Post by SeaDragon on Dec 17, 2017 20:56:44 GMT 10
A red hot affair
By Majorie Chiew (circa 1996)
CHILLIES -- some Malaysians can't live without it. The hotter they are, the better. They spice up a meal and take away the blandness. Some people can survive just on rice and sambal belacan, a pounded mixture of chillies and shrimp paste.
Chillies are so popular that it was reported that some RM90 million worth are consumed each year. They are eaten raw, dried, pickled or ground.
Apart from the "heat", chillies are rich in vitamin A, B, C and E. Red chillies or cili api are said to contain twice the amount of Vitamin C than citrus fruit.
Studies also claim that red chillies are natural painkillers for people suffering from rheumatism.
Capsaicin, the heat source in chillies, is an antioxidant with various benefits. It protects DNA against carcinogens and is a natural decongestant (a medicine which helps you to breathe more easily) and expectorant (a type of cough medicine used to loosen phlegm from the lungs). Its blood-thinning ability helps prevent strokes: it lowers cholesterol and some researchers believe it stimulates the release of the body's natural "feel good" chemicals, endorphins.
The degree of heat in chillies depend on the amount of capsaicin. The hottest part of the chilli is in the membranes with seeds, believed to contain up to 90 per cent capsaicin.
With so much going for it, perhaps we should eat even more chillies! For a cross-cultural sampling of hot Asian dishes, head for the newly opened Makan-Makan restaurant at Fairlane hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
According to Clemens Faber, the hotel's resident manager, special crockery were used to serve up the dishes to enhance the dining experience. The crockery were designed after a wok, frying pan, seashell, lotus flower, triangle and bamboo holder.
Makan-Makan has an a la carte menu, buffet lunch, high tea and three set menus:
Selera Kampung offers local Sup Ekor, Nyonya Assam Fish, Chicken Rendang Acar and Sago Gula Melaka;
Mekong Delta (Vietnamese and Thai dishes) allows you to sample Vietnamese Popiah, Cream Corn and Chicken Soup, Thai Green Beef Curry With Rice and Mango Pudding;
Oriental Express (Japanese/Chinese dishes) consists of Shanghai Dumpling, Sichuan Hot And Sour Soup, Seafood Tempura and Sea Coconut With Longan.
Chefs Shahril Omar and Steven Teo share these recipes of favourite hot dishes -- local, Thai and Vietnamese with us.
Sambal Udang Istimewa
Ingredients:
450g medium-sized prawns
To blend:
100g red chillies
50g dried chillies (blend into paste)
50g onion
50g garlic
20g ginger
60g belacan
20g buah keras (candlenut)
50g lemon grass
50ml assam jawa juice
100g onion (sliced)
60g sugar
salt to taste
Method:
CLEAN the prawns and marinate with 1 tbsp of sugar for 10 minutes. Heat pan and add some oil. Saute all the blended ingredients. Add assam jawa juice and seasoning. Add prawns and simmer until cooked. Serve with hot rice.
Tips from Rozina Bakar, assistant PR manager:
Take your dried red chillies to dry every now and then. Cut and fry (without oil). Just before grounding or blending, soak to soften.
Don't keep dried chillies together with stem in the fridge. They will rot faster.
Thai Green Beef Curry
Ingredients:
250g sliced beef (topside)
To blend:
80g green chillies
20g green cili padi
100g shallot
100g garlic
50g lemon grass (serai)
20g black pepper powder
30g daun selasih (basil leaves)
10g kaffir lime leaves (sliced)
60g eggplant (cubed)
100ml coconut cream
1 lime (squeeze for juice)
20ml fish sauce
Method:
HEAT pot and add coconut cream with blended ingredients. Cook for about 10 minutes. Lower the heat after a few minutes. Add sliced braised beef, lime juice, fish gravy and seasoning. Leave to cook for 10 minutes. Add kaffir lime leaves and daun selasih just before serving. Best eaten with hot rice.
Nyonya Assam Fish
Ingredients:
1 ikan siakap (800g)
60g dried chilli paste
To blend:
20g turmeric (kunyit)
20g galangal (lengkuas)
30g lemon grass (serai)
10g shallot
10g garlic
To cut into small pieces:
20g ladies fingers
20g eggplant
20g onion
20g tomato
10g belacan
20ml assam jawa juice
1 lime (squeeze for juice)
salt and sugar to taste
Method:
CLEAN the fish. Heat wok with a little oil and add all the blended ingredients, chilli paste and belacan. Cook for five minutes. Add assam jawa juice, lime juice and cut vegetables (ladies fingers, eggplant, onion and tomato).
Steam ikan siakap until cooked. Pour the assam jawa juice on the fish. In a medium hot oven, bake the fish which has been steamed earlier for two to three minutes so that the sauce is absorbed into the fish. Serve fish with hot rice.
Vietnamese Roast Chicken with Lemon Grass
Ingredients:
1 spring chicken (450g)
To blend:
20g shallot
20g garlic
20g ginger
40g lemon grass
5g five-spice powder
10g chilli
20g fish gravy
10g sugar
7g salt
Method:
DEBONE the spring chicken and flatten it. Marinate the chicken with the blended ingredients for about 3 hours. When ready, put it in the oven and roast at 220°C for 10 minutes. Best served with hot rice.
