Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang

MalaysianFood highlight - the Nasi Lemak! I have been planning to make a post on this for a while now, yet I have never gotten enough motivation to get me kickstarted each time. And so I fell victim to procrastination, time and again. There are some pictures securely stored in my "to-blog" folder taken from my previous Nasi Lemak cookout quite a while ago, but you know how some stuff just sadly no longer appear as appealing after you look at them for a good while? Well that happened in this case of mine; and that's me deciding to continue putting that thought on hold, delving further into the "that can wait" mode... right until now.

The cue to make this came out of nowhere just over this past weekend. I have no idea what triggered it, but one thing rolls on to another - I went on to get all the ingredients needed, and the following day - I was all set on recreating the sinfully delicious dish for the day while finding myself busy snapping away with a camera in hand. I guess it's true that you really should follow your passion at times - because when you have got that in hand, you are as good as being halfway through it! The battle will be a breeze! Well not totally, but it just feels right to say that simply... lol.

So here's a post specially dedicated to the famous Malaysian Nasi Lemak! It probably is safe to say that every Malaysian and Singaporean love their Nasi Lemak... with the coconut milk rice infused with the aroma of pandan (screwpine leaves) and ginger served with an egg, then garnished with anchovies fried to a perfect crunch, fresh roasted peanuts, refreshing slices of cucumber and a liberal serving of sweet and spicy sambal... YummMmm... it's just hard to not love everything about it really!

Just like all the other times I had made this in the past - I chose to serve it with the Chicken Rendang. There are plenty of other options out there - thanks to the bits and bits of creativity juice contributed by the many passionate people (that's the passion again!) out there. These days, there are the choices of chicken or beef rendang, crispy fried chicken, sardine fish, sambal petai (stink bean sambal), sambal sotong (squid sambal), sambal kerang (cockles sambal), paru (beef lungs) and the list just goes on and on!

The coconut milk rice recipe was one that I got from my mom - simple and straightforward in fact. This version of mine features the brown rice. Using that i=s definitely not a conscious decision made; the brown rice is what we usually have at home almost on an everyday basis. It can be substituted with the usual jasmine white rice - it's all a personal preference really. Just be sure to adjust the amount of water needed - pretty much just like how you would usually cook the plain rice - white, brown or even red.

The sambal is really what I would think as the limelight of the dish. This sambal recipe is one that I adapted from Ju at The Little Teochew in her post on the Nasi Lemak Sambal Chili. I have so far been trying a different recipe each time I make the Nasi Lemak, in hope to search for the cream of the crop. With me stumbling upon Ju's recipe just recently, I think I am pretty convinced that I can now stop looking around - this is by far one of the really good ones that I have chanced upon. And the best part of it - it is made perfect even without having the need to include the belacan (shrimp paste) in its making. That's Nasi Lemak made a notch healthier!

The previously featured Chicken Rendang recipe is again my mom's. And that reminded me... I shall be posting some new photos of the rendang to the previous post shortly - some better looking ones with the natural lighting taken in the day they are :D

And now... its making!

Stir Fried White Radish Cake 炒蘿蔔糕

Stir Fried White Radish Cake 炒蘿蔔糕 - it goes by plenty other names. There's the Char Chai Tau Kueh 炒菜头粿 and there's the Char Kueh Kak 炒粿角 too. Honestly, I have not an idea how exactly they differ from one another. I would guess different communities in different regions with all the local influences over time must have adopted different names at one point or another. But all in all, I really do think that they are essentially the same Stir Fried White Radish Cake 炒蘿蔔糕. They probably just differ slightly in terms of their cooking styles and their final presentations, in which each is made and tailored to suit the locals.

Perhaps someone cares to enlighten me on this, pleeeeease?

Variations in name aside, there is a couple different variations in how they are stir fried too. There's the plain white version, and there's the version which incorporates the use of dark soy sauce, and hence a version with a darker hue in general. Some are loaded with bean sprouts and chives; and some simply stir fried with eggs and nothing else. Of course, there's also the very basic version - no extra ingredients, just cubed radish cakes first pan fried and then stir fried over a high heat with some light seasonings.

My favorite of all would be the version stir fried with Chai Poh (preserved turnip) 菜圃, loaded with bean sprouts, chives and plenty of chunky eggs. Yes, huge huge bits of eggs... mmMMmm lol. And one that comes with a tinge of dark soy sauce (I don't particularly fancy the plain white version, but of course not the one that's all too dark beyond recognition either). Oh, and of utmost importance, the cubed radish cakes will have to be pan fried prior to getting stir fried. Crispy exterior, soft and fragrant interior - PERFETTO!

pan fried radish cake, preserved turnip, egg, bean sprout and chive!

