malaysia

A fragrant dish eaten at all times of day from breakfast onwards in Malaysia, where it is called nasi lemak, this is easy to prepare if you can buy some of its components pre-made from a shop that sells Malaysian/Singaporean products.

Nasi lemak (coconut milk rice) with fried prawns

garlic cloves,

(10½oz) shallots, peeled

candlenuts

Thai chillies

(1 ounces) tamarind pulp

(¼ cup and 2tbsp) cooking oil

(1 ounces) tomato paste

(2 -3tsp) granulated sugar

fine sea salt,

oil,

(1½oz) dried baby anchovies

(2⅔oz) raw red-skinned peanuts

(1 ounces) red banana chillies

(7 ounces) shallots, peeled

1tsp belachan (fermented dried shrimp paste)

(½oz) tamarind pulp

(2-3tsp) granulated sugar

(½oz) tomato paste

(12½oz) jasmine rice

(1⅔ cups) coconut milk

2tsp fine sea salt

eggs,

(18 ounces) fresh prawns,

peeled,

banana leaves, cut into 30cm (12in) squares (optional)

Make the sambal goreng. Roughly chop the garlic, shallots, candlenuts and dried chillies, then put them in a mortar or food processor (a high-speed blender). The mixture should be a moist paste; if necessary, add some water.

Put the tamarind pulp into a bowl, add 200ml (¾ cup plus 1tbsp) of warm water and stir well. Strain the liquid through a small sieve, pressing on the pulp to extract as much flavour as possible. Set aside the tamarind liquid.

Heat the oil in a wok placed over a medium-low flame. When the oil is very hot, turn the flame to low. Add the garlic/shallot/candl­enut/chilli paste and stir constantly until it's thick, fragrant and shiny. Stir in the tamarind liquid, tomato paste, sugar and about 1½tsp of salt. Stir well then taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Cook until the mixture is thick, then transfer to a jar. When the sambal is cool, cover the jar and refrigerate. The oil that floats to the surface should be stirred into the mixture before use.

Prepare the ikan bilis. Pull the heads from the anchovies.

Pour oil to the depth of about 5cm (2in) in a pan, then heat it over a medium-low flame to 170°C (340°F). Add the peanuts and fry until golden, stirring constantly. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peanuts from the oil, then drain them on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Turn the flame to low and fry the anchovies, stirring constantly, until they're golden brown and crisp through. Remove the anchovies from the oil, drain on paper towels then mix them with the peanuts.

Crumble the belachan onto a square of foil. Place the foil on a skillet set over a medium-low flame. Toast the belachan until very fragrant (or more fragrant than usual), then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Roughly chop the banana chillies, shallots and garlic then put them in a mortar or food processor (or high speed blender). Add the belacan and grind to a rough paste, adding a little water, if necessary.

Mix the tamarind pulp with 60ml (¼ cup) of warm water, stir to dissolve then strain the liquid through a sieve.

Heat 60ml (¼ cup) of fresh oil in a clean wok over a medium-high flame and when it's hot, add the spice paste and fry, stirring constantly, until it's thick and fragrant. Add the tamarind liquid, sugar, tomato paste and salt to taste and stir to blend well. Bring the sauce to a simmer then remove from the heat.

Make the rice. Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs almost clear. Drain well then put the rice in a rice cooker and stir in the coconut milk and 100ml (¼ cup and 2tbsp and 2tsp) of water. Cut the pandan leaves into 10cm (4in) lengths, tie them into a knot and add them to the rice. Let the rice soak for 30 minutes then stir in the salt and cook the rice until tender.

Put the eggs in a pan just large enough to fit them in one layer. Add enough water to cover the eggs by about 2.5cm (1in). Place the pan over a medium flame, bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Cover the pan with the lid and leave for 10 minutes. Drain the eggs then put them in a bowl of iced water. When the eggs are completely cool, peel them and cut in halves or quarters.

Peel the prawns but leave the heads intact, if desired. Slit the prawns down the back and remove the black vein.

Heat about 200g (7oz) of the sambal goreng in a skillet then add the prawns and simmer until they're pink, curling and cooked through. The prawns should be liberally coated with the sambal; if necessary, add more to the pan.

Mix some of the belachan/shallot sauce with the anchovies and peanuts to lightly coat them. Put the remaining sauce into a bowl.

