Laksa Kampung Siglap a.k.a. Laksa Johor

I love eating laksa, any kind of laksa.... Nyonya,  Johor or even Penang laksa. But I seldom cook it as my family is not really a great fan of laksa. Besides, cooking laksa requires a lot of work, so I'd normally have to satisfy my craving for laksa only when I'm eating out. Even then, I try not to have this calorie-laden noodle too often.

My early memories of laksa is when I was living in Kampung Kembangan in the 70s. I remember my mother would often call the travelling laksa hawker into our house compound. It was often a young man who would be carrying  two large baskets, filled with the ingredients & gravy for the laksa, hung on the two ends of a bamboo stick. I was just talking to my mum about this & it turned out that it was not always the same guy who came to sell. Apparently, these men were selling laksa which was prepared by a lady who lived in Kampong Siglap (which was not very far from Kampung Kembangan). Hence the name Laksa Kampong Siglap. However, the laksa is actually laksa Johor (except that spaghetti is used for laksa Johor) but because it was this lady from Kampung Siglap who popularised it in Singapore (at least in the eastern part), it's called Laksa Kampung Siglap. 

I also just found out my mother loves eating laksa so much that, during our kampung days, she had laksa for teatime almost everyday! It was so cheap.....only 10-30 cents a bowl, depending on how many pieces of laksa cap you want. (Laksa cap refers to the homemade laksa noodle strands which are formed into oval- or bun-shaped pieces. Please look at the laksa noodle that I made before to see what I mean.) Now in Singapore, Laksa Kampung Siglap is not as widely available as the Nyonya laksa. For sure you can get it from Geylang Serai Market, but I like to have my laksa fix at Mukmin Restaurant in Bedok. 

Laksa Kampung Siglap (a.k.a. Laksa Johor)

1 kg laksa noodle
300g bean sprouts (tauge)
laksa leaves (daun kesom) - diced*
cucumber - cut into strips*
*for garnish

GRAVY
Ingredients:
150g fresh prawns
400g fresh Japanese Mackeral (Ikan Kembong) or Wolf Herring (Ikan Parang)
2 tbsp ground toasted grated coconut (kerisik) - You can buy or make it yourself like this.
3 tbsps fish curry powder
250ml coconut milk (If using fresh grated coconut, squeeze milk from 1 coconut.)
1000ml water (combined prawn & fish stock & plain water)  
1 handful laksa leaves (daun kesom)
3 pieces asam gelugor or asam keping
salt - to taste
3 tbsp cooking oil

Grind to fine paste:
3 cloves garlic
2 medium onions
2 cm galangal (lengkuas)
3 lemongrass stalks (serai) - white part only
2 tbsp dried prawns -rinsed & soaked
1x3-cm-piece dried salted threadfin fish (ikan kurau) - rinsed & soaked

Method:

1. Boil fresh prawns in some water until they are cooked. Then remove the prawns from water, de-shell & pound or blend flesh. Keep the stock for the gravy.
2. Boil the fish in some water. Remove the fish from water, de-bone & flake. Set aside. Keep stock for the gravy.
3. Heat up oil in a saucepan. Combine ground paste & curry powder. Sauté until dry & fragrant.
4. Add in water, coconut milk, flaked fish & pounded prawn, kerisik, laksa leaves, asam gelugor & salt. Stir frequently until the gravy starts to boil. Then leave gravy to simmer. Adjust the thickness of gravy by simmering longer for thicker broth or adding more water for thinner broth.

CHILLI PASTE
100g dried chilli
salt to taste
- Soak dried chilli in hot water until soft. Rinse with clean water. Then, pound or grind chilli to fine paste. Add salt.

TO SERVE:

1. Blanch some laksa noodle in boiling water. Drain & place in a bowl. Top it with tauge. 
2. Pour gravy & garnish with daun kesom, cucumber & chilli paste.

I'm linking this post to Asian Food Fest #11 Sept 2014 : Singapore, hosted by Grace Phua of Life Can Be Simple.

Epok-epok

Today's entry is on one of the most popular, if not the most popular snacks in Singapore & Malaysia. It's epok-epok to Singaporeans & Johoreans,  while the rest of Malaysians call it karipap. Epok-epok is the Malay version of curry puffs, almost like the Indian samosas. 

I think almost all of us would agree that a good epok-epok is one with thin & crispy crust. Of course, the filling has to be good too. Epok-epok is more commonly sold as a snack because it's actually quite simple to prepare, unlike karipap bai.