This Stir Fried White Radish Cake 炒蘿蔔糕 has gotta be one the few favorites of mine that I have truly missed ever since I moved here. I have not heard or read about a place actually serving this here where I live, let alone actually eating it here anywhere nearby. So each time the craving hits, my best option would be to make do with the pan fried radish cake commonly served in dim sum restaurants.

Same yummy stuff, same yummy origin, but but but - they are somewhat different kinds of yumminess!

So make my own it is then! The steamed radish cake recipe was one adapted from Yi at Yi Reservation on his post on Dim Sum Classic – Turnip Cake (蘿蔔糕). The stir fried part was one slowly developed over time based on my very first trial (which failed big time btw! lol). Took me a couple more times to experiment with plenty of changes in between, but it's all so worth the time and patience in the end.

My wish for now - is that the craving doesn't come hitting me (AGAIN!) anytime soon. lol.

Chee Cheong Fun (Steamed Rice Rolls) with Curry and Sweet Sauce 咖哩甜酱猪肠粉

I'm back! lol. Took some self-proclaimed holidays post the Chinese New Year celebration, fought the winter storm over the past week, laid back and rested and now I'm feeling all recharged! Browsing through my album, I reckoned I shall start off with this - Chee Cheong Fun (Steamed Rice Rolls) 猪肠粉. Something light and easy to write about, pleasant and soothing (hopefully) to read about lol.

My history with chee cheong fun started when I was a kid still. Back then chee cheong fun to me was steamed rice rolls of bite sizes that came served with just the sweet sauce 甜酱 with plenty of sesame seeds sprinkled on it. You get to pick the ingredients to go with the cheong fun - fish balls, meat balls, fish cakes, mini sausages, bean curd sheets (fuchok) and plenty more. Years later when I tolerated spiciness better, I started having them with some hot sauce on top of the existing sweet sauce (in a 1:4 ratio maybe). So that brought the cheong fun a different dimension; it is now packed with an extra flavor.

Then came another version of chee cheong fun into my life. Instead of them rolled, they came in sheets. Briefly cut, you can have them plain or served alongside a variety of yong tau foo. And instead of the sweet sauce, they came in a shallow pool of curry. Interesting...

At some points, dad introduced me to yet another version of chee cheong fun - his hometown, the Taiping version! This Taiping version has got to be the simplest version of all. Simple yet unbelievably awesome! There's the cheong fun in it; and there's the special red sweet sauce that came served with it. Oh, and it's loaded with fried shallots too. That's it! The red sweet sauce tastes very much like the red sweet sauce that is often served with steamed yam cakes. And as unique as it sounds, some cheong fun stalls actually sell those yam cakes too. So a lot of times, you'll see patrons slurping away plates of chee chong fun topped with yam cakes, all in a same serving plate. Even more interesting... lol.

An all-time big fan of chee cheong fun myself, it didn't take me that long to be craving for this when I moved here. And this featured here is a personal preference of mine; it's a bit of all those above mixed together. Rolled cheong fun with an assortment of yong tau foo and side dishes, drenched in both the sweet sauce and curry gravy with a dollop of chili sauce on the side and finished with sesame seeds and crispy fried shallots for garnishing. I haven't got the talent to be making my own steamed rice rolls just yet, so store-bought ones it is for now! Having tried a couple of different brands, the plain ones produced by the Canada Hung Wang Food Inc. has always been my choice. But someday, someday I shall live up to the challenge and start rolling my own in my kitchen lol. 

Pork Congee 猪肉粥

A nostalgic favorite of mine, making this pork congee had surely brought back plenty of the sweet memories I have had growing up. Memories of the many many uncountable bowls of pork congee that I had had with my dad and occasionally with my brother at one particular place back in my hometown, Kuantan. Sadly this particular shop right opposite the main post office in town had been out of business for quite some time now; memories, however, hardly fade once they get etched in our hearts. Moments of reminiscence, so please do pardon me. Back then we were the few regulars of this particular stall run by a loving old couple specializing in none other than their one and only specialty - the pork porridge. No orders were ever needed whenever we went; they knew just too well what we had come to love and adore after the first few visits that we made. Once seated down, the wife would come and line our cutlery ready on the table with the daily newspaper in hand to keep us occupied while the husband would be setting off cooking our porridge in swift movements, bowl by bowl.

