Malaysian Cuisine

[Pan]

Jason, I think the Chili Chicken may be Hainanese Chicken Rice. Is the chili sauce separate, or does it come with chili sauce already on the chicken?

The chili sauce is on the chicken. But its not wet, its dry. And its not Chicken Rice -- thats served on the side at that restaurant.

Yeah, the chili sauce is given separately with the Hainan Chicken Rice.

[JustKay]

Pan ... from what you described, I think what you had was Nasi dengan Ulam and not Nasi Ulam.

Nasi Ulam is Kelantan in origin. So is Nasi Kerabu.

[Pan]

Perhaps, but I'll tell you that they had a sign up advertising that they served Nasi Ulam, what I described is what they gave me when I ordered Nasi Ulam, and other people sitting at the stall were eating the same thing (and other dishes, because you could also get fish curry and various other dishes there).

[SG-]

I think it would be possible to do a version of nasi ulam in the U.S., but you'd have to use American leaves, and it would suck not to have cashew leaves and such-like. Still, I suppose you could use some particularly interesting-tasting combination of leaves and perhaps edible flowers. And while we don't have pucuk paku, we have other edible ferns. It would take experimentation for sure, though, and certainly wouldn't taste the same.

Too lazy to try myself but I have seen daun selom being sold at Hahn Ah Rheum (not sure what the Koreans use it for?) and you can probably use the already blanched ferns they sell too.

Kacang botol from Vietnamese grocers. With the exception of bunga kantan, everything else is quite readily available these days. Then again myoga from Mitsuwa market might be a close substitute for bunga kantan... hmmm this might actually work!!!

Here's a recipe I found from the Star.

Ingredients

1kg cooked white rice (or Basmati rice)

Ingredients to be sliced finely:

10g kaffir lime leaves (daun limau purut)

2 onions

5 shallots

3 stalks lemon grass

2 stalks wild ginger flower (bunga kantan)

10g bird’s eye chilli (cili padi)

20g long beans

5g daun selom

5g four-angle bean (kacang botol)

3 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan and fry the eggs to make an omelette. When the eggs set, scramble it in the pan and dish up.

With remaining oil in the pan, fry the sliced ingredients. Add white rice and fry evenly for about 15 minutes.

Toss in the cooked eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

[ecr]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned laksa? Laksa laksa laksa. Curry laksa is good but I love a nice sour laksa assam even more.

Nasi lemak is such a humble dish and you can get it everywhere but it's one thing I would want first thing upon touching down in KL. I just love how the rice is coconut scented, but not gloppy or gluey with coconut milk. So lovely with a bit of sambal.

Rojak! It's delectable (sweet stickiness of the sauce) and repugnant (belacan stinkiness of the sauce) at the same time and I love it. Pineapple is best. My partner told me on our next trip to Malaysia I have to go rojak hunting by myself, bec. he can't stand the smell of it.

[SG-]

Sop Kambing / Mutton soup with lots of chinese celery or at least I think they use chinese celery.

[JustKay]

Perhaps, but I'll tell you that they had a sign up advertising that they served Nasi Ulam, what I described is what they gave me when I ordered Nasi Ulam, and other people sitting at the stall were eating the same thing (and other dishes, because you could also get fish curry and various other dishes there).

Heh heh .... so then we have 2 versions of Nasi Ulam - one Kelantan (the more popular one I guess) and one Terengganu (I assume you had this in Terengganu).

That's interesting.

TP, Shiewie & the rest - what about the Nasi Ulam you guys have eaten? It is all mixed up together or the leaves separate and dipped in sauces like what Pan had?

The only Nasi Ulam I have eaten/seen is similar to the one in the link. And I must say I've only been to Terengganu/Kelantan/Pahang only a few times.

Edited May 27, 2004 by kew (log)

[JustKay]

I think it would be possible to do a version of nasi ulam in the U.S., but you'd have to use American leaves, and it would suck not to have cashew leaves and such-like. Still, I suppose you could use some particularly interesting-tasting combination of leaves and perhaps edible flowers. And while we don't have pucuk paku, we have other edible ferns. It would take experimentation for sure, though, and certainly wouldn't taste the same.

Too lazy to try myself but I have seen daun selom being sold at Hahn Ah Rheum (not sure what the Koreans use it for?) and you can probably use the already blanched ferns they sell too.

Kacang botol from Vietnamese grocers. With the exception of bunga kantan, everything else is quite readily available these days. Then again myoga from Mitsuwa market might be a close substitute for bunga kantan... hmmm this might actually work!!!

Here's a recipe I found from the Star.

Ingredients

1kg cooked white rice (or Basmati rice)

Ingredients to be sliced finely:

10g kaffir lime leaves (daun limau purut)

2 onions

5 shallots

3 stalks lemon grass

2 stalks wild ginger flower (bunga kantan)

10g bird’s eye chilli (cili padi)

20g long beans

5g daun selom

5g four-angle bean (kacang botol)

3 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan and fry the eggs to make an omelette. When the eggs set, scramble it in the pan and dish up.