Whenever I made epok-epok at home, I would just agak-agak (estimate) the amount of ingredients... so my epok-epok, not surprisingly, is often not consistent in quality. There were a few occasions when I  tried a couple of promising recipes from the internet... the epok-epok was crispy alright, but it's either soaked in oil or, a recipe I tried very recently made a dough that was so difficult to handle!

So yesterday, I decided to measure the ingredients I used when making my epok-epok since I was planning to share the recipe here. I'm pleased with the outcome.... it's thin & reasonably crispy, considering that I did not use any vegetable shortening. (Shortening contributes to a crispy crust but it leaves a plastic aftertaste.) The dough is also easy to handle. So, do give a try & let me know what you think of it. Free feel to adjust the recipe & let me know how it turns out.

Epok-epok

PASTRY
Ingredients:
300g plain flour
30g (40ml) vegetable oil
40g butter or margarine (I used salted butter.)
3/4 tsp salt
70-90ml warm water (Do not pour all at once.)
vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Combine oil & butter/margarine & salt & heat up until the butter melts.
2. Pour the hot oil mixture into the flour & mix using a spoon.
3. Add the warm water, as much as you need, & knead until a soft dough is formed. (You need not use up all the water.)
4. Cover the dough or wrap it in plastic & leave it to rest for 20 minutes in room temperature.

FILLING

Ingredients:

2 cloves

2 pieces cardamoms

2 cm cinnamon stick (thin stick)

2 tsp ginger paste (from 1cm ginger)

1 tsp garlic paste (from 1 clove)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp meat curry powder (or kurma powder) - mix with a little water to form a paste
100g ground beef (or diced chicken or dried prawns)

150g potatoes (1-2 pieces) - diced into small cubes

1 medium onion (diced)

1/2 tsp salt

water (as needed)

1 tbsp mint leaves (or coriander leaves, aka cilantro or Chinese parsley)

2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the cloves, cardamons, cinnamon stick, ginger & garlic paste until golden & fragrant.
2. Add the curry paste & cook for 2 minutes. Then add the ground beef & stir thoroughly for another 2 minutes.
3. Add potatoes & a few spoons of water. Stir frequently until the potatoes are cooked & almost dry. Add salt & more water when the mixture becomes dry but still uncooked. (I also cover the pan to speed up cooking time.)
4. Add in onions & mint leaves & continue cooking until the onions become soft.
5. Remove from fire & transfer into a bowl. Leave to cool completely before assembling the epok-epok.

ASSEMBLY

1. Roll out the dough to 3mm thick and using a round cookie cutter, stamp out circles. (I used a 8cm cutter.) Pinch the edges of the circles to expand them a little. 
2. Fill the center of pastry with filling and bring the edges together to form a half-moon. Pinch the edges together to seal & then crimp or pleat the sealed edges neatly. Refer to the video below on how I did mine.
3. Deep-fry on medium fire until golden, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Drain & serve warm.
4. Makes about 20 pieces.

Video: How to seal & crimp the edges of epok-epok.

Notes:

1. If using dried prawns, soak them till soft & grind. Also, use fish instead of meat curry powder.
2. For a less spicy filling, use kurma powder instead of curry powder. Kurma powder is similar to curry powder  except that it has white pepper instead of red chilli & turmeric powder.
3. Cover or wrap unused dough with plastic, especially if you living in areas with low humidity, as the dough tends to dry up. 
4. If  yo've used all the filling & there's excess dough, don't throw it away. Just roll it out, cut into strips & fry them. They make delicious snack!
5. The uncooked epok-epok keeps well when frozen & fry it only before serving. You need not defrost them before frying.

I'm linking this post to Asian Food Fest #11 Sept 2014 : Singapore, hosted by Grace Phua of Life Can Be Simple.

Mee Siam

Yesterday, I cooked  mee siam for the family. This time, it's the Malay version. Unlike Mee Siam Mamak,  this version is more commonly found in eating outlets here in Singapore. Just look for any Malay stalls that sell rice or noodles & they are likely to sell mee siam.

Mee siam is different from the regular fried bee hoon. While the latter is dry,  mee siam is served with sweet, sour & spicy gravy. For this recipe, the noodle is cooked using mainly onions for its flavour. So you definitely need to add the gravy when serving in order to relish the robust flavour of Mee Siam.

Mee Siam

For the fried mee:
300 g dry rice vermicelli
150g bean sprouts (tauge)
20-30 dried chilli (cut & soaked till soft)
2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic
salt to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

1. Soak rice vermicelli in a big bowl of water until soft for about half an hour. Drain & set aside.
2. Blend chilli, onions & garlic to become paste. (Add water if needed.)
3. Heat oil & sauté blended ingredients until fragrant. Add salt.
4. Add vermicelli & fry until cooked.
5. Add bean sprouts & fry for a few more minutes. Remove from fire & set aside.

