Nyonya Kari Chicken Kapitan

Since I was on a Nyonya high already, I couldn't go past this very famous chicken curry that you are bound to get from any good Malaysian eatery.  I think the locals could probably make this dish with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their backs.  Well with both eyes open and both hands in operation I attempted a Gordon Ramsay version of this dish - not so Malaysian is he?  Put his on screen (a possibly off-screen in the kitchen) bad temper aside, I actually have much respect for Gordon (first name basis, 'cause we go way back..!) as a chef and businessman and I have followed a few of his recipes before and they have turned out superbly.  The term Kapitan was a name given to chiefs during the settlement days, early on in Malacca's history.  This kari dish may have been prepared especially for them or on occasions to honour the chiefs. So I figured "Ch(i)ef Ramsay's" dish seemed a worthy recipe to take on and adapt to my own.  The result was an exceptionally tasty curry with the right spiciness, sweetness and sourness that tasted really authentic.  

Ingredients

6 x chicken thighs, cut into small bite size pieces
3 tbsp x Light soy sauce
1 tbsp x Dark soy sauce
Pepper to season
2 tbsp x Cooking oil
2 x Onions, finely diced
1 440ml can x Coconut milk
1 heaped tbsp x Tamarind pulp, soaked in ½ cup of hot water
6 x Kaffir lime leaves, left whole, extra cut into fine strips for garnish
2 tbsp x Palm sugar, grated

For the rempah (paste)
4 x Red chillies (or more if desired), deseeded
2 x Lemongrass stalks, white part chopped
1 tbsp x grated Fresh turmeric, (or 1 tsp of Turmeric powder)
2 tbsp x grated Ginger
2 tbsp x grated Galangal
5 shallots, peeled and chopped

4 x Candlenuts, soaked in a little warm water
1 tsp x Cinnamon powder

1 tbsp x Belachan, (dry shrimp paste sold in blocks), dry roast in a pan for for a few minutes before use

Directions

Combine chicken pieces with the soy sauces and the pepper

Marinate in the fridge for about an hour

Place all ingredients of the rempah into a food processor and blend to a coarse paste

Squeeze the soaked tamarind pulp, retaining the juice, discard the skin and seeds and keep juice aside

Stir fry the chicken in batches until about three quarters cooked and reserve in a bowl

Cook the onions until they are translucent then add the rempah and fry for a further 2 minutes

Return the chicken to the wok and pour in the coconut milk, bring to a slight boil

Now add the tamarind juice, lime leaves and sugar

Lower heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning

Garnish with finely sliced lime leaves and serve with rice or crispy roti canai

Kam Heong Chicken...Golden Fragrant deliciousness

There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment, for a foodie, when you have tasted a dish at a restaurant and been able to replicate back in your own kitchen.  This was definitely the case for Kam Heong Chicken, a Little Nyonya specialty that I had ordered and tasted for the first time some weeks back in Docklands.  This dish really explodes as a fusion of Chinese, Malay and Indian flavours - which is the very foundation of the Peranakan settlers to the straits of Malacca, who are credited with the creation of Nyonya cuisine.

Kam Heong translates to "golden fragrant", and this in itself sums this dish right up as it went down a treat, deliciously, and definitely had a very inviting aroma that made you feel you were right in the thick of it...Malacca that is!

The paste base for Kam Heong is surprisingly simple to make and I recommend bottling some away in the fridge, to use with other proteins like fish or even tofu.

Ingredients, to serve 4

4 x Chicken thigh fillets, skinned and cut into three portions

Oil for shallow frying

Marinade

1 x Egg white

2 tsp x Light soy sauce

2 tsp x Oyster sauce

2 tsp x Sesame oil

1 tbsp x Shao Xing wine

2 tbsp x Cornflour

Sauce

3 tbsp x Cooking oil

100g x Dried prawns, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, then rinsed and drained

6 x Shallots, diced finely

4 x Garlic cloves, chopped finely

4-5 sprigs x Curry leaves, picked

4 x Red Chilli, chopped (deseed if you prefer a milder dish)

4 tbsp x Curry powder (I use a Malaysian meat curry powder which is more fragrant)

6 tbsp x Oyster sauce

2 tbsp x Light soy

1 tbsp x Dark soy 

2 tsp x Sugar

100ml water, plus extra to liquify

Directions

Combine all marinade ingredients, except the cornflour, with the chicken pieces

Allow to stand in the fridge for at least an hour

Dust in the cornflour and mix through with a spoon

Heat enough oil in a large frypan for shallow frying

Fry chicken in batches on each side for 3 minutes then again for a final minute

Set aside to stand while you prepare the sauce

To make the sauce heat the oil in a wok and add the prawns garlic and shallots

Saute for 2 minutes then add the curry leaves and chilli, fry for a further 2 minutes

