Malaysian Banana Pancakes with Lemon Coconut Curd

September 27th, 2010 | Eating Light, Malaysian Recipes | 17 Comments

Malaysian Banana Pancake with Lemon Coconut Curd pictures (1 of 4)

I have said it many times. I am constantly amazed by the many talented Malaysian bloggers living overseas. Thanks to Almost Bourdain, I recently discovered yet another beautiful blog authored by Steph, a Malaysian currently living in Sydney—Raspberri Cupcakes. As the name suggests, Raspberri Cupcakes is mostly about baking, cupcakes, and desserts, a department which I am pretty much useless. Please welcome Raspberri Cupcakes to Rasa Malaysia with the decadent Malaysian Banana Pancakes with Lemon Coconut Curd recipe.

After spending several years growing up in Malaysia, there are so many fabulous Malaysian dishes that I associate with happy childhood memories. These days as I am living in Sydney, and am always excited to go back to Malaysia on holiday, or have my Mum visit and cook to me my favourite Malaysian treats. As I am a complete sweet tooth, I thought I would share a recipe of my Mum’s that I am incredibly fond of – Malaysian Banana Pancakes. Whenever we had overripe bananas in the house my Mum would mash them up and make these deliciously fragrant pancakes for breakfast. I would wait by the frying pan impatiently and eat them too quickly, burning my tongue. They’re very different to regular pancakes, small, a bit denser and a little oily thanks to the banana and coconut milk. They taste pretty great on their own, but my Mum used to serve them with fresh lemon slices and golden syrup. It was definitely one of my favourite breakfasts. The leftover pancakes were always warmed up in the microwave for a delicious afternoon snack…

Since I always like to put a fun twist in all of my recipes, I decided to replace the fresh lemon slices with an indulgent sauce – Lemon & Coconut Curd. This sauce is amazing; it’s smooth and creamy and the flavour matches the banana pancakes so perfectly. The tangy flavour of lemon is the first thing to hit your tongue, but you’re left with the beautiful, creamy aftertaste of coconut. I couldn’t resist serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well. As soon as I tasted these banana pancakes, I was transported right back to my Mum’s kitchen in KL. It’s packed full of rich banana flavour, with lovely crisp brown edges. If you wish you can serve the pancakes traditionally without the lemon coconut curd, but I think the sauce adds a little something special. Any leftover curd can be stored in the fridge for a few days and served with vanilla ice cream, or spread on toast.

A huge thanks to Bee for letting me share this recipe with all of you, I hope you get the chance to try these pancakes and enjoy them!

Malaysian Banana Pancakes with Lemon Coconut Curd
Makes approximately 7 pancakes

Ingredients:

For the lemon & coconut curd:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately the juice of 1 lemon)
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (approximately the zest of 1 lemon)
1/3 cup (70g) sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cubed
4 tbsp coconut milk

For the pancakes:

1 egg
30g (approx 1/8 cup) sugar
60g (approx 1/2 cup) self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut milk (can be replaced with regular milk if unavailable)
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
Butter, for frying
Optional: vanilla ice cream to serve

Method:

1. Prepare the lemon and coconut curd first; place lemon juice, zest and sugar in a medium saucepan. Place on medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
2. Whisk egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until frothy and then gradually add the hot lemon mixture, whisking continuously to combine. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
3. Return to the heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
4. Remove from the heat and add the butter cubes, one at a time, whisking until fully combined. Finally, add the coconut milk, whisk to combine and set aside to cool.
5. For the pancakes, whisk eggs and sugar until light and frothy in a large mixing bowl.
6. Sift flour and salt and fold into beaten eggs, along with the coconut milk. Add in mashed banana and mix until combined well.
7. Heat a small frying pan with a small pat of butter. Pour in two tablespoons of batter at a time, turning the pan so that the batter forms a thin layer (or you can spread it out with the back of a spoon as the mixture is quite thick). Cook until lightly browned on both sides. You can use a paper towel to dab off any extra grease on the pancakes. Stack pancakes on a plate to keep them warm while you are cooking the rest of the batter.
8. Serve pancakes warm with the lemon and coconut curd and (optionally) a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pancakes can also be served with slices of fresh banana or lemon.

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Salmon Teriyaki

October 4th, 2010 | Japanese Recipes | 27 Comments

Salmon Teriyaki pictures (1 of 3)

To kick off the “Mizkan, Bringing Flavor to Life” campaign, I am sharing with you a very popular and scrumptious Japanese recipe—Salmon Teriyaki. Teriyaki is a noted Japanese cooking style, especially outside of Japan. The mere mention of teriyaki often conjures up visual pictures of perfectly grilled protein—chicken, beef, or seafood such as salmon—glazed with the savory and sweet “teri” sauce. Everyone loves teriyaki.

