Veggie Puffs

a veggie version of the curry puff, we malays call it dearly as epok-epok sayur...
Eat it as breakfast, or , again....at ANYTIME...hehe

Pastry

400g flour
2 tbsp butter (melted)
40ml oil
150ml warm water
1/2 tsp salt

Work the above into a pliable dough. Don't overknead. Set aside, covered with a damp cloth to avoid it to dehydrate and cause a cracky skin to form on the surface. I used the pastry from Abg Rozzan.Thks A R!

Filling
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
abt 4 cups of beansprouts(taugeh), tailed.
1 carrot, finely cut into strips
1 big beancurd (firm tofu), cubed and deep fried
2 stalks of kucai(chinese leeks), chopped
2 red chillies. de-seeded and cut into thin strips
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
dash of pepper

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in the wok. Saute onions, garlic and chillies till fragrant. Add beansprouts,carrot, fried beancurd and kucai. Add soya sauce, salt, sugar and pepper. Don't overcook veggie to retain its crunch. Set aside, draining excess liquid over a strainer.Cool completely.

Roll out dough, cut into rounds of desired size. U can also use the edge of a cup. Scoop a spoonful of filling.


Flute the edges.

Deepfry over a medium fire till golden brown.

Serve hot with dipping sauce. U may want to dilute it a little.
Enjoy!

Veggie Rolls

This is nice as a snack during tea time or...ahh..just face it..ANYTIME...hehe..

Ingredients

1 packet of popia skin / spring roll skin (any size will do)
If frozen, thaw as instructed on the package until ready to use.
Filling

1 yam bean (sengkuang), peeled, cut into fine strips
2 carrots, cut as above
1 onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp light soya sauce
salt and sugar to taste
pepper

Method

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in wok. Saute onions, garlic till fragrant. Add in the yam bean and carrots. Stir. Add sauce, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and a dash of pepper. Fry till evenly mixed but make sure the veggies retain its crunch. Do not over cook. Remove from heat and drain excess liquid over a strainer.

Place a spoonful of filling on one end of the popia skin. Roll over the corner over the filling, tuck in both sides and continue rolling forward. Seal ends with cornflour mixture. Deepfry to a golden brown and drain excess oil over a wire rack. Serve hot with dipping sauce from the Onion Fritters.

Cantonese Porridge

I love to eat this for that back-to-basic feeling. That retro feeling.It's so understated, but oh so refreshing. U can have a great spread of imaginable condiments. Like I said, mine is very basic. Try some.

Ingredients

For Porridge

Make enough porridge out of rice, extra water than usual, and a little salt.

Condiments

1 packet of groundnuts, fried to a golden brown. Underfry them,as it'll brown while cooling.Set aside.

1 packet of dried anchovies(ikan bilis), fried to a nice crisp. Set aside.

salted duck eggs (if u like)

Scrambled Eggs :
Beat 5 eggs, 1 tsp salt, dash of pepper, 1 minced onion. Fry over 2 tbsp of oil until moist and crumbly. Remove and set aside.

Preserved Pickled Veg:
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in wok. Saute 2 diced onions, 3 minced garlic and 2 sliced red chillies. Saute till fragrant and onions begin to brown. Add in 1 packet of pickled veggie (cut, washed and drained) and fry till evenly mixed. No need to add salt as veg is already salty.Remove from heat.

Simple Vanilla Cupcakes

This is just a basic cupcake recipe. Love to get my kids to bake these. Of course u can frost/ice/buttercream for a more delectable finish.

Ingredients

125g butter
125g sugar
125g flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp milk

Combine the above in a food processor. (I told u it's THAT basic)Spoon into cupcake cases in a muffin pan about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees oven for abt 15-20 mins, depending on yr oven. Cool completely on a wire rack. It might yeald u abt 12 cupcakes.

Puffy Prawns

Ingredients

1kg of prawns, deveined, shelled, leaving tail behind
washed, drained, blot with kitchen paper, season with a little salt and pepper

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornflour
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt to taste
enuff water to make batter

Mix the above together to get a smooth batter. Heat enuff oil in wok. Holding prawns by the tail, dip into batter and drop into the hot oil. Adjust flame so batter is cooked inside n out and looks golden brown. Drain on wire rack,to avoid steam build up or risk getting a soggy result. Serve immdtly with fave sauce.

Spanish Onion Fritters

This one is a simple version. U can actually include whatever that u like. I love to fry it over a medium fire and see it brown to a sweet crisp when the onions began to caramelize.

