Tentacles and All

Squid curry

This is what squid looks like before it is cleaned

The ingredients for the curry

Squid curry on brown rice with sides of curried mashed eggplant, yogurt and papadums

Ah squid, you either love it or hate it! The thing to remember about cooking squid is that it takes either a very short time or a very long time to cook – cook it for just 5 minutes until tender or stew it for an hour, but nothing in between. If you don’t like squid then replace with either shrimp (in the shell or not) or blue crabs, they are equally delicious cooked in the curry sauce.

SQUID CURRY

Serves 4

1 pound squid, cleaned and cut into ½” rings

2 shallots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1” ginger peeled and finely julienned

6 curry leaves

1 stalk lemongrass, crushed

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp fenugreek/methi seeds

1 heaped tbsp fish curry powder

1 tomato, diced

½ cup water

½ tbsp lemon/lime juice/tamarind pulp

¼ cup coconut milk/milk

½ tbsp salt

1 tbsp oil

• Heat oil, fry shallots until lightly brown then add in the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin and fenugreek; continue frying for 2 minutes.
• Add curry powder, stir for 30 seconds then add tomatoes, water, lemon juice and salt. When this comes to a boil add in the squid and cook for about 5 minutes or until just cooked.
• Lastly add in the coconut milk/milk, cook for about 1 more minute.

Dry Chili Chicken

Chicken Varuval

From left, top to bottom: cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, 
cloves, dried red chili, cumin seeds, fennel seeds
ground black pepper, ground coriander, curry leaves
chili powder, turmeric

The parboiled chicken

Golden brown onions

The cuisine of south India is quite predominant in Malaysia and one of my favorite dishes is the Chicken Varuval or Chettinad Chicken which is a dry curry. I usually make it with chicken breast because Keith doesn’t like eating chicken on the bone. However, cooking it with chicken pieces on the bone actually results in a much tastier dish. Over the years I have adapted the recipe from the original that was given to me when I first started working more than 17 years ago by a colleague who used to make it with mutton. I also learnt from one of my former staff members whose family owned an Indian restaurant that they parboil the chicken to speed up the cooking process. This is a very popular recipe in Southern Indian restaurants and I’m sure you’ll like it once you’ve tried it. It is really good as part of a rice meal or eaten with chappati.


CHICKEN VARUVAL
Serves 8

5 pounds chicken (chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes or 1 whole chicken, chopped into small pieces)
½ cup oil
3 onions, cut in half then thinly sliced
1½ bulb garlic
4" ginger
2 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
8 cloves
8 cardamom pods
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
8 dried red chili
10 curry leaves
4 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sugar
Salt to taste
Juice from 1 lime

• In a large pot, cover chicken with water, add ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp chili powder and ½ tbsp salt. Bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat to a simmer, cook chicken for 30 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
• Blend garlic and ginger with ½ cup water.
• Heat oil, fry the sliced onions until golden brown (about 20 minutes), then add the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, cumin seed, fennel seeds, dried chili and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Add the garlic-ginger paste and cook another minute
• Add the chicken, stir until well coated with the spices. Lower heat and add in the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric, ground black pepper, sugar and salt to taste and fry for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender. 
• Lastly add in the lime juice, mix well.

Fish Curry

Roti canai with fish curry

When my cousin and her family visit from LA, it is almost a must that the Indian bread paratha or “roti canai” as it is called in Malaysia served with fish curry will be on the menu for breakfast or lunch. This may seem a little unusual to Westerners who are more used to their cereal and milk, or pancakes etc, but for Malaysians who are used to eating coconut rice with “ikan bilis sambal”, or curry noodles, or savory glutinous rice, this is just another normal breakfast.

FISH CURRY
Serves 6 - 8

1 pound white fish, cut into 2” pieces
3 shallots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1” ginger peeled and finely julienned
1 green chili, deseeded and sliced lengthwise
10 curry leaves
½ tbsp black mustard seeds
½ tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds
4 – 6 tbsp fish curry powder
2 cups (about 20) okra/ladies fingers
1 Japanese eggplant, cut into 2” sticks
2 tomatoes, cut into about 6 wedges
1 tbsp tamarind seeds mixed with 1½ cup warm water, soaked and strained
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp oil

• Heat oil, fry shallots until lightly brown then add in the garlic, ginger, green chili, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin and fenugreek; continue frying for 2 minutes.
• Add curry powder, stir for 30 seconds then add tamarind juice and salt. When this comes to a boil add in the eggplant cook for about 2 minutes then add in the okra and tomatoes, cook for another 2 minutes.
• Lastly add in the fish and coconut milk, cook for about 5 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Take A Can Of Tuna....