For the gravy:
300g  fresh prawns - shelled & set aside the heads
20-30 dry chilli - soaked until soft.
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
3 tbsp dried shrimp - soaked till soft
1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste)
3 tbsp taucu (fermented soya beans) - rinsed & mashed coarsely
2-4 pieces of asam gelugur (You may replace this with tamarind paste.)
4-5 cups of water
1/2 cup toasted peanuts - skinned & coursely ground
1/4 cup sugar
salt to taste
3 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

1. Combine prawn heads & some water in a pot & cook until boiling. Strain & set aside the water. Throw the heads away.
2. Combine chilli, onions, garlic, dried shrimp & belacan & blend to became paste. Add water if necessary.
3. Heat oil in a pot. Sauté blended ingredients until fragrant.  Add in taucu & continue frying.
4. Add in water (including the prawn head stock), prawns, asam gelugur, peanuts, sugar & salt until the gravy is boiling. Reduce heat & leave gravy to simmer. Add more salt, sugar &/or asam gelugur, if necessary.

For garnishing:
hard-boiled eggs
chives (kucai) - chopped
small limes - cut
fried tofu (bean curd) - cut into small pieces

To serve:

1. Place fried mee in a bowl.
2. Pour gravy onto the mee.
3. Garnish & serve.

Notes: You may adjust the amount of any of the ingredients to your liking, especially the chilli, salt, sugar & asam gelugur. The amount of water used also depends on how thick you want the gravy to be.

Adapted from Junaidah Jaafar's recipe from Resepi Pesta Perut.

I'm linking this post to Asian Food Fest #11 Sept 2014 : Singapore, hosted by Grace Phua of Life Can Be Simple.
I'm also linking this post to Cook-Your-Books event no. 16 hosted by Kitchen Flavours.

Bingka Ambon

After my first attempt with making Bingka Ambon, I've tried a couple of other recipes but they are not as good as the one by Majalah Sedap. So here I am with my bingka  ambon again. I used the same recipe as before but with some changes. 

This time, I reduced the amount of yeast used, hoping that the yeast flavour would be more subtle. Since I reduced the yeast, I thought I should up the fermentation period. 

The bingka turns out pretty much as expected. The yeast flavour is definitely less overbearing, & the bingka still has beautiful honeycomb texture. The only problem, which I think you must have noticed, the surface of my ambon has rather big holes on it... I wonder if it's caused by the longer fermentation period.... I wanted to experiment one more time before posting it here, but I think my family & neighbour are having binka-ambon overload. I got a hint from my mum... she asked why I've been making bingka ambon lately..... So I'll have to wait for a while before I can carry on with my bingka ambon learning journey. Or if any of you out there would like to try out this recipe, you can start baking it after 2 hours of fermentation. Let me know how it turns out.

Bingka Ambon

Yeast mixture:
50g plain flour
60 ml water
4g instant yeast

Other ingredients:
150 ml coconut milk from 1/2 coconut - I used thick, freshly-squeezed coconut milk.
1-2 kafir lime leaves, a.k.a. daun limau purut (torn)
1 pandan leave
1/2 tsp salt
180g sugar
110g tapioca flour
10g glutinous rice flour
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
yellow colouring (optional) - I didn't use.

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients for yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly & leave aside for 15 minutes.
2. Combine coconut milk, kafir lime leaves, pandan leave, salt & sugar in a pot & cook, stirring continuously, until mixture boils. Remove from fire & strain mixture. Set aside 225ml.
3. Combine tapioca & glutinous rice flour. Add in warm coconut milk mixture & mix using hand whisk or cake mixer. Add in yeast mixture & continue mixing.
4. Add in egg one at a time & continue mixing for about 15 minutes. Leave mixture aside for 4 hours.
5. Heat up Kuih Baulu mould on a stove using low fire & grease it using vegetable oil.
6. Stir mixture thoroughly & pour it into the mould until 3/4 full. 
7. Once little holes start to form on the surface of the bingka, cover the mould. Leave to cook for few minutes.
8. Remove bingka from mould & repeat process.

Notes & modifications:

1. This recipe makes about 50 pieces.
2. While baking the bingka, you will need to adjust the fire accordingly. You may encounter some problems, like bingka stuck to the mould or burnt bingka, with at least the first batch. Don't worry, it will get better after a few batches.
3. I've reduced the yeast by slightly more than a third this time & doubled the fermentation time from 2 hours to 4 hours. I wonder if the longer fermentation time had caused the big holes on the surface... 

