Bak Kwa (肉干)

Ingredients:

450-500 g ground pork (not lean)

Marinate:

3/4 tbsp fish sauce
3/4 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp five spiced powder
1/4 tsp licorice powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cooking wine
1/4 tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp honey

Method:

In a container, mix pork with all the marinate ingredients, stir-well to fully incorporate.

Place pork in fridge covered to marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 100 °C.

Line a baking tray (dimension about 25 x 42 cm) with parchment paper.

Spread the marinated pork portion by portion onto the prepared baking tray as thin as possible (important).

Bake it in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or till firm to touch (test with fork).

Remove from oven and absorb-off any excess oil with paper towels.

Cut the partially cooked pork sheet into smaller rectangular pieces.

Grill each over medium heat for about 10 minutes or till shrink and cooked thoroughly.

Grilled Pork Steak

Ingredients:

400 g pork chops

Marinade:

1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1.2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Sauce:

1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ketchup
1/4 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp water

Method:

In a container, combine all the marinade ingredients, add-in meat, mix well and set aside to marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight covered in fridge.

Remove meat from fridge and bring to room temperature.

Preheat grill or broiler and grill all sides of meat for 6 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Remove meat from heat and transfer onto a serving plate.

In a saucepan or wok, bring all sauce ingredients to simmer.

Scatter the sauce over the cooked steak and best serve hot.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder (optional)
1/8 cup lard/vegetable shortening
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup warm water

Method:

In a bowl, combine flours, salt and baking powder.

Cut-in lard and mix with hand till the mixture resembles meal.

Drizzle-in oil and water, mix to form dough.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough till smooth and elastic with floured hand.

Form dough into a ball and set aside to rest for 1 hour covered with plastic wrapper.

Divide dough into 3 portions.

Over a lightly floured surface, flatten dough balls and roll out each thin to about 18 cm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness with floured rolling pin.

Lightly greased a hot non-stick skillet with oiled paper towel.

Cook tortilla once at a time till bubble, puff and bottom with brown spots.

Flip it over and cook the other side in the same way.

Transfer tortilla to a kitchen towel, stack and cover tortillas as cooked.

Sticky Soy Sauces Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken wings.

Marinade:

6 tbsp light soy sauce
6 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger juice (from 2 inch knob)
3 tbsp rice wine
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp white pepper powder

Method:

In a bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients.

Marinate wings for at least 1 hours or overnight covered in refrigerator.

Heat a large non-stick deep pan over medium high heat, pan-fry chicken wings with marinade till golden brown, sticky and cook-thoroughly (about 30 minutes).

Alternatively, grill the wings till golden brown and cook-through (occasionally, bath wings with marinade).

Remove wings from fat gravy in pan and best serve hot/warm as an appetizer or with rice.

Roti Maryam

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt
2 cups bread flour (I used 1 cup all purpose flour mixed with 1 cup bread flour)
1 tbsp (15 g) butter
1/2 cup lukewarm water
butter for brushing (about 3 g or more for each roti)
vegetable oil for pan-frying

Method:

In a bowl, beat egg and egg yolk together with salt; set aside.

In a separate bowl, add-in flour and make a hole in center of the flour pile.

Pour-in eggs mixture, gradually covered with side flour and stir to incorporate.

Add-in butter and knead to mix fully.

Gradually, pour-in water, knead to smooth and non-sticky dough.

Lightly coat dough with oil and set aside covered to rest for about 3 hours.

Divide dough into 8 portions.

Over a lightly oiled flat surface, via rolling pin roll out each portions covered with lightly greased plastic to very thin and transparent oval sheets.

Brush-on butter all over on the exposing surface.

Gently, pick-up two ends, twist ends in co-current(opposite) direction into a thin log and form to spiral shape on greased working surface (overlap a bit while spiraling to prevent holey roti).

Covered with lightly greased plastic again and flatted spiral doughs with rolling pin to about 0.2 cm thick.

Carefully, transfer sheeted doughs onto a preheated flat pan (over medium flame)/griddle, pan-fry/grill till both surfaces are golden brown (flip occasionally for even browning).

Remove from griddle/heat, brush-on some butter and best serve with curries.