Ingredients

5 spanish(purple) onions, thinly sliced
2 red chillies (deseeded and sliced thinly)
2 stalks of spring onions, chopped
2 stalks of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg (very optional)
salt to taste (1 tbsp or so)
500g all purpose flour
sufficient water to make batter

Method

Mix the above and adjust water to get a nice batter to a dropping consistency. Heat enuff oil in the wok for deep frying. Drop spoonfuls of mixture into the hot oil and bring the fire to a medium. Fry on both sides till a crisp golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with sweet chilli dip.

Dipping Sauce

5 red chillies
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of water
1 tbsp vinegar or lime juice
sugar and salt

Ground the above ingredients and cook over a medium heat till sauce is cooked and reduced to a semi-thick consistency. Adjust water. Not too runny though. Taste. Shud be sweet,sour and spicy.

Kungpao Chicken

Chicken fillet with a combi of blackpepper and oyster sauce,with its spicyness from the sauteed dried chillies and the sweetness from the cashew nuts..mmm..

Ingredients

1/2kg of chicken breasts or fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
a few shiitake mushrooms, sliced thickly (optional)
The Sauce
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
3 tbsp of blackpepper sauce
1 tbsp of dark soya sauce
1 tbsp of chilli sauce
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt

The Aromatics
1 onion, wedged
4 cloves of garlic
a few slices of ginger
5 dried chillies,washed

Garnish
a handful of roasted cashew nuts
chopped spring onions

Method

Heat abt 2 tbsp of oil plus a few dashes of sesame oil. Saute the aromatics till fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and stirfry till chicken is cooked but not dry. Add the sauce and a little water,if it's too thick. Season with salt and sugar. If u added too much water, thicken it with a few spoonfuls of cornstarch solution. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat. B4 serving, sprinkle over with the cashew nuts and spring onions.

Shrimp and Wanton Noodles

The dry version. The prawns are cooked in black pepper sauce. U are gonna eat this with either a fork or a pair of chopsticks PLUS..your hands..to deshell the prawns,I mean...hehe

Ingredients

Yee Mee/ Wanton Mee, blanched in salted water and then dunked into cold water,drain

baby bak choy/kailan,blanched in salted water with a little oil and then dunked into cold water, drain

some medium shrimps
Cook the shrimps in the same sauce as the one in the Kungpao Chicken.

fried wantons (if readymade ones are available,just cheat on it..hehe)

The Sauce

2 cloves of garlic,minced
1 small shallot, minced
a few slices of ginger
a few dashes of sesame oil
3 tbsp of chilli sauce
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tsp of sugar
1 tbsp of water

Method

Heat a tbsp of oil in the wok. Pour in the ingredients for the sauce and simmer vigorously.Add in the noodles and stir like crazy..hehe.Your noodles should be coated with the sauce,moist,but not THAT dry.

Assemble the dish like in the picture.

Rendang Basah

Ahh...the all time classic. Spicy Beef. Best accompanied with rice, ketupat or even bread.

Ingredients

1 kg of lean beef,cut into chunks
4 cups thick coconut cream
2 cups water
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1 and 1/2 cup of ready-mix rendang paste

*to be grounded*
4 onions
6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of ginger
2 inches of galanggal
3 tbsp of chilli paste
4 bird's eye chillies
2 inches of fresh tumeric
2 tbsp of pan roasted dessicated coconut (or ask for kerisik at asian markets)


1/4 cup dark brown sugar
salt to taste
6 kaffir lime leaves
2 pcs of fresh tumeric leaves


Method

Dump everything into a big wok or pot. Seriously. Cook on medium heat slowly, stirring at times till meat is tender and gravy is reduced to a thick consistency.Adjust your salt and sugar. Point to note. Be PATIENT. The reward is valuable.hehe

Daging Goreng Benggala

Stirfried Beef with Capsicum. To be served piping hot. Good lean meat is most recommended, cut into thin strips for faster cooking.

Ingredients

1/2kg of lean beef, thinly sliced
1 red capsicim, cut into strips
1 green capsicum, cut as above
1 yellow capsicum, cut as above


The Aromatics

2 onions, wedged
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 inches of ginger, thinly sliced
1 tsp beef granules

The Sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp blackpepper sauce

salt and sugar to taste

Method

Heat 3 tbsp of oil plus 1 tbsp of sesame oil till very hot. Sizzle in the armatics,followed by the beef strips. When yr beef if very thinkly sliced,u can see they will be cooked in no time.Throw in the capsicums. Add in the sauce. Salt and sugar to taste. Serve super hot!

Kampung set

Just wanna share with u what I ate when we went back to kampong. Will give u details later. Just drool on the pics 1st..hehe.

Beriyani Kurma Kambing

Mutton in Beryani & Kurma Gravy. Cooked this to go along with my Nasi Tomato. Make sure u make enuff.