Adapted from recipe by Majalah Sedap Bil 18 Vol 2 2009.

I'm submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Indonesia, hosted by Alice from I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

Kuih Lopes

This is my maiden attempt to make kuih lopes on my own, without any supervision. I've eaten a lot of kuih lopes made by my mother, but I've never really learnt how to make it although I had some vague ideas. Days before making, I just asked my mother to clarify certain things.  

Lopes is traditionally wrapped into a triangular shape, but that's quite time consuming. So I wrapped mine like lontong or lemang. My experience with making lemang came in handy. Actually, I did wrap a few pieces into triangular shape ones but all of them burst open during cooking time. That's what will happen if they are not tied securely.

I'll leave you with the recipe & some tips  on making & keeping kuih lopes. Hope they'll be useful if you want to give it a try.

Kuih Lopes

Ingredients:
500g glutinous rice
10-15g light soda ash - crushed (I used 10g)  / lye water (I'm not sure how much you need this.) *see note below
banana leaves

1. Wash the glutinous rice until the rinsing water is clear. 
2. Then place the rice in a container & pour water until about 5cm above the rice level. Sprinkle the crushed soda ash or mix in the lye water. Stir the rice. Leave it to soak for at least 2 hours. (The colour of the rice should turn to light yellow. If the rice has not turned yellow, you should add some more soda ash or lye water.) 
3. At the end of the soaking period. drain the water by pouring the rice into a colander. 
4. Wash the banana leaves. To soften the leaves,  pass the leave quickly over flame, one at a time. You can also dry the leaves under the sun for a couple of hours. Softening the leaves will prevent them from tearing when wrapping the kuih lopes.
5. Take a piece of banana leave & roll it to form a cylindrical shape. Make sure there are at least 2 layers of leaves. (I used a rolling pin as a mould to form uniform banana leave 'cylinders'.) Tie one end of the leave with a rafia string. (You need a string long enough to tie the 2 ends & the center of the leaves.) Fill the 'cylinders' with the glutinous rice, leaving about 1cm space for the rice to expand. Using the same piece of string, tie the center & the other end of the leave securely. (I wrapped & tied my kuih lopes just like I did my lemang.)
6. Boil a big pot of water. Place the wrapped lopes into the pot. Make sure all the lopes are submerged in water. Cook for 2-5 hours. (I cooked them for 2 hours.) Remove from pot & place on a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
7. To serve, slice the lopes with a plastic knife or wet metal knife & coat every piece with grated coconut. Then pour gula Melaka syrup.

This recipe makes four 8cm-long lopes.

After soaking, the rice should turn light yellow.

Coconut for coating:
300g fresh coconut (skin removed & grated)
2 pandan leaves, torn
salt to taste
     Combine the ingredients & steam for about 15 minutes. Steaming the coconut will prevent it from turning rancid when left in room temperature over a long period of time.

Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar) Syrup:
200g gula Melaka, cut into small pieces
2 pandan leaves, torn lengthwise & tied a knot
1/2 cup water

a pinch of salt

     Combine water, gula Melaka & pandan leaves in a heavy-based saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until all the sugar has melted. Once the syrup is boiling,  remove from heat. Then strain & leave aside. The syrup will thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick, thin out with a little bit of water before using.

Notes:
1) Soda ash is  abu chang in Malay. According to my maid, Indonesians call it tawas. The  one that's commonly sold here is the white & hard solid type. Another type is orange in colour. I think lye water is the liquid form. You can buy the soda ash from the market or neighbourhood shops. 

2) The amount of rice you fill into the banana leave cylinders will determine how hard or soft the kuih lopes will turn out. Too compact  & the lopes will be hard, but too loose & the lopes will be very soft. After filling it with rice, I left about 1 cm space before tying the other end of the leave. My lopes turn out just nice, they are not too hard & not too soft.

3) Hesti from Hesti Kitchen also shared some tips to improve the keeping quality of kuih lopes. 

*The amount of time you cook the lopes will affect its keeping quality. The longer you cook them,  the longer the lopes can be left in room temperature without turning bad. (This also applies to ketupat and lontong.) I cooked my lopes for only 2 hours as I know my lopes will not be left uneaten for long. Hesti wrote that her mum cooked the kuih lopes for 5 hours & it can keep for 1 week in room temperature. 

*Once cooked, remove lopes from the pot & rinse it under running water. Then dry it using a cloth & place it on a wire rack to cool completely.

*Lopes can also be frozen for months. (I did not know that!)

