Asam Laksa Penang

Ingredients

600 gms of mackerel

6 cups (1.5L) water

3 sprigs polygonum leaves (daun kesum)

2 ginger buds, sliced

4-5 pieces asam keping, (dried tamarind slices)

5 tablespoons (75ml) tamarind juice

600 gms thick rice noodles (laksa noodles)

Salt and sugar to taste

Spice Blend:

10 shallots

2 lemongrass

5 dried chillies, soaked in water, discard seeds

3 fresh red chillies

1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste

Garnish:

1/2 fresh pineapple, sliced in small pieces

1 medium cucumber, cut in matchstick slices

2 large red onions, sliced thinly

3 red chillies, sliced

a few sprigs of mint leaves, torn

a few sprigs of polygonum leaves, shredded

Black prawn paste condiment (petis)

• Mee Rebus
• Nasi Kerabu (Herbed Rice)
• Sambal Ikan Bilis
• Ayam Kerutuk
• Ayam Tempra

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Preparation method

1.		Simmer the cleaned whole fish in a pot of water until cooked. Remove fish and let cool before separating the flesh from the bone. Flake the flesh in small pieces.
2.		Strain the stock and add to the pot with tamarind juice, ginger buds, polygonum, fish and sugar to taste.
3.		Blend the spice paste ingredients until fine. Add to the stock along with the asam keping. Simmer for 20-30 minutes and the soup thickens slightly then add salt to taste.
4.		Blanch the laksa noodles in boiling water, drain and set aside.
5.		To serve: Put some noodles in a bowl and ladle the soup over it. Put a pinch of each garnishing ingredient over the top and serve.

Silver Catfish in Durian Paste (Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak)

INGREDIENTS

• Patin fish (cleaned and cut into three or four pieces )
• 4 or 5 tablespoon of tempoyak (durian paste)
• 5 -10 pieces (depending on how hot you want it to be) of "chili padi" (small chillies with simmering hot taste)
• 3 pieces of  wild ginger buds
• 2-3 stalks of lemon-grass
• 5 pieces of "daun kesum"
• 3-4 cm of ginger
• 2 – 2 ½ cups of plain water
• Salt, cooking oil and fine sugar

COOKING METHOD Warm oil in the pot. Saute the chili padi and ginger and stir them for a while.
Throw in the lemon-grass, wild ginger buds and daun kesum into the pot.
Then add water into the pot. Add the tempoyak and mix them all together. Stir until they all blend nicely.
Then put in the pieces of patin fish.
When the pot is boiling, put in salt and sugar according to taste.
Boil until the fish is fully cooked.
Smell the delicious aroma and hear your hunger pangs clammering!


Serve with rice......


EXTRA KNOWLEDGE

Wild ginger buds

Other names: bunga kantan

The bud of the Torch ginger plant (Etlingera Elatior). The flower buds are used whole in Malaysian cooking to flavor Malay and Nyonya dishes such as Penang Laksa and Rojak. It can make the food more tasty besides good for health . This ingredient will be very hard to find in the U.S. A substitute is Mi yoga ginger available in some Japanese grocery stores.

polygonum leaves Daun Kesum

Kesum in terms of scientifically known as Polygonum minus huds and comes from the family Polygonaceae. . It is easily grown, especially in moist areas of the water The leaves are used as ingredients for doing the local cuisine as laksa and spicy tamarind cooking. . Apart from the culinary herb kesum also has high medicinal value. It is effective for treating stomach problems are not digestible and dandruff. To relieve stomach problems are not digestible. . Kesum leaves boiled water and then drunk. . To treat dandruff, the crushed leaves kesum then extracted.  Water extraction was mixed with a little water before scalding kekulit head.  Allow 3-5 minutes then rinse with clean water

Rendang Tok

Ingredients
50g cumin
50g coriander seeds
40g fennel seeds

Spice paste150g shallots
100g galangal, sliced
30g ginger, sliced
30g fresh turmeric root, sliced
40g dried red chillies, seeded and soaked
40g garlic 100ml oil
5cm cinnamon stick
4 star anise
10 cloves
30g black peppercorns, crushed
1kg beef, cut into cubes
1 litre thick coconut milk
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed
1 tsp sugar or to taste
2 tsp salt or to taste
250g freshly grated coconut, dry roasted and pounded to make kerisik
200g coconut shavings, dry-roasted until lightly browned
2 turmeric leaves, roughly torn

Method
In a dry wok or pan, fry the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin separately until aromatic. Grind all the seeds together until powdery. Set aside.

Blend the spice paste ingredients finely.

Heat the oil in a wok over low heat. Fry the cinnamon, star anise and cloves until fragrant. Add the spice paste, peppercorns and the ground coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin. Cook, stirring, until fragrant – about five to 10 minutes.

Add the beef, coconut milk and crushed lemongrass. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thick and beef is tender. Season to taste with sugar and salt. Add the kerisik, toasted coconut shavings and turmeric leaves. Lower heat and cook, stirring continuously, until rendang is dry and oil appears.