Shark's Fin Soup - Chinese style

Ingredients:

• 120 grams dried shark's fin
• 120 grams sliced chicken flesh - boiled
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 shallots - sliced
• 1 clove garlic - sliced
• 120 grams crab meat
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cm piece ginger
• 1 tablespoon cornflour blended with water

Method: 

1. Clean the shark's fin. Soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. Place in a pan of water and boil for 2-3 hours.
2. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Fry sliced ginger, sliced shallots, sliced garlic until fragrant.
3. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to boil.
4. Stir constantly. Add in the blended cornflour to thicken the soup.
5. Serve hot. 

Sup Ekor Lembu (Ox- tail Soup) - Malaysian style

Ingredients:

• 600 grams Ox tail
• 4 potatoes
• 1 teaspoon cummin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon aniseed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 piece cinammon stick
• 1 large onion - quartered
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean the ox tail well and cut into small pieces. It is advisable  to get the ready cut ox tail as it is quite difficult to cut.
2. Pound the aniseed and coriander finely and wrap in muslin cloth.
3. Peel the potatoes and quarter them.
4. Boil the ox- tail in enough water until almost done with the quartered onion, wrapped spices and cinnamon stick.
5. Add in the potatoes and continue cooking until tender.
6. Serve garnished with chopped spring onions and fried  onion slices. Can be served with either bread or rice. 

Nasi Lemak (Rice in coconut milk) - Malaysian style

Cooking rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 1 grated coconut
• 3 screwpine leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Clean the rice and drain.
2. Squeeze out 2 cups of thick coconut milk from the grated coconut.
3. Cook the rice in the coconut milk with screwpine leaves. Add in salt.
4. If you desire, you can also add in some sliced shallots and ginger.
5. Serve the rice with sliced hard-boiled eggs, cucumber and Sambal ikan Bilis.

Sambal Ikan Bilis

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried ikan bilis (anchovies)
• 1 bombay onion
• 4 shallots
• 2 tablespoons tamarind juice
• Prawn paste (belacan) optional
• 8 dried chillies
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

1. Fry the ikan bilis until crisp and put aside.
2. Grind the prawn paste together with shallots, garlic, de-seeded dried chillies. Slice the bombay onions into rings.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and fry the ground ingredients until fragrant. Add in the onion rings.
4. Add tamarind juice, salt and sugar.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally until the gravy thickens.
6. Add in the ikan bilis and mix well.
7. Serve with hot Nasi Lemak.

Fried Kway Teow - Chinese style

Ingredients:

• 1kilo of kway teow - cut into 1 cm strips
• 450 grams fresh prawns
• 400 grams oysters - scalded and shells removed
• 500 grams bean sprouts - tails removed
• 2 fresh chillies pounded
• 6 cloves garlic pounded
• 200 grams chicken flesh - cut into strips
• 250 grams squid - cleaned and cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon thick soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons oil

                                                                                              Serves 4-6
Method:

1. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry pounded garlic and chillies until fragrant.
2. Increase heat and add in chicken. Fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add prawns and squid and stir fry for 2 more minutes. Add the oysters.
4. Pour in both types of soy sauce, salt and beansprouts
5. Mix thoroughly and stir fry for 2 more minutes.
6. Serve immediately garnished with sliced chillies. 

Murtaba - Indian style

Ingredients:

• 3 cups plain white flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup oil

For the filling:

• 500 grams minced meat
• 2 tablespoons gheee
• 1 large red onion - sliced finely
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger - grated
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves - finely chopped
• 1 fresh red chilli - finely sliced
• 2 eggs - beaten
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion - finely sliced

Method:

For Roti:

1. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and rub in the ghee.
2. Add the water and mix to a fairly soft dough.
3. Knead the  dough for 10 minutes or longer.
4. Divide the dough into equal - sized balls and place them in a small bowl containing the oil.
5. Leave for at least an hour.