There probably were nothing super WOW about this bowl of congee that I grew up knowing and eventually loving, but it had always brought us comfort unfailingly. And soon that became one of dad's and my favorite breakfast place to frequent (but then again, did I not ever have to attend school most mornings? Well they probably were those weekends then. lol.). A humble stall in a huge restaurant with plenty other stalls selling a good selection of other breakfast, every bowl of porridge the husband made was one that had been consistently good all the years. Despite being a real simple bowl of congee, it had always left us with not a single issue that we would have wished it done any differently from how he had always had it done. It was to me a bowl of heart-warming congee that could not have been any better than it already was.

Some homemade irregularly shaped fresh meatballs made from minced meat, thinly sliced pork loins, a small selections of pork innards (the intestines and livers among the few) which of course would only appear in your bowl of congee upon a personal order and a few springy and bouncy pork meat balls all topped with some finely shredded lettuces, each bowl was made complete with a small handful of the crispy fried shallot and a round of their precious aromatic oil for an enhanced flavor plus a few pieces of bite sized crispy crullers. And to top everything off, each bowl came with an egg cracked right into the middle of the bubbling hot bowl of congee. With a few light dashes of white pepper powder, that simply made the perfect picture to a perfect bowl of velvety smooth pork congee, at least to my very own personal definition.

Fried Rice with Salted Fish and Chicken 鹹魚雞粒炒飯

My first time having this fried rice with salted fish and chicken was just a little less than two years back, shortly after I moved here. It was then when I learned that this is a common and a very much sought-after one indeed, commonly served in Chinese restaurants here. And at some points I started wondering if it simply is a specialty made popular here or has it all the while been an option that I might have overlooked during the many years of dining out in Malaysia, one of which I have yet to clarify to-date. As simple as it seems and sounds, this is one that I soon found myself personally labeling it as a hidden gem among the many other items in a typical extensive menu in any Chinese restaurants. 

As humble as it may get, making this dish shine really does need not more than just a few ingredients. Salted fish, once a poor man's food and obviously no longer so these days, is probably the very key to defining this fried rice giving it its unique pungency. Preserved over time, a small piece really does go a long way with its salty nature and yet surprisingly not overpoweringly so when incorporated into the dish - one that you either really adore or simply hate. A good plate of this rice will be one that comes with a balance of all - saltiness from the salted fish of a good quality but not to overwhelming in general, sweetness from the bits of chicken and peas, refreshing crunchiness from the shreds of lettuces leaves complete with the natural aroma coming from the eggs. If you are one that does not particularly despise the salted fish, then this is one that you have to try for yourself to see how appetizing this really can be and how it may even easily be the one that wins your heart hands down thereon.

Fried Rice with Dried Shrimps and Chilies 虾米辣椒炒饭

I grew up knowing two different types of fried rice that mom always make at home. They are mom's family version of fried rice (aka my maternal grandma's fried rice) - one that comes fried with plenty of crushed garlic and beaten eggs on a very high heat and the other type will be dad's family version of fried rice - which is this featured here (hereby aka the Taiping fried rice at home, Taiping being dad's hometown). Family recipes being family recipes, these are not the usual fancy fried rice that you usually get outside, having these at home is more towards a family affair thingy really. Both being as simple as ever, this Taiping fried rice that dad could never get enough of is anything but complicated - cooked rice fried with heaps of dried shrimps, birds eye chilies, shallots, garlic and plenty of beaten eggs. Needing not much else, a dollop of light soy sauce or dark soy sauce is all needed to lightly enhance the naturally rich flavor this fried rice already has.

While I have always considered myself one spoiled brat that had never had to spend much time in the kitchen helping out as a kid, it kinda amazed me to be thinking back now how I actually had had a first hand experience at making both these fried rice at one point or another. It must be those times when when mom got unusually too occupied with something else she desperately needed a helping hand despite knowing well how incompetent I could be lol. Astonishingly appetizing despite its simplicity, it is the heat and spiciness coming from the birds eye chilies and the unique flavor, aroma and texture from the dried shrimps that make them the keys to defining the taste and characteristic of this fried rice.

