Recipes from Singapore

Char Kway Teow

INGREDIENTS:
A
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon msg

Lard for frying
2 teaspoons pounded garlic
310g bean sprouts, washed and drained
310g flat rice noodles
2 tablespoons dark soya sauce
4 eggs
Chili sauce (see recipe)
1 pair of Chinese sausages, sliced thinly and fried
115 g cockles, shelled
55g chives, cut into 5cm lengths
1-2 tablespoons sweet thick black sauce ( Kechap Manis )


METHOD:

1. Mix A in a bowl
2. Heat large wok until it is smoking hot. Put in 4 tablespoons lard and fry garlic till light brown. Add bean sprouts and rice noodles. Sprinkle mixture of A and dark soya sauce and stir-fry for ½ minute.
3. Push rice noodle mixture to one side of the wok. Add 4 tablespoons lard and scramble eggs. 4. Stir in scrambled eggs and mix well with noodles.
5. Pour in chili sauce, according to taste.
6. Add sausages, and stir-fry for another minute, adding some lard to sides of wok.
7. Leave space in centre of noodles to put in cockles. Cover cockles with mixture, add chives and sweet thick black sauce. Toss for ½ minute and serve on a large serving place.

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CHILI SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
A
285 g liquidized chili
340 ml water
1 ½ tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon msg
1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon lard
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
¾ teaspoon shrimp paste, crumbled


METHOD:
1. Heat lard in small saucepan and fry garlic and shrimp paste until brown.
2. Add A and bring to boil.
3. Boil gently for further 5 minutes.
4. Cool and use as required.

Recipes from Malaysia

Nasi Lemak

INGREDIENTS:
For the rice:
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
salt to taste
1 whole bay leaf
2 cups long grain rice, rinsed and drained

For the garnish:
4 eggs
1 cucumber
1 cup oil for frying
1 cup raw peanuts
1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chile paste
1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed
salt to taste
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup tamarind juice


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together coconut milk, water, ground ginger, ginger root, salt, bay leaf, and rice. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until done.

2. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove eggs from hot water, cool, peel and slice in half. Slice cucumber.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or wok, heat 1 cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Stir in peanuts and cook briefly, until lightly browned. Remove peanuts with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to soak up excess grease. Return skillet to stove. Stir in the contents of one package anchovies; cook briefly, turning, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Discard oil. Wipe out skillet.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet. Stir in the onion, garlic, and shallots; cook until fragrant, about 1 or 2 minutes. Mix in the chile paste, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the chile paste is too dry, add a small amount of water. Stir in remaining anchovies; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, sugar, and tamarind juice; simmer until sauce is thick, about 5 minutes.

5. Serve the onion and garlic sauce over the warm rice, and top with peanuts, fried anchovies, cucumbers, and eggs.

Recipes from Indonesia

Soto Ayam

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup peeled garlic cloves
1 cup sliced shallots
1/4 cup salted, roasted macadamia nuts or blanched almonds
6 thin slices (the size of a quarter) fresh galangal or fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon salad oil
2 1/2 quarts fat-skimmed chicken broth
1 stalk (12 to 15 in.) fresh lemon grass or 3 strips (1/2 by 4 in.) lemon peel, yellow part only
1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken breasts, rinsed
4 to 6 ounces dried bean thread noodles (saifun)
Salt and pepper
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
3 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, including tops
1 cup diced Roma tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 hard-cooked large eggs, shelled and cut into wedges
2 cups potato chips or shrimp chips (optional)
1/2 cup fried shallots
Lime wedges
Chili sambal, Asian red chili paste, or minced fresh hot chilies


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a food processor, combine garlic, sliced shallots, macadamia nuts, galangal, and turmeric. Whirl mixture to a paste, scraping container sides as needed. (Or chop ingredients with a knife, then whirl in a blender to a paste.)

2. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, stir the paste and the oil until mixture barely begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, cover, and bring to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, trim stem end and any tough leaves off lemon grass and pull off coarse outer layer. Crush stalk with the back of a knife, then cut into 3-inch pieces. Add to broth.

4. Add chicken breasts to broth. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the breasts are no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 15 to 20 minutes. Lift out chicken and let cool at least 10 minutes. Skim fat from broth. (Or if making ahead, cover and chill the broth and the chicken separately. Lift off and discard fat from the chilled broth.)

5. In a bowl, pour 5 cups hot water over bean thread noodles. Let stand until the noodles are tender to bite, about 5 minutes; drain. If desired, snip through noodles with scissors to make shorter strands.

6. Season broth with salt and pepper to taste. Return to a boil over high heat.

7. Tear the chicken into shreds. In individual small bowls, mound shredded chicken, bean thread noodles, cabbage, bean sprouts, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, egg wedges, potato chips, fried shallots, lime wedges, and chili sambal. Pour hot broth into a tureen or pitcher.

8. Let guests place desired portions of the chicken, noodles, cabbage, bean sprouts, green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and eggs in wide bowls. Ladle or pour hot broth into bowls. Sprinkle with potato chips and fried shallots. Add juice from lime wedges, chili sambal, and more salt and pepper to taste.

Recipes from Thailand

Fug Tong Gang Buad (Pumpkin in Coconut Milk)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
500 g. pumpkin
1/3 cup of palm sugar
½ cup of coconut milk

METHOD:
1. Skin the pumpkin, remove the seeds, and julienne into pieces of 2” x ½” x ½”
2. Pour water and coconut milk to a pot and heat over low heat. Add salt.
3. Add some of the sugar and taste it before adding more. If it becomes too sweet, add more water. Keep stirring.
4. Add the pumpkin when all sugar is dissolved and let it boil until the pumpkin cooks.
5. Serve hot or warm.

Tips: use thin coconut milk. The top layer of coconut milk or cream will curdle when boiled. If your coconut milk is creamy, dilute it by adding more water.

Recipes from the Philippines

Coming up soon!

Recipes from Vietnam

Coming up soon!