With remaining oil in the pan, fry the sliced ingredients. Add white rice and fry evenly for about 15 minutes.

Toss in the cooked eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yet another version of Nasi Ulam - this time with eggs and daun selom and FRIED!

I've always had Nasi Ulam made by Kelantanese. And this is like the one in the link posted - has daun kadok amongst others, salted fish and certainly no telur.

The recipes on the kuali site are good but most of them are not so original anymore - not that it's a bad thing.

Edited May 27, 2004 by kew (log)

[su-lin]

Rojak! It's delectable (sweet stickiness of the sauce) and repugnant (belacan stinkiness of the sauce) at the same time and I love it. Pineapple is best. My partner told me on our next trip to Malaysia I have to go rojak hunting by myself, bec.    he can't stand the smell of it.

I know exactly what you mean! Opening up a packet of belacan causes my boyfriend to sniff the air furiously and demand, "What is that smell?!"

I love its scent though...reminds me of home. (I also like the scent of durian)

And I much prefer the Chinese rojak that you describe here...Indian rojak is good but not my favourite.

[JustKay]

And I much prefer the Chinese rojak that you describe here...Indian rojak is good but not my favourite.

Mmm ... rojak .. I like them too but I prefer the 'Jengganan' - a Jawa dish from Johor.

su-lin - the durian season has just begun!!!!

Edited May 27, 2004 by kew (log)

[su-lin]

su-lin - the durian season has just begun!!!!

it's quite expensive in the UK! might start saving my pennies for a few pieces though!

[Shiewie]

TP, Shiewie & the rest - what about the Nasi Ulam you guys have eaten? It is all mixed up together or the leaves separate and dipped in sauces like what Pan had?

Nasi Ulam to me is what my gran used to make - the various herbs were shredded finely, the rice was stained blue from crushed bunga telang (clitoria) and it was all mixed up together with pounded dried salt fish and kerisik (dry roasted coconut). But this is the Penang nyonya version since that's what my gran was .

The Kelantanese shops in KL (Restoran Hasanah in Taman Tun and Restoran Jaya in Kelana Jaya) that I go to call the herby rice Nasi Kerabu instead - the herbs are shredded but are sprinkled on top of the rice with the kerisik, salt fish, sambal and budu (fish sauce). It usually comes with a steamed chilli that's stuffed with a mashed fish and coconut mixture. That said, there's always a a tray of fresh vegetables with budu and sambal available at the counter too .

Sigh - don't have my gran's recipe since my mum never learnt it as she's not interested in cooking, guess I could try and bug one of my aunts but I do have Rohani Jelani's and it's pretty good .

Have only been to Kelantan once many years ago as a child. Terengganu I used to visit almost yearly since my other set of grandparents used to live there. My favourites whenever I visited were Terengganu style Nasi Dagang and Roti Paung.

Terengganu style Nasi Dagang is slightly different from Kelantan's - a slightly chewy white rice is used instead of the speckled red rice in the Kelantanese version and the fish (Ikan Tongkol) is steamed with the curry served separately unlike the Kelantanese version where the fish is cooked in the curry.

Roti Paung are discs of tiny buttery buns all joined together. Buns can't really be Malaysian in origin I guess but they've always been around in Terengganu as far as I can remember. Wonder how they came about? Pan - do you remember eating any Roti Paung when you were living in Terengganu?

Edited May 27, 2004 by Shiewie (log)

[Shiewie]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned laksa? Laksa laksa laksa.    Curry laksa is good but I love a nice sour laksa assam even more.

Nasi lemak is such a humble dish and you can get it everywhere but it's one thing I would want first thing upon touching down in KL. I just love how the rice is coconut scented, but not gloppy or gluey with coconut milk. So lovely with a bit of sambal.

Rojak! It's delectable (sweet stickiness of the sauce) and repugnant (belacan stinkiness of the sauce) at the same time and I love it. Pineapple is best. My partner told me on our next trip to Malaysia I have to go rojak hunting by myself, bec.    he can't stand the smell of it.

ecr - there are some pretty good rojak buah (Malaysian fruit salad with prawn paste) stalls in KL that are almost up to the standard of the ones in Penang. Buzz the next time time you're planning to visit in KL and we'll compile a list for you. You can even get them to do a take-away pack for you - they'll pack the sauce separately from the fruits, prawn fritters, crunchy you tiao and crushed peanuts each in their own plastic bag .

[spinoza]

Spinoza - tang hoon is long and threadlike. How long has it been since you last visited? Malaysia has changed quite dramatically over the last 10 years or so.

