed; toasted • 1/2 ts Sugar • 1/8 ts -to... 1/4 ts Crushed red pepper • 2 tb Vegetable oil; divided • 2 Carrots; cut diagonally -- in thin slices • 1 bn Green onions

-- cut into 2-inch lengths -- separating whites -- from tops

Directions Cut lamb across grain into thin slices. Combine 1 Tbsp. _each_ soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic; stir in lamb. Let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining soy sauce, 3/4 cup water and next 4 ingredients; set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Add lamb and stir-fry 1 minute. Add lamb and soy sauce mixture; cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.

Mongolian Barbecue Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients • 3 lb Boned Lamb Shoulder Chops OR • 2 lb Boneless Beef, (Tenderest -Cut The Butcher Has), -Defatted

• 2 lg Green Peppers, Seeded And -Cut Into 1/4-Inch Strips • 3 c Cabbage, Shredded, Rinsed, -And Dried • 3 lg Carrots, Peeled And Shredded • 2 lg Onions, Thinly Sliced • 1/4 lb Bean Sprouts, Rinsed And -Drained • Salad Or Peanut Oil

-------------------------GARNISHES-------------------------

• Boiled White Rice • Crisp Sesame Seed Buns, -Warmed • Middle Eastern Pita Breads • Thinly Sliced Crisp French -Bread

---------------------------SAUCE---------------------------

• 1 1/2 c Dark Soy Sauce • 6 c Water • 10 Crushed Black Peppercorns • 4 Star Anise • 4 lg Cloves Garlic, Crushed • 1 c Rice Wine Or Sherry • 1 tb Sugar • 2 ts Fresh Ginger Root, Grated • 3 c Scallions Or Leeks, Chopped -And Divided • 3 c Chinese Parsley Or Cilantro, -Minced, Divided

Directions Thinly slice the meats across the grain, in 2 to 3-Inch strips, and arrange the meat and vegetables on separate platters.

SAUCE: Simmer the soy sauce, water, peppercorns, anise and garlic for a few minutes in a saucepan, then strain and cool. Add the wine, sugar, ginger root, 2 cups of the scallions or leeks and 2 cups of the Chinese Parsley. Refresh the sauce with the remaining scallions or leeks and parsley as cooking progresses. Taste to correct the seasoning, then divide among the guests bowls. (NOTE: Do Not taste the sauce after the raw meat has been dipped in it! Just a precaution.)

TO ASSEMBLE: To assemble the barbecue, place the cooking appliance in the center of the table, heating and greasing the cooking surface with the salad or peanut oil. (At intervals, scrape off the charred food bits with a spatula and reoil the cooking surface and resume cooking). Guests put the meat and vegetables on the plates and then place small portions on the cooking surface and spoon some of the sauce over the grilling

food, flipping the food over with chopsticks after about 1 minute on the grill. Cook to the desired doneness for each guest.

Mongolian Beef Ingredients

• 1 lb beef flank steak, sliced thin across the grain • 4 cups peanut oil for deep frying • 1 Tbsp light soy sauce • 1 Tbsp dry sherry or rice wine • 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger • 1 Tbsp peanut oil • 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin • 4 green onions, sliced Chinese style • 1 tsp hoisin sauce • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

Directions Marinate cut meat in marinade for atleast 15 min. Drain marinade well and separate meat into individual pieces.

In a wok or deep pan, heat deep frying oil to 375 degrees(Farenheit). Add meat all at once and stir to separate. Remove after 1 min. and allow meat to drain.

Heat wok again (after removing oil) and add oil for chowing**. Add garlic and green onins and chow for just a moment. Add Hoisin sauce, pepper and meat. Chow until all is hot then serve.

