JustKay

The Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council has great recipes and some by one of our very own celebrity chefs , Chef Wan. Some of the recipes though are both in Malay and English (the Rasawit section). clickie

A good Malaysian recipe site is Kuali (The Wok) Go here to do a search by specific cuisine. There are several others that I go but they are all in Malay. One site which has quite an extensive collection is here, but in Malay.

But old cookbooks are da bomb. When I first got married and had to cook everything myself , I found (and still find) this book by Betty Yew very helpful. Rasa Malaysia (Flavors of Malaysia) The recipes are categorized by the states of Malaysia and following each section are recipes for kuih/dessert from there. The book in your linkie : yeah, I was going to recommend her book too. Btw, the Malays do not have surnames and we always go by our first name, and not the last name which is the first name of our father. Norzailina Nordin, the author has her own website where she shares recipes and tips, but it's in Malay. However she does answer back in English if you ask her in English. She is also a novelist. Her cookbooks While searching for her Q&A website, I came across a recipe for Jackfruit Muffin! It's in Malay but the ingredients are : high protein flour, superfine sugar, dessicated coconut, baking powder, salt, milk, finely chopped jackfruit flesh, corn oil, eggs and vanilla. Well .... I can't find the site now but I'll post it on the Malaysian forum when I find it.

Sounds like some kind of plain talam - if they do inded make plain talam. But gelatinous huh? Need more info or picture, I guess. Sorry.

I think I mentioned my Grandfather being a Bugis from Indonesia. Not sure if it's a name of a kue too.

Is this it? ← LOL! Good thing it was answered in the other thread. I'm sorry I haven't been visiting eGullet for quite a while. Are you trying to make tapai?

Yetty ... nasi kuning in Indonesia is made with rice, right? I have an Indonesian neighbor here and that's what she gave me when she said nasi kuning. Nasi kuning/nasi kunyit (Kelantan/Terengganu) or pulut kuning elsewhere is made from glutionous rice, soaked overnight in tumeric water and limau nipis or asam gelugor (so it cooks witha nice sheen) and steamed or boiled with coconut milk. In Malay weddings (east coast exlcuded because I have no personal experience), pulut kuning is made into Bunga Pahar and not served to every guests. At the end of the event, only selected people are given a portion of this pulut kuning. The dishes that are served to guests typically are either nasi minyak (in Johor) or nasi beriyani, with either beef or mutton beriyani, ayam masak merah (chicken in spicy tomato sauce), dalca (lentil curry) and acar - there are 3 different types of acar, the more popular one is the preserved fruit acar, and paceri - a pineapple salad called paceri bombay or the spicy kind called paceri nenas. At a kenduri for religious reasons, the food is nore 'informal' - anything from roti canai to soup & bread to white rice with lauk are served. The special wedding spread I mentioned above could also be served.

There is pandan flavoring sold here that is almost clear liquid. I think this one is better than the striking green extracts. eewww ..... But still ... doesn't compare to the real thing.

.... of ketupats and lemangs ..... 3 types of ketupats that I am aware of. Ketupat nasi, ketupat pulut and ketupat palas. And 3 different casing shapes that I can weave - ketupat satay, ketupat pasar, ketupat bawang. And only 1 type of lemang. ketupat (casing) weaving anyone? Ketupat is just rice cooked in weaved coconut leaves. It is boiled for at least 3hrs before the rice turns into mush and then compacts upon cooling. It is then cut, with the casing intact. Remove casing then. Sounds easy? Not. One wrong move and the coconut leaves will turn reddish and thus mar your ketupat. ketupat for the uninitiated Ketupat pulut are these coconut leaf casings filled with pre-soaked glutinous rice and then cooked in coconut milk. These cook faster. For an excellent ketupat palas illustration, click here. Lemang ... part 2, tomorrow. Now 1:30am, ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz

Thank you andiesenji. I will buy one on my next trip. And perhaps I will ask the gardeners here to plant them; we have pergolas by the pool.

OMG!!! I saw a poster that said "Laksa Wanted" but I thought they meant laksa the noodle. I'll have to go check out the reward. (it's at the Alamanda Putrajaya )

They look exactly like the chayote sold here in Mexican markets and known as Mirliton in New Orleans and other parts of the south. ← Thanks. chayote I see from this site that the chayote's skin is wrinkled and of a darker green. Perhaps it is a variety of the chayote. The ones at Carrefour were very light green with real smooth skin.

And the bakery at the mall, beside Carrefour which is based on the open concept. Customers can see how the food is prepared and cooked.

Snacks anyone? Dry food section : Part of the frozen food section :

I took some shots of the various gourds : top right : angle gourd (marrow), snakegourd, sharkfin melon, wax melon, UGO (unidentified gourdy object), bitter gourd, jicama, ** 'green' pumpkin , hairy cucumber. ** the label said "green pumpkin" but googling doesn't turn up green pumpkins that look like these, but the calabazza which doesn't even remotely look like these. These are shaped like the water apple, only way bigger. Anyone knows for sure?