I know what tang hoon is, and I agree - worm-like is stretching it

It fits the "pearl" description rather well though

Last time I was back... probably a year or so ago

I haven't lived in Malaysia for around 10 years now, but I return to see the parents every once in a while

And to stock up on necessities like belacan and cincakluk

[spinoza]

While we're reminiscing about Malaysian food

Can anyone confirm that there is a restaurant in Kemaman that serves baked crabs?

I remember going... must be around 15 or 20 years ago now

If someone can hunt me up the address I'd be extremely grateful

[Pan]

Perhaps, but I'll tell you that they had a sign up advertising that they served Nasi Ulam, what I described is what they gave me when I ordered Nasi Ulam, and other people sitting at the stall were eating the same thing (and other dishes, because you could also get fish curry and various other dishes there).

Heh heh .... so then we have 2 versions of Nasi Ulam - one Kelantan (the more popular one I guess) and one Terengganu (I assume you had this in Terengganu).

No, it was in the day pasar in Kota Bharu.

[Pan]

Roti Paung are discs of tiny buttery buns all joined together. Buns can't really be Malaysian in origin I guess but they've always been around in Terengganu as far as I can remember. Wonder how they came about? Pan - do you remember eating any Roti Paung when you were living in Terengganu?

No, I can't remember those, Shiewie.

Sounds like you solved the mystery about the Nasi Ulam, though. It was apparently the non-Nasi Kerabu.

What's the difference between Chinese and Indian rojak, Su-Lin?

[Shiewie]

While we're reminiscing about Malaysian food

Can anyone confirm that there is a restaurant in Kemaman that serves baked crabs?

I remember going... must be around 15 or 20 years ago now

If someone can hunt me up the address I'd be extremely grateful

Stuffed baked crabs are now a Kemaman / Chukai (think the town itself is called Chukai but is in the district of Kemaman ... and the port's called Kemaman too) specialty. One of the more well-known shops that serves this is Tong Juan Restaurant. It's on a row of pre-WWII shop houses that faces the river - does this sound familiar spinoza?

[JustKay]

Shiewie - the colored rice with herbs and stuff (including kerisik) on top is what I know as Nasi Kerabu.

So, Pan - you had Nasi Kerabu then?

Usually, both of these Nasi as well as Nasi Dagang are sold at the same stall as some of the ingredients and coompaniments are common. But more often you'll find a makcik selling Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Dagang together.

Shiewie - now I want some Nasi Dagang! Kelantan style.

Edited May 28, 2004 by kew (log)

[JustKay]

What's the difference between Chinese and Indian rojak, Su-Lin?

I'm not Su-Lin but I'll reply anyways.

Chinese rojak is more fruit based and uses a lot of petis = that nasty smelling but yummy shrimp paste.

Indian rojak or Rojak Mamak is more peanut sauce based. I don't think it has shrimp paste. And it doesn't have fruit in it.

[Pan]

So, Pan - you had Nasi Kerabu then?

Maybe, but it doesn't quite fit Shiewie's description because it was plain white rice (maybe cooked with a little coconut milk) with the leaves and dipping sauces separate.

[JustKay]

So, Pan - you had Nasi Kerabu then?

Maybe, but it doesn't quite fit Shiewie's description because it was plain white rice (maybe cooked with a little coconut milk) with the leaves and dipping sauces separate.

LOL! Ok - so it's Nasi Ulam Pan Style.

Jangan marah ye? Lawak-lawak saja. Don't be angry, joke-joke only.

Pan - I saw a thread on fiddlehead ferns - are these similar to the pucuk paku here?

[Pan]

I wasn't angry; I laughed.

I've had fiddleheads once and didn't like them. I thought pucuk paku was better. But the fiddleheads I had had a strong fern taste.

[SG-]

So, Pan - you had Nasi Kerabu then?

Maybe, but it doesn't quite fit Shiewie's description because it was plain white rice (maybe cooked with a little coconut milk) with the leaves and dipping sauces separate.

LOL! Ok - so it's Nasi Ulam Pan Style.

Jangan marah ye? Lawak-lawak saja. Don't be angry, joke-joke only.

Pan - I saw a thread on fiddlehead ferns - are these similar to the pucuk paku here?

similar to pucuk paku but a much larger variety and sometimes a little stringy.

[Tepee]

TP, Shiewie & the rest - what about the Nasi Ulam you guys have eaten? It is all mixed up together or the leaves separate and dipped in sauces like what Pan had?

LOL, sounds like I had Nasi Ulam a la Pan too! It was a stall in Damansara Heights where you get to pick the veg you want. I always accompany this with a piece of Ayam Masak Merah....mmm mm.

On chinese rojak, to me, how good it is does not only depend on the sauce, but the keropok (crackers) quality. Good one at Jalan Batai.

There's quite a good Indian rojak in OUG. It's so good with chendol (must have kidney beans for me) that you always see these 2 stalls side by side. There seems to be a good one along the highway outside Damansara Utama; always see a long queue, but somehow haven't tried it yet.