To make the filling:

1. Heat up the ghee and fry the onion until it is soft.
2. Add the garlic and fresh ginger and continue to fry the onion until golden brown.
3. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and stir for a few seconds.
4. Put in the meat and carry on frying, stirring constantly, until it is well - cooked.

Cooking the Murtaba:

1. Season the beaten eggs with salt and pepper and set aside in a small bowl.
2. On a smooth surface, spread a little oil from the bowl and flatten one of the dough balls with a rolling pin.
3. Gently pressed with the fingers, spreading the dough until it is almost as thin as strudel pastry.
4. Heat the griddle and grease it lightly with ghee.
5. Drape the Roti over a rolling pin and transfer it on to the griddle.
6. It will cook very quickly so spoon on some beaten egg and spread it over the middle portion of the Roti with the underside of the spoon.
7. Sprinkle some meat over and just before folding, add a few slices of onion.
8. Fold over the sides of the Roti, in an envelope like to enclose the filling completely.
9. Turn it over and cook the other side, spreading a little more ghee or oil on the griddle before putting it down.
10. Cook until crisp and golden on both sides.
11. Serve hot either on its own or with a bowl of curry gravy or dhall.

Mutton Korma - Indian style

Ingredients:

• 600 grams boneless mutton
• 2 medium - sized red onions - chopped
• 2.5 cm piece ginger - sliced
• 4 cloves garlic - crushed
• 3 green chillies
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoon ground cummin
• 3 cardamoms - ground
• 1 stick cinamon
• 2 tomatoes
• Milk from half a coconut
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated coconut
• 2 tablespoon oil
• Salt to taste
• A few stalks coriander leaves

                                                                                             Serves 6-8

Method:

1. Grind together the chillies, black peppercorns and fresh grated coconut.
2. Mix together the turmeric, coriander, cummin and cardamoms with a little water to form a paste.
3. Boil the mutton pieces with a little of the sliced ginger, and crushed garlic in water until tender.
4. Heat a saucepan with oil and fry the onions, cinnamon and remaining ginger and garlic.
5. Add in the paste.
6. Fry until the oil begins to surface and then add the mutton, coating it well with the spices.
7. Pour in the coconut milk and bring slowly to the boil.
8. Cover and cook on low heat until the gravy thickens.
9. Add the salt, lime juice and coriander leaves.
10. Stir well and remove from heat.

Fried Meehoon - Chinese style

Ingredients:

• 357 grams fine rice vermicelli
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 2 teaspoons coriander - ground
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• peanut oil
• 8 dried Chinese mushrooms - soaked
• 90 grams prawns - shelled
• 125 grams white fish
• 2 medium onions - sliced
•  125 grams beasnprouts
• 2 eggs - lightly beaten
• 3 red chillies
• 3 stalks spring onions - chopped

Method:

1. Soak the vermicelli in cold water for 5 minutes, then scald them in boiling water. Drain well.
2. Mix the crushed garlic and pounded coriander with turmeric powder. 
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the garlic mixture for 2 minutes.
4. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and slice thinly.
5. Dice into small cubes the fresh prawns and fish. Add to the garlic with mushrooms. Fry on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
6. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the pan and fry the sliced onions and chillies.
7. Add the vermicelli, season with salt and stir thoroughly. Add the beansprout and stir-fry  for 1 minute. Remove from pan.
8. Pour in the beaten egg. swirl to make a thin omelette. Cook until set and remove from pan. Shred.
9. Add the fried seafood to the fried noodles, mix well and serve with shredded omelette, and chopped spring onions.

Chicken Tikka - Indian style

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken - deboned and cut into large pieces

For Marinade:

• 4 cloves garlic - ground
• 2 cm piece ginger - ground
• 2.5 cm unripe peeled papaya - ground
• 1 red chilli - ground
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup curd
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tablespoon oil
• A pinch of nutmeg

For sauce:

• 4 cardamoms - seeds removed and ground
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• juice of 1/2 lime

Method: 

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients and marinate chicken in it for 5 hours.
2. Skewer a few pieces of chicken on each skewer, and brown over a charcoal stove.
3. Keep basting the chicken with the marinate till all the mixture has been used up.
4. Finally, brush over with the basting sauce. Serve pipping hot. 

