AGAR AGAR CANDY

Agar agar Candy

has a contrast of crunchy on the outside

and soft on the inside.

This was once very popular

especially during Chinese New Year Celebration

but

later, because of the threat of using artificial colouring

many shunt from making it anymore.

Many bloggers have suggested the use of the following natural food juice:

Red - beet root

Green - pandan leaf

Agar agar Candies need long hours of drying in the sun.

The ingredients are simple

agar agar strips (37.5g packet), sugar (1 1/4 cup) and water (2 cups)

Bring all the ingredients to boil until agar agar strip is dissolved.

To add flavour:

some pandan leaves to boil together with the rest of the ingredients.

To add colour:

 1 or 2 tsp of natural juice added before removing from flame.

I have scooped up some for white colour

before adding the beet root juice for the red colour.

Pour the mixture onto 1 or 2 pans to cool, to harden.

Cut into desired pattern once it does not stick to your fingers when touched,

Spread out to dry in the sun.

When fully dried, you will love the layer of crust on the outside!

SAMBAL VEGETABLES

Sambal Ladies’ Fingers

is a common dish among the locals here.

We can order this dish in most of the 'ju chow' or 'siou chow' shops.

It may be considered a Nonya dish 

because of the Sambal used for cooking this dish.

Nevertheless, the taste of the dish depends a lot on the Sambal used.

There is no special skill required to cook this dish
but a good Sambal is necessary.

I have a good Sambal recipe to share with you if you are interested.

Beside cooking with lady fingers,
more types of vegetables can be added and it becomes

'Si Tai Tin Wong'

4 types of vegi, namely lady's finger, brinjal, long beans and petai,
fried together with Sambal Belacan.

How about this?

Sambal Long Beans
just as appetizing!

Yummy!

FRIED TOMATO EGG

Fried Tomato Egg

I have heard so much about this dish

but never get to cook it

because I worry that it may not be nice.

Tomato, soft and juicy,

how can it be nice when it is fried with egg?

It has proved me wrong!

It has in fact make the fried egg, juicy and nice instead.

If you think like what I have thought,

do try it one day.

It is easy to cook.

First, dice tomato, big onions & spring onions.

Heat up some oil in the kuali,

fry the diced onions until fragrant,

add diced tomato and spring onions.

Pour in beaten egg which has already been flavoured with salt & pepper.

Turn the omelette over to cook the other side when set.

Soon, you will have a fragrant, juicy egg omelette on the table.

Enjoy!

PINEAPPLE JAM

Pineapple Jam

is often used as filling for tarts.

This recipe is by Sonia a.k.a. Nasi Lemak Lover.

I find this recipe easy and need minimum ingredients.

Pineapple Jam

3 pineapples

250g sugar

4 Tbsp lemon juice

Method:

1. cut pineapple into chunks & blend in a food processor

2. strain and remove some of the juice (too much juice takes longer time to cook)

3. cook blended pineapple in a pot over medium heat, no need to stir all the time.

4. when most of the juice has evaporated, add sugar

5. continue cooking, and stir occasionally until it has become a thick paste

6. reduce heat and add lemon juice, continue cooking until jam is thick

7. cool the jam before use.

Note:

1) total cooking time is about 50-60min

2) can store in freezer, if not using within 2-3 days
3) pineapple jam needs to be fully cooked to obtain longer shelf life when baked in cookies

MANGO STICKY RICE

'Khao Neow Ma Muang'
is an authentic Thai Dessert.

In Thai,
Khao Neow is sticky rice and Ma Muang is Mango.

Combining these 2,
Mango and Steamed Sticky Rice,
we have this colourful and yummy dessert,
Mango Sticky Rice Dessert.

You can order it in expensive Restaurants, 

Specialty Dessert shops 

and 

also in Food-courts.

Of course, the difference is how elaborate it is served.

Mine is simple, 

with minimum decorations.

I have eaten some with scoops of coconut ice-cream,

piped whipped cream,

decorated with shaved ice & mint leaves,

and

laced with thick coconut cream.

The list is endless as how it is presented.

So, just let your imagination run wild

and 

come up with a personalized dessert.

These we ate at 'Mango Garden' Bangkok

Served with black sticky rice and ice cream

Served with whipped cream and ice cream

Preparation

1) soak some glutinous rice overnight

2) drain, and steam until cooked (cut pandan leaves may be added for sweet smell)

3) mix some salt into coconut milk, & sprinkle on the rice when it is almost done

4) keep the rice warm until ready to serve

5) serve with sliced mango

Notes:

1) blue pea flowers may be added when soaking the rice to get the blue colour

2) buy sweet mango like mango susu 

GINGER PASTE

Ginger Paste

A sauce that is suitable for steaming
both fish or chicken pieces
or
even the whole fish.

