nam yu pork ribs (fermented red beancurd)

when you have a day job, cooking is harder on the weekdays. nam yu prok ribs is another good recipe that require little preparation time. i marinate the meat in the morning and when i come home from work, i simply fry it and it's done. simple but mouth-watering dish when served with warm rice.


Ingredients
600g pork ribs, chopped into bite size

Seasoning (combine):
1 piece or 1 cube fermented red beancurd (nam yu)
1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
A dash of pepper
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced onions

Combine:
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp corn flour
1 egg white


1. Marinate pork-rib pieces with the seasoning ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Coat marinated ribs with egg white and flour, then deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain. Ready to serve.

view also others marinate and fry dish 'pork chop with dark soya sauce' and 'marmite chicken'

chicken rice

truly a malaysian favourite, chicken rice is sold all over the country. usually teamed with BBQ pork and Char Siew, this dish is lunch to many people.


Ingredients
For the chicken:
chicken breast meat (500-600 gm for two person)
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp light soy sauce

For the rice:
2 cups long grain rice
3-4 cm piece ginger, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Put in chicken and cook for nine to 10 minutes.

2. Turn off the heat and allow chicken to remain in the stock for five minutes, then remove chicken and immerse in a basin of cold water. Reserve chicken stock for cooking the rice.

3. Drain the chicken meat. Combine sesame oil and light soy sauce, then brush it all over the chicken. Set aside. Steam the chicken for about 10-15 minutes in medium flame.

4. Wash the rice clean, then drain. Heat up oil in a wok and stir-fry garlic and ginger until lightly browned and fragrant. Put in rice and stir-fry well. Dish out rice and put into a rice cooker. Add enough chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste and a dash of sesame oil. Cook until rice is done.

5. To serve, scoop warm rice into a rice bowl and overturn this on the plate. Serve with cut-up chicken and chilli sauce. (Options: garnish with cucumber slices, spring onion curls and coriander leaves)

black glutinous rice desert

Ingredients
300g black glutinous rice
100g castor sugar
100g palm sugar
75g dried longans, rinsed
2–3 pandan leaves, knotted

Combine
2 tbsp corn flour (can ommit is u prefer)
3 tbsp water
thick milk from 1 coconut
1/2 tsp salt

1 Wash black glutinous rice thoroughly and soak in water for several hours. Put rice and water into a pot and cook over medium heat until rice is soft and almost creamy. When rice has reached the desired consistency, add dried longans and pandan leaves.

2. Add both types of sugar and simmer for a further 10–15 minutes over gentle heat. (Never add sugar to the glutinous rice at the start or you’ll have difficulty cooking it.)

3.Add combined material to the glutinous rice and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

4. when serving, put two to three tablespoons of thick coconut milk into each bowl of glutinous rice porridge.

sweet and sour fish

sweet and sour is such popular chinese dish. they have sweet and sour pork, chicken or fish all over the world.

this time, i would like to introduce sweet and sour fish. this dish can be achieved at home in just three little steps. as com;icated as it sound, but in reality, the real kung fu is with the sauce only. prior to cooking the sause, dip you finger into the mixture to taste whether it is too sour. if yes, just add some sugar. if the sauce is satisfying, the dish will turn up alright. happy trying!


Ingredients
· 1 garoupa, about 750g, ( can be replaced with pork or chicken)
· 1 tsp salt
· 1 cup wheat flour (tang meen fun)
· Enough oil to deep-fry fish
· 2 tbsp oil
· 1 onion, sliced thinly
· 1 dried black mushroom, soaked to soften then sliced thinly
· 50g celery, diced
· 1/2 red capsicum, diced
· 1/2 green capsicum, diced

Sauce (combine):
· 2 tbsp tomato sauce
· 1 tbsp premium oyster sauce
· 1 tbsp chilli sauce
· 1 tbsp lemon juice
· 1 tsp black vinegar
· 1 tbsp light soy sauce
· 1 tsp sesame oil
· 1/2 tsp sugar
· Dash of pepper
· 1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
· 100ml water

1. Season fish with salt, then dredge with wheat flour. Deep-fry in hot oil until fish turns crispy. Drain, then set aside on a serving platter.

2. Heat oil in a wok and saute onions until limp. Add in diced mushroom and stir in combined sauce. Bring to a simmering boil.

3. Add all the diced vegetables. Dish out and pour over fish.

pork chop with dark soya sauce

this is my mum's secret recipe. i have never eaten this dish anywhere else. when i was small, i love this dish so much i practically eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. for breakfast, i simply put in between two slices of bread. for lunch and dinner, i eat them with warm rice of couse.

pork, thinly sliced to the size of a palm.
salt
dark soya sauce
light soya sauce
sugar
corn flour

1. marinate the pork chop the above ingredients. control the dark soya sauce as too much, the meat will taste bitter.