Add the curry powder and stir through to lightly toast, do not allow to burn

 Combine the oyster and soy sauces with the sugar and stir into the dry ingredients

Pour in the water a little at a time mixing to combine

Taste the sauce and adjust for sweetness or saltiness

At this point you can remove about a third of the sauce and bottle it for another dish

Use a little extra water to bring the sauce to a thick consistency and a slow boil

Add the cooked chicken to the sauce folding through to coat and combine

Allow the chicken to heat through for about 4 minutes 

Serve with steamed rice and cucumber slices

  

Review: Little Nyonya, Docklands, Melbourne

Little Nonya is a quiet little cafe style restaurant along the waterside at Docklands.  Well secluded from the rest of the dining options in this, precinct, as it is not located in New Quay Promenade.  Little Nonya is accessible from the Bourke Street end of Docklands where there is plenty of parking and still has a great view across the water on the developing Victoria Harbour.  This place probably gets most of its business during lunchtime trade from the dense corporate populous in the surrounding buildings.  Nevertheless, the restaurant presents well for evening trade with waitresses in most welcoming traditional Malaysian costumes making the experience more authentic. 

We started with Gado Gado as an entrée to share and it probably wasn’t the best dish to begin a brisk evening’s meal as, in hindsight, something warm would have been a better choice.  The vegetables were made up of a crisp and fresh mix of carrots, bean shoots, spinach, beans and tofu.  The peanut sauce worked well and turned simple veggies into something delicious, we even held onto the sauce to eat with the rest of the meal.  Next time I will be sure to try the satay skewers, as this sauce would definitely make them a winner.

The list of mains available is quite extensive and is sure to satisfy.  Choose from a variety of beef, chicken, pork, seafood and vegetarian dishes.  The usual suspects such as Beef Rendang and Chicken Curry are definite "go to" dishes for anyone unsure of what to order.  We decided on a Sambal Prawn for the first of our mains in anticipation of an amazingly spicy dish that would warm the insides.

Sambal Prawn arrived served on a bed of steamed brocolli. The colour contrast was very appealing but the sambal was very light on the chilli and tasted more closer to a sweet chilli sauce.

For our second main I took a dip in the discovery pool and ordered Kam Hiong Chicken for the first time.  It is best described as a dry, spicy curried chicken dish flavoured with dried prawn and curry leaves.  It sounded tantalising enough and I was in the mood for something new.

True to its description, the dish was beautifully spiced with that mildly intense background of the dried prawn balachan.  It was an unusual fusion of tastes in a dish that I have rarely seen in Malaysian restuarants.  Well now that I know what it is, I will definitely seek it out  next time and be sure to try a version of my own sometime, at home.  It definitely got the taste buds singing as it is a foodie's ultimate pleasure to taste something new that ticks all the boxes.

We unfortunately skipped dessert since I have given up eating sweet sugary treats, but the menu looked most inviting with the various sago based and ice blended dishes to finish your meal with.  Teh Tarik is a 'kopitiam' favourite that I would have tried in my sweeter days!
Overall, the food we ate at Little Nyonya would pass the test for being vibrant, fresh and tasty.  The prices do reflect a more upmarket menu thanks to it's assumed extravagant location with a view.  The atmosphere is very cold though and this is due to it's lonely weeknight trade.  I would love to see it all abuzz with the chatter of customers and the waitresses running frantically off their feet with a proper dinner service.  The dining room is very elegant with high ceilings, ornate murals and decor organised creatively throughout.  It is a shame to see it not enjoyed by more patrons.    

Kueh Dadar - Pandan Pancakes with a Coconut filling

So what is a coconut? Is it a seed, a fruit or a nut? Coconut seems to have certain characteristics of all three of these groups – and as a result will often be a topic of confusion. The coconut palm does sometimes get referred to as “the tree of life”, and this is because of the versatility of everything it bears – from fibre to food there is definitely more to the coconut than the packet of desiccated stuff we would have all seen sometime in our travels – to the supermarket. The juice of the green coconuts is a one of my favourites – absolutely natural and unspoiled, it truly is a treat, like nature intended. In recent years our mainstream supermarkets have been stocking both green and brown types of coconut, so they are not just exclusively found in Asian grocery stores or markets.

Toast the coconut lightly before use - it brings out so much flavour!

