Steamed Salty Rice Cakes with Radish/Wun Chai Go

This is another one of my favorite snacks whenever I visit Malaysia. I remembered fondly how we used to wait for this hawker to come by our house with these delicious cakes in his basket. He would turn the hot steamed cakes on a plate with a bamboo stick and serve savory sauce on top. It is so good that we often went back for seconds.
Ingredients:
1¼ cups rice flour
3 cups water
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup salted radish, rinsed well and cut in small chunks
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
½ cup lean pork, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 shallow bowls
Method:
1. Mix rice flour, water, and salt in a bowl. Stir well to mix. Pour into a saucepan and cook over low heat till mixture get thick, but not lumpy. Remove from heat.

2. In a food processor blend radish and pork in small pieces. Heat pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, fry shallots till soft and add radish/pork mixture until they become fragrant. Season to taste.
3. Brush bowls with some oil. Pour some batter into each bowls and spoon some turnip mixture on top. Place the bowls in a pre-heated steamer tray and steam over high heat for about 30-35 minutes (until the skewer comes out clean when poke in the middle).

4. Serve it in the same bowl or wait for it to cool and invert it over a plate. Top with soy sauce mixed with some oil, and leftover toppings.
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Tomato and Endive Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

If you love anchovies in your salad, this might be interesting to serve on any occasions. The vinaigrette is also great on toasty bread if you have leftovers. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small endive
3 ripe and firm tomatoes
sea salt and pepper
Vinaigrette:
2 ozs. fillet of anchovies (Star brand)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
small handful of fresh basil leaves
4 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar (or white will do)
Method:
1.Rinsed and washed off excess oil from anchovies. In a food processor add half of the anchovies, garlic, vinegar, and blend. Slowly add oil and then the basil leaves till fine and smooth texture. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the greens.
2. Gently peel and washed the endive leaves and drained well. Cut tomatoes into wedges or slices. Arrange the tomatoes, endives, anchovies, and onions on a platter or individual plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette over the salad and season with pepper. Serve immediately.
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Pineapple Fried Rice

Ever since both my college kids moved out of the house, I have to learn to cook less and sometimes there are still leftovers for the both of us. I have some leftover brown rice and the dish that comes to mind is fried rice served in hollowed out pineapple. If you don't have fresh pineapple, you can substitute with canned pineapple, which is a bit too sweet. This is my version of what you can do with leftover rice.
Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 cup cooked brown rice (or white)
1 fresh pineapple
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
¼ lb. prawns (peeled and deveined)
½ cup frozen peas (rinsed and drained)
2 small sweet peppers, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. roasted cashews (optional)
¼ cup raisins
1 egg (beaten)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
½ tsp. turmeric powder
¼ tsp. cayenne powder
1 piece kaffir lime leaf (thinly sliced)
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying
cilantro for garnishing
Method:

1. Rub the cooked rice to separate them if they are in lumps. Cut pineapple in half, remove fruit and cut in small chunks. Be carefully not to cut through the skin. Reserve one cup of fruits for the rice.

2. Mix fish sauce, turmeric powder, and cayenne powder in a small bowl.

 3. In a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and fry shallots till soft and fragrant. Add the prawns and kaffir lime leaf and cook till prawns turned red in color, stirring occasionally.

4. Add in the peas follow by the beaten egg, stir to mix for about 5-10 minutes. Add in rice, spices, raisins, pineapples, and nuts if used. Stir to mix until all the ingredients, or until the rice is slightly dried.

5. Remove from heat, spoon into hollowed-out pineapple halves and garnish with cilantro.
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Pork Meat Balls with Dipping Sauce

This dish is perfect for an informal or a cocktail party. You can substitute the pork with chicken or turkey and use small sweet peppers if you want a milder sauce. 

Ingredients:
1½ lbs lean ground pork
1 egg, beaten
5 stalks Chinese long beans, finely diced
1 small red chili, finely diced
2 tsp. lemon grass powder
1 tsp. galangal powder
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1½ Tbsp. fish sauce (nam pla)
oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste
Chili Dipping Sauce
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1¼ cups vinegar
1 medium size shallot, finely sliced
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
pinch of salt
3 red chilies, thinly sliced
Cucumber Relish
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1 small cucumber, center removed and sliced finely
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. pineapple, thinly sliced
2 tsp. sesame seeds
pinch of salt
Method:
1. In a mixing bowl add pork, egg, vegetables, spices and sugar and mix till all the ingredients are incorporated to a smooth texture.

2. In separate bowls, mix all the ingredients for the cucumber and chili dipping sauces together. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add a little more vinegar or sugar according to your taste. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

3. Take about 2 tablespoons of mixture and roll into the size of a golf ball. Repeat with the remaining mixture and put the balls on a plate. Chill for about 30 minutes.

4. Fill a deep wok or saucepan one-third full of oil and heat on high or until a piece of bread browns in 30 seconds. (this is a test that my cookery teacher used on us at school). Carefully place the balls and deep fry in small batches over medium heat until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels.
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Tea with Spices/Chai Tea

Whenever we dine at an Indian restaurant, we would often ordered Chai tea with our meal. Then I asked them to make it strong and spicy for us, which invariably is not so as they were all pre-mixed ahead of time. It is nothing like making it at home.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
2½ cups water
2 Tbsp. black tea
5 green cardamons, slightly crushed
5 black cardamons, slightly crushed
3 whole cloves
1 star anise
3-4 peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 tsp. fennel seeds
One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
One 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 cup milk
honey to taste
nutmeg for garnishing
Method:
1. In a saucepan, combine water, tea, spices. Cook over medium heat until hot, cover and let mixture steep for about 10 minutes.  
                                  