Ingredients

1/2kg mutton,cut into chunks or cubes, boiled till tender

The Paste
1/2 cup beriyani paste
1/2 cup kurma paste
1 cup ground onions
1 cup ginger-garlic paste


2 cups of water

3 Potatoes
3 Carrot
2 green chillies (split lengthways)
2 red chillies(cut as abv)

Aromatics

1 cinnamon bark/stick
2 star anise
4 cloves of cumin

Method

Heat enuff oil. Add aromatics, followed by the paste. Fry till fragrant.Add water,meat,potatoes and carrots. When veggies are tender, salt to taste and add in the chilles. Remove from heat and serve.

Chicken Curry

Cooked in a humble old pot. A winner to be dipped with baguette or french loaf.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken - skinned, cut into 12 pcs, make slashes on thick parts
2 cups of water

*to be grounded*

4 spanish onions
8 cloves of garlic
2 inches of ginger

5 tbsp of meat curry powder(my fave is Malabar Masala)
1 cinnamon stick/bark
2 star anise
few cloves of cumin

4 potatoes, skinned, quartered
3 carrots, wedged
2 tomatoes, wedged
salt to taste
1 cup of fried shallots

Method

Heat abt 1 cup of oil in wok. Mix the curry powder with the ground ingredients together. Throw in the cinnamon,star anise and cumin into the wok. Let it sizzle a bit,avoid burning it altogether. Add in the curry mixture and fry till fragrant and cooked, stirring continuously to prevent it from sticking to yr wok/pot. When oil has surfaced up, add chicken pieces and mix well. Add water, followed by potatoes.Add carrots. Salt to taste. When cooked, remove from heat and throw in tomato wedges.Sprinkle with fried shallots.Serve.

Ayam Sambal Serai

Chicken in Lemongrass Chilli. Similar to the sambal tumis, only with a hint of lemongrass spicyness.


Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into 12 pcs, marinated with a little salt and tumeric and water. Fry till 3/4 cooked.

Blend together :
15(or more) dried chilles - seeded,soaked to soften or microwave for 10mins in a bowl of water
a really huge pinch of belachan(shrimp paste)
5-6 cloves of garlic
2-3 big onions
2 inches of ginger
1 tbsp of ikan bilis(anchovies) granules
2 stalks of lemongrass

1 heaped tbsp of tamarind-add some water and knead to produce some juice
3 tbsp sugar or to taste (add more if chilli is too hot for u)
1 big tomato, thickly sliced
salt to taste

Heat sufficient oil in wok(it's ok if u add too much-u can always scoop it out after cooking)and saute blended ingredients.Make sure it's cooked (tumis sampai betul2 pecah minyak),stirring continuously.Add tamarind juice,sugar and salt.Add some water if u like some gravy but the consistency shudn't be too dry nor too dilute.Taste to suit yr liking.Add chicken. Coat gravy over chicken pieces, add the sliced tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes bf turning off the heat.Serve.

Kailan Oyster

Very simple, cooked to a minimum but refreshing in taste...who said that the humble veggie is a turn off?..try this..

Recipe

A handful of baby kailan/broccoli - u can cut or leave it whole
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 red chilli - sliced
1 small shallot (small onion)- sliced thinly
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt or to taste, as the oyster sauce is already salty

Boil some water in a pot.Add some salt and 1 tsp of oil. Blanch veggie for a couple of minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice cold water in the meantime.Take out veggie and dunk into the bowl to stop the cooking process. U'll get a nice green colour without overcooking yr veg. Drain well.
Next,in a wok,heat 1 tbsp of oil,mixed with a few good dashes of sesame oil. The combi of oil will produce a glaze effect on the veg later. Saute onion,garlic,chilli and add the oyster sauce.Pour a little bit of water to mix.Add some sugar and salt.Simmer till boiling,then then turn off heat. If sauce is too dilute,u may add some cornflour solution (1 dsp cornflour + 1/4 cup of water )to thicken it.Arrange veg on a plate and pour sauce over...eat it hot!

Mee Rebus Sally

My fren Sally first made this and surprise,surprise,..being the cerewet(picky)person that I'm famous for, I tot it's quite good.Maybe it's the succulent daging that accompanied.What we ate outside is like a vegetarian version,just noodles,sprouts,gravy,tofu,chilli..but the TETEL (hate the pronounciation) and the daging in this brings out that carnivore in you!Be generous in that.U'll thank me.I love to add bagedil,fish sticks,or anything fancy to make sure MY mee rebus comes WITH THE WORKS!

Sambal Tumis Telur

Hard boiled eggs in spicy chilli.This one never fail to whet my appetite on those days that u tot "apeerr...nak masak eh?"..Very classic but still strong in its standing.