2. heat pan, add in some oil, not too much though. fry the meat in batches. remove into a plate, remove excessive oil.

3. in a bowl, mix a teaspoon of corn flour, a tablespoon of dark soya, a tablespoon if sugar and 250ml of water. mix well. cook the sauce in the wok, place back all the meat back into the wok and saute for 10-15 minutes in small flame.

4. remove and ready to be served.

fried eggs with long beans

i cooked this yesterday when i was feeling tired from work. i open the fridge and i saw long beans. usually people would fry it with sambal belacan but i have decided to make a more simpler dish.

ingredients:
long beans, a few stalk
3 eggs (for 2 person)
pinch of salt


1. cut the long beans in small sections. heat wok, add in oil and stir fry until cook.

2. beat 3 eggs in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and pour into the wok when the long beans cook. turn over the egg to cook the other side

3. ready to serve.

disclaimer

i have receive comments from a friend saying that a ten year old can cook what i post here. that is exactly my point! at first i name this site express home cook. it is meant for busy women (or men) who work but yet want have decent home cook food. we honestly cannot survive on nasi ayam from the hawker everyday right?

all the recipe is one liner. three the most. it's truly malaysian food and malaysian lifestyle. nothing fancy. it's home cook food. for people we love at home. not cooking competition.

but i would still like to continue keeping this recipe journal. to my readers, visit when free and be surprised cos sometimes i might come up with something fancy.

nasi lemak

I think Nasi lemak can be named as national breakfast. Malaysian eats it for breakfast on daily basis. It’s just simply rice cooked with coconut milk. This coming weekend I will attempt my first trial of cooking nasi lemak. On the side, I will prepare sambal ikan bilis and maybe if time permits, I would like to try chicken rendang.

For nasi lemak, the ingredients are as below:

2 shallots
2 slices ginger
1 tsp salt
375-400ml coconut milk (from 1/2 a grated coconut)
2 pandan leaves, knotted

1. Wash rice until clean then drain. Put rice, shallots, ginger and salt in a rice cooker. Pour coconut milk over the rice. (The level of the coconut milk should be 2cm above the level of the rice.) Cook rice until dry then use a wooden ladle to loosen the grains.

As for sambal ikan bilis:
200g ikan bilis, soaked and washed
3 tbsp oil
1 Bombay onion, sliced


Pound:
5 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk lemon grass, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp belacan granules

1. Heat oil in a wok, saute pounded ingredients, chilli paste and belacan until fragrant. Add ikan bilis and big onions and stir-fry well.

10 steps to easy cooking

Do you consider yourself “culinarily challenged”? Do you want to feel more comfortable in the kitchen? Here are a few ideas that may make cooking less complicated, a lot more interesting and fun.

1. Read the recipe completely

Make sure what you are getting into before you start. It is not uncommon to find a recipe telling you to do something that you didn’t expect. It may say, “marinate for 4 hours” and you want to be eating in 45 minutes. Sheesh!

2. Get all the ingredients out and together

Make sure that you have everything. Even though you think that butter is in the fridge, or that you absolutely know that you have carrots, pull all the stuff out and assemble it before you start. Avoid that frantic run to the supermarket.

3. Keep your knives sharp.

Tools are important in any skill and knives are the most basic of tools for a cook. In order to work properly, knives need to be sharp and remain sharp. If instead of cutting a tomato, you are squashing it, your knife is way too dull. Many local kitchen stores sharpened knives.

4. Don’t cut yourself!

Well, you can seriously damage yourself with either a sharp or dull knife. Learn how to hold a knife and how to position your fingers to keep them out of the way. Of course, don’t burn yourself either.

5. Buy the best pans that you can afford.

You want the best tools to have the best cooking experience. Yuh, they can be expensive so buy one a year, or ask for it for a holiday, or special event. Put what you want on your wedding registry or gift list. Do some research and find out what you want.

6. Try something new.

Remember when you were a kid and you said “ I don’t like that”, yet you never tasted or even tried it? Well, you are too old for that now. If you don’t know what fennel is, make a fennel salad. Don’t know what edamamme are? (they are soybeans) try a recipe with them. Otherwise, what are you going to do when you go to someone’s house and they are serving the dreaded stuff?

7. Don’t be afraid to make a mess.

Cooking is a messy business. Stuff goes everywhere. It ends up in the stove, on the floor, in your hair, all over the place. You often use fingers to sift, mix, knead or shape things. Wearing an apron can help, but that will end up being a mess too. So, have a nice time cooking, getting stuff all over the place…. then clean up later.