I'm submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Indonesia, hosted by Alice from I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

Ayam Goreng Lengkuas & Nasi Kuning

This delicious Galangal Fried Chicken is a great variation if you are thinking of having homemade fried chicken. I also cooked some yellow rice  using the liquid from the half-cooked chicken so as not to waste it. The rice & chicken are already bursting with flavour, so I just served them with Tomato Sambal, the kind usually served with ayam penyet.

Ayam Goreng Lengkuas 
(Galangal Fried Chicken)

Ingredients:
1 chicken ( weighing about 1 kg), cut into 8 pieces
4 tbsp shredded galangal
5 tbsp oil
2 salam leaves (or bay leaves as a substitute)
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
oil for cooking  & deep frying

Spice (ground):
3 gloves garlic
5 shallots
3 candlenuts, roasted
1 tsp tamarind
2 tsp chopped turmeric
salt & sugar

Method:

1. Combine chicken with ground spices & shredded galangal & mix thoroughly.
2. Heat about 3 tbsp of oil in a frying pan & add  in the chicken. Add salam leaves & lemon grass. Cover the pan & fry over low heat, adding a little water if necessary.
3. Remove the chicken when it is half-cooked. Drain the chicken & set aside the remaining liquid. Deep fry  the chicken until golden brown.
4. Serve the chicken with fried shredded galangal sprinkled on it.

Notes & modifications:

1. After combining the chicken with the ground spices, I left it in the fridge for about 2 hours. 
2. I did not add any water when cooking the chicken as there was already a lot of water coming out from the chicken as I was cooking it. Once the chicken is half cooked, I removed the chicken & used the remaining liquid in the frying pan to cook yellow rice.

Nasi Kuning

Ingredients:

800g rice (I used basmati rice.)

2 tbsps shredded turmeric or 1 tbsp powdered turmeric

1 litre coconut milk from 1 coconut (discard the skin) - 

1 tbsp salt

2 salam leaves (or bay leaves as a substitute)

2 stalks lemon grass, bruised

1 tbsp lime juice

Method:

1. Wash & drain rice.
2. Steam for 25 minutes until it is half-cooked. Then transfer to another saucepan.
3. Soak the shredded turmeric in coconut milk.  Add in salt, salam leaves, lemon grass & the liquid from the half-cooked chicken. Bring to a boil.
4. Pour the boiled coconut milk onto the half-cooked rice, add lime juice & allow to simmer. Continute to stir until the liquid is completely absorbed. Then steam until thoroughly cooked.

Note: - I combined all the ingredients & cooked the rice in the electric rice cooker.

          - adjust the total amount of liquid accordingly.

Sambal Tomato 

(Tomato Chilli Sauce)

Ingredients:
150g red chillies, seeded
6 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 red tomato, chopped
½ tsp dried shrimp paste (belacan)
salt & sugar
2 tbsp oil
     Sauté red chillies, shallots, garlic, tomato & shrimp paste until half-cooked. Set aside.  Grind & add salt & sugar.

Recipe (with some modifications) by Yasa Boga from The Best of Indonesian Cooking.

I'm submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Indonesia, hosted by Alice from I Love. I Cook. I Bake. 
I'm also linking this post to Cook-Your-Books #10 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

Kabab Koobideh with Chelo

I first tasted Persian food about 15 years ago in Maryland, USA where I used to live. Back then, there were not many halal food outlets in my neighbourhood. The only ones I was aware of were a Chinese Muslim, an Indian & a Persian & the Persian outlet was the nearest to my place. (A few weeks ago, I was just curious, so I googled & apparently, the restaurant, Mediterranean House of Kabob, is still around!) I often went there with my daughters (my only children then) on weekdays after school because there was really no choice for us if we decided to eat out... but we didn't mind because my daughters & I loved the food, so much so, I made sure we dropped by the place for the last time the day before we left the country for good. I also wanted to let the restaurant owner know that we were leaving...

There were a few types of kabob served at the restaurant but our favourite was kabab koobideh (grilled ground meat on skewers) served with rice or pita & cucumber yogurt sauce. And today, we had home-cooked kabab koobideh & chelo (steamed rice, Persian-style). My family loves the kabab & rice. I think adding the sumac to the meat makes a difference as it gives the authentic middle eastern flavour. I bought my sumac powder from Mustaffa a few weeks ago. I'm also amazed by how delicious the chelo is,  although it is basically just white rice with butter. And, if you have not tried grilled tomatoes before, I say you should try it because it is so much better than raw or overcooked tomatoes! 

Before I leave you with the recipes, I 'd like to wish all BitterSweetSpicy readers Happy New Year! Thank you for supporting my blog & FB Page & have a wonderful 2014!

