My collection of favourite recipes..tried and tested!
Nasi lemak. Roti canai. Chicken rice. These have got to be the top three Malaysian national dishes! And all are favourites in our family and when we’re at home in Malaysia all we have to do when we feel an urge for any of these, …
This is a traditional Malay dish and literally translated, Roti Jala means something totally different! “Roti” is bread, while “jala” is fishing net! But the description is apt. When it is first made, it does looks like a fishing net. But I think “Lacey Crepes” …
I’ve cooked chicken curry Malaysian-style forever, since I first lived on my own after getting married. BUT every time I cooked it it was different! So one day many years later after we moved to Kuwait, I decided, enough was enough! I had to recipise my chicken curry. And now, every time I cook it, it’s the same perfect curry!
Hubby loves my chicken curry, and in our home we serve my chicken curry with anything – steaming hot white rice, roti canai (paratha) or roti jala (“lace pancakes”). We love it as an everyday meal, during Eid or other special occasions when we have a gathering.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6 – 8
2 kg chicken, cut into pieces (we like it skin off)
1 medium-sized onion (140 gms)
6 cloves garlic
5 cm fresh ginger
3 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
2 – 3 large potatoes
1 piece tamarind
Thick “santan” (coconut milk) made with 45 gms coconut powder and 1 1/2 cups water
Thin “santan” made with 45 gms coconut powder and 2 1/4 cups water
1 tsp salt
5 cardamom
2 pieces cinnamon approx 2” long
2 star anise
6 cloves
2 sprigs curry leaves
Vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
Wash the chicken and drain. Peel the potato and cut into 4 cm chunks. Soak in water.
Cube the onion and garlic and slice the ginger then use a blender to blend them. Add a tablespoon of water if necessary. Add the curry powder and chilli powder to the blended ingredients and mix well into a thick paste. Prepare the thin and thick “santan” and put aside.
Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a non-stick pot and fry the dry spices and curry leaves. When fragrant add the curry powder and blended ingredients and mix well. Add a little water and mix as its frying.
When most of the liquid is gone, add one third of the thin santan and the chicken. Stir well to make sure the chicken pieces are well-coated with the curry mixture and let this cook till aromatic and “oily”. Add the rest of the thin santan, mix well and bring to the boil on medium heat. Lower the heat, add the salt and let it simmer till the chicken is tender.
In a separate pot, boil the potatoes until tender, drain and put it aside.
When chicken is tender, add the thick santan and tamarind and bring to the boil, then remove from heat. The curry should “pecah minyak” i.e. have a coating of oil on top – see photo above.
* This is where I use my little trick: instead of boiling on the hob, I transfer to a pyrex dish, cover and cook in microwave at high for 4 mins to get a perfect finish.
Add the cooked potatoes and let the curry stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. The longer the better.
I’ve cooked chicken curry Malaysian-style forever, since I first lived on my own after getting married. BUT every time I cooked it it was different! So one day many years later after we moved to Kuwait, I decided, enough was enough! I had to recipise …
I honestly don’t know exactly when this dish came into being. I have a feeling it was created by the “now” generation. I don’t remember that it existed when I was young. What I do remember is a very spicy nasi goreng (fried rice) which …
One of our favourite Malaysian dishes is any vegetable cooked with chili and belacan! The bestest is of course, “kangkong belacan” which is “water convolvulus” or the simple name, water spinach, cooked this way.
Broccoli or kale or even french beans or long beans can be cooked the same way and they all go great with steaming hot rice! This is an especially great way to cook broccoli which is oh-so-healthy and I personally could eat a plate of broccoli belacan like a salad!
INGREDIENTS
1 medium sized head of broccoli
3 small red chillis
1 tsp belacan granules
2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Canola oil for frying
DIRECTIONS
Warning!!!! Make sure the extractors are on and kitchen doors closed before cooking this dish!!!
Prepare the broccoli – here’s a good how to video. Scroll to the middle to see the part dealing with the broccoli.
Wash the cut broccoli and place in a microwave-proof with a little water and microwave for 2 minutes. It should be a bright green and still crunchy. Rinse in cold water to stop it cooking. Discard all the water.
Peel the garlic and smash with the side of the knife then cut into small pieces.
Wash the chillies and cut into a few small pieces. Place in the plastic jug together with the belacan granules, add 2 tablespoon water and a bit of salt and use the hand blender to blend it into the “sambal”. Set aside.
Heat the oil in the wok, and saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the “sambal” and fry quickly careful not to let it burn. When fragrant add the broccoli and mix well using two non-stick spoons.
When everything is covered with the “sambal” remove from heat and serve with hot steamed rice.
I love Mummy’s curry and every time she cooked it I said I would watch and learn. In fact my actual words were “I’ll recipise it.” One day. And it went on and on. Not that I couldn’t cook fish curry, I couldn’t cook it …
This is a great way to fry chicken. The longer you marinade, the better the taste. And its great with white rice, beriyani rice or tomato rice. Even nasi lemak.
The best part of the chicken is the crispy stuff that made up the marinade…mmm so crunchy!
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken, skin off
1/2 medium sized onion
3 cloves garlic
2” ginger
4 lemon grass
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp thick soya sauce
2 tbsp honey (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
DIRECTIONS
Cut the chicken into small pieces (like you would make a curry), wash well and drain.
Cut the onion, garlic, ginger, and lemon grass into cubes and blend everything. Do not use any water. Add the curry powder, soya sauce and honey (if using) and mix well. Add salt to taste.
Mix well with the chicken pieces, place in a bowl and leave in refrigerator to marinade overnight.
To fry, heat oil (not as much as for deep frying) and pour everything into the pan and let it fry on medium heat till chicken is cooked and the marinade crispy.
I first discovered prawns at my brother’s house last year. Apparently it was Lela’s signature dish and she made it very well. We had already had lunch when we got there but we tasted a prawn or two and it was great! After that I …