Beef with Bitterground - Chinese style

Ingredients:

• 1 bitter gourd - remove seeds and slice
• 250 grams beef - sliced thinly
• 3-4 chillies - cut lengthwise
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 3 tablespoons oil
• salt to taste

                                                                                       serves 4-6
Method:

1. Heat oil and fry garlic until fragrant. Add in the slices of beef and fry over low heat until the beef is cooked.
2. Add in the bitter gourd and stir- fry.
3. Season to taste and sprinkle a little water cook the vegetable.
4. Dish out and serve garnished with chillies.

Samosas - Indian Style

Ingredients:

• 10 spring roll skins
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 1 clove garlic - crushed
• 1 large onion - sliced finely
• 2 red chillies - sliced
• 3 potatoes- boiled and diced finely
• 150 grams green peas
• 1 teaspoon beef curry powder
• 1 spray fresh coriander leaves - chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• oil for deep frying

                                                                                                   Serves 6-8

Method: 

1. In a frying pan, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil and fry the onion until soft but not brown.
2. Add the crushed garlic and fry further for about a minute.
3. Turn down the heat, add the curry powder and fry gently for another couple of minutes.
4. Add the potatoes and peas and stir for a few seconds before adding all the other ingredients.
5. Stir well and set aside in a dish to cool.
6. Cut each spring roll skin into approximately 8cm squares.
7. Place a tablespoon of filling in each square and fold into a triangle.
8. Seal with a little water and deep fry until golden and crisp. 

Poh Piah (Spring Rolls) - Malaysian Style

Ingredients:

• 24 sheets spring rolls wrappers
• 150 grams prawns minced
• 150 grams chicken meat minced
• 150 grams yam bean - peeled and grated and boiled until tender
• 1 medium carrot - grated and cooked for 2 minutes
• 1 small cucumber - shredded
• 2 eggs - beaten, made into omelette and shredded
• 2 pieces beancurd - fried and shredded
• 6 stalks spring onions - shredded
• 20 lettuce leaves
• 4 cloves garlic- crushed
• 3 green chillies - sliced
• 3 tablespoon sweet bean paste
•  3 tablespoon oil
• Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 red chillies minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon water

                                                                                                        Serves 6-8
Method:

1. Prepare sauce. Mix all the ingredients together, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Prepare filling. Heat oil and fry minced chicken meat and prawns.
3. Add garlic and fry until meat changes color. Add chillies and spring onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add strained vegetables, sugar and bean paste. Cook for 5 minutes, then add shredded cucumber and bean curd.
5. Moisten the filling with sufficient water.
6. Spread a lettuce leaf on each spring roll wrapper and top with a spoonful of fillin. Garnish with shredded omelette.
7. Roll up and wet the edges to stick them down.
8. You can serve the poh piah raw or deep fried. Serve with sauce.

Fry Eggplant - Chinese Style

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants
• 4 black mushrooms
• 1 cube of vegetarian ham
• 1 chilli parsley
• 1 tablespoon of low sodium salt
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of sweet spicy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Method:

1. Cut the stems of eggplants and cube and softy black mushroom. Cut the stems and dice and vegetarian ham, chop chilli.
2. Heat oil, fry eggplants to soft, drain.
3. Heat another oil, sante black mushroom, add chilli chopped vegetarian ham to fry, put eggplants and  spices on, thicken, spread white sesame oil, parsley before turn off.

