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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Nasi Dagang

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Nasi Dagang or east coast trader’s rice is a dish that originated from the Malaysian peninsula. It is often served in banana leaves along with fish and other seafood.

Here we used red glutinous rice, but if it is unavailable you may use a mixture of one cup long grain rice and one cup of glutinous white rice which does not need to be soaked. If you cannot find fenugreek seeds, a bitter and slightly squarish type of seeds, substitute it with yellow mustard seeds.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups red glutinous rice

6-8 pandan leaves or 2 drops pandan essence

1 cup thick coconut milk

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced

3 shallots, sliced thinly

 

Soak the red glutinous rice for a minimum of 4 hours or up to overnight. Drain and rinse the rice until the water runs clear.

Next, line a heatproof bowl or pan with the pandan leaves. Cut them if needed. Place the rice in the bowl and add 3 cups of water. Make sure that the rice is covered in water, around three and a half inches above the rice. Steam it uncovered over boiling water for 30 minutes or until the rice is almost cooked.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk and salt. If you are using pandan essence, add it to the coconut milk mixture. Mix well. Put the steamed rice in the bowl and stir it until it absorbs the coconut milk. Add the fenugreek seeds, shallots and ginger. Continue to stir it until well combined.

Steam the rice once again with pandan leaves just like you did in the previous step. Serve immediately.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: FotoosVanRobin

Green Papaya Soup with Prawns

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Green papaya soup with prawns is a delicious Malaysian recipe with a light and tangy taste that you can enjoy as a soup or with rice. The ground shrimp paste, chili and shallots infuse a lot of aroma into the dish. Adjust the amount of each ingredient for more flavor if desired.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 unripe papaya (500g or 1/2 lb.)

1 teaspoon shrimp paste

2-3 finger length red chili, seeded

4 shallots, peeled

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

150g fresh medium sized prawns, peeled and deveined

Salt to taste

 

With a spoon, remove the seeds of the papaya and discard them. Next, peel the fruit and cut it into 1/2 inch chunks.

Place the shallots, shrimp paste and chili in a mortar and pestle to ground them. You may also use a food processor or blender if desired.

Fill a medium sized pot with water and place it over high heat. Add the ground mixture and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

Place the papaya slices into the pot and set the heat to high. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until the papaya is tender. Season it with salt.

Once the papaya is cooked, add the prawns and cook them for 2-3 minutes or until they turn pink. Remove from heat and ladle into individual bowls or a serving bowl. Serve immediately with rice.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: Maggie Hoffman

Eggs in Chili Sauce

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Eggs in chili sauce or sambal telur is a Malaysian recipe that seems so simple, but extremely good. It can be served as an appetizer, side dish or even a rice topping. Do as you wish. Just make sure that you have the knack for spicy food, otherwise keep a glass of water by your side as you eat it. Enjoy!

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 dried chili

4 red finger length red chili, seeded

6 shallots, peeled

4 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

4 hard-boiled eggs, shelled

 

Cut the chili and soak them in water for 15 minutes or until they are soft. Remove the seeds and drain well.

Place the dried chili, fresh chili and shallots in a food processor or blender. Process it for 30 seconds to form a paste. Add some oil if needed. You may also ground the using a mortar and pestle if desired.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chili paste mixture for 5 minutes or until the oil separates from it. Add the sugar, lime juice and salt. Mix well.

Carefully slice the hard-boiled eggs using a sharp knife or an egg cutter. Put the eggs on a serving platter and top it with the chili paste mixture. Serve warm.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  LisaW123

Turmeric Rice

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Turmeric rice or nasi kunyit is a Malay rice recipe that is often prepared during special occasions like weddings, festivals and Eid. Some areas like Penang also believe in giving food packages when a baby is on his or her first month. The food pack also known as a full moon food package often contains 2 red colored eggs, chicken curry and nasi kunyit. Those who believe in this tradition share it with family and friends.

