Cookbook author Dr Ong Jin Teong shares recipes for three traditional Nonya favourites. They have been adapted from his new book Nonya Heritage Kitchen – Origins, Utensils And Recipes.
The last attempt of making this Otak Otak was six years ago! I decided to make this again (to tweak the recipe slightly and upgrade the pictures 😜) to share with some of my friends for our small gathering. I'm really blessed with friends whom don't complain with my cooking hahaha.... Its a really easy peasy recipe to follow....just blend everything in a food processor! Except the fish chunks of course. ^0^ If you find that the fish chunks used is too much, you can replace with fresh prawns or squids! A really versatile recipe which you can adjust to your liking. Before & After Baking Ingredients 500gm Spanish mackerel, deboned and scrap out flesh, cut into chunks 500gm fish paste 2 tbsp ginger juice 1/2 tsp salt 6 kaffir leaves, finely chopped 4 eggs 100ml Ayam brand pure coconut cream 100gm coconut cream powder 1 packet banana leaves (* I managed to cut 18 pcs from a pack of banana leaves, balanced paste I wrap into individual small disposable container and freeze it) Rempah Mixture 4 candlenuts 3 tbsp chilli powder (can increase to 4-5 tbsp if you prefer spicier) 1 stalk lemongrass, sliced finely 1 thumb size galangal, sliced thinly 4 cloves garlic 6 shallots 1 tsp turmeric powder 15gm belachan , toasted 2 tbsp rice flour 1 tsp pepper 1.5 tbsp sugar 3 tbsp rice bran oil Method Marinate the fish chunks with ginger juice and salt for at least 30 mins. In a food processor, blend candlenuts, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, galangal, belacan together with 100ml of thick coconut milk. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, rice flour, pepper, sugar, oil and the coconut cream powder and blend till mixture is really smooth. Lightly beat the egg and pour into the mixture and blend till just combined. Transfer the egg mixture into a deep dish. Add fish paste and chopped kaffir leaves and mix well. Finally add the fish chunks and combine well. Cling wrap the dish and chill in fridge overnight. Trim banana leaves into 20cm x 25cm sizes. Blanch in hot water till soften. Wipe dry before use. Spread about 2 tbsp of otak otak paste in the centre of the banana leaf. Fold in the edge to cover the paste. Use bamboo toothpicks to secure both ends. Repeat until all otak oak paste is used up. Bake the otak oak in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 15 mins until the leaves are browned and otak otak cooked through. Alternatively for freezing of paste : Scoop appropriate amount of otak otak paste onto a disposable container lined with food grade plastic wrap, wrap up properly and place in freezer till used. Do not thaw the otak otak. Steam or bake directly from freezer. Recipe adapted from Mrs Teng's Blog
Nonya Achar . Achar is a kind of South East Asian pickled vegetable that is different from Indian Achar. Nonya Achar is probably closer in t...
Cookbook author Dr Ong Jin Teong shares recipes for three traditional Nonya favourites. They have been adapted from his new book Nonya Heritage Kitchen – Origins, Utensils And Recipes.
INTRODUCTION I have quite a number of savoury dishes recipe with me but not issue yet and I usually only issue savory dishes recipe on weekends or public holidays because it is a bit tedious to wri…
This past weekend, through the recommendation of a friend, I was privileged to attend a cooking class at The Private Pantry. Thank you to The Private Pantry for the invitation to attend Violet Oon's Nonya cooking session. The Private Pantry also organises cooking demonstrations and hands-on classes in Singapore by many other renowned chefs teaching different types of cuisines such as Thai, Italian, French and Spanish. Check out other classes by The Private Pantry here. Violet Oon doesn't need much of an introduction for Singaporeans. She has been a household name in Singapore for the many decades and I have heard much about her Nonya Food specialty which made me really excited about going to this class to pick up some tips. For those who do not know her, Violet Oon is one of Singapore's leading food gurus and considered a leading authority on Asian cuisine. During the class, she demonstrated three mouth-watering Nonya specialties: Satay Ayam Goreng, Garam Assam Fish and Sambal Belacan and also gave the class many valuable tips on preparing the spice mix required in Nonya cooking. Garam Assam Fish cooking away on the stove: Ikan Tenggiri or Garoupa fish steaks are cooked in a spicy and tangy curry with tomatoes, pineapples, laksa leaves and ginger flowers. One can also add other vegetables such as brinjal or ladies fingers or use other kinds of seafood for this dish. My tasting portion of Garam Assam Fish: According to Violet, a strong tasting fish is used with this curry so that it compliments the richness of the sauce. The firm fleshed fish goes well with the sauce and the tomatoes and pineapples adds a sharp edge to the Assam sauce which makes it extra refreshing. Sambal Belachan: Shrimp paste is pounded with fresh cut chillies in a pestal. This salty and spicy concoction is made perfect with a few drops of fresh lime juice. This can also be made in a food processor but the effect won't be the same as that using the traditional motar and pestal method, said Violet. Satay Ayam Goreng stewing away on the stove: This has to be my favourite dish