** "Chowing" is food is tossed about in hot pan with very little oil; like sauteing.

Mongolian Hot Pot Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients • 3 lb Boneless lean lamb

• 4 oz Bean thread noodles • 1/2 lb Spinach • 1/2 lb Chinese cabbage • 1 qt Chicken stock • 1 ts Finely chopped ginger root • 2 tb Finely chopped scallions • 1 ts Minced garlic • 1 tb Finely chopped cilantro

-----------------------DIPPING SAUCE-----------------------

• 2 tb Sesamepaste-=OR=- peanut butter • 1 tb Light soy sauce • 1 tb Rice wine or dry sherry • 2 ts Chili bean sauce • 1 tb Sugar • 1 tb Hot water

Directions Using a cleaver or sharp knife, slice the lamb into very thin slices. Soak the noodles in warm water for 5 minutes, then drain them and cut them into 5-inch lengths. Separate the spinach leaves from the stalks and wash them well. Discard the stalks. Cut the Chinese cabbage into 3-inch pieces.

Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and mix them well. Each guest should have his or her own small portion of dipping sauce and a plate containing lamb, spinach and Chinese cabbage. When you are ready to begin, bring the stock to a boil and light the fondue. Ladle the stock into the fondue pot and put the ginger, scallions, garlic and coriander into the stock.

Each person selects a piece of food and cooks it quickly in the pot. When all the meat and vegetables have been eaten, add the noodles to the pot, let them heat through, then ladle the soup into soup bowls.

This dish also works successfully with other foods such as steak, fish balls, oysters, shrimp, squid, mushrooms and lettuce, although it will no longer be a Mongolian Hot Pot, but more like the Cantonese Chrysanthemum Pot.

Huushuur (fried meat pasties)

Recipe makes about 32 pasties

Ingredients For the filling:

• 1 kg minced mutton or beef, with fat included • 3 ½ teaspoons salt • 1 onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • water to mix

Mix the filling ingredients together into a firm paste. For the dough:

• 4 ½ cups flour • ½ teaspoon salt • water to mix

Directions Mix the dough ingredients together and knead into a dough. Divide into smaller pieces and roll these into cylinders about 3 cm in diameter. Cut the cylinders into 4cm lengths. To assemble: Take one length of dough and squash it into a circle. Roll it out until it is 8 to 10cm wide. Roll more at the edges than in the middle, so the dough is slightly thinner around the edges. Put 2 ½ dessertspoons of meat mixture onto one side of your circle, leaving a space around the edge. Fold the other side over, pinching the edge flat. Leave one corner open and squeeze out the air, then seal the corner. Fold the corner over and pinch again, then work around the edge folding and pinching into a twist pattern. Repeat the process with the rest of the filling and dough pieces. To cook: Using 2 litres cooking oil, heat the oil in a wok (make sure the oil comes no higher than 5cm below the top). Fry three or four pasties at a time for two minutes each side, until they are brown and the meat is cooked. Eat with tomato ketchup or soy sauce.

Guriltai Shul (Mutton Soup)

Ingredients • 500g fatty mutton, cut into strips (as for a stir-fry). Make sure you include

the fat. • mutton fat or oil • 2 large potatoes, diced • 1 swede, diced • 2 onions, diced • 1 carrot, diced • 2 teaspoons stock powder or salt • 2 or 3 litres water • 1 packet flat noodles (fresh or dried)

Directions In a large wok, lightly fry the sliced mutton in the fat. Add the vegetables and stir-fry briefly. Add the water and stock or salt. Boil until almost cooked, then add the noodles and continue boiling until these are ready.

Serve in small bowls. Tsuivan (fried noodles) Proceed as for mutton soup above, but do not add the water. Instead, stir-fry the meat and vegetables and then add the fresh (or boiled dried) noodles, and continue stir-frying until the noodles are ready and the flavours have melded.

Steamed Booz Apparently cooking and serving boiled lamb without spices is not a deeply rooted Tuvan-Mongolian tradition, and members of the two cultures occasionally part from old habits in favour of paprika, pepper, marjoram, etc. One Tuvan friend liked to cook with dried chili pepper flakes, not always easily found in the market of Kyzyl. Feel free to add salt, paprika, pepper or marjoram to the minced lamb as you desire; the traditional meat is unspiced.

The pattern of the pinched edges of booz and khoorshoor is a matter of competition and pride. Several delicate forms can be made by the fingers, the smaller and thinner is the better for booz. The edges should not be very thin for the khoorshoor, because it burns when frying.

Ingredients • Mix flour and a little water (salting permitted) to make dough. • Flatten the dough to a thickness of 2 or 3 mm. In college kitchens, use wine

bottles to flatten the dough. (The bottles should be emptied beforehand.)

