alt=""/>
Palm sugar (gula melaka) is made from the sap of coconut or arenga palms. It comes in rectangular or cylindrical blocks and varies in colour from gold to light brown with a strong caramel taste. Substitute dark brown sugar or maple syrup.
Pandanus leaves are long, thin leaves used to impart a delicate fragrance and green hue to cakes and desserts. Substitute bottled pandanus essence or vanilla essence.
Slaked lime (kapur sirih) is a paste obtained by grinding sea shells in a little liquid. This is the lime which is chewed with betelnuts, gambir and tobacco. It is added to batters for fried foods and pastries to make the food crispy. Available at your local grocers or supermarkets.
Star anise is an eight-pointed dried tree pod encasing shiny black seeds with a strong aniseed flavour. The whole spice is used and discarded just before serving.
Tamarind pulp (asam) is the fruit of the tamarind tree seed pod. It is sold dried in packets or jars and generally still has some seeds and pod fibres mixed in with the dried pulp. It is used as a souring agent in many Malaysian dishes. The dried pulp keeps indefinitely in an airtight container.
Turmeric (kunyit) is a root with a bright yellow flesh and a pungent flavour. It stains everything permanently, so scrub your knife blade, hands and chopping board after handling. Substitute 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric for 2.5 cm (1 in) of the fresh root.
White vinegar called for in the recipes in this book is the normal distilled vinegar sold in bottles in supermarkets. Some Malaysian cooks prefer rice vinegar or cider vinegar instead. Vinegar is used to make condiments or as a preservative and any type of vinegar may be substituted.
Wild ginger buds (bunga kantan) are the pink buds of wild ginger plants, also known as torch ginger. They are highly aromatic and lend a subtle but distinct fragrance to dishes of Malay and Nonya origin. Ginger buds are available in fresh markets and supermarkets.
Basic Recipes
Satay Sauce
6–8 dried red chillies, deseeded, cut into short lengths and soaked to soften
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
2-cm (¾-in) galangal root
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon fennel powder
6 tablespoons oil
350 g (2¼ cups) roasted peanuts, skins removed, coarsely ground
3 candlenuts or macadamia nuts, coarsely ground
3¼ cups (800 ml) water
1 stalk lemongrass, tender inner part of bottom third only, slightly bruised
3 tablespoons Tamarind Juice (page 7)
3 tablespoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 Grind the chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, turmeric, coriander, cumin and fennel to a fine paste in a mortar or blender, adding a little water if necessary to keep the blades turning.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the grounded spice paste over medium heat for 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove and set aside.
3 Mix the ground peanuts and candlenuts in a saucepan. Add the water and lemongrass. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the fried spice paste. Stir in the Tamarind Juice, palm sugar and salt. Keep stirring over medium-low heat until the oil in the mixture surfaces and the consistency of the mixture slightly thickens. Remove from the heat and serve as a dip with satay dishes.
Toasted Grated Coconut (Kerisik)
200 g (2 cups) freshly grated coconut
1 Dry-fry the grated coconut in a frying pan for about 10 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly until light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
2 When cool enough to handle, pound the fried grated coconut with a mortar and pestle until fine. Store in an airtight container until ready for use.
Crispy Fried Shallots
12 shallots
1 cup (250 ml) oil
1 Soak the shallots in salted water for 5 minutes, then peel and slice thinly. Pat dry the sliced shallots thoroughly with paper towels.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the shallots over moderate heat until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container. Keeps up to 2–3 weeks.
Mixed Pickled Fruit Chutney (Acar Buah)
250 g (1¼ cups) shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
¾ cup (185 ml) water
¼ cup (60 ml) white vinegar
15 shallots thinly sliced
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5 pieces (2.5-cm/1-in) ginger, thinly sliced
⅔ cup (150 ml) oil, for frying
100 g (½ cup) chilli paste
2 tablespoons curry powder
Salt and sugar, to taste
80 g (¾ cup) sesame seeds, dry-roasted
1 tablespoon mustard seeds, dry-roasted
Fruit
15 dried star fruit
6 pickled limes
10 Chinese dates or jujubes (unseeded)
5 pickled plums
5 unseeded preserved or dried prunes
1 tablespoon dried raisins
1