Take a can of tuna, add some chopped celery, minced shallot, a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise, a dash of vinegar, salt and black pepper to taste. Mix it all up and you have a delicious lunch! Oh alright, I‘ll write out the actual recipe!

But you get the idea right? What could be easier than taking a can of tuna and making it into something very tasty and nutritious in all of 5 minutes? When I was expecting Little Miss M and hungry all the time canned tuna was a such a savior because I could use it to make tuna salad, add it to fried rice or just eat it out of the can! I’ve used it to make “serunding” which is a spicy Malay floss that goes well with bread or rice and I remember my mother would add it to pasta sauce which was another tasty use. So go ahead, take a can of tuna….

SIMPLE SKINNY TUNA SALAD
Serves 4

1 can tuna, drained
¼ cup chopped celery/green apple
1 tbsp finely minced shallot
2 – 3 tbsp plain low-fat yogurt
1 – 2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
1 tsp vinegar (any type you like) or lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste

• Gently mix all ingredients together, taste and add more vegetables or seasoning as desired.
• Add other ingredients if desired: chopped pickles, chopped red chili, chopped hard-boiled egg etc
• Serve on bread, rolls, pita, crackers or just with salad greens

Not Just a Pretty Face

 

Still pretty but maybe this "pretty face" needs a bit of botox!

Pandan leaves

The rice layer waiting to be cooked

If you can't get a banana leaf to flatten the rice, 
just use a serving spoon with a clean produce bag over it

If you are a Malaysian living overseas, what do you do if you crave a Malaysian dish? Do you wait until your next trip back so you can satisfy your craving or do you look up the recipe online or in your Malaysian recipe books and just attempt the recipe? Because I live in the Bay area which has a large Southeast Asian population it is easy to get ingredients for Malaysian dishes. So for me when I crave something I have to add another factor which is having enough people to eat what I cook! With savory dishes like rendang, satay, fish curry etc. it’s not a problem because Keith enjoys these dishes, but when it comes to desserts like kueh talam, onde-onde, kueh ketayap etc he’s not a big fan and so I have to wait for a day when other Malaysians are around to enjoy the dish with me.

A couple of weeks back my cousin Stephanie and her family came to visit us for a few days and before she came I asked the usual question of what they wanted on the menu. She requested a dessert called kueh seri muka which means pretty face cake in Malay. This is a steamed cake made with sweet/glutinous rice at the bottom and topped with a custard made from eggs, sugar, flour coconut milk and pandan juice. Pandan juice is made from screwpine leaves or “pandan leaves” in Malay, blended with water. Pandan leaves are used extensively in Southeast Asian cooking both in desserts and also to add fragrance to rice and other dishes. The Thais make a wonderful dish with marinated chicken pieces wrapped in pandan leaves and then deep fried or grilled called Pandan Chicken.

You will absolutely need to get fresh or frozen pandan leaves for this recipe. You can get pandan essence in small bottles but it is just not the same as using the leaves. As you can see in the photo the custard turned out a little soft because of insufficient flour (I have corrected the recipe) but it was delicious all the same. Some recipes ask for the custard to be cooked for a few minutes on the stove to thicken it before being poured onto the rice layer and then some recipes just require you to pour the raw custard batter on the rice and steam it. I tried the first method this time and will probably try the second method the next time I make this.

Stephanie, our friend Ivan and even Stephanie’s kids all agreed that the kueh seri muka was absolutely delicious. Even Keith said it was “nice”.  I actually dare say that it was better than some of the Seri Muka that I have had in Malaysia!  So if you have a craving for kueh seri muka and if you can get fresh or frozen pandan leaves do try making it.