• Cut the dough into discs, roughly 10-15 cm in diameter. A cup or glass is useful as a pooza cutter.

• Fill the discs with minced lamb (with the fat). • Put the disc of dough in your palm, and form a ball in your hand by pinching

the edges of the dough together; leave a little opening on top (important!). • Steam for about 20 minutes.

The meat boils in its own juice, keeping all vitamins, minerals, trace elements, etc. You eat it by hand, opening your mouth BIG!

You'll need from 5 to 15 balls per person. This is the famous booz (Mongolian name) or pooza (Tuvan name).

Fried Booz Here is the recipe for the fried version of booz, the khoorshoor. Dough and filling is the same as for booz.

Directions • Mix flour and a little water (salting permitted) to make dough. • Flatten the dough to a thickness of 2 or 3 mm. In college kitchens, use wine

bottles to flatten the dough. (The bottles should be emptied beforehand.) • Cut the dough into discs, roughly 10-15 cm in diameter. A cup or glass is

useful as a pooza cutter. • Fill the discs with minced lamb (with the fat). • Put the disc of dough in your palm, put the minced meat on it. Fold the

dough over it (you get a half-disc). • Pinch the two dough layers together. No holes should be left, otherwise the

juice of the meat will disappear. • The khoorshhor is flat, about 2 cm thick. • Fry both sides in lamb fat (although Mongolians in Hungary readily use

sunflower oil). The colour of the fried dough should be light brown. It is crisp at the edges and soft in the middle.

Qutab, which the people of Hind call sanbusa: This is made in several ways.

• 10 s. meat; • 4 s. fine flour; • 2 s. ghee;

• 1 s. onions; • 1/4 s. fresh ginger; • 1/2 s. salt; • 2 d. pepper and coriander seed; • cardamons, cumin seed, cloves, 1 d. of each; • 1/4 s. of summaq.

This can be cooked in twenty different ways, and gives four full dishes. Our current worked out version is: To make 1/34th of this:

• 10 oz meat • 4 oz flour=aprox 1/2 c white + 1/2 c whole wheat • 2 oz ghee=aprox 4T (can substitute butter or margarine) • 1 oz onion=1/3 to 1/2 c chopped • 1/4 oz fresh ginger=1T chopped • 1/2 oz salt=2t • 1/24 th oz pepper=1/2 t ground • 1/24 th oz coriander seed=1/2 t ground • 1/49th oz cardamon=1/4 t ground • 1/49th oz cumin=1/4 t ground • 1/49th oz cloves=1/4 t ground • 1/4 oz sumac=2t

Directions The following instructions are loosely based on the Andalusian Sanb[[ucircumflex]]sak recipe.

Mix the flour, cut into it the ghee; continue until it is finely cut in. Sprinkle on about 4-5 T water and knead to a smooth dough.

Cut up meat, combine it and all remaining ingredients in a food processor. Process about 25 seconds, until it is all cut finely together. Roll out the dough to about 12"x16", and cut into 2"x2" pieces. Divide the filling evenly, putting about a 1.5 t of the filling in each (i.e. use up all the filling). Wrap the filling in the dough. It would probably work with fewer squares and larger amounts of filling as well; the related Andalusian recipe specifies a lump of filling the size of a walnut and an equal amount of dough to wrap it with.

Put about 3 c of cooking oil in about a 3 qt pot, heat to between 350deg. and 370deg., fry the Sanbusas about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes each, drain, serve. Makes about 48

Rather salty, but not intolerably so. People who do not like salt should probably cut it in half. Almost all of the dishes from this source come out quite salty. --

Shulla • 10 s. meat, • 3 1/2 s. rice; • 2 s. ghi; • 1 s. gram; • 2 s. onions; • 1/2 s. salt; • 1/4 s. fresh ginger; • 2 d. garlic, • round pepper, cinnamon, cardamons, cloves, 1 d. of each: this gives six

dishes.

1 ser = 964 gm. = 2lbs, 2 oz. 1 dam =20.084 gm. = 7/10 oz.

