Stir Fried Mushrooms

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 6 minutes

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic

3 cm galangal

2 red chillies

1 tablespoon oil

200g button mushrooms, cut into half

100g oyster mushrooms, cut into half

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp Golden Mountain sauce

½ cup chopped Thai basil

Method

• Chop garlic, galangal and chillies. Heat oil in wok. Add garlic, galangal and chillies in and cook for 2 minutes. Add button mushrooms in. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Next, add in the oyster mushrooms and stir fry for 30 seconds.

• Add fish sauce, Golden Mountain sauce and basil. Mix well. Serve hot.

Chicken , Prawn and Grapefruit Salad Recipe

Preparation time: 20 mins

Recipe serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 small pink grapefruit

6 medium cooked prawns (peeled)

½ green pawpaw

2 egg tamatoes

125g cooked chicken cut into bite pieces

4 spring onions (sliced)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped coriander

1 tablespoon desiccated coconut

Lettuce leaves for serving

1 tablespoon roasted, unsalted peanuts, finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried shrimp (chop finely)

Dressing

2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoon fish sauce

¼ cup lime juice

2 teaspoons chilli sauce

Method

• Peel grapefruit and cut into small pieces. Peel pawpaw and cut into fine strips. Chop tomatoes.
• Mix together grapefruit, pawpaw, tomatoes, prawns, orange segments, chicken pieces, onions, coriander, garlic and coconut in a bowl.
• For dressing, combine all the ingredients together. Use a whisk until sugar dissolves. Pour dressing on salad.
• Place lettuce on a serving plate. Place salad on top. Sprinkle dried shrimps and peanuts over.

Hot and Tangy Prawn and Fruit Salad

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Recipe serves 4-6

Ingredients

150g small prawns (cooked)

½ green pawpaw

1 large green apple

1 firm green pear

½ pineapple

100g green grapes

2 tablespoons crisp fried spring onion

1 tablespoon crisp fried garlic

¼ cup fresh coriander leaves

Dressing

¼ cup lime juice

2 teaspoons grated lime rind

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh red chillies

Method

• Pell the prawns including tail. Peel pawpaw leaving flesh in cubes. Cut apple and pear into small cubes.
• Peel pineapple and cut flesh into cubes. Mix together all fruits and prawns.
• As for dressing, mix together lime juice, rind, fish sauce, sugar and chillies together. Pour dressing over the fruits on step 1. Sprinkle spring onions, garlic and coriander leaves on top.

Vegetable Curry

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Total cooking time: 20 minutes
Recipe serves 4-6

Ingredients

100g snake beans

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1-2 tablespoons Green curry

1 ½ cups coconut milk

1 cup water

1 medium red capsicum, cut into strips

150g broccoli, cut into florets

4 kaffir lime leaves

2 medium zucchini, sliced

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lime rind

2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

Method

1. Heat oil in wok. Add in chopped onions, curry paste and fry for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. When fragrant, mix in coconut milk and water. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and simmer while uncovered for additional 5 minutes.
2. Cut snake beans into 1 ½ inches of length. Add into wok together with capsicum, broccoli and kaffir lime leaves. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Add cabbage and zucchini. Cook for 3 more minutes.
3. Finally add in lime juice, rind, brown sugar and fish sauce into wok and mix well.
4. Serve hot on a plate.

Cucumber Salad with Peanuts and Chilli Recipe

Preparation time: 25 minutes + 45 minutes marinating

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients

3 medium cucumbers

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons white sugar

1-2 tablespoons chilli sauce

½ red onion, chopped

½ cup fresh coriander leaves

1 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

2 tablespoons crisp fried garlic

½ teaspoon chopped chilli

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Method

1. Peel skin off the cucumbers. Slice cucumber in half lengthways. Remove seeds. Slice thinly into strips.
2. Mix together vinegar and sugar in a bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.
3. In a large bowl, mix together cucumber, chilli sauce, onion, coriander leaves and vinegar mixture in a large bowl. Marinate for 45 minutes.
4. When serving, toss together with peanuts, garlic, chilli and sauce.

