Sweet & Sour Fish Fillets

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.8 – Sept/ October 2002)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

200g garoupa fillets (sliced)

1/2 piece pineapple (sliced)

1 red chilli (cut into pieces)

1/4 capsicum (cut into pieces)

1/2 onion (cut into pieces)

Marinade:

1/2 tbsp ginger juice

A pinch of salt

For deep frying:

Suitable amount of corn flour

1 egg yolk

Seasoning:

3 tbsps tomato sauce

3 tbsps white vinegar

2 tbsps sugar

1 tsp tapioca starch

1/2 tbsp water

Method:

1. Marinate garoupa fillets with marinade for 5 minutes.

2. Heat up a cup of oil. Coat fish fillets with egg yolk, then corn flour. Deep-fry in hot oil till golden in colour. Dish up and set aside.

3. Heat up 2 tbsps oil. Sauté onions till fragrant. Add in red chillies, capsicums and pineapples. Stir fry for a little while. Add in seasoning and bring to a boil. Add in fish fillets and mix well. Dish up and serve hot.

Shanghai Wor-Tip

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.8 – Sept/ October 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Wrapper:
600g flour
80g rice flour
260 ml water
40g oil

Filling:
600g belly pork (minced)
600g lean pork (minced)
40g spring onions (diced)
40g ginger (minced)
400g chives (diced)

Seasoning:
115 ml water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsps MSG
2 tsps tapioca starch

For dippiping:
3 tbsps vinegar
1 piece young ginger (shredded)

Method:
1. Put all filling into a large mixing bowl. Add in seasoning. Knead manually till sticky and it leaves the bowl clean. Scale each portion at 20g.
2. Mix well wrapper ingredients. Divide dough into 25g portions. Sprinkle some flour onto table. Roll out the smaller doughs into oval shape. Wrape in a portion of filling and seal the edges. Repeat till the ingredients are used up.
3. Heat up a frying pan. Brush a layer of oil. Arrange the Wor-Tip on it. Sprinkle a little water onto them. Cover it and fry till fragrant. Turn to the other side and fry for a short while. Dish up. Serve with vinegar and ginger shreds as a condiment.

HOME STYLE CHICKEN RICE

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.
Approx. 4 servings
Ingredient A:
300g Thai fragrant rice
5 shallots (minced)
2 pips garlic (smashed)
1 piece young ginger (smashed)
3 blades pandan leaves (knotted)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsps cooking oil
Some water to cook rice

Seasoning:
1/4 tsp salt

Ingredient B:
2 whole chicken legs
5 slices young ginger
1 stalk spring onion

Marinade:
4 shallots (pound, extract juice)
1 1/2 tbsps oyster sauce

For garnishing:
Deep-fried shallot crisps
Cucumber (slice into pieces)

Method:
1. Marinate chicken with marinade for 30 minutes.
2. Melt butter in a pot. Add in cooking oil and sauté minced shallots.
3. Add in garlic and ginger. Fry for a little while.
4. Add in washed rice. Fry a little.
5. Add in some water, pandan leaves and salt to cook the rice.
6. Place a steamer over the pot. Put the spring onion and ginger on it. Add in chicken legs. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
7. Turn off heat. Let it cook in its own heat till rice is cooked through.
8. Remove chicken legs and chop it into serving pieces. Serve chicken rice with garnishing.

Chilli sauce

Ingredients:
5 red chillies (shredded, remove seeds)
1 piece young ginger (40g)
5 pips garlic (smashed)
5 small local limes / limau kasturi (extract juice)
2 tbsps water
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsps shallot oil
1 tsp sesame oil

Method:
Blend all ingredients in a food processor till a fine paste is formed. Serve with the chicken rice.

Tips:
Use kampung chicken as the meat has a better texture.
During the cooking process, the chicken is cook through by the steam evaporated from the boiling rice below. The juicy chicken essence drops onto the rice, thus creates an aroma.
Do not use frozen chicken legs, or else it will never cook through.

Traditional Chicken Curry with Roti Jala

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs (chop into 3 pieces each)

170g onions (processed)

6 pips garlic (pounded)

425-570ml water

50ml diluted coconut mlk

100ml concentrated coconut milk

600g potatoes (cut into wedges)

110g oil

Spices:

2 star anise/ bunga lawang

2 cinnamon barks/ kayu manis

2 lemon grass/ serai (smashed)

Curry ingredients:

6 tbsps curry powder

8 tbsps water

1/2 tsp salt

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Heat up oil. Sauté lemon grass for 1 minute over high heat. Add in star anise and cinnamon barks. Add in onions. Fry over medium heat till fragrant. Add in garlic and fry for another 1 minute.

2. Add in curry ingredients. Sauté over low heat for 3 minutes till oil surfaces.

3. Add in chicken. Cook meat thoroughly.

4. Add in water and diluted coconut milk. Bring it to a boil.

5. Add in potatoes, simmer till soft.6. Add in concentrated coconut milk. Add seasoning to taste. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Serve with roti jala.