I might have already mentioned that I love cooking with coconut milk and even eating the coconut flesh definitely rates highly on my list of hits. Usually well stocked, in the aforementioned grocery stores is a product called “shredded coconut” – this is different to supermarket desiccated coconut since they are longer coarse strands, rather than one grind short of being almost powdered. I prefer using coconut shreds for these type of dishes where the texture of the coconut is better if noticeable.  
My love for Malay food and it’s flavours inspires some of the best coconut based dishes from my kitchen, but they usually fall on the savoury side of the meal. This time, however I decided to make a dessert - Kueh Dadar - Kueh translates to a large range of snack food mainly sweet but sometimes savoury too, and Dadar loosely means omelette.  Laced with the essence of pandan, these pancakes come up a bright green colour that was enough to scare my kids into thinking they are vegie related – Oh well their loss! The coconut filling will satisfy any sweet tooth and just to make it authentic, the dessert is finished off with a drizzle of salted coconut milk.
I have adapted this recipe from “Poh’s Kitchen”, where I missed the episode when it screened, but was glad to find it in the book on the cooking series.
Ingredients - I have a large crepe pan so this mix made about 8-10 large serves
For the pancakes
120g x Plain Flour
4 x Eggs
250ml x Coconut Milk
125ml x Full Cream Milk
A pinch of salt
A few drops of Pandan paste - this is a thick green liquid available at Asian grocers
Butter to grease the pan
For the coconut filling
200g x Dark Palm Sugar, shaved (Jaggery is also a substitute)
100g x Shredded Coconut (substitute desiccated coconut if unavailable)
1cup x Coconut Cream
A pinch of saltFor the Salted Coconut Milk add a quarter of a teaspoon of salt to a cup of coconut milk and stir to dissolve.  Keep at room temperature when serving.
Directions
For the pancakes, place all ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric beater until combined
Allow the bright green batter to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour (This is now the best time to begin cooking the coconut filling - See directions below)
Heat a crepe pan or flat based frypan on medium heat
Grease the pan's surface and pour a quarter cup's measure of the batter into the pan
Use a flat spoon to spread the mixture evenly
Allow the pancakes to cook on one side then turn over and cook on the other 
Repeat the steps until all batter is finished
Keep the pancakes aside to cool slightly before filling
To make the coconut filling, begin by dry roasting the coconut in a heavy pan 
This only takes a few minutes as the coconut will turn a golden brown - do not let it burn 
Remove the coconut from the pan and keep aside, now add the shaved sugar and allow to melt on medium heat
Return the coconut and cream to the pan, add a pinch of salt and stir well to combine
The mixture will start to get thick now, keep stirring so that it does not catch.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool before filling the pancakes
To fill the pancakes, place a long "sausage" shape of coconut in the centre of the pancake 
Turn up the top and bottom flaps so that they form a flat edge 
Working from right to left roll the pancake into a tight log 
You can wet the surface with a little water to help it seal
To serve, heat the rolled pancakes in the microwave so that they are just warm
Cut the pancakes in half and drizzle on a little of the salted coconut milk.

Beef Rendang. My favourite!!!

Since I am no food critic, I cannot say that I have truthfully tried every cuisine that the world has to offer to make me a total expert. I think if I gave up my day job, then being a food critic would be one of the things I would like to do. I love food and not just cooking it but every aspect of it from purchasing it fresh from the markets, to researching it and finding out what goes well together, to inventing new spins on recipes that give them the personal touch. I cook a lot of different cultural cuisine. Being of an Indian upbringing I do delve into a lot of curries and essentially – spicy food. On this blog site I have posted recipes from around the world – France, Greece, Italy, Spain and China, just to name a few. If I had to choose my favourite cuisine to cook, and eat. it would be a tie between Indonesian and Malaysian. So when it comes to my dish of choice it’s a classic that is available in both cultures - Beef Rendang.
Although Rendang has an Indonesian origin it has immense popularity in Malaysia and is a regular item on their restaurant’s menus. A recent poll done by CNN International on the world’s 50 most delicious foods ranks Rendang at the top – so I must be on to a good thing (after all, I did read it on the internet). I think a good blog topic would be to cook the top 50 over time (Stay tuned as I might just do that as a side blog one day – it would take me a while though – and I would have to quit my day job!!!)
This recipe for Beef Rendang is a Malay style wet curry. It has a well rounded spiciness and really gets me to umami heaven with its flavour hit. I have adapted the recipe as broadcasted on SBS’ Food Safari – Malaysia episode.