Stir Fried Cauliflower and Snake Beans Recipe

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total cooking time: 10 minutes

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients

4 coriander roots, chopped

1 teaspoon soft brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons fish sauce

400g cauliflower

6 spring onions

200g snake beans

2 tablespoons oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced lengthways

20 leaves English spinach, shredded

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

½ cup water

1 tablespoon lime juice

Method

1. Blend the sugar, coriander, crushed garlic, turmeric and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in a blender to create a smooth paste. Cut cauliflower into florets. Cut spring onions and snake beans into short lengths.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok. Add in sliced garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
3. Add in spinach. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Mix in pepper and 1 tablespoon fish sauce and toss well. Place on a serving plate.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok. Add the blended paste in and cook over high heat for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add cauliflower and stir fry until combined well. Add water and bring to boil. Cover for 3 minutes. Add spring onions. Move the cauliflower over the spinach. Add lime juice and spring onions on top.

Spicy Roasted Eggplant with Tofu Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Total cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients

4 small lady-finger eggplant

250g silken tofu or soft bean curd

2-4 small fresh red or green chillies

4 cloves garlic, crushed

4 coriander roots, chopped

1 small brown onion, chopped

3 teaspoons soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon oil

½ cup Thai basil leaves

2 teaspoons dried shrimp, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat oil in wok. Add eggplant and cook until the skin becomes char. Turn to cook all sides of the eggplant. Remove from wok and slice eggplants diagonally into 2 cm thick slices. Cut tofu into 3 cm cubes.
2. Blend chillies, coriander roots, onion, garlic, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a blender until turning smooth.
3. Heat oil and add the blended paste mixture into wok. Stir in high heat for approximately 1 minute. Add in eggplant. Stir together with the paste. Cover for 3 minutes.
4. Add in half the basil leaves and tofu into wok. Stir. Remove and serve on a serving plate. Garnish with basil leaves and dried shrimp.

Green Pawpaw and Peanut Salad Recipe

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Total cooking time: 5 minutes

Recipe serves 4-6

Ingredients

50g dried shrimp

100g green beans; cut into short pieces

1 medium lettuce

½ medium green pawpaw, peeled and grated

¼ cup lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh red chillies

½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

1 red chilli, finely diced

Method

1. In a mortar and pestle, pound dried shrimp finely. You can use a knife and chop instead.
2. Boil water in pan. Put in the green beans in and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water for a few seconds and drain. Shred lettuce and place on the serving plate. Put beans, shrimps and pawpaw on top of the lettuce.
3. Mix together lime juice, fish sauce, chillies and brown sugar. Then, pour over salad. Sprinkle with peanuts and chillies.

Red Cabbage Salad Recipe

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Total cooking time: 3 minutes

Recipe serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely sliced

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dried shrimp

¼ cup hot water

1 tablespoon oil

6 cloves garlic, sliced

2 cups finely shredded red cabbage

2 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage or curly white cabbage

¼ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

Dressing

2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves and stems

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Method

• Combine both sliced onion and salt together. After 30 minutes, rinse with water and drain. Put the dried shrimps in a bowl, cover with the hot water, soak it for approximately 15 minutes. Drain the excess water and chop the dried shrimps finely.

• Heat the oil. Add in garlic and fry until fragrant and browned.  Drain the fried garlic on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

• Dressing method: Mix in the lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, peppercorns, coriander, crushed and garlic together. Place the mix into a blender and blend until smooth.

• Mix together onion, shrimp, half of the fried garlic and shredded cabbages together in a bowl. Next mix well together with the prepared dressing. Sprinkle the fried garlic and chopped peanuts on top. You can garnish the salad with a sprig of fresh coriander.

Stir-Fried Vegetables Recipe

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Total cooking time: 5 minutes

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off

1 tablespoon oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 stems lemon grass (white part only), finely chopped

2 teaspoons chopped red chilli

2 sticks celery, cut into 3 cm pieces

100g green beans, cut into 3 cm pieces

½ red capsicum, cut into thin 3 cm pieces

1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

1-2 tablespoons chilli sauce

1 teaspoon Golden Mountain sauce

100g bean sprouts

¼ cup roasted chopped peanuts, optional

¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, optional

Method

• Slice asparagus into 3 cm pieces. Heat oil. Add in the chopped garlic and lemon grass and cook for 1 minute.

• Next, mix in the chillies, celery and beans together and stir fry for 1 more minute. Add both the asparagus and capsicum and toss a few times. Cover and steam approximately 1 minute.

• Finally, mix in the sauces  together and toss well. Add in the bean sprouts and toss for a while again. Sprinkle peanuts and coriander leaves on the top when serving.