Dried Curry Lamb Wrapped In Roti Jala

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
280g minced lamb (beef or pork)
140g onion (diced)
2 potatoes (boiled, skinned, mashed)
3-4 pieces curry leaves
1 cinnamon bark/ kayu manis
1 pip garlic(pounded)
2 tbsps water
2 tbsps oil

Ingredient for curry: mix well
1 1/2 tbsps curry powder
2-3 tbsps water

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt

For garnishing:
A few slices of Cheddar cheese

Method:
1. Heat up oil. Sauté curry leaves, cinnamon bark and onion till it turns soft. Add in garlic and curry. Fry till fragrant.
2. Add in minced lamb. Fry till cooked. Add in water and seasoning. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
3. Turn off heat. Add in mashed potatoes. Mix well to form the filling.
4. Scoop 1-2 tbsps of filling onto a piece of yellow roti jala.
5. Wrap up like a spring roll. Repeat till all filling has been used up.
6. It’s ready to be served.
7. You may go one step more by topping it with a slice of Cheddar cheese. Grill it till browned. Serve immediately.

Datuk Lim Bian Yam's Special Roti Jala Dessert

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

6 ripe bananas

200g fresh, grated coconut

3 pieces pandan leaves

2 tbsps sesame seeds (toasted)

Syrup:

200g sugar

200g brown sugar

160ml water

3 blades pandan leaves
For garnishing:

Ice-cream (any flavour)

Almond flakes (toasted)
Method:

1. Boil sugar, brown sugar and water. Add in pandan leaves. Remove leaves when it comes to a boil. Cool solution.

2. Strain (no.1) into another pot. Heat over medium heat and bring it to another boil.

3. Add in grated coconut. Mix well. Simmer till syrup thickens slightly.

4. Add in pandan leaves and simmer for a while. Remove leaves.

5. Mash bananas with a fork. Cook till it heats through.

6. Turn off heat. Add in sesame seeds. Set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge. Wrap with green roti jala. Serve with ice cream and almond flakes.

Deep-Fried Roti Jala

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Method:
1. Heat up enough oil over medium heat. Put in roti jala one piece at a time.
2. Deep-fry till golden brown. Turn over to the other side. Deep-fry till both sides turn a golden brown.
3. Drain off excess oil.
Tips: You can improvised a container or similarly shaped receptacle by puncturing a few holes to act as a roti jala cup. After some attempts, a lacy patterned pancake can form.

Roti Jala

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Roti Jala (Peranakan Lacy Pancakes)
Ingredients:
225g superfine flour (sieved)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
4 eggs (beaten)
340ml fresh milk or diluted coconut milk from 1 coconut
Ingredients for yellow colouring:
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/ serbuk kunyit
1 tsp water
Ingredient for green colouring:
8 blades pandan leaves (pound and extract juice)
Method:
1. Add salt into the flour. Make a well in the centre. Add in eggs, oil and coconut milk. Mix well with a beater.
2. Add in colouring (yellow or green colour per your desire). Mix into a smooth batter.
3. Strain the batter. Free it from lumps.
4. Cover and let it rest for at least 15-30 minutes.
5. Heat up a non-stick frying pan over low heat. Pour batter (no.4) through a perforated Roti Jala cup onto the pan. Move it in circles to form lacy-patterned pancakes.
6. Fry till cooked (1 minute). Turn to the other side. Fold into half-moon shape or quarters. Repeat process till batter is used up.

DAGING GORENG KELANTAN

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
400g beef fillet (sliced thinly)
2 onions (sliced)
2 red chillies (sliced)
4 chilli padi

3 tsps chicken granules

Seasoning:
Salt to taste
A dash of pepper

Marinade:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp turmeric powder/ serbuk kunyit

Method:
1. Marinate beef with marinade for a while.
2. Heat up 2 tbsps oil. Stir fry the beef till half cooked.
3. Sauté onions, chilli padi, red chillies and tumeric powder till fragrant. Add in beef and stir-fry till cooked. Dish up and serve hot.

Tips: Buy good soft meat and do not overcook beef. Always remember to cut meat against the grain, to shorten the fibres.

GULAI AYAM KELANTAN

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1/2 chicken (cut into pieces)
1 coconut (express coconut milk, approx. 250ml)
3 red chillies
3 green chillies
5 chilli padi

Ingredient A:
3 cinnamon sticks/ kayu manis
5 cloves/ bunga cengkih
4 star anise/ bunga lawang
3 cardamon/ buah pelaga
2 dried tamarind slices/ assam keping

Ingredient B: (blend into a paste)
100g shallots
100g garlic
30g galangal/ lengkuas
50g red chillies
15g young ginger

Seasoning:
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil. Sauté ingredient A.
2. Sauté ingredients B, fry till fragrant. Add in chicken and chilli padi. Fry for a little while.
3. Add in coconut milk, red and green chillies. Add in seasoning . Bring to a boil.
4. Scoop ready-cooked chicken into a clay pot and serve straight.