2. Remove from heat, add milk and pour tea through a fine strainer. Serve in pre-warmed cups or teapot and honey and nutmeg on the side. Tips: I made a small bag with cheesecloth for the tea and spices or you can use a tea ball
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Turtle-shaped Rice Cakes/Ang Ku Kuih

Ang Ku Kuih is a Malay word for small bite-sized sweet tea cakes or snacks. They are usually made by hand using molds of intricate designs or roll and wrapped with banana leaves. Ang Ku Kuih (红龟糕) is a small red oval shaped Chinese steamed cake with soft mung bean fillings in the center. The oval shaped Ang ku kuih, (红龟糕) is designed to resemble a tortoise shell which signifies longevity to the Chinese tradition. They are usually served during religious events, birthdays, and the birth of a child. You can easily buy these molds in Malaysia, or simply roll it into an oval or round shape and create your own design. This is a tribute to my late mother who had made this and other kuih everyday for years to sell in the market as another source of income to feed her large family.
Skin ingredients: (makes about 1/ 1/2 dozens)
300 gms glutinous rice flour
200 gms potato flour/starch (or same amount of sweet potato, steamed and mashed)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
¾ cup warm water
2 tsp. pandan essense
2 tsp. red coloring
1 tsp. sugar
1 sheet banana leaf, cut into several oval shapes
Ang Ku mold
Steamer
Fillings ingredients:
1 packet (14 oz) split mung beans (without skin)
150 gm sugar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Method:
1. Wash and soak mung beans overnight to soften. Drain well and steam mung beans with pandan leaf for about 20-30 minutes or until soft. Mash finely and set aside.
2. In a pot, mix mashed beans, sugar and oil and cook over medium heat. Stir continuously until mixture is thick and almost dry. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, rub some oil in your palm and roll them into small golf sized balls. (You can also use a teaspoon to spoon the filling into the dough).

3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, mashed potato (if used), and sugar together. Mix the pandan essense, oil, red coloring and 1/2 of the water together in a small bowl. Add this to the flour mixture. Mix and knead the mixture to form pliable dough, by adding little water at a time if necessary. Cover with cloth and set aside.

4. Brush the mold with some oil and dust with some rice flour. Shake off excess flour. Take a small amount of dough and flatten to a round, put a ball of the filing in the center. Wrap skin over and close back to a ball making sure the filling is concealed. Press it into the mold and lightly tap it on the table to remove. Place it on a banana leaf. Do the same with the rest of the dough and fillings. Trim around the raw dough before steaming.

5. Fill a steamer with water and steam the kuih on the top rack for 10-15 minutes. Set aside and brush lightly with some oil on top.

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Fresh Spring Rolls/Popiah

Popiah is another popular snack in my hometown, Malaysia. It is a light paper-thin crepe wrapped with shredded jicama, string beans, cucumber, prawns, and fried shallots. The skin is made of wheat flour and water. Making popiah skin is labor-intensive as it involves standing in front of a hot griddle and using the palm of the hand to dip into the flour mixture and press the dough on the griddle with a "pull and dip" rythmn. We would normally buy fresh popiah skin in the local wet market by the pound. You can purchase frozen popiah skin or pastry wrappers in local Asian markets. I like to serve this dish at a party as this allows my guests to have fun in making their own spring roll.

Ingredients (A):

1 cup prawns

2 cups jicama, julliened
1 cup french beans, sliced thinly
1 cup firm beancurd, julliened
1 cup cooked beansprouts
½ cup shallot, sliced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
oil for stir fry
Ingredients (B):
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup cucumber, julliened
½ cup toasted peanuts  (skins removed and finely grind)
1 head lettuce
cilantro, shredded
chee hou sauce or plum sauce
chilli sauce (optional)
popiah skins, thawed at room temperature
Seasonings (C):
salt and sugar to taste
2 tsp. white pepper powder
2 Tbsps. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
Method:
1.Wash and cut all ingredients. Toast and grind peanuts finely.

2. Heat 1/2 Tbsp. of oil in pan over medium heat. Add prawns and cook until it turns red in color, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove shells, cut in half and remove black thread on top of the prawn. Cut prawn into thin slices.

3. Heat some oil on a skillet and pour some egg mixture to form a thin omelet. Turn over to cook the other side. Do the same to the rest of the egg mixture. When cool, cut in thin slices.

  

4.In the same skillet add 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 of the shallots and garlic. Fry until shallots are soft and aromatic over medium heat. Add jicama and cook until it reduced in volumne. Remove and place in a larger pot. 

5. Using the same skillet, add some oil and brown beancurd on both sides. Remove beancurd and saute string beans till it is cooked but not soft. Add this to the jicama mixture.

6. Reheat the larger pot and add the seasonings (salt, pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce) stir in to mix and simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings, remove from heat.

7. In another saucepan, heat enough oil and fry the rest of the shallots and garlic till crisp and brown. Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil.

 

To assemble:

8. Set out the vegetables, sauces, and garnishing into separate containers on the table.

 

9. Place thawed popiah skin on a flat surface or a plate. Brush the popiah skin lightly with chee hou sauce or chilli sauce in the center. Tear a piece of lettuce away from the middle vein (this will make it easier to roll and not poke through the skin). Place lettuce about 2" away from the side of the skin.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of jicama ingredients on top of lettuce, squeezing out excess gravy. Arrange the other ingredients (eggs, prawns, cucumber, peanuts, cilantro) Sprinkle top with some fried shallots. Roll up from front, fold the sides, tucking in firmly and roll up firmly. Serve immediately.

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