Recipe

Boiled eggs - amount as according to your consumption

Blend together :
15(or more) dried chilles - seeded,soaked to soften or microwave for 10mins in a bowl of water
a really huge pinch of belachan(shrimp paste)
5-6 cloves of garlic
2-3 big onions
1 tbsp of ikan bilis(anchovies) granules

1 heaped tbsp of tamarind-add some water and knead to produce some juice
3 tbsp sugar or to taste (add more if chilli is too hot for u)
salt to taste

Heat sufficient oil in wok(it's ok if u add too much-u can always scoop it out after cooking)and saute blended ingredients.Make sure it's cooked (tumis sampai betul2 pecah minyak),stirring continuously.Add tamarind juice,sugar and salt.Add some water if u like some gravy but the consistency shudn't be too dry nor too dilute.Taste to suit yr liking. Add the bolied eggs (u may fry the boiled eggs for a more unique texture).Coat gravy over eggs and simmer for a few minutes bf turning off the heat.Serve.

Asam Pedas

Fish in Spicy Chilli Gravy..A must in every malay household..A classic..Good fresh fish recommended especially Red Snapper or other types with a thick body.. Add brinjals and lady's finger for the veggie crunch.. Slurp!

Ingredients

Fish of yr choice (big): Red Snapper, Sting Ray, YellowTail or Mackerel.
washed,cleaned and marinate with salt,tumeric and tamarind to rid of the fishy smell.

*to be grounded*
20-25 dried chillies,soaked to soften
3 onions
7 cloves garlic
3 inches of ginger
2 inches of fresh tumeric
2 tbsp of belacan
abt 5 pcs of Thai basil leaves (daun kesom)

2 fistfuls of tamarind, mixed with 4 cups of water to extract the juice
sprigs of Thai basil leaves (daun kesom)
2 tomatoes, wedged
5 lady's finger
1 brinjal, wedged
salt to taste

Method

Heat enuff oil in wok to saute the ground ingredients till fragrant and cooked. Add tamarind juice make sure it's not too runny nor thick. When boiling, add salt to taste and add in the fish slowly, followed by the veggies and the Thai basil leaves.
The fish won't take long to cook, so should the veggies. Remove from heat and serve.

Ayam Lemak Cili Padi

Chicken in Coconut Cream with Birds Eye Chilli...mm.. the translation is quite a mouthful..Anyway..adjust the chilli to your personal 'endurance' but this one is definetely a turn on for those rainy days..Heat it up!

Ingredients

1 fat whole chicken, skinned, cut into 12 pcs, marinated in 2tbsp of tumeric and 2 tsp of salt and a little water. Fry till 1/2 cooked.

*to be grounded*
2 big spanish onions
6 cloves of garlic
an inch of ginger
2 inches of fresh tumeric(if not available,1 tbsp of tumeric powder will do)
1 tbsp of dried shrimps, soaked to soften
2 tbsp of belacan
16-17 bird's eye chilli

2 cups of water
1 piece of dried tamarind
1 piece of tumeric leaf, cut into 3
6 pieces of kaffir lime leaves, tear up a little
salt to taste
a tsp of sugar
200ml of thick coconut milk (the packet one will do)

Method

Heat abt 3 tbsp of oil. Saute the ground ingredients till fragrant and cooked. Add water. When it's rapidly boiling,add the chicken, dried tamarind,salt,sugar,the leaves and coconut milk and stir till cooked. At this stage, keep it to a simmer, stirring always to avoid 'splitting' the coconut cream. Adjust taste and remove from heat.Serve.

Baked Spicy Pasta

Used Penne Pasta for this but you can venture into other varieties as well. LOVED the ridges on the PENNE as it absorbed the spicy sauce during baking. Dump a combi of mozzarella and cheddar on top and see it stretch!

Ingredients

A package of pasta of yr choice, cooked to al dente
1/2kg of minced beef, fried over lightly oiled wok,till dry and crumbly
1 onion,minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 and 1/2 cup chilli sauce
1/2 cup tomato sauce
salt and pepper
oregano, either fresh or dried
mozzarella cheese
cheddar cheese

Method

Heat a tbsp of oil in yr wok. Saute the onion, garlic,diced tomato till fragrant. Add the two sauces. Heat thoroughly. Add the beef and mix well.Add 1/2 cup of water if it's too thick but make sure it's not too runny.It has to be a heavy thick consistency but not dry. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of oregano. Add the pasta and mix thru. Remove from heat and add some cheese just to gel it.
Pour into a medium baking dish or an aluminium pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining two types of cheese. Bake in a preheated 200 d C oven for 20 mins or till the cheese on top looks cheesy golden brown.