8. Install a kitchen fire extinguisher and learn how to use it.

I once watched a friend burn his kitchen down. There was no fire extinguisher. Enough said. However, take it one step further by actually using an extinguisher and getting familiar with how it works. If there is a pan fire, simply cover it with a lid. Don’t use water. Of course, install a fire detector nearby.

9. Consider cooking as a community service.

A lot of us have become more involved in community service and volunteer activities and cooking for others maybe something to consider. Whether you cook for an elderly relative, a neighbor or a sick friend, you will find someone in need. So, if you are making a recipe for 4 and serving only 2, package up the leftovers and deliver them to someone in need.

10. Have fun cooking.

All in all, cooking does not need to be a chore. Have some friends over, stand around the kitchen, cook, and tell stories. Make pasta and throw flour at each other. Make something interesting and see how your friends react. You have to eat, so make it a whole new cooking experience.

chicken curry

last saturday, i make quite an effort to cook chicken curry. there is so much work but it's worth it. served with just plain rice, the satisfaction comes when seeing my husband and my two other guests emptying thir plate of rice.


Ingredients
1.5–1.7 kg chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 grated coconut (i use powder kind, just mix with water)
water
4 potatoes, quartered
6 tbsp oil

Ground spices (A):
15 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 chili boh (grated chili)
2 stalks lemon grass
1 tbsp belacan stock granules
3½ tbsp meat curry powder

(B):
1 star anise
3cm piece cinnamon stick
4 cloves
3 cardamoms, split and use seeds only
3 stalks curry leaves

Seasoning:
1–2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Method
1. divide coconut poweder into two portions. one portion mix with 250ml water white the second portion mix with 400ml water.

2. Heat oil in a deep saucepan and fry ground spices (A) and (B) until fragrant. Add in chicken and pour in 1½ cups thin coconut milk. Simmer and cook over low heat for 15–20 minutes adding thick coconut milk slowly until finished.

3. Add potatoes and continue to cook until meat is cooked and potatoes turn tender. Pour in thick coconut milk and bring to a boil till the oil floats to the top. Season to taste.

fried egg with minced pork

Fresh chicken eggs are easily available in malaysia, chicken being the staple food in our daily diet.Eggs are very simple to work with and can be very healthy diet too. This dish takes only 10 minutes to cook. such a convenience for working women.

ingredients:
3 eggs
200gm minced prok
pinch of salt
oil


1. Heat wok with some oil. Place in the minced pork and stir fry. Add one pinch of salt for taste. Fry untill goldren brown. Remove and divide into two portions (two bowls).

2. Beat 3 eggs. Half them into the respective bowl. Fry egg with meat like fring pancakes.

3. Ready to serve.

marmite chicken

Marmite Chicken is one popular malaysian dish when you eat outside at a chinese restaurant. At home, it can also be done wihtout much hassle.

the ingredients are:

500gm of chicken breasts or 2 pcs of chicken thighs, chopped into small pieces.
one tablespoon of marmite
two tablespoon of sugar
pinch of salt

1. Marinate the chicken with some salt, marmite and sugar for about 10 to 20 minutes.

2. Heat the wok, and pur in some cooking oil, place the chicken and fry until goldren brown.

3. Drain and remove. Ready to be served.

radish soup

Soup before dinner is commong everywhere, the same here in Malaysia.
White radish soup is sweet and tasty, a truly healthy Malaysian dish. Chinese said it has cooling effects on the body too. This time, i would like to cook the soup over the stove instead of using a slow cooker.




Ingredients:

500gm-1kg of pork ribs
one white radish
kei chi (red color herb)



1. boil 2 liter of water in a stainles steel pot. i personally like to use corning ware to boil my soup. corningware is made of ceramic and the lid is made from clear glass. so it's easier for me to observe the soup if it boils over.

2. when the water boils, place the meat inside. wait for a few minutes before adding the radish. add a handful of kei chi.

3. boil the soup for at least two hour with small flame. add a pinch of salt and stir. ready to serve.

The soup can also be used for making steamboat. Just simply drain the radish and meat out, place the suop in a hotpot and cook seafood, meat and vegetables ala steamboat.

fried pork with LP sauce

ingredients:

500 gm of pork fillet. thinly sliced.
one egg
1 gloves of garlic
white pepper
salt
sugar
fried chicken flour
corn flour
LP sauce

1. mix egg, a pinch of salt, some white pepper powder to the meat. marinate for 10 minutes.

2. heat some oil in the wok (some may use pan). put fried chicken flour and some corn flour into the meat. place the meat in the wok and fry until lightly brown. remove into a plate.