Kabab Koobideh
Adapted from recipes by Fauzia's Kitchen Fun  & Turmeric & Saffron.

Ingredients:
1 kg ground beef (mixture of lean & fat)
1 large onion - grated (squeeze out the juice, if any)
1 small bunch coriander (leaves with stems) - chopped
1 tbsp sumac powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper powder

For Grilled Vegetables:
4 medium firm and ripe tomatoes, cut in halves
2 medium onions, quartered
2 capsicums, sliced

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well with your hands until the mixture becomes well blended. Cover the bowl & leave it in the fridge overnight to ensure that the meat is well marinated.
2. Divide the mixture into portions (I made 10 portions). Take each portion & shape into an oval. Then place it on a flat and long metal or wooden skewer and press onto the skewer. Do the same with the rest of the portions. (The thickness and the length of the kababs depend on your preferences.)
3. Heat up the grill (I used a grill pan.), making sure that it is very hot. Then place the skewers on the grill. Turn each skewer over quickly and continue to do so until the meat cooks & turns brown on both sides.
4. To grill the vegetables, place them directly onto the hot grill or place them on thin metal or wooden skewers and grill for a few minutes.

Chelo
Recipe by Maideh Mazda from In a Persian Kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups rice - I used basmati rice.
1 1/2 tbsp salt
2 litres water
2 tbsp salt

1/2 cup butter (melted)
saffron - mixed with hot water (optional)

Method:

1. Wash rice three times in lukewarm water & then soak in cold water of which 1 1/2 tbsps of salt have been added. Use enough cold water to cover the rice. This rice should be soaked overnight (in a pinch, 1 or 2 hours' soaking will suffice).
2. Boil 2 litres of water of which 2 tbsps of salt have been added.
3. Pour off the water in which the rice has been soaked. Add rice to the boiling water & boil it for 10-15 minute. (Stir rice with spoon once or twice to prevent the grains from sticking together.)
4. Pour the rice & water into a strainer & rinse with lukewarm water.
5. Put 1/3 of the melted butter into the bottom of the pot in which you have cooked the rice. Add 2 tbsps of water to the butter in the pot.
6. take a spoonful of rice at a time & put it in hot pot, distributing it evenly. Allow it to mount into a cone shape.
7. Pour the rest of the butter (& saffron, if using) over the rice, distributing it evenly.
8. Put paper towel over the pot. Cover & put 2 or 3 dish towels on the lid. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium fire.  Lower the fire & cook for 35-40 minutes on low fire. 

Notes:

1. By putting dish towels over the lid, the rice will cook more evenly throughout.
2. If the rice is cooked at the right temperature, the rice will form a crust at the bottom of the pot which will become crisp & turn into golden brown, while the rest of the rice remains white. If desired, add more melted butter before serving. 
3. When serving rice, put 2-3 tablespoons of rice in a dish & add to it 2 tbsps of saffron. Mix it well & decorate the chelo with this rice.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.

Mdammas a.k.a Kacang Pool

Kacang pool, or mdammas as it's referred to in the Middle East, is one of my favourite dishes. When I was living with my parents, my mother often prepared it for breakfast on Sundays. My mum's version is very simple to prepare. Crushed black pepper is added to the cooked beans & the dish is served with sliced onion & green chilli & sunny side up egg fried with ghee. According to her, that was how kacang pool was prepared & sold by the Arabs during the 1950s & 60s in the Kampong Glam area. In fact, fried egg was not part of the dish! 

Originated in Egypt & Sudan, mdammas is the most popular food in these countries. However, according to  Salah Jamal, the author of  Arabian Flavours, the true masters in the preparation of the most delicious version of this dish are the Arabs of Asia Minor i.e. the Palestinians, Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese & Iraqis. In his book, Salah Jamal shared 2 recipes of mdammas, both the Egyptian & Sudanese version as well as the Asia Minor version. The former is very simple, just like how my mum often prepared hers, except it uses cayenne pepper instead of black pepper & olive oil instead of ghee. The latter involves the use of more ingredients. I used this recipe when I prepared mdammas for breakfast more than two weeks ago.  

Mdammas a.k.a Kacang Pool
(the Asia Minor version)
Adapted from recipe by Salah Jamal from Arabian Flavours, Recipes & Tales of Arab Life.