among the three (recipe below). In this dish, pieces of chicken are stewed till tender in a spicy and aromatic coconut sauce. And one doesn't need to fry the spice mix ahead which means it doesn't require oil and is therefore much healthier. The sauce of the Satay Ayam Goreng being thickened: After the chicken pieces are done, they are removed and the sauce is slowly reduced further till it is thick and rich. My tasting portion of Satay Ayam Goreng: The succulent pieces of chicken covered with an aromatic and spicy sauce. The sauce will be delicious with bread or rice. Satay Ayam Goreng Recipe by Violet Oon Ingredients 1 chicken cut into pieces of 1.2 kg of cut up thighs and breast of a chicken 3 cups of thick coconut cream or freshly squeezed coconut cream from 2 coconuts 1 - 1.5 tsp salt 2 - 4 tsp sugar 1 stalk lemongrass smashed, to allow flavours to infuse curry 3 kaffir lime leaves, broken up, to allow flavours to infuse the gravy 1 tbsp coriander powder* Spice Mixture 5 dried chillies or 1 tbsp dried chilli paste 5 candlenuts, washed and drained 3 red chillies, sliced roughly 150 g shallots, peeled, sliced roughly 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste) *Dry fry coriander seeds in frying pan till light fragrant. Grind in a coffee grinder and sieve to get dine powder. Discard the rough bits. Alternatively, buy ready-made coriander powder. Method 1. Wash dried chillies, soak in hot water for about 1 to 2 hours till softened. Cut the stalks off and cut the chillies into small pieces. 2. Pound the candlenuts till semi-fine. Add the fresh chillies and pound till semi-fine. Add the dried chillies and pound for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp paste and pound well. The last ingredient to add is shallots. Pound till the mixture is very fine. Alternatively, you can grind the ingredients in a food processor till you get a smooth paste. Grind all the other ingredients first before adding the shallots for further grinding. 3. Mix all the ingredients (spice mix, coconut milk, lemongrass, lime leaves, chicken) in the sauce pan and bring to boil. Sprinkle the coriander powder into the pan and then add salt and sugar to taste. Simmer till the liquid is reduced and the gravy is thick. 4. If the chicken is cooked (45 mins to 1 hour) and can be easily pierced with a fork, remove the chicken and further thicken the gravy till desired consistency. 5. Serve with rice, first removing the lemongrass and lime leaves.
Deep-fried tofu with a sweet and spicy sauce on a bed of shredded cucumber, garnished with plenty of ground peanuts Today, I am sharing a recipe (that my mum just taught me) for one of my favourite Malaysian childhood dishes - "Tauhu Goreng", which literally means Fried Tofu. It is most delicious when the tofu is served piping hot with a sweet and spicy sauce, and lots of ground peanuts. Try to make your own deep-fried tofu as the texture is much better than commercially prepared ones. Tauhu Goreng (Deep-Fried Beancurd) Ingredients 1 large packet (about 500g) firm tofu (I used Fortune brand Firm Tofu) Vegetable oil for deep-frying 1/2 cup finely ground roasted peanuts 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks 2 cups beansprouts, tailed and blanched in hot water Sauce: Gula Melaka (brown palm sugar) - or substitute with freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice 1 1/2 tbsp dried tamarind pulp 1 tbsp thick caramel (thick dark soy) (adjust to your preference) 5-6 bird's eye chillies, sliced 3-4 cloves garlic Salt and sugar, to taste Method Make the sauce first. Take about 1/3 cup palm sugar, chop/grate it and melt it in a saucepan with about 2 tbsp water. Pass the sugar syrup through a sieve to remove impurities. Set aside. Soak the tamarind in 1/3 cup hot water for 5 minutes and mash it up with your fingers until you get a concentrated brown liquid. Pass it through a sieve and discard any remaining pulp and seeds. Heat up in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and set aside. Pound the chillies and garlic until fine. In a bowl, mix together the chillies and garlic with 1 tbsp thick soy caramel, 1/3 cup palm sugar syrup, 1/3 cup tamarind juice, and 2-3 tbsp hot water. Add salt and sugar to taste. You can adjust the amount of palm sugar, tamarind and hot water used until you get a nice balance of sweet and sour. If desired, add a splash of lime or lemon juice for a fresh-tasting flavour. Mix in about 3 tbsp of the ground peanuts into the sauce. Drain the tofu and pat dry. Slice each tofu in half horizontally, or depending on the size of the tofu you're using, they should be approximately 2in x 2in x 1 in. Alternatively, you can also cut them in to 1 inch cubes. Heat up vegetable oil in a wok on high heat. Deep-fry the tofu, turning them to ensure they are browned evenly all over. When they turn golden brown, remove and transfer onto a plate. To assemble: Drain off any water that may have collected at the bottom of the plate of fried tofu. Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes. Place cucumber and beansprouts on a serving plate and arrange the tofu over the top. Pour the sauce over the tofu and sprinkle with the extra ground peanuts. Serve immediately. Tip: For a thicker sauce, add more peanuts! Here's the earlier version that I made using traditional silken tofu
Nyonya stewed pork ribs is a very delicious dish, one that would certainly stimulate your appetite with its tangy and savory taste.
