I don't remember liking pulut hitam as much when I was back home in Malaysia. I would probably have gotten lin chee kang or something else. But pulut hitam has become my favorite here, probably because it's one that I can generally get from a Malaysian restaurant. It is likely that I was at Nyonya in NYC a few years back, getting my Malaysian food fix, and when I tasted the pulut hitam, I was in love. Ever since then, I would always, always get my pulut hitam fix when I'm in NYC.
The process of making pulut hitam is not difficult; just long. It took hours of boiling before the black glutinuos rice becomes soft and creamy. Surprisingly to me though, the initial boiling of the black glutinuos rice imparts a wonderful aroma, just like that of pandan leaves, which confused me for a second because I thought that I had put in the pandan leaves when I'm not supposed to!
There's also different recipes for pulut hitam out there. Some add dried longans. But I have left that out. In fact, I don't much fancy the coconut milk on top of pulut hitam. I did it just for the sake of a picture here ;p
When I get to taste my very own first spoonful, well, just..... OH. SO. GOOD.
Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinuos Rice Dessert)
300 gms of black glutinuos rice
4 liters of water
150 gms of castor sugar
100 gms of palm sugar
3 - 5 pandan leaves, knotted *clearly, I'm obsessed with pandan leaves*
2 tbsp of cornstarch
3 tbsp of water
1/2 tsp of salt
1 can of coconut milk, for topping
Wash glutinuos rice until water runs clear. Leave rice to soak in water for 2 - 3 hours or best overnight in the refrigerator.
Put rice and water in a deep pot and cook over medium heat until rice is soft and creamy.
When reach the desired creamy consistency. add pandan leaves.
Add powdered sugar, palm sugar, and salt.
Simmer for another 10 - 15 mins.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water. Add the cornstarch slurry into the rice, keep stirring.
As soon as boil is reached, remove from heat.
Ladle into dessert bowl, swirl 2 - 3 tbsp of coconut milk on top.
Serve warm.
I love fish. And for that, Ah Po spread a rumor about eating fish makes people smart to convince my nephew and niece to eat more fish!
Fried pomfret with ginger is one of most favorite dish and Ah Po used to make it a lot for me. It's a simple dish but yet, so delicious and you'll never resist sucking on the salty yet sweet, crispy fins (except when they're burned as in mine). My attempt on this dish didn't turn out as crunchy and crispy the way Ah Po made it. In fact, there's sporadic areas that burned more so than the others; perhaps I didn't coat the fish with cornstarch evenly...? And if she sees the ginger that I julienned, she'd be shock!
Fried Pomfret with Ginger
1 white pomfret, gutted, cleaned, wiped dry and sprinkled with salt
1 tbsp of cornstarch
4 tbsp of julienned ginger
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of sugar
Oil for frying
Coat the salted fish with cornstarch.
Heat wok and add oil when the wok is shimmering hot.
Lower the fish into the oil carefully to avoid splattering.
Fry until golden brown before flipping and fry the other side of the fish until golden brown too.
Remove fish and place on serving plate.
Remove all oil except 2 tbsp.
Fry the julienned ginger until crispy. Remove and place on top of the fish.
Add soy sauce and sugar to the oil in the wok and cook till it thickens.
Spoon over the fish.
Serve hot with white rice.
One of the things that I looked forward to at a Malay wedding back home, besides the happy couple, is the food. The variety of colors, smells, tastes...
This dish is commonly cooked with chicken, but I've decided to make it with beef and hence, daging masak merah. It is aboslutely hot and spicy (even to my standard!), yet incredibly appetizing especially paired with the tomato rice. However, my tomato rice turned out to be slightly on the damp side. I think that if I had used basmati rice or less water with jasmine rice, it would have turned out better. Perhaps next time!
Red hot!
Daging Masak Merah (Red Cooked Meat)
2 lbs of beef
2 tbsp of turmeric powder
1 tbsp of salt
1 cup of red onions, chopped
2 tbsp of ginger, grated
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 oz of tomato puree
1 cup of chili paste (sambal olek)
3 tbsp of Sriracha hot chili sauce
1 cup of tomato ketchup
2 tbsp of sweet dark soy sauce
1 large onion, cut into rings
1/2 tbsp of sugar
salt to taste
2 cups of water
3 - 4 kaffir lime leaves (subs. zest of 1 lime)
2 - 3 pandan leaves (optional)
Lightly coat stew beef pieces with turmeric powder and salt. Marinate for at least 30 mins.