Sweet Vinegar Fish Fillet - Chinese Style

Ingredients:

• 1 Vegetarian Fish
• 2 Pieces of pineapple
• 1 Green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• Parsley
• 2 tablespoon of low sodium salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• 2 tablespoon of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon f cornstarch water
• 1 tablespoon of white sesame oil

Method: 

1. Cube the pineapple, keep the seeds of green bell pepper and red bell pepper away, sliced.
2. Fried the fish until to golden, cube and put them on.
3. Heat oil, fry the pineapple, green and red bell pepper with a little of water.
4. Then add salt, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, thicken by starch water, spread white sesame oil on the fish before close fire. Garnish by parsley. 

Laksa Penang - Malaysian Style

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
• 35 dried chillies
• 3 cm piece turmeric
• 10 stalks lemon grass
• 500 grams shallots
• 20 cups of water
• 8 pieces asam gelugur
• 30 stalks daun kesum
• 2 stalks bunga kantan
• 6 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon salt
• 1kilo fish
• 2 kilo coarse rice vermicelli
• 6 tablespoon shrimp paste - mixed with 3/4 cup water

For garnishing:

• 1 pineapple - sliced
• 3 cucumbers - thinly shredded
• 1 bunch mint leaves
• 250 grams large onions - diced
• 15 green chillies - sliced
• 12 red chillies - sliced
• 120 grams preserved leeks - sliced

Method:

1. 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoon shrimp paste, 35 dried chillies, 3 cm piece turmeric, 10 stalks lemon grass, 500 grams shallots, ground to a paste.
2.  Soak the tamarind in water. Squeeze and strain out the juice. Bring to the boil with ground paste and dried tamarind, daun kesum, bunga kantan, sugar and salt. Boil for 10 minutes.
3. Add the fish and allow gravy to simmer for 15 minutes until the fish is cooked. Remove to cool. Set aside and flake.
4. Let the gravy simmer for 1 hour
5. Remove the daun kesum and bunga kantan. Return the flaked fish to the gravy and bring to boil.
6. To serve, place the rice vermicelli in individual bowls, put the garnishing on top and pour the gravy over.

Serves 4-6

 
 

Satay Kajang (Satay)/Peanut Sauce- Malaysian Style

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg chicken deboned
• 1 teaspoon cummin
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• 8 shallots
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 2.5 cm piece fresh turmeric
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 stalk lemon grass
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Method:

1. Cube the chicken meat , drain and put aside.
2. Grind coriander, cummin, turmeric, peanuts, salt and sugar. Mix this with the powdered cinnamon, diced shallots and 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Marinate the chicken with this mixture.
3.  Using special skewers, skewer 5 pieces of meat on one skewer, as in kebabs.
4. Grill over burning coal, constantly sprinkling cooking oil over the meat using crushed lemon grass.
5. Turn over and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked.
6. Serve with peanut sauce.

 Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

• 300 grams peanuts - roasted
• 2.5 cm ginger
• A piece of galangal
• 3 tablespoon pounded chillies
• 2 stalks lemon grass
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bombay onion
• 1/2 cup tamarind juice
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Grind the roasted peanuts. Put aside.
2. Grind lemon grass, ginger and galangal until fine.
3. Slice bombay onion and stir fry until soft.
4. Add in ground chillies and the other ground ingredients.
5. Add in tamarind juice and lastly peanuts, sugar and salts. Simmer until the gravy thickens.
6.  To serve, arrange a few sticks of satay on a plate and serve with a bowl of peanut sauce, cucumber and sliced bombay onion. Satay also goes very well with compressed rice. 

Bergedil Daging (Meatballs) - Malaysian Style

Ingredients:

• 600 grams minced beef
• 2 cm piece of ginger
• 2 large onions - diced
• 12 shallots - chopped
• 8 cloves garlic - chopped
• 4 green chillies - sliced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoon milk powder
• 150 grams potatoes - boiled and mashed
• 2 egg yolks beaten
• 6 stalks mint leaves
• 2 stalks spring leaves
• 200 grams bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon oil

                                                                                                            Serves 6-8

Method:  

1. Mix well together minced meat, ginger, onions, shallots, garlic, green chillies, salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and fry mixed ingredients for 7-8 minutes. Cool it.
3. Mix in flour, milk powder, mashed potatoes, spring onions, mint leaves and egg yolks.
4. Make into balls and roll into bread crumbs before deep frying.   