Sleuthing concluded. Preserved Buah Salak. Buah salak = snakeskin fruit; salak palm = Palmae, Salacca zallaca (Gaertner) Voss , Salacca edulis. Preserved mango The common name for this mango escapes me but this specie do not grow big (about egg size) and is used primarily for making sambal, or preserved. Rather tart. From top left (clockwise): Pickled Buah Melaka = Malacca Fruit; Phyllanthus emblica L. This is the tree after which the state of Melaka/Malacca was named. Preserved green seedless grapes. And I thot it was some exotic fruit. When the guy said grapes, I was like huh? grapes? like grape grapes? Preserved Buah Kelubi (common name Asam Paya) = Salacca Conferta Sister of the buah salak. Pickled Garlic.

Yes. Also called Mexican Turnip.

Correcto mondo.

'cause it's like capturing, stealing, dissipating...our souls/spririts.... Frankly, I think proprietors who distrust cameras have a "kiasu" (scared to lose) attitude. They may be afraid you'll steal some of their business secrets. Ummm, the 'capturing of soul part' is more a pantang/taboo for chinese (don't know about Malays) women who are pregnant. I didn't respect that, though. As Malays are Muslims, we don't subscribe to such beliefs. I think like Tepee said they are wary of strangers intruding their personal space. But if I were to like take the pics for a (popular) publication, I bet they'd be more than willing to 'open up'.

I have had banana leaf rice way back in Penang because there was this totally vegetarian banana leaf restaurant. I don't recall the dishes as being coconut milk laden, but of course, I could be wrong. It's just that the Indian restaurants in Canada that I frequented all used milk too. The closest to a South Indian restaurant that I've been to in KL is Passage Thru India I didn't quite like the dishes we ordered. My favorite restaurant is The Bombay Palace. Sorry can't find the website for the KL branch. In fact we just went there last weekend.

← From top left : papaya, mango, mango, nutmeg, mango. Second row : mango, kedondong, mango, mango. The quartet (clockwise from top left) : UPO, chestnut, UPO, cermai. Lower right hand corner : UPO. But I'm thinking nutmeg halves. I'll stop by Carrefour on my way back and will look closely and see if they have name tags. ** UPO = Unidentified Pickled Object.

Thank you. One school of thought said that the Peranakan race began with the marriage of Princess Hang Li Po of China to the Malay Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca. After which the Chinese traders followed suit. And then began all things uniquely Peranakan (somewhat akin to the Mamak - the inter-marriage betwen Malays and Indian, particularly from South India). This happened about 400 years ago and the Peranakans are now in their 8th and 9th generation. Not only this resulted in a rather unique cuisine, but also the Cakap Peranakan (Peranakan language - Malay peppered with Chinese words), culture (one of which is the groom moving in with the bride's family after marriage) and fashion (Baju Kebaya). Nonya and Baba are the terms given to the ladies and men of Peranakan. The Baba and Nyonya clothes are elaborately adorned and accessorized. The baju kebaya are decked with fine embroidery and sequins, worn with finely crafted kerongsang (a chain of brooches ) and sarong; their slippers too are colorfully embroidered and decorated with beads and sequins. They usually sport the sanggul (chignon); the married ladies a single chignon and the unmarried, the 'telephone chignon' which comprises 2 smaller chignons on either side and held in place with cucuk sanggul (a type of chopstick-like hair clip). The Babas wear high Mandarin colored suits with gold fasteners, baggy pants (sometimes sarong too) and a 'toupee' hat. Thus, it follows that the Peranakan cuisine prepared by the fastidious and meticulous Nyonya cooks are elaborately prepared dishes and incorporates the blending of many spices and aromatic herbs. Although the Peranakans in Penang and Singapore originates from Malacca, over the years, their cuisine have evolved with local influences. The Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine in Malacca and Singapore are influenced by Indonesian cuisine and are generally spiced with coriander and cumin, richer in coconut milk, and a little sweeter. The Peranakan cuisine in Penang has the Thai influence and is more sour/tangy, hotter, typically uses the kaffir lime leaf and pandan, and belacan (shrimp paste). Kerabu (salad) is also a prominent feature. Some typical Nyonya dishes include Ayam Pongteh (chicken stewed in preserved soya bean paste), Devil Curry, Acar Hu (fish pickle), Inchi Kaybin, Itik Tim. Their desserts are kuihs that are very rich in coconut milk. Some examples are kuih lapis (pic from my breakfast post), talam, and onde-onde. I have to go deliver some cakes and stuff now but perhaps later I will post some Peranakan recipes to illustrate better the dishes I mentioned.

You're most welcome. Cool! **waving to FB's uncle** Hi Pakcik! Apa khabar?

After dinner we went to Carrefour. Didn't take much pictures but a few that I thought would be interesting. Indian mangoes, pomegranates, golden crown melon (watermelon-like) and sun lady melon (a honeydew-like melon but its flesh is a nice orange). (the DH was instructed to include the piece of the cut melon, but .... ) Some pickled fruits: And a wide selection of spices. Umm ... not that I would buy them ... exposed like that ... who knows what bonus stuff is in there. Eeeww! And a booth selling all kinds of nuts from the middle east. I'll post more details tomorrow. Gotta go to bed - it's past 5am!

LOL@Laksa!