Tempoyak Daun Kayu

This dish is typically a Negri Sembilan dish. It can only be done in the tropics since most of the leaves/vegetables needed can only be found here. Sorry guys from elsewhere! I had to add this so that my children will know how to cook this when I'm gone. Anyway, I'm at present cooking it since I found the most important ingredients i.e. the shoots of the pumpkin ( daun pucuk labu) This is so difficult to get, only once in a blue moon you'll find it in the market or the farmers' market ( pasar tani). Another ingredient that's equally important is the fermented durian or tempoyak. Obviously without this there's no tempoyak daun kayu. My grandmother used to tell me to include at least 7 types of leaves/ condiments. I'm giving you the leaves that are pretty common here. So here goes.....


Ingredients

3 bunches of the shoots of tapioca ( the real deal, not the old leaves that's normally sold)
3 bunches of the shoots of the pumpkin ( just the soft shoots plus the stems)
6 stalks of lemongrass ( just take the white part)
1/2 a cup of smelly broadbeans or petai ( take it out of the pods and peel the skin)
10 leaves of the shoots of the kadok ( pucuk kadok)
4 turmeric leaves
2 yam shoots ( optional)

To be blended
20 bird eye chillies
a thumb-size fresh turmeric

4 cupful of coconut milk made from 2 coconuts

Method

1. Wash all leaves and chop up finely. Separate the lemongrass, petai and the turmeric leaves since these are need a longer time to soften up.
2. Heat the wok and cook the lemongrass, petai and turmeric leaves first with the tempoyak and the chillies. Also put in a cupful of the coconut milk.
3. After 10 mins, put in the rest of the ingredients and season with salt.
4. Cook until the dish thickens. It depends on how 'wet' you want the dish to be. I prefer it to be thick and all the liquid gone.
5. You can serve it with rice straightaway or you can freeze it in small containers after it cooled down. I also like to serve it with bubur lambuk.


So guys and gals, try this and let me know!

DALCA IKAN MASIN

It's been some time since I posted any recipes. Sorry for being lazy. Anyway, this next recipe is also a family recipe. It's called Dalca Ikan Masin ( Mixed vegetable curry with dhal and salted fish) Usually I prefer to use the bones of the ikan kurau but I guess any salted fish will do.


Ingredients

200 g of the bones of the ikan kurau
5 stalks of the long beans
1 carrot
2 medium size potatoes
2 tomatoes
1 round brinjal
1 green mango ( optional)
a fistful of tamarind- get a cup of the juice
some curry leaves
1 tblsp of mixed fenugreek
1/2 cup dhal or lentils
3 tblsp fish curry

 to be pounded
6 shallots
2 garlic
1/2 a thumb-size ginger
 2 cups of coconut milk from 1 coconut

Method
1. Soak the lentils or dhal for 1/2 hour then boil it then it's tender.
2. Soak the bones of the kurau fish for 15 mins until all the salt comes out.
3. Cut the vegetables chunk size
4. Heat the oil and saute the mixed fenugreek and curry leaves until fragrant
5. Add in the pounded ingredients which has been mixed with the curry powder until fragrant
6. Put in the tamarind juice and let it simmer. Add in the soaked salted fish and the potatoes and carrots
7. When the curry is boiling, add in the other vegetables and the boiled lentils. Let it simmer.
8. Add salt to taste. It's supposed to be sourish.
9. Serve it with rice. Enjoy!

Nasi Dagang

I found this recipe in a Malay newspaper but as always I added a few more ingredients to add to the omph factor. Even though the original recipe called for nasi dagang spices which is not easily available in the Klang Valley, I have substitute it with fish curry. Usually I use Alaggapa or Babas since they are spicier. The chilli padi is optional. You can even substitute it with belimbing.


Ingredients

Rice
1 kg rice
1 cup glutinous rice
1 3/4 cup of cold water
5 shallots
1/2 thumb-sized ginger ( julienned)
1 tsp fenugreek
2 cups of coconut milk ( santan)
a pinch of salt

Method

1. Wash the rice and glutinous rice together and soak overnight. Steam the rice the next morning. Alternatively soak the rices at least 6 hours ahead
2. When the rice seems like it is cooked, take it off the heat and mix it with 1 3/4 cup cold water. Then steam it again for 10-15 mins
3. While waiting for the rice to cook, slice the shallots and the ginger. Mix these with the fenugreek, salt and coconut milk.
4. After 10-15 mins, take the rice off the heat again and mix it with the coconut milk mixture.
5. Serve warm


Gravy

1 kg ikan tongkol/ spanish mackerel ( tenggiri) or ikan kembong
2 tblsp fish curry
5 shallots
1 garlic
a pinch of tumeric
2 tblsp cili boh or chilli paste
2 cups of coconut milk from 1 coconut
 a little bit of shrimp paste
1 tblsp of kerisek
10 chilli padi

Method
1. Cut the fish into pieces. Steam and put aside
2. Cook the coconut milk till the oil separates. Put in the shallots, garlic and the shrimp paste that had been pounded and mixed with the fish curry and tumeric. Add in the chilli padi whole and the kerisek.
3. When the oil floats up, add in the fish and add salt.
4. Serve with the rice and pickled cucumber.

Sweet Potato Muffin

The original recipe is for bananas but I swap it for sweet potatoes since that's what available at the time. You can even substitute it with durians. Just blend the durians with a spoonful of milk or coconut milk if you want to go all the way tropical. Just make sure that the mixture is a bit runny and not clumpy or the muffins will turn out too dense.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes ( it's better to steam then boil)
1 tblsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs ( grade A)
150 g butter ( melted and cooled)
Icing sugar to dust the muffins

Method

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and caster sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Beat the sweet potatoes, golden syrup, vanilla essence and eggs together. Stir into the dry ingredients and fold in the melted butter.
3. Grease the muffin tins with a little bit of butter and put in the paper case. Fill 3/4 full but I prefer to fill it up so that the result will be stunning. Bake at 220 C for 12 mins. ( do not forget to turn the oven on at least for 15 mins before putting the muffin in). Test by putting a skewer in and it come out clean.
4. Let it cool in the tin for 2-3 mins before dusting it with icing sugar .

Chocolate Mud Cake

This next recipe has been made a number of times by my daughter Ezza since it is a favourite of my husband. Now that she is not at home, I had to make it for him. It's rich and moist.







Ingredients

225 g butter
350 g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup warm water
5 eggs, separated ( best to use grade A)
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 cups ground almonds
2/3 cup plain flour

Ganache

200 g dark chocolate, chopped
200 g butter




Method

1. Preheat oven to moderate 180 C. Brush a deep 20 cm round tin with oil or melted butter; line base and sides with baking paper. Melt butter and chocolate in pan over a pot of boiling waterl add in water, stir until smooth. Remove from heat, cool.
2. Beat yolks and suger in a large bowl until thick and pale. Using a metal spoon, fold in chocolate mixture, then combined almonds and flour. Stir until smooth. Beat egg whites in separate bowl making sure that none of the egg yolks get in. Beat until soft peaks form.  Fold into mixture carefully making sure that the air created do not escape overlly. Spoon into prepared tinl smoth surface with metal spoon.
3. Bake for 1 hour or until skewer comes out clean when inserted into centre. Leave cake in tin for 20 mins then turn onto wire rack to cool.
3. How to make Ganache
Melt chocolate and butter in pan over boiling water. Stir until smooth. Cool; stir occasionally until spreadable. Spread a third of Ganache on top and another third around sides of cake. Pipe rosettes or swirls around outer edges.