Before I started cooking Japanese food at home, I relied on ready-made teriyaki sauces whenever I craved teriyaki. Unfortunately, those instant teriyaki sauces are bad and taste artificial, some with a metal/chemical after taste. Others are laden with too much sugar, too salty, or the balance of the flavor is completely off.

I later learned that making teriyaki sauce is a lot simpler than I had thought. It takes only a few basic? ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. I made my teriyaki sauce using Mizkan Japanese condiments: Bonito Flavored Soup Base (it’s basically soy sauce with bonito flavor) and HONTERI Mirin Seasoning (which is 100% alcohol free). Mizkan Bonito Flavored Soup Base offers a well-rounded flavor compared to regular soy sauce. It also tastes milder, less salty, and a little sweet, which is just perfect for the teriyaki sauce…

Now for the salmon, the secret is to not to overcook the fish so it remain tender and moist. I first pan-seared the salmon until the surfaces turn slightly charred, and then finished it up by baking in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degree F. To serve, just drizzle the homemade teriyaki sauce on top of the salmon and you will have a perfect, authentic, and utterly delicious Japanese meal.

Salmon Teriyaki Recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 lb salmon fillet, cut into two equal-sized pieces
Oil, for searing

Teriyaki Sauce
Makes 150 ml

5 tablespoons Mizkan (Bonito Flavored) Soup Base
3 tablespoons Mizkan HONTERI Mirin Seasoning
3 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Method:

Add all the ingredients in the Teriyaki Sauce in a saucepan. Stir to blend well.Heat up the saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the teriyaki sauce bubbles and thickens, remove it from heat. Let cool.Marinate the salmon with half the Teriyaki Sauce in a sealed plastic bag for 4-6 hours, or best overnight.Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F.Heat up a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the oil and pan-sear the marinated salmon until the surface is charred, about 1-2 minutes.Brush the remaining Teriyaki Sauce on the seared salmon and transfer them to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked through.Remove from the oven, drizzle the leftover Teriyaki Sauce on the salmon and serve immediately with steamed rice.

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Spicy Chicken with Cashew Nuts

September 1st, 2010 | 30-Minute Meals Recipes, Thai Recipes | 35 Comments

Spicy Chicken with Cashew Nuts pictures (1 of 3)

I love Thai food. Come to think about it, a lot of Thai recipes that I like are basically Chinese in origin, with local influences, which add an exciting layer of taste structure to the originals. There are many examples: Rad Na, Pad See Ew, and in this case, chicken with cashew nuts. In Chinese cuisine, these dishes are prepared the Chinese way, but the Thai versions are flavored with fish sauce or other local seasoning sauces, spices (yes!), and slightly varied ingredients. The end results are always delicious, sometimes more so than the Chinese equivalents. I always appreciate the local touch, which make good recipes even better…

This Spicy Chicken with Cashew Nuts is adapted from my favorite Thai cookbook “Thai Cooking Made Easy.” This variation of cashew chicken is also popular in Malaysia. In fact, it’s one of my favorite chicken dishes whenever I eat out at local hot stir-fries stalls. To me, it’s the local interpretation of Chinese cashew chicken and Kung Pao Chicken.

If you love cashew nuts and like your chicken spicy, this is a great recipe to try out.

Spicy Chicken with Cashew Nuts Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, cut into halves
6-8 finger-length dried red chilies, seeded and cut into halves
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts, rinsed and drained
8 oz chicken, cut into small cubes
1 scallion, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-in lengths

Sauce:

1 teaspoon soy sauce/Maggi seasoning/Golden Mountain sauce
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar or to taste
2 tablespoons water

Method:

Heat up a wok and add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the garlic, onion, dried red chilies and stir-fry until fragrant or when you smell the spicy aroma of the chilies. Add the cashew nuts and follow with the chicken. Stir-fry the chicken until the surface turns opaque. Add all the ingredients for the Sauce into the wok and continue to stir-fry until the chicken is cooked. Stir-in the scallion, dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Cook’s Note:

To learn more about the different soy sauces used in Thai cooking, please check out this great post by She Simmers.

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Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge (Squid with Black Bean Sauce)

August 27th, 2010 | Chinese, Chinese Recipes, Cookbook Review | 13 Comments

My cookbook manuscript is due in the next few days and I am very happy—and relieved—that I am almost done, well, at least the toughest part: cooking, shooting, writing, recipe testing, and editing. To prep me for the writing part of my cookbook, I have read and researched many Chinese cookbooks in the past few months. One of my recent favorites is “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” by Grace Young.