Ingredients for the Rempah (paste) – Place next 7 ingredients into a Food Processor and blitz to make the rempah

• 2 x Onions, quartered
• 6 x Cloves Garlic
• 6 x Dried Chillies, seeded, chopped and soaked in some warm water
• 1 inch piece x Ginger galangal, peeled and chopped roughly
• 1 inch piece x Galangal, peeled and chopped roughly
• 2 stalks x Lemongrass, bulb finely chopped
• 1 tsp x Fresh Turmeric or ½ tsp x Turmeric powder

• 2 Tbsp x Oil
• 1 kg x Beef, boneless chuck works great cut into cubes
• 4 tbsp x Curry Powder (If you can get Malay curry powder from the Asian grocer it works wonders in this dish)
• 1 can x Coconut Milk (400ml)
• 1 cup x Desiccated Coconut, dry toasted lightly in a pan 
• 2 tbsp x Kecap Manis
• Salt to taste
• 7-8 x Kaffir Lime Leaves, sliced thinly

Directions
Heat a heavy pot and add in the oil followed by the rempah.
Cook for 5 minutes on a gentle heat until browned and fragrant
Add the beef and combine with rempah
Now add the curry powder a stir well to incorporate with meat and rempah
Pour in the coconut milk and bring the pot to a gentle boil
Then fold in the desiccated coconut add a little water if mixture is too thick.

Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 1 hour
Stir in the Kecap Manis and salt to taste
Sprinkle the lime leaves into the pot and cook for a further 2 minutes
Serve immediately with steamed rice or Roti

"I love me some Beef Rendang anytime, and this recipe is my all time favourite. I used to trust in store bought pastes in packets and bottles, but not anymore. This is a real winner. At home we eat this dish as a simple rice and curry dish most of the times. There are those occasions however, when I get all fancy and serve Rendang as part of an awesome Nasi Lemak platter. Now if you dine at Malay and Indo places you know what I'm talking about- Curry, Coconut Rice, Sambal, Fried Ikan Bilis, Peanuts, Cucumber and Egg - doesn't get any better. Recipe to be posted soon - master the Beef Rendang and you are more than half way there."

Review: Old Town Kopitiam Mamak - QV Building, CBD

Malaysian Mamak are collectively the people whose origins are from when their forefathers migrated from the Southern parts of India to Northern Malaysia.  The term Mamak stall is used to refer to an outdoor vendor, small in its appearance, that operates across all hours of the day.  Traditionally Mamaks serve the locals, Malay brewed teas and quick snacks.  The existence of such stalls has become more profound and they are most popular with the youth of Malaysia that are out for a quick socialising session over a cuppa.  More modern Mamaks have taken on the guise of cafés and have extended their menus to accommodate the tastes of their ever-growing numbers patrons.

Mamak style of cuisine varies slightly from the usual Malay dishes you would be accustomed to at your favourite Malaysian restaurant.  The Mamak people of Malaysia have used the influences of their Indian background to fuse dishes together that represent both cultures. Old Town Kopitiam has two outlets in the CBD, one in Chinatown, offering traditional Malaysian and the other in the Queen Victoria Building that is predominantly a Mamak restaurant.  Totally uneducated in the slightest way on Mamak cuisine I tagged along to a lunch get together expecting a nice serve of Beef Rendang – this was definitely not on the menu at the QV Building store, head to Chinatown for that one (I will review the Chinatown outfit in due time).

Since Mamak beverages are all the rage it would be rude not to sample some for ourselves.  You are spoilt for choice here with a variety of white and black coffees and teas with varied amounts of sweeteners and flavour add-ons.  Most intriguing was that you can order a chocolate energy packing Milo or even a Horlicks – a malted cereal beverage that I remember from my childhood in India.  Our drinks of choice were a bit more on the traditional side – Bandung – a rose water flavoured, delightfully pink milk shake like beverage served in the most quirky of contraptions that was rightfully labelled as a ‘drinking jar’.  I would imagine that there is a lid that screws on and you can shake the contents of your beverage without spillage before serving with a straw (I need to get one of these for home!)  My colleague was a little bit more daring and tried the Bandung Cincau which is the rose milk with grass jelly.  Having never experienced grass jelly before, I give her much props.   Alas, she did not find the taste too pleasant though – stick to the original next time.

For starters we ordered Roti Canai ($4) which is a Malaysian flatbread that is served to you hot and crispy.  The talented cook makes it near the counter in part of the open view kitchen. For an additional fifty cents you get accompanying gravies from the available dishes.  While the roti was exceptionally good the $4 price tag is a little steep.  The gravies are a good compliment but not necessary as the roti is tasty enough without and would probably be more value at around the $2 mark.