The following is our worked out version, as it currently stands:

• meat: 1lb leg of lamb • rice: 1.6 oz = 3-4 T • ghee 1.6 oz = 1/4 c • gram (chickpeas) .8 oz = 2T • onions 3 oz sliced (check volume) • salt .8 oz salt! = 1T • fresh ginger .4 oz peeled and copped (check volume) • garlic .07 ounce! = aprox 1/2 clove, sliced • pepper .035 oz = 1/2 t • cinnamon .035 oz = 1/4 stick • cardamon .035 oz = aprox 1/2 t • cloves .035 oz = aprox 1/2 t< /LI >< /LI >

Directions Melt the ghee, put it in a pot. Brown the meat, onions, and garlic in it for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. Add 1 1/4 c of lukewarm water, salt, chickpeas, cinnamon. Simmer about another 10 minutes, then add ginger, pepper, cardamom and cloves. Add the rice and another 1/2 c of water. Simmer another 1/2 hour. Serve.

This was done on the (very uncertain) assumption that Shulla is related to Shurba in al-Baghdadi, and that the recipe we have for the latter thus gives a rough idea of how the former is made.

Khorkhog Ingredients

• 1 Lamb cut into small pieces still on the bone • 1 basket of onions chopped coarsley • seasonings to taste (also needed is a large urn and many small stones that

have been heated in a fire) rice • cooking broth

Directions Mix the lamb pieces and onions together. fill the urn with alternating layers of the lamb mixture and the hot stones until full, cover the urn and leave it alone for a few hours.

When finished, remove stones, scoop out lamb and onion mixture and serve over rice with cooking broth.

I've made this on several of our saturday night gaming sessions, although I cheated. I used boneless lamb, and baked it in a covered caserole dish at 350 for 75 minutes.

Ul Boov Heat up two liters water until warm - just a little above body temp so you can stand to stick your finger in it for a while.

Add about 400 grams of butter to it and let melt - better if you use clarified butter (shar tos). Then add 1.5 tea cups sugar and a teaspoon of salt.

Mix in enough flour until you can knead it and make a firm dough. Knead it for a few minutes, then let it rest 20 mins, then knead it to death. It's kneaded enough when you cut a slice with a knife and there are no bubbles left in it - the more solid you can make the dough the more authentic this will turn out. One person can usually manage this in 10 to 20 mins.

Once its kneaded, grab off a piece of dough enough to form a small log about 15 to 20 cm long and 7 to 10 cm diameter. Flatten it to about a centimeter and a half thick, it should form a piece shaped like a racetrack. about as big as a small foot (that’s why its called ul boov, it is shaped like a footprint). Leaving a rim about a 1.5

to 2 cm wide, press in the center to make a depression, leaving the outer edge taller (like a pizza crust with the rim). The thickness of the crust at the center must be almost 1 cm thick or it will break during frying. Usually Mongolians carve a stamp out of wood to make a decorative design in the center of the boov. You can try to make a stamp if you like, if you can't just try and make the bottom as flat as possible, otherwise your boov will warp. Now, the rims (your pizza crust bit) are much thicker than the center. If you cook it this way the rims on the long sides can explode in the oil. Flip over the boov gently and using a thin sharp knife, make a shallow cut along the length of the two longer crusts from the back side of the boov. Cut in the center line and only go about halfway through. All you want to do is make a slit in the bottom of the pizza rim bits to let any pressure escape, make sure you don’t cut all the way through to the front or through the short sides of the boov. Stop each slash before you get to the two shorter ends, the rounded crust ends never explode so you don’t need to slash these.

As you start shaping your boov, heat a large kettle about half full of cooking oil. Most Mongolian use beef tallow but that’s because it's what they have at home, you can use any kind of cooking oil that withstands frying well. Make sure the kettle is stable and keep kids and pets away from where you are frying. The oil is hot enough when it looks like its boiling when you drop a bit of boov in. If the oil is not hot enough the boov will soak up too much oil. Drop in no more boov in than can float comfortably on top of the oil side by side in your kettle. If its crowded it doesn’t work. When you first drop them in they will sink. Then they will float. Once they float, turn them very gently occasioanlly, so they cook evenly, and let them cook until they become a tan/orange color. They should not be brown. Lift them out and drain.