By Majorie Chiew (circa 1996)
CHILLIES -- some Malaysians can't live without it. The hotter they are, the better. They spice up a meal and take away the blandness. Some people can survive just on rice and sambal belacan, a pounded mixture of chillies and shrimp paste.
Chillies are so popular that it was reported that some RM90 million worth are consumed each year. They are eaten raw, dried, pickled or ground.
Apart from the "heat", chillies are rich in vitamin A, B, C and E. Red chillies or cili api are said to contain twice the amount of Vitamin C than citrus fruit.
Studies also claim that red chillies are natural painkillers for people suffering from rheumatism.
Capsaicin, the heat source in chillies, is an antioxidant with various benefits. It protects DNA against carcinogens and is a natural decongestant (a medicine which helps you to breathe more easily) and expectorant (a type of cough medicine used to loosen phlegm from the lungs). Its blood-thinning ability helps prevent strokes: it lowers cholesterol and some researchers believe it stimulates the release of the body's natural "feel good" chemicals, endorphins.
The degree of heat in chillies depend on the amount of capsaicin. The hottest part of the chilli is in the membranes with seeds, believed to contain up to 90 per cent capsaicin.
With so much going for it, perhaps we should eat even more chillies! For a cross-cultural sampling of hot Asian dishes, head for the newly opened Makan-Makan restaurant at Fairlane hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
According to Clemens Faber, the hotel's resident manager, special crockery were used to serve up the dishes to enhance the dining experience. The crockery were designed after a wok, frying pan, seashell, lotus flower, triangle and bamboo holder.
Makan-Makan has an a la carte menu, buffet lunch, high tea and three set menus:
Selera Kampung offers local Sup Ekor, Nyonya Assam Fish, Chicken Rendang Acar and Sago Gula Melaka;
Mekong Delta (Vietnamese and Thai dishes) allows you to sample Vietnamese Popiah, Cream Corn and Chicken Soup, Thai Green Beef Curry With Rice and Mango Pudding;
Oriental Express (Japanese/Chinese dishes) consists of Shanghai Dumpling, Sichuan Hot And Sour Soup, Seafood Tempura and Sea Coconut With Longan.
Chefs Shahril Omar and Steven Teo share these recipes of favourite hot dishes -- local, Thai and Vietnamese with us.
Sambal Udang Istimewa
Ingredients:
450g medium-sized prawns
To blend:
100g red chillies
50g dried chillies (blend into paste)
50g onion
50g garlic
20g ginger
60g belacan
20g buah keras (candlenut)
50g lemon grass
50ml assam jawa juice
100g onion (sliced)
60g sugar
salt to taste
Method:
CLEAN the prawns and marinate with 1 tbsp of sugar for 10 minutes. Heat pan and add some oil. Saute all the blended ingredients. Add assam jawa juice and seasoning. Add prawns and simmer until cooked. Serve with hot rice.
Tips from Rozina Bakar, assistant PR manager:
Take your dried red chillies to dry every now and then. Cut and fry (without oil). Just before grounding or blending, soak to soften.
Don't keep dried chillies together with stem in the fridge. They will rot faster.
Thai Green Beef Curry
Ingredients:
250g sliced beef (topside)
To blend:
80g green chillies
20g green cili padi
100g shallot
100g garlic
50g lemon grass (serai)
20g black pepper powder
30g daun selasih (basil leaves)
10g kaffir lime leaves (sliced)
60g eggplant (cubed)
100ml coconut cream
1 lime (squeeze for juice)
20ml fish sauce
Method:
HEAT pot and add coconut cream with blended ingredients. Cook for about 10 minutes. Lower the heat after a few minutes. Add sliced braised beef, lime juice, fish gravy and seasoning. Leave to cook for 10 minutes. Add kaffir lime leaves and daun selasih just before serving. Best eaten with hot rice.
Nyonya Assam Fish
Ingredients:
1 ikan siakap (800g)
60g dried chilli paste
To blend:
20g turmeric (kunyit)
20g galangal (lengkuas)
30g lemon grass (serai)
10g shallot
10g garlic
To cut into small pieces:
20g ladies fingers
20g eggplant
20g onion
20g tomato
10g belacan
20ml assam jawa juice
1 lime (squeeze for juice)
salt and sugar to taste
Method:
CLEAN the fish. Heat wok with a little oil and add all the blended ingredients, chilli paste and belacan. Cook for five minutes. Add assam jawa juice, lime juice and cut vegetables (ladies fingers, eggplant, onion and tomato).
Steam ikan siakap until cooked. Pour the assam jawa juice on the fish. In a medium hot oven, bake the fish which has been steamed earlier for two to three minutes so that the sauce is absorbed into the fish. Serve fish with hot rice.
Vietnamese Roast Chicken with Lemon Grass
Ingredients:
1 spring chicken (450g)
To blend:
20g shallot
20g garlic
20g ginger
40g lemon grass
5g five-spice powder
10g chilli
20g fish gravy
10g sugar
7g salt
Method:
DEBONE the spring chicken and flatten it. Marinate the chicken with the blended ingredients for about 3 hours. When ready, put it in the oven and roast at 220°C for 10 minutes. Best served with hot rice.