Nasi Kandar is the Malaysian Mamak equivalent of rice with curry combination that is prevalent in take away shops boasting bain maries stocked with different curries and other dishes.  I ordered rice with two curries, ($8) these being Stewed Beef, Red Chicken Curry.  The beef dish was a mellow tender serve of beef cheek presumably but it had a very sweet flavour to it, almost an overpowering pungency of star anise and/or cinnamon.  The chicken dish was not sweet in flavour but was dotted with whole spices that you bit on if you were not lucky enough to spot them and segregate them to the side of your plate.  Unfortunately the taste of whole cardamom does not satisfy my palette’s requirement for a good restaurant meal.  My colleagues ordered the biryani ($9)as their rice portion and found that they would need to go on a whole spice treasure hunt before proceeding to eat.  The yellow chicken curry was more appetising and the vegetable dishes are simple and satisfying.  

These dishes served in the rustic way that they were, would probably garner more charm and appreciation coming from a street vendor somewhere in Kuala Lumpur.  In an establishment like Old Town Kopitiam Mamak, in quite an architecturally swish restaurant, in the middle of the QV Building, alongside other fine eateries, I find it somewhat unacceptable.  I would be half comforted if told that the dish was served from the take away food court section within the shopping complex.  There is a certain expectation that you have when sitting down to a meal in surroundings where the shop designers have put much thought into, and unfortunately, Old Town Kopitiam Mamak has left a bad (cardamom!) taste in my mouth.  

Malaysian Style Sambal Recipes

I love Sambal - I could probably eat it with a plate of steamed rice alone, because it is so flavoursome. The main Sambals that I create have a Malaysian influence and I am yet to create those from Indonesia. They all seem to have similar ingredients - covering the usual hot - from the chillies, sour from the tamarind, sweet from the sugar and salt from the shrimp paste. Try the two fairly easy ones I have posted. They go great with just about any Asian dish.
Basic Sambal Paste
This is a simple, easy to make Malaysian style sambal paste and does not take very long to make and even quicker to eat. These simple condiments pack a blast of flavour and will leave your taste buds wanting more and more.
In a small food processor blend the following ingredients to a thick paste:
2 Tbsp Chilli Paste (Sambal Olek)
1 x Red Onion, roughly chopped
1 Garlic cloves, chopped
2tsp of Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Tamarind Concentrate (or ½ cup of Tamarind puree)
1 x cup of chopped Dried Prawns or 2Tbsp of Belachan
Directions
Add water if necessary to achieve right consistency
Turn out paste into a wok
Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes then add a few drops of Sunflower Oil to give the sambal a glossy sheen.
Now this basic sambal is ready add zing to some pretty bland staples. Stir through steamed vegetables such as Asparagus, Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower and even Boiled Eggs to create a great accompaniment to a mains dish. If you double the ingredients you could make enough to stir through cooked prawns or even on pan fried fillets of your favourite white fish - and serve it as a main meal.
The sambal will keep if refrigerated, in a airtight jar for about 2 weeks - But really!!! It has never even made it that long without being eaten.

Sambal Ikan Bilis
This is a recipe for a more traditional style sambal made with dried anchovies or Ikan Bilis. You can blend the paste ingredients in a food processor but grinding it by hand has a much better consistency - and more satisfaction for the cook. Use dried chillies and soak them in warm water before preparing the mix.
Ingredients:

1 x cup of Ikan Bilis, rinsed in cold water

8-10 Dried Chillies, stalks and seeds removed and roughly chopped
½ Red Onion, finely diced, (finely slice other half for use later in the recipe)
2 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp of Belachan 

Directions

Shallow fry the Ikan Bilis in batches, in a skillet on medium heat, be careful not to burn the tiny dried fish
Drain on paper towels and keep aside
Reserve any remaining oil
In a mortar and pestle grind the remaining ingredients to a smooth paste

Place skillet on medium heat again and add remaining onion slices and a sprinkle of salt 

Cook the onions down to a golden brown, do not allow these to burn
Turn out the sambal mix into the skillet and stir fry for 1-2 minutes
Add the fried Ikan Bilis to the dish and fold through to combine
Add 1Tbsp of Brown Sugar and stir through
Season with Salt to taste
Serve as an accompaniment to a mains dish or if you must – feel free to eat it with a plate of steamed rice and a fried egg - I do!.
This sambal has a longer shelf life of up to 4 weeks in the fridge but once again - why would you want to keep it so lonely in your fridge for so long.