Traditionally done using a pestle and mortar to crush and grind the spices, dad would always insist that they tasted way better rather than having them blended with a food processor instead, which I personally think was quite a just claim made. Contrary to the over efficient food processor, the slow pounding that happens in the mortar releases the natural oil more gently, subjecting itself to a very minimal loss (if any) of the natural taste these spices have. Plus, you never will be at risk of getting them overdone losing the essential texture when incorporated into the fried rice later. But but but, a set of pestle and mortar is still in my to-get list yet to be crossed off as of today. So a food processor it is for now. Oops. If you are settling for this too, just be sure that you go easy on blending them. One good way to go about this is to blend the dried shrimps separately from the rest. This way you will get the right finer texture for the shallots, garlic and the chilies while retaining a moderately rough texture for the dried shrimps.

a dish in which simplicity rules - no garnishing necessary, as simple as ever

Yeung Chow Fried Rice 扬州炒饭

This is what I will personally classify as one of the classic and most popular fried rice in the Chinese restaurants in Malaysia. I have not an idea what the history to this is like, whether or not it really originated from the city the name bears or if this version of fried rice is made exactly like it was intended when first created. But despite all the unknowns, I must say that these Chinese restaurants have at least been somewhat consistent in defining this Yeung Chow Fried Rice 扬州炒饭 on the whole as if a common ground to the definition of this has always been achieved and agreed on all along. They are always made with the same few ingredients that even I have since and still made believe are the essentials in a plate of Yeung Chow Fried Rice 扬州炒饭. They are the Chinese barbequed pork (char siu), shrimps (whole or diced), eggs and balanced with something green (most of the time it will be the sweet peas). Each looks simple enough on their own really, but have them tossed together with the rice plus a bit of this and a bit of that of some real simple seasonings, there is something about this fried rice that has always captured my heart. And if I were to really pin point at one - I guess it must be the Chinese barbequed pork in its sweet glaze with a tad of the char grilled taste that makes the key to defining a plate of good Yeung Chow Fried Rice 扬州炒饭.

Quoting from the previous post on Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Kimchi Fried Rice) 김치 볶음밥, "As with any other varieties of fried rice, leftover rice always makes better fried rice, having had the chance to slightly dry up overnight chilled in the refrigerator. But making fried rice is always still possible even without any leftover rice in hand. Cook some rice well ahead of time with, use a little less water than what usually is required (reduce by a 1/4 maybe), remove the rice from the cooker as soon as it's done cooking, spread them out to let the steam escapes well and leave to air dry right until cooking time. Same good result, same level of satisfaction!".

Claypot Chicken Rice 瓦煲鸡饭

I may not be a big fan of the claypot chicken rice, but this being one of the many popular local delights is something that I do enjoy having every now and then. I probably could have counted the few little times that I had ordered and had a personal pot all to myself dining out. This has always been more of a family affair with our family sharing a good pot or two for a meal at times. Dad and brother on the other hand, loved this like none others. This claypot chicken rice had even been a reason we would be exploring some cities or towns hunting for some renowned stalls specializing in claypot chicken rice, heard, recommended or seen advertised anywhere when we happened to be out of town. Nope, not at all exaggerating here. So despite me not particularly loving it, I grew up having plenty of it nonetheless. And good ones they sure are.

When you have two claypot chicken rice enthusiasts at home, over time you will find that you actually do learn and pick up some stuff from them subconsciously. For one, I have learned that it all starts with a queue and a long waiting time. Making a pot of claypot chicken rice traditionally involved the use of the charcoal flame as the main source of heat giving it an earthy flavor. That method of fueling is certainly getting less and less seen these days, largely replaced with the gas burners saving plenty of time and effort. Regardless of which is used, I do know that the basic to a good pot of this goodie starts with the rice. It should be cooked using the claypot itself rather than having it pre-cooked and assembled in a claypot simply after. With that slow and steady rule #1, that explained the wait. Thinking back, it was amazing how a good pot of this could actually test and tame the two men at home with the least patience back then lol.

Chinese sausage, shiitake mushroom and a good piece of salted fish
- the essentials to a good pot of claypot chicken rice

With the waiting over, a pot of smoky and aromatic chicken rice is what you should be anticipating - the aroma especially coming from the salted fish and the Chinese sausage or lap cheong 腊肠 , the pleasant sight of the color given by a good quality of dark soy sauce, grains of rice nicely separated looking firm and the steam seen as soon as the lid is removed suggesting a piping hot content right to the core of each grain of rice. Giving it a stir prior to serving, a good layer of crust should already be noticeable. "The best part" as how dad would describe the slightly burnt crust, he would always be the first one to claim that piece of treasure totally ignoring mom's disapproving look lol. With all those criteria scored, the result will be somewhat indescribable - lets just put it as "satisfaction in every spoonsful guaranteed".