You can also use it as a dipping sauce!

This is cooked & freezed until required.

One time preparation
and
can use few times,
up to 3 months if kept in the freezer

Ginger Paste

280g young ginger, cut & blended

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 Tbsp garlic oil

1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce (optional, for colour. If not used, add more salt)
1/2 tsp chicken granules (optional)

1/2 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp salt, can be increased

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp Water

1. Combine all ingredients and cook until boiling, turn off heat

2. Let cool & freeze in bottles

STEW PIG'S TAIL AND PEANUT

Soft and juicy peanuts

in thick, dark porky gravy,

do you like it?

Peanuts take long hours of cooking, 

so normally it is  soaked overnight,
and
boiled until almost done before adding the pig's tail.

Well, what is the ratio?

No fixed ratio, depend on how big is the tail that you bought

and how much peanuts you have in the pantry!

Simply smash a piece of old ginger and add to the boiling stew.
This is a must to remove the smell from the pork.

The rest of the seasoning includes
ground pepper, both dark & light soya sauce, sugar and salt.
Of course, for added flavour you may add herbs like clove, star anis and cinnamon sticks.

To achieve that thick gravy,
opt for long hours of slow cooking.

Enjoy

SOYA SAUCE DRESSING

This Soya Sauce Dressing

looks like any of the store bought soya sauce.

There is not much difference in colour & thickness,

but 

the taste has been greatly improved!

Thank you Jeffrey Fong for sharing this marvelous sauce recipe,

that can be used on any dishes.

Simply pour it on boiled vegetables, chicken, pork or fish

and it brings out the taste wonderfully.

You can even use it as a dipping sauce.

Cooking meat? 

No problem, just use it as seasoning in stew.

The ingredients are simple.

Get a good quality soya sauce, Maggi seasoning sauce and some rock sugar.

Here is the recipe provided by Jeffrey Fong:

1 bottle Superior light soya sauce (640ml)

250g rock sugar

1 Tbsp Maggi seasoning soya sauce

1100ml water

1) boil water & rock sugar until sugar is dissolved

2) turn off fire and let it cool completely

3) stir in the rest of the ingredients, and bottled up

4) leave in the fridge until required.

5) when using, no need to re-boil, just pour onto the food

6) add some garlic oil, shallots oil or sesame oil

7) some crispy fried shallots or garlic will add more flavour to the dish.

8) enjoy

BOILED VEGETABLE

Boiled Vegetables

Often times we wonder why we cannot maintain the colour of greens after cooking.

When stir frying, we tend to over cook it.

When boiling it, we tend to leave it in the hot water for too long.

So, the problem is over cooking!

These are some of the tips to boil vegetables:

1) ratio of water to vegetable should be about 2:1, 

    as too little water will bring the temperature down when vegi is added

2) bring the water to rolling boil 

3) drain the vegetable well while waiting for the water to boil

4) add some oil & salt to the boiling water prior to adding the vegetable

5) do not turn down the flame when vegi is added, continue on high heat

6) when small bubbles appear by the sides of pan, it is ready to dish out the vegi!

7) pour sauce & oil over the vegetable to cool down

8) serve warm

SAMBAL HAEBEE - HAEBEE HIAM

Sambal Haebee

gives a finishing touch to whatever food that you are having.

I express my special thanks to my Facebook friend

Ding Mee Ling

from Sitiawan

for this Classic Nonya recipe

It may be time consuming to prepare

but it really worth the trouble.

Remember, never reduce the amount, you will regret cooking too little!

Ingredients:

500g dried shrimps, soaked & chopped 

600g shallots, peeled & sliced

1 bulb garlic, peeled & sliced

10-15g dried chilli, soaked & sliced

5-10 fresh chilli, big

5-10 chilli, spicy type
8 lemongrass, white part only

3" fresh turmeric

1" belacan

1 ball assam jawa. add water & squeeze out juice

10 limau perut leaves, torn 1/2 (optional if you do not have)

brown sugar & salt to taste

1. blend shallots, garlic, lemongrass all chillis, turmeric & belacan together

2. heat kuali and fry chopped dried shrimp until dry, remove

3. heat 2-3 cups oil in the kuali, add the blended ingredients & fry until fragrant 

4. when oil emerge from the chilli, add the fried dried shrimp

5. add limau perut leaves, if used

6. add assam jawa juice, brown sugar & salt to taste

7. leave to cool before storing in bottles