eG Foodblog: Laksa - Wild man of Borneo

[Laksa]

Welcome back everyone. We have now reached the eGullet member participation round of this food blog. Ms Congee had wanted to make a cold tofu dish with soy sauce and sesame on the weekend but mistakenly bought firm tofu instead of the softer silken one.

This is the tofu she bought. It's one of four pieces that came in the pack.

I need suggestions on how to cook this thing. The only other time I've ever bought it was for use in foochow spring rolls. Being alone this week, I would prefer not to attempt anything as laborious as foochow spring roll.

I thought of frying it like steak, but I would like to read your ideas.

What is your favorite recipe for firm tofu?

[Abra]

I think I just should have made less! I used 1 cup (8 oz, not a rice cup) of brown basmati and 1/2 cup of wild rice, which needed about 3 quarts of liquid and was still very thick. My poor little Zojirushi just couldn't handle all that. Not to mention that I'll be eating it for days.

[Ms Congeeniality]

Patrick Kirch's "On the Road of the Winds" is an interesting book about the spread of the prehistoric Southeast Asian Lapita peoples into the Pacific - but his ideas are still controversial.

Japan also uses starch from bracken-fern root, and roasted bracken-fern root was eaten in New Zealand...how about in Borneo?

Sounds like an interesting book.. the more controversial, the better.

There are 2 types of ferns that Sarawakians (and Malaysians) eat - paku and midin. The shoots or the tender stems are delicious stir-fried, signature dishes that visitors MUST try and often love, even if they vow off rabbit food. Midin is a smaller version of the fiddlehead ferns found in the US and A (the term Ali G - http://www.hbo.com/alig/ uses), but has a more delicate taste.

Don't think bracken fern grows there, although it is possible that it is found in the higher grounds where the climate is more temperate. Yam (known in Malaysia as sweet potato) is native and widely used.

Edited August 24, 2004 by Ms Congeeniality (log)

[Ms Congeeniality]

which needed about 3 quarts of liquid and was still very thick. 

Most congee inevitably turns thicker the next day. To reduce thickness, add water/broth to a serve of congee and reheat in microwave prior to eating. Repeat until desired consistency is reached.

Edited August 24, 2004 by Ms Congeeniality (log)

[Transparent]

I like my tofu fried, then dipped into oyster sauce. Tofu with pork and scallions is something I enjoy too.

[spaghetttti]

Some suggestions for your tahu?

I think I posted this elsewhere,

fried tahu, splashed with a mixture of kecap manis & asin, thinly sliced shallots, topped with cabai padi.

Edited August 24, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[tryska]

man i'm hungry.

these pictures aren't helping.

excellent blog - y'all are doing a wonderful job!

[Laksa]

This slice of pandan chiffon was calling out to me all through the night and into the dawn. "Eat me, eat me!" it wailed.

The wailing was so loud I was afraid the neighbors were gonna come knocking. Because I'm such a considerate person -- don't you guys just hate noisy neighbors with wailing pandan chiffon? -- I ate it for breakfast this morning.

Suffer no more, my lovely! You are part of me now, nothing (not Atkins, not South Beach) can ever separate us again :weep: :weep:

Ahhh....

Let us turn our thoughts to happier things.

This is what I can look forward to for afternoon snack.

The Japanese snack on the left has no English on the packet at all. I like to think of myself as a pretty adventurous eater so I took a chance and got it. The only thing I need to watch out for is crab because I'm allergic to it. I figure with all the different chip flavorings to choose from, the odds are in my favor, don't you agree?

Edited August 24, 2004 by Laksa (log)

[saskanuck]

This a great blog, and now I'm hungry.

[tryska]

hey! i had those shrimp chips on the left for lunch a couple of weeks ago.

they were okay, but i would have preferred rice and potato starch as opposed to the wheat they use.

Edited August 24, 2004 by tryska (log)

[Laksa]

fried tahu, splashed with a mixture of kecap manis & asin, thinly sliced shallots, topped with cabai padi.

You call chili cabai too? It's the second time this week I've heard that term used. I think it's also a Sarawak slang.

That picture is gorgeous.

[FL Heat]

Shrimp chips?

I was going out on a limb buying the stuff I needed to make cucumber kim chee (kim chi?) for my boyfriend, who loves the stuff and asks for it all the time at a Korean restaurant we like.

The woman at the market was very nice and helpful. She said they were out of laksa but to come back next week and she'd have some for me.

Diana

[Ms Congeeniality]

   

And you didn't take a picture to "entice us"? 

I was afraid the Ugoff salad might steal Laksa's thunder, and didn't have the heart do it...not!

[Laksa]

Here's a closeup of my lunch:

Okra stir-fried with Chinese leeks in Perks African Heat peri-peri sauce, with roast potatoes. (Microwaved leftovers).

[tryska]

Shrimp chips?

have you had any of those newfangled veggie chips that they sell in the snack aisle? the puffy kind that are like cheetos without the orange dust?

shrimp chips are like that, except flavored with shrimp and not veggies.

[Laksa]

I always thought the duck was a flightless bird. Until I saw these creatures in the air at Dynasty Supermarket in Manhattan Chinatown.

These are salted preserved ducks. I didn't ask them if they were for sale, but the way they're so wet and shiny, they don't look fully cured.

How do they get them so flat, I wonder?

[tryska]

spatchcocking i believe.