Ingredients:
1 can cooked broad beans (fava beans)
1 large clove garlic (crushed)
2 sprigs fresh coriander, chopped (original recipe uses fresh parsley)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp tahina
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
tomato - chopped (I added.)
onion - chopped
green chilli - sliced

Method:

1. Pour beans into a saucepan & heat up for about 5 minutes. Mash the beans with a folk. (You may also puree it using a blender.)
2. Add in garlic, coriander, lemon juice, tahina & salt. Mix thoroughly.
3. Pour mixture into a serving dish. Drizzle olive oil & top it with tomato, onion & green chilli.
4. Serve with bread.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.
I'm also linking this post to Cook Your Books No. 7 organised by Kitchen Flavours.

Turkish Pide

When I first saw Wendy posted her Turkish pita last week, right away I knew I wanted to bake it! In fact, I could so eat it right then! How could I not... the pita looked so beautiful & colourful, and the shape is so unique! Looking through the ingredients, I knew the dish would taste great. I think this dish will make a great & interesting presentation for guests.

The pita was so good that Wendy regretted baking only one piece... I didn't want to have any regrets, so I baked 4! Haha! But that's a good thing because my first two pitas were not presentable enough for picture taking (but still good to eat ^_^), most probably because of the mistake I made with the filling (read notes below). Also, good thing that I made 4 because all my kids loved it. They kept telling me that the crust was really good. I'm thinking of using this pita recipe for my pizza crust. One thing I know for sure, this is one dish I will make again & again.

Notes & modifications:

1. I made the mistake of mixing the egg together with the rest of the ingredients for the filling, besides cracking an egg on top. As a result, my filling was quite watery after baking. Actually, my kids & I did not really mind the moist filling. The only problem is the liquid did get soak a little into the bread..
2. Before pinching the dough at the two ends, I applied some water on the edge to ensure the dough was sealed securely. 
3. I baked my pita on a baking stone which I preheated for 1/2 hour, so I only needed to bake each pita for about 20 minutes.

(Update: I made this again. This time I used the filling recipe by Paul Hollywood. I think it has better flavour. Take a look at the recipe here.)

Mozzarella cheese topping for my youngest...

Turkish Minced Meat Pita
Source: Table for two.... or more.
(Makes 1 large pide.)

Pide dough:
125g flour (I used bread flour.)
20g water + 1/2 tsp instant yeast
20g natural yoghurt
20g milk (I used 30g.)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
olive oil for brushing on baked pita

Filling:
100g minced meat
1 tomato, seeds removed, diced
2 tbsp onion
2 tbsp chopped parsley (I used coriander leaves.)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1 egg (for topping)

Method:

1. Dissolve yeast in water. Combine all ingredients for pastry & knead using hand for 2 minutes. Leave to proof (covered) for 2 hours.
2. 20 minutes before end of proofing, combine all ingredients for  filling, except egg, & place the mixture in a colander to drain any liquid.
3. Preheat oven at 180 (fan) or 200 deg C.
4. Roll out dough into an oval, 5mm thick. Place dough on a baking paper which is placed on a dark-coloured baking tray. Put filling on the dough, leaving 1-inch border. Fold the sides in & pinch the ends together. Crack the egg onto the filling.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, until the dough turns golden brown. Remove pita from oven & brush the crust with olive oil. Serve warm.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.

Maamoul

One of the must-have cookies for Hari Raya (Eid) in Singapore & Malaysia is Kuih Makmur. It's basically butter pastry filled with peanuts. I'm not sure if you are aware that this cookie actually originates from the Middle East region. There, it's called Maamoul & it's also normally served during Eid celebrations. The original Maamoul cookies are filled with dates but now, nuts like pistachios, walnuts or almonds are commonly used.

Today, I made Maamoul cookies that uses a mixture of white flour & semolina. Just like Kuih Makmur, the Maamoul cookies are so addictive! The perfect combination of the slightly crunchy pastry & sweetened pistachio nuts makes this a must-have cookie for the next Hari Raya!

Maamoul
Adapted from recipe by Saad Fayed.

Pastry:
2 cups pastry flour, a.k.a. top flour (You can also use all-purpose flour.) - sifted
1 cup semolina
250g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon rose water (The original recipe uses orange blossom water.)
powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and semolina. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat butter for 30-45 seconds. Stir in milk, salt & rose water. Continue stirring until all the ingredients are well combined.
4. Slowly add in flour & mix well. 
5. Take some dough & press it into a cookie mould. Place some nut filling on the dough. Then add more dough on the filling & press to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and nut mixture.
6. If using aluminium moulds, place the aluminium moulds filled with dough on a baking tray. If using wooden mould, knock the shaped cookie dough out of the mould & arrange the cookies on a baking tray.
7. Bake maamoul for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
8. Cool baked maamoul. If using aluminium moulds, remove cookies from the moulds. 
9. Dust cookies with sugar powder & store in air-tight container.