Once they are all cool you can build your tower by stacking them. You should always make an odd number of layers. Traditionally, grandparents have 7 layers of Ul boov, parents – 5 layers, and young couples – 3 layers. For a three layer stack you need minimum of 6 pieces of perfect boov, which you should be able to get out of the two liter of water recipe above. One or two may warp :-) Place two side by side with a space in between, and lay another two crosswise on top of these. Most of the other stuff is piled on the top later, not sandwiched between the lower ones, although its ok to tuck a piece if aruul into the small gaps. Layer with aruul, hard cheese, wrapped candies, and sugar cubes.

Bansh Bansh looks like a miniature buuz that is sealed tightly without any holes and is boiled in water with a pinch of salt instead of being steamed. Bansh can be served as a separate dish or in a bouillon, soup or milk tea.

Ingredients

Meat filling

• Minced beef or mutton • Medium onion • Salt • Ground pepper (optional) • Garlic (optional) • Chopped herbs (optional) • 5-spices (optional)

Dough

• Premium wheat flour • A pinch of salt • Lukewarm water

Cooking time: Approximately 1 hour

Directions For the dough Dissolve a pinch of salt in lukewarm water, mix in flour and knead into smooth soft dough. Leave the dough to rest. Knead again and roll out. Cut out small round circles using a glass with sharp edges.

For the meat filling Mince beef or mutton. You can certainly use a Moulinex for this purpose; however, buuz will taste better if you do the mincing by hand using a sharp knife. Combine the meat in a bowl with minced onion, crushed garlic (optional), herbs (optional) and other seasonings. Add some water to make the filling juicy.

The next stage is forming bansh. Put the meat filling in the center of the circle and seal the edges tightly with your fingers. When forming is complete, put bansh in boiling water, add a pinch of salt and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until bansh starts floating on the surface. Boiled bansh must be served hot.

Guriltai Shol Guriltai shol is a very simple and healthy Mongolian noodle soup made of meat and dough stripes. It is warms you up and is practically irreplaceable in cold winters. If the route to a man’s heart lies through his stomach, then the route to a Mongolian man’s heart will surely lie through a bowl of guriltai shol.

Ingredients • Meat (beef or mutton) • Salt • Onion • Pepper and other seasonings (optional)

Dough o Premium wheat flour o A pinch of salt o Water

Cooking time: Approximately 30 minutes

Directions Cut the meat into thin slices, put in cold water, add salt and boil. Usually, Mongolians do not use lean meat because it does not produce a good bouillon. Therefore, leave the fat on and slice it together with meat. You can put bones with some meat to make the bouillon heartier. Such bones are removed when the bouillon is ready. While the bouillon is being cooked, prepare the dough.

Dissolve a pinch of salt in cold water, mix in flour and knead into smooth but enough hard dough. Leave the dough to rest. Knead again and roll out thinly. Cut into stripes of 3-4 sm wide, put 3-4 stripes on each other layering with sprinkles of flour to avoid sticking and slice into thin pieces.

Put the thin dough pieces into the boiling bouillon and boil for 4-5 minutes. Add thinly sliced onion. You may add pepper and other soup seasonings, however, these are not used for the classic Mongolian guriltai shol.

Pyartan Pyartan is a variety of guriltai shol. However, the dough pieces are cut into thin rectangles or are randomly torn from the thinly rolled out dough stripes. The cooking process is the same as for guriltai shol..

Ingredients • Meat (beef or mutton) • Salt • Onion • Pepper and other seasonings (optional)

Dough

• Premium wheat flour • A pinch of salt • Water


Directions Cut the meat into thin slices, put in cold water, add salt and boil. Usually, Mongolians do not use lean meat because it does not produce a good bouillon. Therefore, leave the fat on and slice it together with meat. You can put bones with some meat to make the bouillon heartier. Such bones are removed when the bouillon is ready. While the bouillon is being cooked, prepare the dough.

Dissolve a pinch of salt in cold water, mix in flour and knead into smooth but enough hard dough. Leave the dough to rest. Knead again and roll out thinly. Cut into stripes of 2-3 sm wide, put 3-4 stripes on each other layering with sprinkles of flour to avoid sticking and cut out thin rectangles.