Chicken and Vegetable Salad Recipe

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Total cooking time: 20 minutes

Recipe serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 chicken breast fillets

1 cup water

3 slices fresh ginger

2 stems lemon grass (white part only), roughly chopped

2 tablespoons fish sauce

250g broccoli, cut into florets

150g fresh baby corn spears

100g snow peas, trimmed

1 red capsicum, cut into strips

3 spring onions, cut into strips

½ cup chilli sauce

2 tablespoons honey or 2 tablespoons palm sugar mixed with a little warm water

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons grated lime rind

¼ cup fresh coriander leaves

Method

• Cut the chicken breast fillet into thin short strips. Put lemongrass, ginger, water and fish sauce into a frying pan and simmer for 5 minutes while boiling.

• Mix the chicken strips into a the pan together and cook for 5 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally. When the chicken turns white, it is cooked. Discard the excess liquid.

• Boil a large pan of water. Put the broccoli, spring onions, snow peas and capsicum together into the pan and boil for 2 minutes. Remove and soak into ice cold water for a while.

• Mix together chilli sauce, lime juice, honey, and rind in a bowl. Place chicken and vegetable together on serving plates. Finally pour the sauce mixture on top gently. Sprinkle some coriander leaves on top of the sauce for decoration.

Sambal Belacan Brinjals Recipe

A very simple Malay vegetable dish recipe. The wonderful and spicy taste of belacan mixed together with the fragrant aroma from the onion oil creates a perfect combination in serving together with boiled brinjals.

Ingredients

300g Brinjals (Cut into half)
2 tbsp Fried Onion (With Oil)

Sambal Belacan (Pounded)

5 Red Chilies
3 Chili Padi
20g Belacan
3 small Limes

Method

1. Boil water inwok, add in 1tbsp of oil, put in brinjals and boil until soft.
2. Remove and arrange on plate.
3. Pour the fried onion on top.
4. Squeeze the lime juice in the sambal belacan and serve together with brinjals.

Achar / Vegetable Pickle Recipe

Achar is often described as vegetable pickle which is a very famous dish cuisine within the traditional Malay community. Ingredients such as cucumbers, carrots, cabbage and chillies mixed with vinegar are normally used in producing Archar. This wonderful recipe is often served as a side dish together with boiled rice or even eat it on its own.

Ingredients

1kg Cucumbers
300g Carrots
150g Cabbage
5 Green Chillies
5 Red Chillies
100g Sesame Seeds
1 Bottle Rice Vinegar

Paste

8 Dried Chillies
8 Candlenuts
2 Inches Turmeric
1 Stalk Lemon Grass
½ Inch Galangal
½ Inch (1tsp) Shrimp Paste
35g Dried Shrimps
6 tbsp Cooking Oil
½ Bowl Rice Vinegar
8 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt

Method

1. To make paste, pound dried chillies, candlenuts, turmeric, lemon grass, galangal, shrimp paste and dried shrimps together. Heat up oil and fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant. Add in vinegar, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.
2. Remove center portion of cucumbers and cut into strips of about 2 inches long. Cut carrots into strips of about 2 inches long. Cut cabbage into pieces and slice chilies into halves. Wash sesame seeds and fry until fragrant.
3. Boil the vinegar and then put in the carrots and cucumbers separately to boil for about a minute. Remove and squeeze dry.
4. Put in the cabbage and chilies to boil for about a minute. Remove and set aside to cool.
5. Put all the vegetables, as well as sesame seeds into the paste and mix well. Store for 2-3 days before serving.

This dish can last for about a month if kept in the fridge.

Kangkong Belacan / Sambal Kangkong Recipe

Kangkong belacan or often known as Sambal Kangkong is a very famous traditional Malaysian food recipe. This vegetable dish originates from the Malay culture. Often found in any Malay cuisine restaurant, Kangkong belacan is always the highest priority in any menus. Belacan is shrimp paste that is often used as an ingredient in South East Asian cuisine especially in Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Indonesia. It is made from fragmented dried shrimp mixed with chilli pepper Belacan. Belacan is often considered hot and spicy with a very strong aroma.

This well accepted recipe can currently be found in almost any kinds of restaurants in Malaysia and not being limited to the original Malay restaurants.

Ingredients

 500g Kangkong

Chopped Ingredients

4 Red Chillies
2 Chillies Padi
4 Garlic Cloves
20g Belacan (Belachan)
1 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Fine Shrimp Sauce

Preparation Method

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in work.
2. Mix in the chopped ingredients and stir fry till fragrant.
3. Add in Kangkong and stir fry until cooked.
4. Serve hot.

Cooking Tips

Make sure the wok must be heat up to very hot before adding in the kangkong. This prevents the vegetable to become soaked. Do not stir fry the Kangkong for too long.