Filling:
2/3 cup chopped pistachios (You can also use walnuts or almonds)
2 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tbsps butter

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat up  & stir until the ingredients are well combined & the butter has melted.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.

Fried Fish with Sour Pepper & Coriander Sauce

We had rice with seafood tom yum & fried fish with sour pepper & coriander sauce for lunch last weekend. It was a simple yet very satisfying meal. My husband couldn't stop eating the fish especially because the fish was crispy, the way he likes his fish fried.

Fried Fish with Sour Pepper & Coriander Sauce
Source: Family Circle Thai Cooking.

Ingredients:
1 kg whole snapper or red emperor (or any firm, sweet fish), scaled & cleaned
1 cup oil, for frying
4 spring onions, chopped
5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
2-4 tsps fresh green peppercorns, crushed - I didn't use.
2-4 tsps chopped red chillies
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp tamarind puree
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
Thai chilli sauce, for serving - I used the commercial sauce.

Method:

1. Cut a shallow, criss-cross pattern on both sides of the fish. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, trim the fins, if they are very long. Heat the oil in a large wok or heavey-based, deep fryig pan.
2. Place the whole fish in the oil & cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, moving fish around in the oil to ensure the whole fish is crisp & cooked (including the tail & head). Drain fish well on paper towels & place on a warmed serving plate. Keep warm.
3. Drain almost all the oil from the wok & heat the wok over medium heat. Add the spring onions, ginger, peppercorns & chillies, stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk, tamarind & fish sauce to the wok. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Pour the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle with coriander leaves & then serve, on a bed of lettuce &, if you like, with chilli sauce.

I'm submitting this post to Asian Food Fest (Thailand) November 2013 hosted by Lena of frozen wings.

I'm also linking this post to Cook-your-books event no.6 organised by Kitchen Flavours.

Thai Coconut Pudding.... on a wordless Wednesday

Notes & modifications:

1. Since I used palm sugar instead of brown sugar, I modified the cooking method. In a saucepan, I combined  palm sugar, white sugar,  1.5 cups of water & torn pandan leave. I brought to a boil over medium-high heat. Then I strained the syrup. I washed the saucepan & pour back the strained sugar syrup into the saucepan. Then I added in the chopped chestnuts & continued cooking over medium fire. After that,  I continued with step 3.
2. I find the pudding quite sweet, not sure if it's because I used the palm sugar. So, next time I make this, I'll reduce the sugar.
3. I also find this pudding slightly soft, I like it better if it's firmer. So I'll reduce the liquid or increase the flour the next time I make it.

Thai Coconut Pudding (Thago)
Recipe  from Thai Cooking from the Siam Cuisine Restaurant by Kwanruan Aksomboon, Somchai Aksomboon, & Diana Hiranaga.

Pudding:
1/2 cup rice flour
2 cups water
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (I used 3 whole chestnuts.)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed [I used 80g gula Melaka (palm sugar.)]
1/4 cup white sugar
1 pandan leaf - torn & tight into a knot (I added.)

1. In a small bowl, combine the rice flour & 1/2 cup of the water. Set aside.
2. **In a small saucepan, combine the water chestnuts, brown sugar, white sugar & remaining 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat to medium. 
3. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup of the rice flour mixture with a wire whisk. Reserve the remaining rice flour mixture for the topping. Whisk for about a minute & remove from the stove. The pudding should still be opaque. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. 
4. Spoon  the pudding into dessert or pandan cups, filling them to 1/4 inch below the rim. Smooth the surface & set aside.

** Refer to my notes & modifications above on what I did for step 2.

Topping:
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
small red rose petals for garnish

1. Combine the coconut milk, sugar & salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, being careful not to let it burn. 
2. Slowly stir in the reserved rice-flour mixture to thicken slightly. Remove from heat.
3. Pour 2 tablespoons of the topping over the pudding, filling the cups to the rim. Garnish with rose petals.

How to make the pandan leaf cup:

1. Take a pandan leave, preferably a wide piece. Cut one end of the leaf & fold it five times to make markings on the leaf. Press the folds so the markings are clear.

2. Unfold. There must be 5 equal parts, each measuring about 1.5 - to 2 inches long. Cut the excess part at the other end of the leaf.

3. Snip the leaf at the fold lines up to the centre of the leaf. Cut off a lower end part completely.

4. Fold to form a cup. Attach the last part to the cup using a stapler.

5. If there's any hole at the center of the cup, cover it with a piece of cut leaf.

I'm submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand),  November 2013 hosted by Lena of frozen wings. I'm also linking this post to Cook-your-books event no.6 organised by Kitchen Flavours.