To serve, scoop some of the rice onto the banana leaves or plates. Add some prawns, spiced ikan bilis, sliced cucumber and an egg to each portion. Serve the remaining sauce (used to coat the ikan bilis) and sambal on the side and let each diner add more to their portion, if desired.

You’ll find many variations of this stuffed pancake dish throughout central and Southeast Asia. This Indian-inspired version is filled with spiced mince lamb. Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

Jamie Oliver's easy Southeast Asian murtabak

quantity roti canai (recipe also online)

(80 milliliters) coconut oil

white onions, finely chopped

garlic cloves, finely chopped

ginger, peeled, finely chopped

curry powder

lamb mince

tsp caster sugar

curry leaves

egg,

tbs ghee, melted, plus extra to brush

mint

Mixed pickled chillies (optional), to serve

red onion, thinly sliced

tbs sea salt

tbs caster sugar

tbs white wine vinegar

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5853640786001&=domain=del

5348771529001-5853640786001

It’s way too easy to fall in love with the Malaysian dish Nasi Lemak, a coconutty rice bowl topped with crispy-crunchy crumbles of teeny little fried anchovies dressed in a sweet-spicy sambal. 

Nasi Lemak Recipe

dried paper lantern chiles, dried bird chiles, or dried chiles de árbol

vegetable oil

peanuts

anchovies

shallots,

garlic

Holland chiles, stems removed, halved lengthwise

sugar

tamarind

jasmine rice

kosher salt

pandan leaves (optional)

coconut milk

eggs

½ English hothouse cucumber,

Soy sauce (for serving)

It’s way too easy to fall in love with the Malaysian dish Nasi Lemak, a coconutty rice bowl topped with crispy-crunchy crumbles of teeny little fried anchovies dressed in a sweet-spicy sambal. Look for the smallest dried anchovies (ikan bilis) you can find: They’re known for their superior flavor and texture. We’ve provided a few options for dried chiles below, but any thumb-size red chile you can find at an Asian market will get the job done.

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Epicurious

Chop paper lantern chiles into ½" pieces, discarding most of the seeds that fall out. Place in a small bowl and pour in boiling water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes to soften, then drain.

Meanwhile, bring oil and peanuts to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, adjusting heat as needed, until peanuts are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer nuts to paper towels to drain; set aside for serving. Immediately add anchovies to oil and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to fresh paper towels; let cool. Set ¼ cup oil aside.

Pulse shallots, garlic, and ¼ cup fried anchovies (save remaining anchovies for serving) in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add paper lantern and Holland chiles to food processor (no need to clean) and pulse until very smooth and no visible pieces of dried chile remain. Transfer chile purée to a small bowl.

Heat reserved oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in chile purée and cook, stirring often, until it starts to stick to bottom of skillet, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add sugar, tamarind concentrate, and ¼ cup water and cook, stirring often, until sambal is much darker in color and thickened, 25–35 minutes.

Do Ahead: Sambal ikan bilis can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

Place rice in a medium saucepan and pour in cold water to cover; swirl with your hands to rinse away some of the starch. Drain and repeat process 2 more times. Water should be just slightly cloudy at this point. Place rinsed rice back into saucepan and cover with 2½ cups cold water; stir in salt. Gather pandan leaves (if using) together and tie into a knot; add to pan. Bring rice to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low; cook 18 minutes. Remove lid and stir in coconut milk. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Carefully lower eggs into water. Cook 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise.

Combine sambal ikan bilis, reserved fried peanuts, and reserved fried anchovies in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat. Scoop a generous ½ cup sambal mixture into a 12-oz. bowl. Top with 1½ cups rice and pack into bowl with a rubber spatula to compress. The bowl should be filled to the rim. Place a slightly larger bowl upside down over bowl of rice. Invert so larger bowl is now on the bottom; lift off smaller bowl. You should have a dome of rice and anchovy mixture nestled in the center of the larger bowl. Arrange 8 cucumber slices around rice dome, overlapping slightly to make a semicircle. Add 2 egg halves to side of rice with no cucumber slices; season yolks lightly with soy sauce. Repeat with remaining rice, sambal mixture, cucumbers, and eggs to make 3 more bowls.

A delicious addition to any curry – work quickly, and remove from the pan while still flexible and before they take on too much colour.

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