Nyonya Kangkong Masak Lemak 200gm prawns, shelled, cleaned and deveined (udang) 175g sweet potatoes, skinned and cut into cube...
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On Poh Piah, a Peranakan spring roll recipe.
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Recipe refers to Patricia Lee’s Delicious Nyonya Kuehs and Desserts & Madam Manis ~ Talam Lapis Pulut Hitam Ingredients： 30g Black Glutinous Rice 96g Tapioca flour 30g Sago flour 8g Mung Bean flour 16g Rice flour 150ml Thick coconut milk 110g Sugar 250ml Water 3-4 Pandan Leaves, knotted Pinch Salt Food colouring (red and green) Method : Soak glutinous rice for few hours. Add the pandan leaves n 1tbsp sugar in black glutinous rice and boil it in medium low fire until rice becomes soft and breaks up. Set aside. Boil sugar with pandan leaves in 1 litter of water until sugar dissolved. Discard pandan leaves n set the syrup aside. Mix all the flour and salt together. Pour in coconut milk and mix well. Set aside. Pour (2) into (3) n stir well. Divide mixture into 3 portions.
Baked Cassava (Tapioca) Cake: This traditional cassava (tapioca) cake is semi-soft, chewy and fragrant. It has an inviting aroma from the screw pine leaves (pandan leaves), eggs and coconut milk. Just perfect for tea-time snack or as dessert. More importantly it’s extremely easy…
I was invited to host a cooking session to showcase Singapore delicacies to the international friends here. I was stuck at that task for a couple of days. The variety of Singapore food is so great …
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Wishing one and all a very Happy New Year! I hope everyone will have a great 2014. I simply love biting into an Ondeh Ondeh coated with coconut and Gula Melaka oozing out. When I saw these delicious snacks from Jessie of Cooking Moments, I was really fascinated as it was made of healthy sweet potatoes. These Ondeh Ondeh are wonderfully chewy as they are dipped into ice cold water once they are boiled. The sweet potatoes give a lovely colour to the Ondeh Ondeh. They are however not sweet to taste, so a little sugar added to the dough makes it better. These are really addictive and I couldn't help popping one after another into my mouth! Sweet Potato Ondeh-Ondeh (About 24) Recipe from Jessie of Cooking Moments Skin Ingredients: 150 g Mashed Sweet Potato 150 g Glutinous Rice Flour 95 g Icy Cold Water A (I used 85 g) 12 g Caster Sugar Filling Ingredient: 100 g Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka) – I used 90g Coating Ingredients: 100 g Shredded Coconut 1/4tsp Salt 1 Pandan Leaf, tied a knot Others: Pot of water for boiling Another pot of icy cold water for dipping (B) Method Preparation ahead of time Fill up a bowl with room temperature water. Freeze for 30 minutes or until further use. Chop the gula melaka roughly. Place in a stick blender, blitz until resembles fine crumbs. Set aside. Mix coconut with salt. Steam with pandan leaf until soft. Rolling method To make the dough, mix flour with sweet potato until resembles coarse crumbs. Add water A, starting with 50ml, knead the dough. Add little bit of water at a time(I added 15ml each time) & knead until the dough is pliable & not sticky. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a clean, wet tea towel to prevent dryness. Grab a small piece of dough, about 15g and roll into ball. Either flatten it or make it into a small bowl-shape, place some gula melaka inside (Do not overfill or the skin will burst). Carefully seal & roll into balls again. Place on a lined tray. Cover with cling wrap. Repeat until the dough is all used up. Remove water (B) from the freezer. Cook ondeh-ondeh in boiling water until they float up. Do this in small batches. Don’t over-crowded the cooking pot. Give a gentle stir to the ondeh-ondeh if they stick to the base of the pot for too long. They should be cooked within a few minutes. Very quickly, remove from hot water & place in the cold water. Remove from the cold water, then coat with coconut before serve. .