Heat wok on high. Add sufficient vegetable oil to fry beef. Fry beef in batches till golden brown, drain on paper towels and set aside.
Pour off all but 4 tbsp of oil. Add red onions, ginger, and garlic. Stir fry for a few seconds. Add chili paste and stir fry for 1 - 2 mins.
Add hot chili sauce, tomato puree, tomato ketchup, sweet dark soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste. Stir fry for 1 min.
Add kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest), pandan leaves (optional), 2 cups of water, and bring to boil. Then, immediately reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for 10 mins.
Add beef, stir well to coat evenly with sauce.
Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 25 - 35 mins.
Add onion rings, simmer for 3 - 5 mins. Onion rings should have a slight crunch.
Serve with steamed rice or nasi tomato (tomato rice).
Nasi Tomato (Tomato Rice)
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 cloves
1/2 cup of milk
1 inch of ginger, crushed
1 can of tomato puree
sugar and salt to taste
2 cups of water
2 cups of rice (jasmine or basmati rice)
Heat up oil in a pot.
Saute the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise until fragrant.
Add milk, tomato puree, water, and rice. Stir for 5 mins.
Remove from heat and place into a rice cooker.
Add sugar and salt.
Cook until done.
Curry chicken, in general, is a wonderful creation in itself. Yet, a different adaptation with mint leaves makes it another amazingly savory dish. Be warned: it is dangerously irresistable and spicily appetizing! After the first bite, you'll want more.
I bet a mojito would be a nice pairing :)
Mint Leaves Curry Chicken
3 lbs of chicken, cleaned and cut into bite sizes
1/2 lbs of shallots ground
1/3 lbs of garlic ground
3 tbsp of chilli paste
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground fennel
3 tbsp of tomato sauce
6 pcs of green chillies, halved lengthwise
5 tbsp of coconut milk
1/2 cup of mint leaves
Season chicken with 1 tsp of salt for 15 minutes.
Heat oil and fry chicken till lightly brown. Remove and set aside.
Drain oil and leave 3 tbsp in wok.
Heat oil and fry pounded cumin and fennel.
Add shallots, garlic, chilli paste and some water.
Add tomato sauce and chicken pieces and stir well.
Add coconut milk, green chillies, mint leaves and salt to taste.
Serve warm with rice or bread.
Sorry for the idleness in the little kitchen, folks! Traveling has been in the books; catching up with good old friends whom I have not been in touch for years, but felt as if we just parted yesterday, and then meeting some new people and experienced new things. It most certainly was refreshing to be away from Minneapolis for a while.
But eating out and constantly opening the fridge's door to find no food in it for 3 weeks definitely makes me miss some good old, simple yet comforting homecook meals. And nothing can be more comforting than some Chinese broth.
The Lotus Root Soup is one that Ah Po made quite frequently and I like a lot. As the broth is simmering and the aroma fills my little kitchen, it reminded me of Ah Po's kitchen back home. I only wish she can smell it too.....
The Lotus Root Soup has the kind of taste that I cannot quite describe. The pork ribs and red dates give a hint of sweetness to the broth, but at the same time, the dried squid and mussels sprinkle an opposing saltiness to the mix. Finally, and most prominently I think, the peanuts and lotus roots wrap everything with their earthiness... which also, kinda brings me back to the ground! Simply delicious and comforting.
Lotus Root Soup
1 lb of lean pork ribs
1 section of lotus root, peeled and sliced
8 - 10 dried pitted red dates
1 cup of raw peanuts, washed and drained
1 cup of dried mussels, washed and drained (optional)
1 piece of dried squid, washed
7 cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Wash pork ribs and have enough water to cover the ribs.
Bring to boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour away the water.
Wash the ribs with cold running water.
Put ribs back to pressure cooker and add 6 cups of water, sliced lotus roots, red dates, raw peanuts, dried mussels, dried squid, and cook on high for 30 minutes.
Simmer for another hour or two for more flavor.
Turn off heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm.