Grilled Spicy Sour Fish/Stingray/Skate Wing

Ingredients:

1 (300 g) fish
1 large piece banana leaf/aluminum foil, greased
1 lime, cut into half
1 tbsp oil for grilling

Paste:

2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled
2 shallot, peeled
1 stalk lemongrass (white part only), sliced
1 or 2 dried red chili, softened in hot water
1/2 tsp belacan (toasted dried shrimp paste)
1 tsp tamarind paste in 2 tbsp water, strained and discarded seed
1 lime juice
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp fish curry powder
1/2 tsp dark brown sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Dipping Sauce:

1 shallot, sliced
1 red chili, sliced (I used 2 tsp sambal omelek chili paste, it contributes to the red color)
1 lime juice
1/2 tsp sugar or to taste
1 tsp belacan (toasted dried shrimp paste)
1/2 tsp light soy sauce or to taste
1 bird's eye chili, chopped

Method:

Clean fish, make some gashes on both sides; set aside.

With blender, blend together garlic, ginger, shallot, lemongrass, chili and belacan till fine paste; set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or non-stick pan over medium high heat, saute paste till fragrant and aroma (about 2 minutes).

Reduce heat, add-in tamarind juice, lime juice, turmeric powder, curry powder, sugar and salt.

Stir to incorporate and cook for another 1 minute or till paste is thickened slightly (adjust taste accordingly).

Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Rub both sides of fish well with half of the paste (including the internal part and inside the gashes).

Spread half of the remaining paste onto the greased aluminum foil, lay-on fish and spread all the remaining paste on fish.

Fold the aluminum foil into a packet and seal completely; set aside to marinade for 30 minutes.

Heat-up grill pan or a heat resistance flat pan with 1 tbsp oil over medium heat, place the wrapped fish on the pan, cook each side for 5-6 minutes or till cooked through.

Remove from heat, squish-on additional lime juice if desire and serve hot along with dipping sauce as appetizer or with rice.

To prepare the dipping sauce, just mix together all the dipping sauce ingredients to form a homogeneous solution and it is ready to apply.

Ban Jian Kuih (Peanut Pancake)

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp potassium carbonate & sodium bicarbonate solution
2 tsp oil
1 cup milk/water

Filling:

2 tbsp toasted peanut coarse
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter

Method:

In a large bowl, combine together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add-in potassium carbonate & sodium bicarbonate solution and oil.

Mix well to a smooth batter; set aside covered for at least 2 hours.

Lightly grease a nonstick pan (22 cm in diameter).

Heat the pan over medium heat.

Pour-in all batter, evenly spread the batter via pan swirling or by using ladle.

Once batter turns to translucent (about 5 minutes), sprinkle-on peanut, sugar and butter.

Cook covered for even heating for 15 minutes or till bottom surface become golden brown.

Remove cover, release all sides of pancakes with spatula.

Remove pancake and fold immediately into half; set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Cut into triangle shape and serve hot.

Chapati (Indian Roti)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (extra flour for coating and rolling)
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
120 mL water
oil for coating

Method:

In a bowl, mix flour and salt.

Gradually pour-in water, knead till smooth dough (the more it is kneaded, the lighter the bread will be).

Lightly oil both hand palms, form dough into ball, set aside for an hour or more (if left overnight, the chapatis will be lighter and tender; wrap dough with plastic wrap for that).

Flours working surface and rolling pin.

Lightly oil both hand palms, knead dough again for another 2 minutes.

Shape dough into smaller ball about the size of 3 cm in diameter (the size depends on the size of griddle and personal preference) .

Flatten dough ball with hand palms, pick another smaller piece of dough, coat all surface with oil, place it into the center of flattened dough, wrap-up to seal, reform to ball again, repeat the filling and shaping steps for the remaining dough.

Heat-on griddle or high heat resistance frying pan till very hot.

Flatten dough balls with hand palms, smear dough around with flour to coat.

Plate on floured working surface, roll out dough to a circular shape with the thickness of about 2 mm.

Flip thin chapati around both hand palms for few times and lastly flip it on griddle.

Cooks chapati till proof-up small air-trapped bubbles, lightly spread-on some oil or ghee on both sides with spoon.

Flip chapati around continuously till brown spots formed at both sides (occasionally press lightly for a second interval around the surface of chapati with kitchen towel to encourage bubbles to form and thus yield lighter chapati; punch-down large air-trapped bubbles with spoon for even griddling).

Serve immediately with butter or dry curries.

Yield 12 chapati with 12 cm in diameter.

Green Split Peas Burgers

Ingredients:

500 g green split peas, soaked overnight and drained
3 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chinese parsley/coriander/cilantro, finely chopped
5 dried red chili, soaked, drained, deseeded and finely chopped
3 tsp chinese five spice powder
3 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp black pepper powder
4 tsp salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs for coating
oil for pan-frying

Method:

With blender, blend split peas and onion.