fried salted fish broken down and sprinkled over rice prior to serving

Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Kimchi Fried Rice) 김치 볶음밥

Living in an area with a Korean grocer just a short distance away, it is a great opportunity to be getting the best supply I can get whenever it comes to making Korean meals. Kimchi is one of them. This is where I bought my first ever bottle of homemade kimchi, made right there in the kitchen at the back of the shop itself. Fascinated with the huge refrigerator filled with kimchi in bottles and jars of all sizes each at different stages of fermentation process, the lady owner must have seen the awestricken me when she approached and offered some help. Then began a series of bottles and jars opening, sniffing and occasionally even sampling as she tried to explain the differences and ultimately which is best used for cooking the many different Korean dishes. And so it is from this lady owner whom I learned that well fermented kimchi makes the best kimchi bokkeumbap and kimchi jjigae 김치 찌개 or basically the kimchi stew.

Kimchi bokkeumbap, literally translated as the "kimchi fried rice" makes a humble yet sumptuous meal anytime. A true statement especially when one has little mood to spend much time making a meal in the kitchen and yet a hearty and healthy meal is still in the picture. Well actually, that was me describing those once in a blue moon moments that I do get on and off. No fancy ingredients and very little time and talent needed really, I have always loved its convenience and yet never lacking quality of a wholesome meal definition. Slightly over-fermented kimchi stir fried to bring out its natural sweetness and balanced by the inclusion of rice, it is easy to be in love with this with just one single bite into it.

With a bottle of good kimchi in the fridge at all time, this fried rice is made easy with a few other additional simple ingredients. A choice of meat (bacon, ham, pork, chicken or any other preferred), some vegetables diced up and a tinge of sesame oil to finish with, collectively they do great in balancing and complementing one another. As with any other varieties of fried rice, leftover rice always makes better fried rice, having had the chance to slightly dry up overnight chilled in the refrigerator. But making fried rice is always still possible even without any leftover rice in hand. Cook some rice well ahead of time with, use a little less water than what usually is required (reduce by a 1/4 maybe), remove the rice from the cooker as soon as it's done cooking, spread them out to let the steam escapes well and leave to air dry right until cooking time. Same good result, same level of satisfaction!

Lean Pork with Century Egg Congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥

One of the many staples in a typical Chinese family, congee easily makes yet another all-time comfort food. Mom has always been a congee lover herself; so growing up, we would have this served on the dining table more often than not. It sometimes would be eaten plain white alongside a couple of side dishes like salted duck eggs or omelet with preserved radish or plenty other options. Other times the congee would be prepared with additional ingredients added into the pot of congee itself. Regardless of the type of congee, it simply makes a great meal anytime throughout the day.

Relatively more digestible and gentle on the stomach, it is a great comfort food especially when one is under the weather. I grew up liking congee neutrally - loving it when it was served, not particularly missing it when it wasn't. Right to the day I got unwell and the misery stretched over a full week. Down with fever and zero appetite, congee was all that I had three times a day for the whole duration. The moment I got better was the moment I decided that I had had enough congee for the rest of my life (impulsive it might be, but that obviously was a history now lol).

For many years after, I despise congee altogether. Mom would have to prepare me an individual portion of dinner while the rest of the family had congee for meals and I would always skip the congee cart each time it was pushed passed our table at dim sum places. While I had fallen sick again and again many times after, I stood firm by my decision simply to be off it. Right until my very first trip to Hong Kong in 2009. Nathan Congee and Noodle 彌敦粥麵家 in Jordan was what changed me for good.

lean pork with century egg congee at Nathan Congee and Noodle (photo credit to ShingWei)

Velvety smooth like no others, I fell in love with the bowl of congee that very instant. I began to look out for good congee around ever since, and eventually started making my own at home. While they can never match the one I had back then, these are close enough, and definitely good enough. 

Dolsot Bibimbap 돌솥 비빔밥

A signature dish in Korea, this is pretty much the Korean version of mixed rice. Served in a hot stone bowl, it is a surprisingly versatile dish - a bed of cooked rice, topping it with an array of vegetables, a choice of meat, a runny egg and completing it with the gochujang (red pepper paste). There is not a defined line of ingredients that must be used in making this. Prepared individually either seasoned or sautéed, the selection of vegetables including the choice of meat served can always be tailored to one's personal preference. Right before serving, the runny egg will be broken and mixed up with everything else in the bowl creating a concoction of taste, colors, and texture in every bite.

bean sprouts, spinach, shiitake mushroom, carrots,
wood ear fungus, zuchhini and pork