Sotong Masak Hitam (Cuttlefish in Black Gravy) - Malaysian Style

Ingredients:

• 600 grams of fresh cuttlefish
• 10 shallots
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 red chillies
• 2 tablespoon of tamarind juice
• Salt and seasoning

                                                                                                        Serves 4-6
 Method:

1. Clean the cuttlefish but do not remove the black liquid bag.
2. Pound the shallots, garlic and red chillies until fine.
3. Put in a pan with curry powder, tamarind juice and cuttlefish.
4.  Cook over a medium fire.
5. Add in salt and leave it on the fire until the cuttlefish is cooked.

Soto Ayam ( Chicken Soto)- Malaysian Style

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken- jointed
• 1 large onion
• 1 liter water  
• 1 tablespoon salt
•  2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 3 hard-boiled eggs- sliced
• 1 cup bean sprouts- scalded
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced shallots
• 1 lemon- sliced

                                                                                                            Serves 6-8
Method:

1. Combine the chicken, onion, water and salt in a pan. Bring to boil, cover and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 hours until chicken is tender.
2. Remove chicken, strain and add ginger. Cut the chicken into thin strips.
3. Heat oil and saute onions until golden brown. Stir in the beans sprouts and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
4. To serve, arrange the chicken, vegetables and eggs on a platter. Each individual will make his own selection and pour the soup over the ingredients.
5. Serve also with potato cakes and a sauce of chopped chilli padi and thick soy sauce.

Chicken Rice - Chinese style

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken
• 2 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of thin soy sauce
• 1 cube of chicken stock
• 450 grams of rice
• 4 cloves garlic- chopped
• 2 tablespoon of oil
• 2 tablespoon of salt

For Sauce:

• 10 chillies
• 6 cm piece ginger- chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• 1 clove garlic 

 Method: 

1. Boil enough water to cover the whole chicken in a large pan. Put in the chicken, lower the heat and cook the chicken covered for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the chicken in the water for  40 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken ad put it in cold water for 15 minutes.
3. Hang the chicken to dry and brush it with 1 teaspoon sesame oil mixed with 1 teaspoon soy sauce.
4. Cut off the chicken legs, wing tips and neck and put them back in the water to boil. Add chicken cube.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the chopped garlic until brown and fragrant.
6. Add the rice, stir-fry fro one minute and add enough chicken stock to cook it. To the remaining stock add salt and pepper to taste, and a little ginger and garlic to make a tasty soup.
7. To the rice add salt and pepper to taste and one teaspoon oil. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
8. Make the chilli sauce. Pound together the chillies, garlic and ginger finely.
9. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant. Add in 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, tomato sauce, vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 4 tablespoon stock. Season well.
10. To serve, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and serve with the rice, chilli sauce and bowls of steaming soup.

Ayam masak Merah (Chicken in thick red sauce) - Malaysian style

Ingredients:

- 400 grams of chicken drumsticks
- 7 shallots - slice 3
- 3 cm piece ginger- pounded
- 7 cloves garlic - slice 4
- 2cm piece ginger - sliced
- 5 almonds - blanched and skinned
- 8 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 medium- sized tin tomato puree
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3 tablespoon corn oil
- Salt and sugar to taste


Method:

1. Put the chicken drumsticks into a pan with enough water to cover and add sliced shallots, ginger and garlic. Cook until chicken is nearly done.
2. Pound the remaining shallots, garlic and ginger with almonds. Mix in curry powder blended with 4 teaspoon water. Mix well
3. Heat oil and fry the cinnamon and cloves until fragrant. Add the curry powder mixture and tomato puree. Fry until fragrant.
4. Pour the fried ingredients into the chicken mixture. Add in the tomato slices and cook until chicken is tender and tomato is done.
5. Add in milk, salt and sugar. Simmer until the gravy thickens.