In a large bowl, mix blended split peas, onion, parsley, chili, five spice powder, garlic powder, black pepper powder and salt, mash to incorporate.

In a shallow pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over moderate heat.

Scoop up split peas paste, form into ball and coat with a layer of bread crumbs.

Drop on pan, press-on firmly and shape into burger with spatula, pan-fry for few minutes and turn over for another sides.

Turn and press-on firmly with spatula occasionally till browned on both sides.

Serve on bread slices with salad or just as they are.

Apam Balik (Sweet Crispy Pancakes)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
A small pinch of yellow coloring (optional)
oil for greasing

Filling:

1 cup toasted peanut, coarsely grind
1 (125 g) canned sweet corn kernel
1/2 cup sugar
50 g butter

Method:

In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar till thick, pale and fluffy.

Add-in baking powder, soda, salt, coloring and water, continue mixing to incorporate fully.

Add flours and mix-well to form homogeneous batter.

Heat up a non-stick pan, lightly grease with oil (clean-off any access oil with a paper towel).

Pour a ladle of batter into the pan, swirl the pan to spread out batter evenly.

Sprinkle some coarse peanut powder, sugar, sweet corn kernels, a few dollops of butter onto pancake and cover it.

Cook till center of the pancake is cooked, the edges is brown and crispy.

Remove from pan and fold into half.

Serve.

Teriyaki Pork Chop

Ingredients:

5 pork chops, scored
2 tbsp cooking oil

Marinade:

3/4 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp black pepper powder

Gravy:

1/4 cup light soy sauce
4 tbsp sake
3 tbsp sugar


Method:

In a wok or deep pan, mix all the marinade ingredients, bring to simmer over medium heat and stir till sugar is fully dissolved.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a container, arrange pork chops in one layer basic, pour marinade over the chops, turn chops to evenly coat with marinade, marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in refrigerator (turn chops occasionally).

In a non-stick pan, heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and pan-fry chops 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix all the gravy ingredients in a wok or pan, bring to simmer over medium heat with stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Return chops into the wok or pan to evenly coated with gravy.

Dish up and serve chops drizzled with additional gravy.

Serve hot with or without rice.

Roti Tissue

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour (Tipo O)
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
1/2 cup oil/margarine/butter/ghee

Method:

Dissolve salt and sugar in warm milk.

Add-in flour into the warm solution to form dough.

Knead dough till soft.

Leave to rest for an hour or two.

Form into small 1 inch diameter dough balls.

Coat each ball generously with margarine, keep in a container and leave aside overnight.

Grease a thin layer of oil on a smooth table surface.

With oily hand, spread some oil on ball and flatten the dough ball with palm.

By the help of rolling pin, roll out dough to as thin as possible and follow by stretching as far as possible.

Leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat a flat bottom pan over high heat and evenly spread a little margarine on the pan.

Carefully transfer the ultra-thin dough layer into hot pan and pan-fry the individual dough tissue until brown spots formed and crispy. (Spread more margarine when needed).

Remove from heat and serve with sugar or sweetened-concentrated milk.

Roti Canai

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour (Tipo O)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup oil/margarine/butter/ghee

Method:

Dissolve salt and sugar in warm water and milk.

Add-in flour into the warm solution to form dough.

Knead dough till soft.

Leave to rest for an hour or two.

Form into small 1 inch diameter dough balls.

Coat each ball generously with margarine, keep in a container and leave aside overnight.

Grease a thin layer of oil on a smooth table surface.

With oily hand, spread some oil on ball, flatten the dough ball by tossing and pressing then stretch out as far as possible.

Twirl the stretched dough till thin.

Fold the sides to the center with trapped-air in and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat a flat bottom pan over low heat and evenly spread a little margarine on the pan.

Lightly flatten the air-trapped dough again into just less than a cm thick.

Pan-fry the individual dough on one side till proof-up small bubbles, flip dough around continuously until brown spots formed at both sides of the roti (Spread more margarine when needed).

Remove from heat and serve hot with any of your favorite curry.

Pan-Fry Pork with Reddish Soy Cheese

Ingredients:

150 g lean pork, cut into bite size (better taste with fatty meat)
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Marinade:

4 pieces reddish soy cheese
1/4 tsp sugar

Method:

Rinse pork and pat dry.

Marinade the pork for about 30 mins or more.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan.

Pan-fry the marinaded pork till fragrant, cooked through and golden brown.

Serve hot with rice.