3. in a cleaned wok, put some oil to heat. fry some minced garlic to brownish color. then put in 3 tablespoon of LP sauce and 2 table spoon of sugar. add 250ml of water. stir. add in one teaspoon of corn flour and stir. when gravy thickens, remove from wok and pour on fried meat.

4. serve with some sliced lemon or cucumber.




(options: i cut the meat into small pieces instead)



(i serve the gravy seperately)

peanut soup

soup is common in chinese household. like the common phrase 'sam sung yat tong' meaning three dish one soup.

i like peanut soup. easy to make and tasty.

the ingredient is as follow:

500 gm of pork ribs/ chicken
200 gm of ground nuts
100 gm of salted vege (note: not ham choi, but tai tau choi)

the night before, the groundnuts have to be soaked in water for one night. the pork ribs have to be defrooze.

in the morning......
firstly, i boil a kettle of water.
then i place the pork ribs into the slow cooker jar.
when the water boils, pour the hot water into the pork ribs to 'cook it'

for 2 pax, usually i use 1.8-2.0 liter of water. too much water may cause the soup to be tasteless.

then i place the goundnuts and salted vege into the slow cooker.
set to 'auto' and i let it simmer and boil until i reach home from work.

when i came home, i give the soup a stir and taste. the salted vege should give the soup some taste. if not sufficient, add one teaspoon of salt and stir.

ready to be served.

first entry

this is my very first entry which also serve as a mission statement for creating this blog.

i got married in june 2007 to a loving husband who likes home cook food. he enjoys simple meals at home as much as i enjoy lavish meals outside. in order to satisfy both our taste buds and break the household budget, i took up cooking.

many friends are shocked when they first hear this, but a woman gotto do what woman gotto do! the keyword to this is 'hassle-free'. i try to make meals as simple and as fast as i can. working as a structural engineer in a consultant firm does not really offer that much leisure time at home. sometimes i work 60-70 hours a week.

recipes posted here are by my own. some are learned from my mum while some are from friends, cook book or experimented on my own. photos, however are either taken by myself or adopted from the internet.

i hope to maintain this site for as long as i can, both as an archieve to my recipes and as reference for fellow friends especially girl friends who will follow suit soon.

enjoy reading !

an introduction to malaysian food

Malaysia is a country with rich culture. The population is made of mainly Malay, Chinese and Indians while the Borneo sub origins made out the most of west Malaysian population. Malaysian food, of course is very much reflective of the diversity of the people staying here. Located at the Southeast Asia, Malaysia is in between Thailand and Singapore while West Malaysia is next to the Sulawesi and
Philippines.

It doesn’t take an adventurous traveler or food enthusiast to appreciate Malaysian food. There are just so much to choose from, whether traditional or modern cuisines, deem to satisfy the choosiest tastes buds. The staple food in Malaysia is rice, just like the other Asian countries. Due to its sunny weather all year round, fruits and vegetables are in abundance while meat, poultry and seafood is inexpensive and readily available. Malaysian food, just like its people, is divided into Malay, Chinese and Indian and is still prepared by their own unique ways.
Malay food, in general is rich with herbs like lemongrass, tamarind, dried and fresh chilies, ginger and garlic. Malay dishes can be distinguished into a few methods of cooking namely masak merah (tomato sauce), masak lemak (coconut milk), masak asam (sourish tamarind) and masak pedas (spicy). Popular dishes that cannot be missed are such as nasi lemak (coconut milk steamed rice), sambal belacan (shrimp paste with pounded chilies), beef rending (dried curry) and serunding (beef floss). Satay, or barbequs meat on a stick, is originated from Malay cuisine has presence in restaurants all over the world today.

Indian food, on the other hand, has very much integrated northern Indian and southern Indian cuisines when they reach Malaysian shores. Popular for their curries, banana leaf rice and breads such as chapati, naan and roti (prata in some countries). Indian food has also been assimilated with Malay food through their mix marriages of Indian Malay. The resultant is Mamak food, which cannot be found in India, itself. Examples are like teh tarik (tea with milk), murtabak and rojak (mixture of fruits with peanut sauce).

Chinese food, like Indian food, has been assimilated with local cuisines. In China itself, Chinese are divided into so many provinces namely the Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Hainan, Teochew and so forth. In Malaysian, Cantonese food makes the most presence with its stir fry and steaming method. Chinese dishes such as dim sum, sweet and sour dishes, char siew (sweet barbecued pork),bak kut teh (herbal soup) are a few popular dishes. Steamboat or fondue is also widely available and can be a great experience.

There is no denial, Malaysia is a food heaven. Restaurants open very early through wee hours in the morning. There is food for every budget. Sometimes a hearty meal come with a small price, yet does not compromised on varieties. Head down to street stalls in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the country and you will know what I mean.