KUEH SERI MUKA
Serves 6 - 8

Rice Layer
1½ cups sweet (glutinous) rice
1 cup thin coconut milk
½ tsp salt
1 pandan leaf, cut into a few lengths

Custard Layer
2 large eggs
1 cup thick coconut milk
¾ cup (6 oz) white sugar
1 cup pandan juice (blend 10 pandan leaves with 1 cup water, strain)
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp corn starch
1/3 cup all purpose flour

To make the rice layer

• Wash rice in several changes of water until water runs clear. Cover with fresh water and soak for at least 3 hours. Rinse and drain rice.
• Place in shallow 10” cake tin. Mix the coconut milk and salt together and add this to the rice. Bury the pandan leaf pieces in the rice and steam over rapidly boiling water until rice is cooked, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pandan leaves and fluff rice up with a fork. Then, using a banana leave or a large spoon placed in a clean produce bag, press the rice down to form an even compact layer.

To make the custard layer

• In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, coconut milk and sugar, stirring with a balloon whisk or wooden spoon. Add the pandan juice, corn starch and plain flour. Stir well until smooth and free from lumps
• Strain mixture into a metal bowl and sit this bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir continuously until custard just begins to thicken-do not overcook. Pour this over the rice layer. Steam over very gentle heat until set, about 30 minutes. Avoid opening the steamer as this will only allow heat to escape and lengthen the cooking time.
• Allow cake to cool completely before cutting. Best eaten on day it is made as the rice hardens once refrigerated.

From Drab to Fab: Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

A stack of these + a hot cup of tea = heaven!

I like cookies but of course you can’t eat them all the time. But then again if they’re made with healthy stuff like oatmeal, dried fruit and cinnamon then that sort of cancels out all the unhealthy stuff like the butter, sugar and flour right? At least that’s my excuse for making these awesome oatmeal cookies whenever I have a hankering for cookies. What makes these oatmeal cookie awesome? The orange flavored dried cranberries (which I get from Trader Joe’s), white chocolate chips and the orange rind if you have some on hand, take what would be ordinary oatmeal cookies from drab to fab!

AWESOME OATMEAL COOKIES
Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange rind (optional)
1½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3 cups Quaker Oats
1 cup orange flavored dried cranberries
½ cup white chocolate chips

• Heat oven to 350°F
• Beat the butter with the brown and granulated sugars until creamy
• Add eggs and vanilla and the orange rind (if used), beat well
• In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, mix well
• Add combined flour mix to the wet batter, mix well
• Stir in oats, cranberries and chocolate chips
• Drop tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet
• Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until golden brown
• Cool, then remove to wire rack

Ribs To Die For!

BBQ ribs, corn bread and baked beans

I like to ask people this question, "If you were on death row waiting to be hanged what would be your last meal?" Ok so maybe the question is a little dramatic and I could just ask, "What is your most favorite meal?", but you have to admit that my death row question really makes a person think about their absolute, most favorite meal!

I would kill for really good BBQ ribs! Which I guess creates a paradox because I would be sent to death row where I would have BBQ ribs as my last meal! I just love the succulent, juicy, fall off the bone, sweet and spicy taste of really good BBQ ribs. Here's a recipe that I like to make especially in the summer. It is rubbed with a spice rub which has cocoa powder as an unusual ingredient, baked in the oven and then finished with BBQ sauce. People I have made this for have said it's good, and maybe even worth killing for!

BBQ Ribs

2 racks of St Louis style or baby back ribs. Trim excess fat, and remove the skin membrane on the inner side of the ribs so that the spice rub will penetrate.

Spice Rub for 2 racks of ribs:

3 tbsp ground fennel
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp chili powder
½ tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup BBQ sauce

• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil, and place a wire rack on top of each. Mix all ingredients together except the Dijon mustard. Spread the Dijon mustard on both sides of the ribs. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of each rack of ribs. Press the spice mixture into the ribs to coat completely. Set aside in fridge for at least 2 hours for the flavors to penetrate.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook ribs on racks on sheets for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 275°F for another 2 – 2½ hours (until meat pulls away easily from the bones).
• Remove from oven and using a basting/pastry brush, smother the ribs with ½ the BBQ sauce. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove, brush with the remaining BBQ sauce and let it stand 10 minutes for juices to redistribute before serving.