I am one of those Asians who go crazy over fried rice or any type of flavored one. They definitely go well with certain dishes. It is like eating steak with mashed potatoes, the dish is incomplete without it. This dish is aromatic and delicious to all the senses. It looks, smells and tastes good.  The original recipe calls for steaming the rice. Since I am not so sure about the process, I decided to prepare it the way I cook normal rice. The only difference is that I had to watch it closely because the coconut milk can clump up, that is why it is important to stir the rice once in a while.

I think that it would be a great idea to mix and match different types of rice dishes with other Asian food. I’m sure that the result will definitely be interesting and flavorful. You can also prepare the traditional food package for friends and see if they like it.

 

Ingredients:

500 g glutinous rice

2 slices tamarind pieces

3 tablespoons turmeric powder

2 litres + 150 ml water

200 ml thick coconut milk

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pandan leaf

 

Rinse the rice in running water until it runs clear. After, soak it in 2 liters of water, turmeric and tamarind pieces. Leave overnight.

Drain the rice and discard the tamarind pieces. Rinse it once with tap water.

Place the rice in a rice cooker or pot. Add the coconut milk, 150ml water, peppercorns, salt and pandan leaf. Mix well.

Cook the rice for 5-10 minutes until fluffy. Stir once in a while. Serve warm with beef rending or chicken curry.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  Satoru Kikuchi

 

Beef Rendang

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Beef rendang is a Malaysian dish that gets better after a day or two because all the spices settle and they are absorbed by the meat. You can prepare a large batch and set aside a part for storing. Just reheat it after a few days or you can also fry it until crisp. Either way works fine and the flavor is still retained. I also suggest using fresh coconut milk, because it is richer and aromatic. This recipe would be perfect with garlic or turmeric rice.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup freshly grated coconut of

12-15 pieces of chili, seeded and sliced

15 shallots, peeled

2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

2 cm piece fresh galangal rot, peeled and sliced

3 stalks lemongrass, thick bottom third only outer layers discarded

1 cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2kg beef cubes, cut into bite sized pieces

1 1/2 cups thick coconut milk

1 cup water

3 tablespoons tamarind juice

1 turmeric leaf, torn

2 kaffir lime leaves, torn

2 tablespoons sugar

1-2 teaspoons salt

 

Fry the grated coconut in a non-stick frying pan for 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool. After, ground it in a blender or food processor until the texture is powder-like. You may also use a mortar and pestle if desired.

Soak the chili in water for 15 minutes until soft. Place it in a food processor or blender along with the shallots, galangal, ginger, lemongrass and turmeric. Add a tablespoon of coconut milk and process it until you form a paste.

Combine the beef, ground paste mixture, coconut milk and water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for an hour until the beef is tender. Stir constantly. Add water as needed if the sauce is not enough to cook the beef.

Make sure that all the liquid evaporates when the beef is soft. Stir in the ground coconut, turmeric leaves, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir-fry these ingredients for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with rice.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  IIun

 

Sambal Sotong

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Sambal sotong or chili squid is a Malaysian recipe that is perfect with white rice or as an appetizer. Make sure that you do not overcook the squid, so that it will not be chewy. If you have cuttlefish, you can prepare it the same way as well.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon tamarind pulp

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons coconut milk

600g squid cleaned and cut into rings or squares

2 medium green chilies, de seeded and diced

1 cup shallots

2 tablespoons, ground dried red chilies

1 teaspoon shrimp paste

1 tablespoon peanuts

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 cup water

 

Soak the tamarind pulp in 2 tablespoons of water for at least 30 minutes. Stir and then strain the water. Discard the tamarind pulp and seeds.

Place the green chili, red chili, shallots shrimp paste, water and peanuts in a food processor. Blend until smooth or once you get a pasty mixture. If you are using a mortar and pestle, ground the dry ingredients first and gradually add water to form a paste.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chili paste mixture and cool it for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Pour in the tamarind infused water. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil. Add the coconut cream and let it boil again.

Place the squid in the saucepan. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes until the squid is cooked. Do not overcook. Transfer it to a serving plate or over rice.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: stu_spivack