INTRODUCTION Lapis is in Malay and is literally translated as “layers’. This is a Nonya steamed cake and is different from the Kek lapis. Kek lapis is baked but kueh lapis is steamed and the…
Acar Awak, a mixed vegetable pickle, is the most famous member of the vast range of Penang Nonya pickles. A balance of spicy, sour and sweet flavours combined with textural crunchiness of the vegetables as well as roasted sesame seeds and nuts, it'll perk up even the most jaded appetites. Recipe here.
Tested Recipe with Slight Adjustment Adapted from Peranakan Cuisine “Baba Nyonya Culture Dishes Ingredients: 316g eggplant / brinjal 150g red shallots (peeled and sliced) 3 bird’s eye chillies (dic…
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Penang Nyonya Otak Otak is a stemead fish custard wrapped with banana leave. I love to cook Penang Nyonya food and I was recently ...
Author: Pearly Kee Amazon Kindle Version Pearly Kee is a fifth generation Penang Nyonya and well-known food ambassador for Penang. Her popular Nyonya cooking classes have attracted students from
My brother in-law gave us a packet of uncooked glutinous rice, specially brought back from Singapore. He reckoned that it was of a high graded one. As a matter of fact, we have never had any glutinous rice in the house ever since we shifted in 5 years back. Besides, we have never cooked it either and certainly none of us knows how to exploit it. So, whether it is high graded or low graded, it does not matter to us even a wee bit. Anyway, thanks to you, bro! Not knowing what to do with it, my wife, again gave another of her brilliant suggestion. "Why don't we make pulut inti!" "Yeer, so simple" was my only response. Uninterested, I did not bother to ask her any further and just walked away. After a few reminders, I finally gave in. Hesitatingly, I googled search for the recipe and did a little bit of reading. Little did I realize that I began to lurve and appreciate this classic Nyonya kuih. As a Melaka-born Baba, I used to eat this kuih when I was young. It has been quite some time since my mom and tuah ee (aunt) last made this kuih. As a kid (even till now), I did not quite crave for this delicacy simply because I was just too lazy to unwrap the banana leaf which would always make my fingers sticky and messy. Basically, pulut inti is made of steamed glutinous rice with coconut milk and eaten with dessicated coconut filling caramelized with palm sugar and it's all wrapped in a banana leaf. "Pulut" means glutinous rice and "inti" means the filling. The original version of pulut inti will have its pulut soaked with bunga telang (or Blue Pea flower in English) to give the rice a sweet pastel blue hue. Since I had totally forgotten to hunt some, I would have to settle for the plain colorless rice. Bunga Telang (Blue pea flower) Generally, I find making this legendary kuih so much fun and most importantly, it's so nyonya...... Pulut Inti Recipe (I adapted this recipe from nyonya food - http://nyonyafood.rasamalaysia.com) A) The Pulut 15 dried Blue Pea Flowers 1/4 cup of hot water 300 g glutinous rice 230 g thick coconut milk 1/2 tsp salt Method: Soak blue pea flower in hot water for 15 minutes till water turn blue. Sieve the water out. Soak the glutinous rice in blue pea flower overnight or about 6 hours. Steam glutinous rice in steamer for about 25 minutes or till rice is soft. Mix coconut milk and salt. Add into steamed glutinous rice and continue to steam for another 10 minutes. Remove and leave to cool. Serve with coconut filling. B) Coconut Filling 150 g brown sugar / palm sugar 3 Tbsp sugar 1 pandan leave (knotted) 1 grated coconut (white part only) 80ml water 1Tbsp cornflour mix with 1Tbsp water Method: Break the brown sugar/palm sugar into small pieces. Combine with the sugar, pandan leave and water. Cover over a medium flame until sugar dissolves. Add in grated coconut and stir till fragrant. Add conflour mixture and stir for 2 minutes. Leave to cool. Hope you will like this recipe! Happy Trying!!
