Making Rempah (Basic Chilli Paste)

Peranakan cooking is all about the Rempah.  Once you have mastered the making of the basic Rempah, you can cook so many dishes.  The all time favourites, Curry Chicken, Sambal Prawns, Sambal Fish ,Lontong, Laksa and not forgetting my specialty, Mengkabo (Chilli Pork Ribs or Belly Pork). Some recipes vary a little here and there, but the Rempah is a basic. I always blend more and pack them into individual portions for future use.


Ingredients (For Blending)

200 grams shallots, peeled

50 grams candlenuts

100 grams dried chillies, soaked. (remove seeds)

100 grams big red chillies (remove seeds)

50 grams belachan toasted (shrimp paste)

50 grams sliced galangal (blue ginger)

50 grams sliced turmeric (yellow ginger)

50 grams sliced serai (lemongrass)

Total of 8 items (remember the no. 8 always then you won’t miss out anything)

Blend with a little water till fine. Heat a tablespoon cooking oil, fry rempah on slow fire till you see a layer of oil oozing out.  Cool and divide into portions and zip blog for freezing.

Mee Goreng

 As a wife, mum, mother-in-law and grandma, I have to remember each and every family member’s favourite food.  Of course they are like me and enjoy good food a lot.  Problem is they have many favourites.  Sometimes, I have to  tweak my menu so that everyone will be happy.  So for one week, I will cook my hubby’s favourite paper wrapped chicken,  another week I will make chicken rice which is my grandson’s favourite.  The list goes on.

Today, for my second daughter’s sake, I will make Mee Goreng

 AUNTIE DOLLY’S MEE GORENG

 INGREDIENTS

 

2 kilograms fresh yellow noodles – 6 servings

½ kilograms squid – cut into rings
½ kilograms medium sized prawns peeled
½ kilograms choysum –washed and cut
100 grams big onions
100 grams fresh green chillies – deseeded and cut into cubes
2 tomatoes – sliced thinly
3 eggs
2 tablespoons sambal paste –can be bought from Glory’s  in bottles
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
Salt and sugar
Chopped garlic
3 tablespoons cooking oil

 METHOD

Wash noodles and drain dry
Season prawns and squid with a little salt and sugar
Heat oil in kuali, fry garlic, fry prawns and squid separately and remove from kuali (dish up the gravy as well)
Heat more oil, fry some garlic. throw in noodles and fry till evenly coated with oil,
Add in choysum and toss evenly with noodles
Push to one side, add sambal and tomato ketchup.
Stir fry noodles till evenly coated with paste.
Add the prawns and squids together with the gravy collected
Add in green chillies and tomatoes and toss some more
Add salt, sugar and light soya sauce to your taste.
If noodle is too dry, sprinkle some water
Lastly push noodles aside and add in a little oil and break eggs into kuali.

Do not overcook the eggs. It is nicer to be a little runny. 

IMPORTANT, NO MATTER WHAT YOU COOK, ALWAYS DO A TASTE TEST BEFORE SERVING

Steamed Egg

I have been very fortunate when it comes to learning how to cook. I had my mother who taught me her peranakan recipes and my mother in law to thank for traditional Cantonese food.

Her steamed egg is so well loved by everyone and to this day people still ask us how we do it

 INGREDIENTS

 3 eggs (must be room temperature)

Cooled boiled water – use half egg shell and fill water equivalent to 3 portions per egg

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

 METHOD

 Mix all ingredients together and beat lightly.

 Use a spoon to skim off the bubbles

 Transfer to shallow plate. Add water to pot or kuali and 

  bring it to a boil. Place a stand in pot and place the plate of 

  egg on it.  Steam for 5 mins on low fire 

NOTE

The texture of the egg should be silky smooth. You can achieve that only if you use low fire

Minced Pork Vermicelli Soup

When I was much much younger and I was working long hours, my hubby and I would send our 2 older daughters to my mother’s home and leave them there for the day.

When we finished work, we would pick them up around 9pm and sometimes as late as midnight.

Even though they were both asleep, we made it a point to take them home and then the whole routine continued the next morning. There were days when the kids just slept through the ferrying and we never got to speak or play with them.

It was a trying time and I would cry a lot because of that.  Crying not because it was a chore but missing the time spent with my daughters. During my working hours when I saw cute little girls running around, I would miss them even more. Thinking and writing about it now still bring tears to my eyes.

I am very proud to say that in spite of the difficulties, I still managed to cook dinner for my husband and  myself.

He would always encourage me and thank me for my effort and gave me the title of “super cooker” (sic) as I took less than half an hour to get dinner ready.

I cooked simple dishes like fried egg or fried fish, vegetables and soup. My hubby’s favourite  soup was this

MINCED PORK VERMICELLI SOUP – for 2 persons

Ingredients

100gs of ikan bilis washed and drained

100 gms minced pork

2 water chestnuts

1 tbsp chopped garlic

2 small bundles of vermicelli (soaked in hot water)

1 tbsp cooking oil

Salt, sugar, pepper, light soya sauce

cornflour

 METHOD

Boil a pot of water enough for 2 or 3 servings.

While water is being boiled, (muilti tasking) heat oil and fry ikan bilis till fragrant.

Put the ikan bilis into the boiling water and let it simmer on medium  fire

Peel water chestnut and mince

Add water chestnut to minced pork , add a pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, 1tsp light soya sauce and a little cornflour to bind all the ingredients together. Make into pork balls. The soup should be ready now. Remover ikan bilis and discard

Put pork balls gently into soup and boil till cooked

Lastly drain vermicelli and add into soup, boil for 1 min and its done. (remember that vermicelli absorbs water quickly, so add in just before serving.

TRY, YOU CAN DO IT