I have been a fan of Grace Young since I first read her award-winning cookbook “The Breath of a Wok” and then discovered “The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.” Her deep knowledge and intense passion for Chinese woks (and stir-frying) are eminently admirable. To me, her investments—both in time and dedication—in these fundamentals of Chinese cooking is way beyond being a cookbook author; in fact, she has become a scholar in my eyes, the ones that I hold high respect and regard for. Even though I grew up eating Chinese food and watching my late mother cooking with a wok, my knowledge about these subjects was mostly taken for granted. I’ve never questioned the why’s and how’s, until I read Grace’s books. Needless to say, I have personally learned so much about Chinese stir-frying and the wok from reading her books…

“Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” is a collection of authentic Chinese stir-fry recipes, shared by Grace and many Chinese home cooks and chefs from around the world. Coming from Malaysia, I am especially delighted to find a Malaysian-style stir-fried shrimp recipe in the cookbook. The chapters on woks, seasoning methods, and stir-frying are resourceful and insightful, especially for those who have just started to learn about Chinese cooking. What’s so special about the book is that it’s the first cookbook to explain in detail all the tips one needs to know to stir-fry with success, including the best oil for stir-frying, cooking in a newly seasoned wok, and more. The book is also chock-full of beautiful and colorful photographs of the recipes, prepared and styled by Grace. I have to confess that I have a serious case of prop envy when I look through her book. I only wish that Grace would live in Southern California so I could borrow her props.

Here is one of my favorite stir-fried recipes in the book: stir-fried squid with black bean sauce. I am on a special diet that doesn’t allow me to consume squid now, but as soon as I can, I am definitely going to try this recipe.

To learn more about Grace Young and her work, please check out her site: graceyoung.com. If you wish to buy “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge,” please click here. To connect with Grace on Twitter, follow her at @stirfrygrace.

Stir-Fried Squid with Black Bean Sauce Recipe
Source: Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, Grace Young
Serves 2 as a main dish with rice or 4 as part of a multicourse meal

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh cleaned squid
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1∕2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed
1 tablespoon chopped scallion, white part only
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
3∕4 cup thinly sliced onions
2 teaspoons finely shredded ginger
1∕2 cup julienned red bell peppers
1∕4 teaspoon salt
1∕8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
12 snow peas, strings removed

Method：

1. Cut each squid body in half lengthwise. Using a　very sharp knife, lightly score the inside of the bodies in a crisscross pattern. Cut the squid into 11∕2-inch　squares and the tentacles into 2-inch pieces.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan bring 1 quart water to a boil　covered over high heat. Add the squid and blanch 10 seconds or until the squid turns opaque and curls. Drain well in a colander, shaking out all the excess water. Set the squid on paper towels and blot dry to remove excess moisture. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. In another small bowl combine the sesame oil, cornstarch, and the remaining 1 tablespoon broth.

3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the peanut oil, add the fermented black beans, scallion, and garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds or until the aromatics are fragrant. Add the onions and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute or until the onions just wilt. Add the bell peppers, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the bell pepper begins to soften. Add the rice wine and stir-fry 20 seconds or until just combined. Add the squid and snow peas to the wok, swirl in the soy sauce mixture, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the snow peas are bright green. Restir the cornstarch mixture, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the squid is just cooked.

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Singapore Chili Crab

Singaporeans are passionate about food and eating. Almost in every corner of the island, you will find an endless variety of food, served hot or cold, at any hour of the day (or night)!

 Recipe:

1 lb (450g) mud crabs or soft shelled crabs
4 tbsp plain flour if using soft shelled crabs
3 tbsp vegetable oil*
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
8 fresh red chili, roughly chopped
1 egg
2 spring onions (scallions), cut into finger length
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 small bunch coriander plant (cilantro)
*For soft-shelled crabs, oil for deep frying

Mix together for Sauce
1 cup of water, 5 tbsp tomato catsup, 1 1/2 to 3 tbsp sugar, or according to taste, 1 1/2 tsp cornflour, 1 tsp pounded brown preserved soya beans or dark miso (optional), 1/4 tsp salt

Method :

Heat the oil in a wok or shallow saucepan over high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the chili, stir-fry till fragrant. For mud crabs, add at this stage. Fry well till shells start turning red, add sauce ingredients stir well, cover with lid and simmer till shells are red. Break eggs into the wok and streak with a fork, simmer till cooked. Squeeze lime juice over and stir in scallions. For soft-shelled crabs, cut each crab into four, dry well, dredge in flour and deep fry till golden brown and crispy. Make the sauce as above, but omit the mud crabs. Toss soft shelled crabs in sauce just before serving.

Malaysia Satay

"Known as sate in Malay (and pronounced similar to the English), it can be found throughout every state in Malaysia. Besides restaurants that serve satays, one can find hawkers selling satay in food courts and Pasar malam (night markets) ."

Ingredients :

600 g beef, cut into bite sized pieces

3 cloves garlic

2 stalks lemon grass

2 cm piece ginger

2 cm piece galangal

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 teaspoons sugar

2 cups oil

salt to taste

Method

1.Marinate the beef with the ground ingredients, turmeric powder, salt and sugar.
2.Leave aside for 4 hours.
3.Heat oil and fry the meat until cooked.
4.Serve immediately with chili sauce.

Serves 4-6