Ikan Cencaru Sumbat

By Chef Rossham Rusli

Prep

 Less than half hour | 

Cook

 Less than half hour | 

Makes

 10 servings

Ingredients

• 5 medium sized of cencaru fish
Wet rempah paste
• 3 tbsp chilli paste
• 3in old ginger
• 2 red onions
• 5 pips garlic
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 thumb-sized turmeric leaf, thinly sliced
• 1 freshly grated coconut, just the white part
• 4 candlenut, pounded
• 1 slice (square) dried shrimp paste/belacan, baked, pounded
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste, mix with 1/2 cup of water)
• salt and sugar to taste

Method

Blend the wet rempah ingredients till fine. Then stir-fry until fragrant for 6 minutes.
Add the tamarind juice, candlenuts, dried shrimp paste, grated coconut, salt and sugar.
Keep stirring until the paste is very dry.
Lastly, add turmeric leaf.
Then stuff the paste into the fish and deep-fry until golden brown for 6-8 minutes. (If using an oven, set the temperature at 160 degrees Celcius and bake for 10 minutes.)

Kitchree

By Chef Priya Menon

Prep

 About 1 hour | 

Cook

 About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice of choice, cooked
• 1/2 cup mung dhall, soak for about 10 minutes
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1/4 tsp garlic paste
• 1 potato,cubed
• 1 small carrot,cubed
• 1/2 cup long/french beans, cut into 1/4 in length
• 2 handfuls of cabbage, chopped coarsely
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 sprig curry leaf, sliced or whole
• salt
• oil
• 3 - 4 cups water, less or more if required
Spice Mix
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin
• 1/2 tsp whole fennel
• 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Method

Boil dhall in 4 cups of water, and remove froth that comes to the surface.
When dhall is almost cooked, add 3/4 of the diced onions, garlic, ginger,vegetables and salt.
Once vegetables are cooked, remove from fire and add the cooked rice. Mix the dhall into rice thoroughly.
For tempering: Heat a tablespoon of oil, add mustard seeds,onions and curry leaves and fry the mixture over very low heat till onions turn golden grown.
Remove from heat and immediately add to the dhall and rice mixture and cover the pan, so that the tempered mixture releases its aroma.
Serve when hot.
Note: This a beginners recipe and fool proof.Add water as required to get the consistency you require.

Nasi Kerabu

Ingredients

• 1 kg fragrant rice
• 1 litre water
• 50g bunga telang or blue peas flower (soaked in warm water)
• 1 torch ginger leaf*
• 5 pcs daun kesum*
• 2 pcs cekur leaves*
• 2 pcs daun kentut*
• 2 pcs daun kudu*
• 1/2 stalk lemongrass*
• 2 pandan leaves
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
Garnishing ulam mix
• 2 torch ginger buds, finely sliced
• 1 stalks daun kesum, finely sliced
• 2 cekur leaves, finely sliced
• 2 daun kentut, finely sliced
• 2 daun kudu, finely sliced
• 2 stalks lemon grass, finely sliced
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 1 cucumber, pared and julienned
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 5 long beans, finely sliced
• 1/2 round cabbage
Fried grated coconut
• 1/2 coconut flesh, finely grated
• 8 shallots, finely sliced
• 2cm ginger, finely chopped
• Palm sugar and salt to taste

Method

Slice ulam leaves* and blend finely with 1 glass of water to extract the juice and sieve.
Blend the blue peas flower with 1 cup of water and strain.
Wash rice. Add ulam juice, blue peas flower juice, pieces of pandan leaves, kaffir lime leaves, and 1/2 a block of palm sugar to the rie. Cook in a rice cooker.
Fry the grated coconut with shallots, ginger, palm sugar and salt over a low fire. When the mixture turns fragrant, lightly flatten the grated coconut with the back of your spatula. Put it aside.
Mix all the ulam with grated coconut. Put on top of rice before serving.

Dory Fish in Spicy Creamy Apple Sauce

Ingredients

• 300g dory fish
• 3 green apples
• 1 big white onion
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cup water
• 4 tbsp evaporated milk
• 3 tbsp oil

Method

Skin the apples and onion and cut them into wedges.
Heat oil, stir-fry onion, add ground coriander, ground cumin, chilli flakes and turmeric. Stir for 5 minutes.
Pour water and milk. Stir until the spices are mixed ll. Let the gravy boil for 5 minutes.
Once the gravy starts to boil, add in fish and apples. Let it simmer for 8 minutes.
Remove from fire and serve with hot white rice.
Note: You can substitute apples with green grapes. Don't over fry the spices, it will taste bitter.