[Laksa]

spatchcocking i believe.

[EMERIL MODE]Let's try to keep this blog G-rated.[/EMERIL MODE]

[Laksa]

I was just going to the break room to get some water from the cooler. What I found there caused me to succumb to the savage instincts of the Wild Man.

Free food!

Sandwiches and little muffins and danishes were laid out on two large trays.

Without any rational realization of what was happening, I found myself juggling a handful of food and heading back to my office.

The Wild Man has taken control. He is completely driven by the primal need to survive, but you may want to call it greed.

I didn't even realize the Wild Man knows how to work a camera. Now I know how Bruce Banner must feel after the Hulk has wreaked havoc and destruction.

The shame! The shame!

[trillium]

When I have firm tofu laying around that I don't know what to do with, I always make ma po... the Hokkien by way of Singapore version, not the actual Sichuan one. Not that the "real" one isn't just as tasty or even tastier, but it's one of those childhood dishes for the partner and you know how that goes.

For the ikan bilis, the super tiny ones we find now we never behead either, because we don't notice a difference and we're lazy. We were just talking about making nasi lemak before we went to sleep last night (yeah, that's romance) and wondering if we had any in the pantry.

I've typed up a recipe from Mrs. Leong's cookbook for laksa lemak ages ago that one could find in the rec.food.cooking archives if one was feeling ambitious and wanted to make their own laksa paste.

Great blogging, btw, I'm hungry!

regards,

trillium

[spaghetttti]

I was afraid the Ugoff salad

Pray tell, Ms. Congee...what is an Ugoff salad?

[Ms Congeeniality]

I was afraid the Ugoff salad

Pray tell, Ms. Congee...what is an Ugoff salad?

spaghetttti, when Burger King introduced premium salads on their menu (Atkins frenzy), they created a snazzy fashion designer character called Ugoff in TV commercials to promote them. House of Ugoff website: www.ugoff.com. I called it the Ugoff salad to distinguish it from their regular salads.

Here's what's in the salad: lettuce, tomato, mushroom, cheddar cheese, baby carrots, red onion, cucumber. Choice of grilled chicken or shrimp & dressing.

Edited August 25, 2004 by Ms Congeeniality (log)

[TheFoodTutor]

Seems that the TheFoodTutor was able to put a towel around the lid of the rice cooker to minimize it. While I have not encountered this, I'm interested to know how this is tackled.

I had simply put the 1 rice cup of rice into the cooker, and then the 7 cups of water to start. Then I added a little more liquid, as necessary, but the extra liquid, along with the longer cooking time, led to little spurts of gooey rice "water" popping out of the steam hole. Then, on top of that, my opening the rice cooker while it was steaming led to a light gush of water off the lid. Since my cooker was positioned on my small kitchen counter, next to some of my cookbooks, I wanted to place the towel just on the side of the steam hole, where the hinge is also located, and I just cushioned the towel around the base of that side, to catch the drips.

I think the recipe you gave is ideal for the smallest amount of drips, and making larger amounts would lead to too much spill and cleanup, along with excessive additions of water for more steaming. My result was about 4-5 good-sized servings of congee in about an hour's cooking time. I'd say it's definitely ample for many small families for breakfast, and it leaves your stovetop free to make a fried egg to go on top, or maybe some crisp pork cracklings, or a variety of additions. The possibilities are endless, but it's a terrific breakfast/lunch as is, and you can set it and leave it while you do other things.

It's really a great idea, and I'm glad you thought of it, because it made a great meal.

[Laksa]

After my kickboxing class today, I am too beat to cook much of anything. Some chicken curry from the freezer looks great, but I need some rice to go with that. Since I'm cooking rice, I might as well make it Nasi Lemak.

For that I'll need some jasmine rice, coconut milk, and some pandan essence. I also slice some ginger and shallots for the rice. One can of coconut milk should go with about 3 rice cups of rice. Add salt, and enough water to get the right amount of liquid for 3 cups of rice.

Since I'm having Nasi Lemak rice, I might as well have some anchovies and peanuts to go with it.

Boy, I'm creating a lot of work for myself with all my "might-as-well's".

Deep fry the anchovies Ms Congee had beheaded in hot peanut oil. I take them out as soon as they start to turn golden.

Roast raw peanuts in a hot pan with oil and salt until they start to take on a darker hue. You do not want to over-roast peanuts as they will turn bitter.

After the peanuts are done, turn down the heat and add the achovies. Sprinkle liberally with sugar and chili powder. Add more salt if needed.

Here's the finished product. FunJohnny, this picture is for you!

I didn't cook curry today, but these were some of the ingredients we used to cook the curry last week. The black blob is tamarind and there's cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves and cardamon pods in the clear plastic packet.

If you squint, you can see that the curry powder comes from Syarikat Jaya Sakti Flour Mill. Curry powder from a flour mill? Something just doesn't sit quite right there.

Let's take a look at the list of ingredients:

Hmm... rice and flour used as a thickening agent!? I'm not sure what to think about that. We actually used a different curry powder last week. This pack of curry powder is brand new so we'll find out how good (or bad) it is next time we make curry.

Nasi Lemak with chicken curry and fried achovies and peanuts.

Edited August 25, 2004 by Laksa (log)

[SG-]

Aaaauuugh blasphemy, no sambal with the nasi lemak !!!! No egg, kangkung, cucumber.....