Put the thin dough rectangles into the boiling bouillon and boil for 4-5 minutes. You can also randomly tear pieces from the dough stripes into the bouillon. Add thinly sliced onion

Bantan Bantan is a simple Mongolian soup of creamy texture made of meat and dough crumbs. Bantan is a favorite hangover remedy for Mongolians.

Ingredients • Meat (beef or mutton) • Salt • Onion

Dough • Premium wheat flour • A pinch of salt • Water


Directions

Cut the meat into thin small slices, put in cold water, add salt and boil. Usually, Mongolians do not use lean meat because it does not produce a good bouillon. Therefore, leave the fat on and slice it together with meat. While the bouillon is being cooked, prepare the dough.

Dissolve a pinch of salt in cold water, mix in flour and blend with your fingers into small dough crumbs. Put the crumbs into the boiling bouillon and boil for 4-5 minutes until the soup becomes thick and creamy. You can add thinly sliced onion.

Mongolian Vegie Dishes

Mongolian Fried Peanuts Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (1 1/2 cups) raw, red-skinned peanuts • 1 heaping tbsp Szechwan brown peppercorns • 1 heaping tbsp star anise • 1 heaping tbsp coarse salt • 1/2 tsp water • 2 1/2 cups water • 3 to 4 cups fresh corn or peanut oil

Directions Seasoning The Nuts: Combine peppercorns, anise, salt, sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir, then reduce heat to maintain steady simmer.

Cover pot tightly, simmer 5 minutes, then add the peanuts. Stir to combine, replace cover and cook 5 minutes more.

Turn off heat and let peanuts steep in covered pot for 10-12 hours.

Roasting The Nuts: Drain nuts in a colander, pat dry. Spread in a large jelly-roll pan, lined with triple thickness of paper towels. Discard anise.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, shaking tray occasionally.

Rotate tray. Reduce heat to 300. Check at 10-15 minute intervals until nuts are almost entirely dry with a touch of moisture at the center. Remove from oven. Put in

bowl to cool. (Nuts can be fried immediately, or left overnight. If you like them roasted, eat them now while warm.)

Frying The Nuts: Have ready a tray lined with a double thickness of paper towels, a Chinese mesh spoon or metal strainer, large absorbent food-grade brown paper, and about 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt. Heat a wok or deep skillet over moderate heat until hot.

Add oil, and heat to slow-fry stage, 275 degrees.

Reduce heat to low, then add peanuts to oil. They will hardly bubble. Fry 4-7 minutes until golden brown, stirring constantly and slowly. Do not let nuts brown.Scoop nuts from oil. Spread on towel lined tray.

Shake tray to blot up excess oil, then pour nuts into paper bag. Close the bag, gently turn and shake it to blot up the last oil, then add salt to taste and gently shake again.

Eat immediately or when cool as an hors d'oeuvre or placed in small bowls on the table as a diversion during a meal.

Once cool, the nuts will keep for 2 weeks, stored in an airtight jar.

Boortsog Boortsog is a traditional Mongolian biscuit of various shapes deep-fried in hot oil. Bouillon fat that remains from cooking meat is traditionally used for the frying purpose. It gives boortsog a specific bouillon aroma that Mongolians like. However, any vegetable oil can be used for frying.

Ingredients • Premium wheat flour – 1 kg • A pinch of salt • Sugar – 150 g • Butter – 100 g • Warm boiled water

Cooking time: Approximately 2 hours

Directions

Dissolve salt, sugar and butter in warm boiled water and blend until the sugar and butter are completely dissolved and a smooth homogenous mixture is formed. Then, mix in flour and knead into smooth soft dough. The kneading process is very important for boortsog and may require sufficient strength and energy. The dough must be kneaded until such a state when no air remains in it. When the dough is cut, the profile must be absolutely smooth and homogenous with no hole or air bubble whatsoever. Reaching such a state will require a series of kneading and leaving the dough to rest. When the dough is ready, roll out until it is about 1-1.5 sm thick. Now, you can use your imagination to cut the dough into different shapes. However, the classic shaping is to cut the dough into stripes of 3-4 sm wide and cut out squares, triangles or any other shapes using a sharp knife. Using the knife, make two little cut-like lines on each piece. This is done in order to let the air out, if any left, as well as to give some decoration to boortsog. Some people cut the dough into rectangles that are 3 sm wide and about 10 sm long, make a long cut in the middle, pull simultaneously the two edges through the cut and twist to the opposite sides.