AYAM PERCIK KELANTAN

From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredient:
1 chicken (approx. 600g)

Seasoning:
1 tsp ground black pepper corns
Salt to taste

Ingredient A:
Blend into a paste
25g galangal/ lengkuas
15g ginger
20g shallots
20g garlic
25g lemon grass/ serai

Sauce ingredient:
1 coconut (express santan approx 250ml)

Ingredient B: (blend into a paste)
50g galangal/ lengkuas
30g young ginger
50g shallots
25g garlic
50g lemon grass/ serai

Seasoning:
Some sugar
Some salt

Method:
1. Wash and cut whole chicken. Open it flat.
2. Rub seasoning all over chicken. Add in ingredient A and marinate it for at least 1 hour. Roast the chicken in a pre-heated oven at 230 degrees celsius or grill it till cooked.
3. Sauce: Heat up 3 tbsps oil. Sauté ingredients B till fragrant. Add in coconut milk and sugar. Simmer till thick .
4. Serve roasted chicken with sauce.
Tips: Marinate chicken one day in advance to allow flavours to seep in. For domestic cooking, you can cut chicken into pieces and grill it over hot charcoal like satay. Baste meat occasionally with sauce. This emits a smoky flavour.

NASI DAGANG & GULAI IKAN TONGKOL

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

NASI DAGANG
Ingredients:
500g red rice/ Kelantan beras lembut
100g glutinous rice
600-750g coconut milk (ensure it is sufficient to soften the rice)
3cm ginger (sliced)
6 shallots (sliced)
4 pips garlic (sliced)
1 tsp fenugreek/ halba

Seasoning:
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash rice. Soak overnight and drain. Place rice in a steamer lined with a piece of cheesecloth or muslin. Steam over high heat till rice is half-cooked. Fluff up rice.
2. Put coconut milk, sugar and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Add in rice and stir well. Add in ginger, shallots, garlic and fenugreek. Mix well.
3. Spread rice over the cheesecloth in the steamer. On high heat, resteam rice till it is cooked.
4. Serve with Gulai Ikan Tongkol for the authentic taste of Kelantan.

Tips: Nasi Dagang is literally known in the East Coast as traders’ rice. The beras lembut can be purchased in loose form from Malay groceries or in packed form from supermarkets.

GULAI IKAN TONGKOL
Ingredients:
1 ikan tongkol (cut into pieces)
2 tbsps Baba’s brand fish curry powder
150ml thick coconut milk
2 star anise/ bunga lawang
4 cloves/ bunga cengkih
1 cucumber (cut into pieces)
2 red and green chillies (cut into small sections)
2 dried tamarind slices/ assam keping
A little water

Blend into a paste:
3 shallots
3 pips garlic
2cm ginger

Seasoning:
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash fish and wipe it dry.
2. Heat oil. Sauté blended paste till golden brown. Add in curry powder. Sauté over low heat till fragrant.
3. Add in coconut milk and a little water. Bring it to a boil. Cook till the gravy is of a thick consistency.
4. Add in fish slices, tamarind slices, cucumbers and chillies. Cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add in salt to taste. Remove from heat and serve with Nasi Dagang.

Lemang - A traditional local delight

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.9 – Nov/ Dec 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

With the approach of the fasting month (Ramadan) for Muslims, many temporary Malay food stalls can be seen, sprouting up everywhere. They sell a lot of both modern and traditional food between 4p.m. and 7p.m. A lot of busy Muslim families patronise the stalls, buying the well-prepared meals home for the breaking of fast after sunset. One-ever popular item is lemang. This is glutinous rice filled in bamboo casings and grilled for hours. A single roll can normally feed two to three persons. Generally, it is eaten dipped in a curry dish.

Our bubbly friend, Makcik Siti Minah, who hails from Kelantan, showed us the steps in preparing the tedious tasks. Her lemang stall is located at the 26-km Karak Highway stretch. This traditional lemang making reflects a perfect symbol of the continuity in Malay culture, hospitality and food, which are still deeply entrenched in the roots.

Lemang
Ingredients:
1.2kg glutinous rice
1 coconut (add 2 litres water, extract milk)
6 green bamboo woody stems (1 1/2 feet each)
6 pieces very young banana leaves
Seasoning:
Some salt
Some sugar
Method:
1. Rinse rice. Soak in water for 4 hours. Drain off excess water.
2. Mix seasoning well with rice.
3. Roll up the banana leaves as shown. Insert it inside the bamboo casings.
4. Fill the bamboo casings with rice, do not compact it too much. Add in coconut milk till almost reaching the top. Seal the opening with some banana leaves.
5. Heat up charcoal and grill the lemang over a slow charcoal fire for 5 hours. Rotate it frequently to ensure it is well cooked.
6. Split bamboo casings into halves. Cut the lemang rolls into slices. Serve with Chicken or Beef rendang.
Tips: Use only thin rim, green bamboos. Thick rim is not ideal as heat cannot penetrate through easily. These bamboos are sold in the wet market around Muslim festive seasons.