Prawn sambal with petai

I normally cook this dish using ready cooked sambal from my friendly nasi lemak seller. Today my Indonesian helper is teaching me how to cook it the Indonesian way which is not sweet.

 Petai beans are called bitter beans or twisted cluster beans but are commonly known as ‘stink beans’ (佩泰) in some cultures. They are harvested from the forest at the edge of the kampung (Malay village) from tall trees rising up to 90 feet high with long green pods dangling from the stalks. In Malaysia, petai beans are regarded as an antidote for kencing manis (diabetes). It is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, which is ideal for preventing high blood pressure and stroke. Other benefits of eating petai are to treat PMS (premenstrual syndrome), anaemia, depression, constipation and avoid vomiting and nausea in early pregnancy. It is good for reducing swelling and irritation of mosquito bites by rubbing the affected area with the inside of the petai skin.  The downside of eating petai is the strong stinking smell in the urine, sweat, burp and flatulence. 

Some people cook the petai whole but I find it safer to half the beans because sometimes there are worms inside and I don’t really want to have that extra flavour in my mouth.

Ingredients

10 Large prawns

Petai beans (amount depends on how much each person likes to eat)

Red chillies

Garlic

Shallots

Ginger

Buah keras (candlenuts)

Start by cleaning the prawns

Remove the heads and slit the back of the prawns

Remove the intestine

Trim off the legs

This is the chef today

Next is to prepare the chilli paste

Slit the chilli and remove the seeds if you don’t want it too pedas (hot)

Wash and cut the chilli into small pieces

Cut all the other ingredients into small pieces so that it is easier to blend

Put 100 mls water into the blender

Add the cut chilli first

Then add the other cut ingredients

Turn on the blender

The chilli paste is ready

Heat up some oil and pour the chilli paste into it

Fry on medium heat until it is fragrant and almost dry

Add the prawns and mix thoroughly

Add the petai when the prawns start to change colour

Add some water and salt to taste

Cover and simmer on low fire for 5 minutes

The prawns are ready to be served with plain white rice or nasi lemak

Next we prepare the children’s portion which is air fried prawns

Ingredients 

10 large prawns

Trim and clean the prawns

Season with salt and pepper

Add a little oil onto the prawns just before putting into the air fryer

Cook for 10 minutes.

Turn the prawns half way through the cooking process

Transfer to a serving platter once it is cooked.

Stir fried pak choi with bean curd and huat chai

This dish is often served during Chinese New Year festivities because the name sounds similar to the last two words of the greeting “keong hee huat chai” meaning "wishing you prosperity".

 Black moss or huat chai (髮菜) in hokkien is a type of photosynthetic bacteria that is used as a vegetable in Chinese cuisine. It grows on the ground in the Gobi Desert and the Qinghai Plateau but over-harvesting had caused serious erosion in those areas. To control this problem the Chinese government limited its harvesting causing scarcity and price increase. This may be one reason why some commercially available huat chai are apparently adulterated with strands of non-cellular starchy material, other additives and dyes. Real huat chai is dark green in color, while the fake huat chai appears black. Dried huat chai looks like fine black hair which is why its name in Chinese means "hair vegetable." It contains protein, carbohydrates, some phosphorus, iron and potassium. In TCM it is considered cold in nature and is used to reduce body heat and is recommended for hypertensions and chronic bronchitis. Because of the high iron content it is good for women with mild anemia after giving birth to use black moss in cooking or make soup with it. The Chinese believes that black moss darkens hair therefore adolescent young women should eat more huat chai for denser and shinier hair.

Ingredients

Pak choi

Huat chai (black moss)

Fried bean curd pieces

Trim off the ends of the pak choi

Soak in rice water for 5 minutes

Soak the fried bean in hot water for a couple of minutes.

This is to reduce the oiliness and make it easier to cut.

Cut the bean curd into smaller pieces.

Heat some oil in the wok and fry some chopped garlic with salt until fragrant.

Put in the pak choi and mix thoroughly.

Put in the bean curd and stir well.

Add the huat chai and a dash of pepper.

Mix well and serve.