Preheat oil, put boortsog in bunches and fry until golden brown. Pull out with the strainer and put on the rack to cool down.

Boortsog can be eaten as is or with jam, butter, cheese or anything else of your choice. Boortsog can be stored for about a month and is an excellent replacement of bread during long trips.

Mongolian Sauces • Mongolian Hot Pot

Dipping Sauce

Mongolian Hot Pot Dipping Sauce

• 2 tb Sesame paste-=OR=- peanut butter • 1 tb Light soy sauce • 1 tb Rice wine or dry sherry • 2 ts Chili bean sauce • 1 tb Sugar • 1 tb Hot water

Directions

Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and mix them well. Each guest should have his or her own small portion of dipping sauce and a plate containing lamb, spinach and Chinese cabbage.

Mongolian Vegie Dishes

Ul Boov Heat up two liters water until warm - just a little above body temp so you can stand to stick your finger in it for a while.

Add about 400 grams of butter to it and let melt - better if you use clarified butter (shar tos). Then add 1.5 tea cups sugar and a teaspoon of salt.

Mix in enough flour until you can knead it and make a firm dough. Knead it for a few minutes, then let it rest 20 mins, then knead it to death. It's kneaded enough when you cut a slice with a knife and there are no bubbles left in it - the more solid you can make the dough the more authentic this will turn out. One person can usually manage this in 10 to 20 mins.

Once its kneaded, grab off a piece of dough enough to form a small log about 15 to 20 cm long and 7 to 10 cm diameter. Flatten it to about a centimeter and a half thick, it should form a piece shaped like a racetrack. about as big as a small foot (that’s why its called ul boov, it is shaped like a footprint). Leaving a rim about a 1.5 to 2 cm wide, press in the center to make a depression, leaving the outer edge taller (like a pizza crust with the rim). The thickness of the crust at the center must be almost 1 cm thick or it will break during frying. Usually Mongolians carve a stamp out of wood to make a decorative design in the center of the boov. You can try to make a stamp if you like, if you can't just try and make the bottom as flat as possible, otherwise your boov will warp. Now, the rims (your pizza crust bit) are much thicker than the center. If you cook it this way the rims on the long sides can explode in the oil. Flip over the boov gently and using a thin sharp knife, make a shallow cut along the length of the two longer crusts from the back side of the boov. Cut in the center line and only go about halfway through. All you want to do is make a slit in the bottom of the pizza rim bits to let any pressure escape, make sure you don’t cut all the way through to the front or through the short sides of the boov. Stop each slash before you get to the two shorter ends, the rounded crust ends never explode so you don’t need to slash these.

As you start shaping your boov, heat a large kettle about half full of cooking oil. Most Mongolian use beef tallow but that’s because it's what they have at home, you can use any kind of cooking oil that withstands frying well. Make sure the kettle is

stable and keep kids and pets away from where you are frying. The oil is hot enough when it looks like its boiling when you drop a bit of boov in. If the oil is not hot enough the boov will soak up too much oil. Drop in no more boov in than can float comfortably on top of the oil side by side in your kettle. If its crowded it doesn’t work. When you first drop them in they will sink. Then they will float. Once they float, turn them very gently occasioanlly, so they cook evenly, and let them cook until they become a tan/orange color. They should not be brown. Lift them out and drain.

Once they are all cool you can build your tower by stacking them. You should always make an odd number of layers. Traditionally, grandparents have 7 layers of Ul boov, parents – 5 layers, and young couples – 3 layers. For a three layer stack you need minimum of 6 pieces of perfect boov, which you should be able to get out of the two liter of water recipe above. One or two may warp :-) Place two side by side with a space in between, and lay another two crosswise on top of these. Most of the other stuff is piled on the top later, not sandwiched between the lower ones, although its ok to tuck a piece if aruul into the small gaps. Layer with aruul, hard cheese, wrapped candies, and sugar cubes.

food of the world - malaysia & mongolia, 1st edition 2009

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