Cole slaw

Cole slaw is a salad dish of finely shredded raw cabbage most commonly dressed with a vinaigrette salad dressing. There are many variations of the recipe depending on the country of origin. The term coleslaw is reserved for cabbage salad with carrots and onions and a mayonnaise-based dressing which is the British version.

The term "coleslaw" arose in the 18th century as an anglicised version of the Dutch term "koolsla" meaning "cabbage salad" ("kool" in Dutch sounds like "cole")

Ingredients

Ratio of vegetables

White cabbage

Carrots are 1/3 of the amount of cabbage.

Onion is 1/3 of the amount of carrots

Sweet mayonnaise

Whole grain French mustard which gives it oomph

Thinly slice the cabbage.

Grate the carrots.

Thinly slice the onion

Put all the cut vegetables into a large mixing bowl

Mix the vegetables thoroughly

Add 2 teaspoons of whole grain French mustard and enough mayonnaise to completely coat all the vegetables.

Grind some sea salt onto the vegetables

Add black pepper (preferably freshly ground) and a little white pepper

Mix thoroughly.

The salad should look moist, add more mayonnaise if it is too dry.

Transfer to a sealable container and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Cole slaw can be used as a filling for hot dogs or hamburgers

It can also be used as a side dish with grilled or roasted meat. 

Sole fish with baby spinach soup

This soup is especially good for those who are anaemic or have lost blood following surgery because the iron levels are increased due to the combination of sole fish and spinach. It is also good for breast feeding mothers as the iron will be transferred to the baby via the breast milk. However, it is advisable to only have this soup after the first 10 days of confinement when the risk of jaundice in the baby is less. 

 Sole (左口鱼) is considered as the finest of all flat fish as it is a lean fish, easy to digest and always sweet and delicious. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein, rich in vitamin B, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, selenium, iodine and iron. There are more than a dozen different flatfish species, some are called flounder, some are called sole and some are called both. According to TCM its property is warming therefore it strengthens the spleen, tonifies chi, removes dampness and regulates blood. It is good for conditions such as low energy, haemorrhoids, excessive postpartum bleeding, itching or damp type of skin lesions. The Malay name is ikan tunggal but it is more commonly known as ikan sebelah. 

Fillets from the top (dark) side are thicker and darker in colour while fillets from the bottom (white) side of the fish are thinner and lighter in colour.

Ingredients 

1 piece sole fillet

1 packet baby spinach

1 fish or chicken stock cube

Cut the fish into bite size pieces

Marinate the fish with light soya sauce, sesame oil and a dash of pepper.

Leave aside for about an hour.

Prepare the stock

Put the fish into the prepared stock

The fish will rise to the top when it is cooked.

Add the spinach

Season with salt and pepper

Simmer for 5 minutes and it is ready

Stir fried french beans with tau kwa

This is one of the many dishes my grandma used to cook for us when we were young. We were a large extended family so you can imagine the amount of food my grandma and her daughters in law had to cook and the hours they had to spend in the kitchen. Maybe this is why I don’t like spending hours in the kitchen.

Tau kwa (豆干) is extra firm tofu with the most amount of water pressed out compared to other types of tofu. It has a firm texture and retains more of its shape when cooked. This makes it suitable for grilling and stir-frying. It can be made to taste and feel like the meat they are imitating such as tofu sausage and tofu burgers. Its neutral flavour allows it to be easily incorporated into any recipe. Soy products have many health benefits but the good effects of tofu can become harmful if it is taken daily in large quantities.  

Ingredients 

1 bundle French beans

2 pieces tau kwa

Remove the strings from the sides of the beans.

Slice the beans into bite size pieces

Wash and pat dry the tau kwa

Heat up some oil and fry the tau kwa until golden brown.

Remember to brown the sides too.

Remove and put aside.

Leave about 1 tbsp oil in the wok and fry some chopped garlic.

Add the beans and mix thoroughly.

Add a little water at a time to prevent the beans from burning

Cut the tau kwa into small cubes.

Put the tau kwa into the wok and mix thoroughly.

Dish up and garnish with some fried shallots.