Lei Cha is my mother’s favourite Hakka dish. But one that she makes the least due to the amount of work involved. If you’d like to take the challenge to make this from scratch, watch the video to understand the entire process and shortcuts that you can take. If you wouldn’t cook it, I’ll tell you where to get the best Lei Cha in Kuala Lumpur.

1. THAI BASIL In Malaysian supermarkets, Thai Basil is not as common as herbs like mint. That is perhaps because that it’s one of the least used herbs in Malaysian dishes. But this flavour makes the dish.
2. SAWTOOTH CORIANDER The shape of this coriander is very different from that that we get at the supermarket. The leaf is long, flat, and with edges like the teeth of the saw blade. My Mom favour this as the taste is more intense. It’s also because it’s growing wild in our garden!
3. MUGWORT This is another herb that isn’t available at the market.
4. FU YIP SUM/ KU YE XIN (苦力心) Acanthopanax trifoliatus. This is perhaps the rarest of all herbs. We’ve made the recipe without this many times. I believe this is also not used in most restaurants as it’s not widely available for sale.

TOOLS

• Wok + spatula
• Chopping board + knife
• Blender
• Oven (optional)

RECIPE CARD

KITCHEN HACKS

1. Use a spice blender to crush the peanuts and sesame seeds. I am using the Panasonic blender with two attachments – one for blending smoothie/paste, and another for blending things like nuts. The finer it is, the better.
2. Toast peanuts in the oven Traditionally, my mother roast peanuts on the wok. I prefer to use an oven instead to leave it there and cook the many other dishes instead.
3. Freeze blended soup ingredients We like making extra soup paste to freeze. On busy days, we just defrost then put the paste and water into a pot to boil.

Although it’s a lot of work, I love making this with my Mom and keeping the tradition alive. 

The post Hakka Lei Cha Recipe (Tea Rice/ ‘Thunder’ Tea/ 擂茶) appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

When I was living alone and at the busiest point of my life, lentil curry is something I made very often. I make a big pot, separate it in small containers, and freeze them!

ABOUT LENTIL CURRY

In Malaysia, lentil curry (dal curry) is not only enjoyed by the Malaysian-Indian community; every Malaysian loves it! We love eating it at the Mamak (Indian-Muslims restaurant) with roti canai, the Malay word for prata or flat bread.

At home, we eat it with rice too. This recipe is taught to me by Aunty Clara, she cooks this ‘kari dal’ (lentil curry) for her family a few times a week. I first published her recipe here and in my cookbook.

SIMPLIFIED: 25 minutes including preparation, washing, and roti canai!

But this time, I’ve simplified it. Originally she uses dried chillies, fresh red chillies, and milk. I omitted all that. So this dhal curry is not only vegetarian, but also vegan. If you’re on a keto diet, this is perfect as it’s filling and rich in protein.

But I personally love it for its immense health benefits. The potent spices and rainbow coloured vegetables are so good for our body. The best thing is, you can make it in just 25 minutes!

While simmering the curry, I even have time to wash everything up and make a roti canai!

TOOLS

• pot with lid
• spatula
• Knife + chopping board

RECIPE CARD

SHORT RECIPE

COOKING TIPS

1. Mixed Spice is called ‘Halba Campur’ in Malay. You can use mustard seeds as a replacement. Find out more about the mixed fenugreek spice or talipu here. 

Watch the video for more random little tips 🙂

The post Easy Lentil Dhal Curry In 25 Minutes appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

The post Stir-Fry Cabbage With Turmeric & Mustard Seeds appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

Read: Dried Shrimp Powder

As I’m not a person who naturally love vegetables, I always make an extra effort to make them taste better by enhancing them with natural flavouring like herbs and dried seafood. Umami-rich dried shrimps and distinctly fragrant Thai basil imparts delicious flavour to slightly caramelised sweet pumpkin.

Pumpkin provides carotene which helps improve immunity; lutein which may help protect against cataracts and related macular degeneration; and potassium which supports healthy blood pressure level.

What I love about this dish is that it is not only healthy and delicious, it’s also incredibly easy to cook. You only need 3 main ingredients: pumpkin, dried shrimps, and Thai basil. All these ingredients can be kept for quite a long time in the fridge. Even if I haven’t had the time to do grocery shopping, it’s something that I can whip up easily.

TOOLS

• Wok with lid + spatula
• Knife + chopping board
• Bowl (to soak dried shrimps)
• Stove

RECIPE CARD

SHORT RECIPE

Heat 1 tbsp oil a in wok over medium heat. Stir-fry 2 tbsp dried shrimps. Then stir-fry 500 g of sliced pumpkin. Pour in 1/2 cup of water + salt. Cover with lid and cook until pumpkin softens (10 min). Add 30 pcs of Thai basil, stir, and serve hot.

STEP-BY-STEP

1. PREP: Rinse dried shrimps and soak them in 1/2 cup of water for 5 minutes (do not discard the water). Chop off the skin of pumpkin and remove its seeds using a knife. Chop into pumpkin into wedges, then into 2 cm thick slices

2 STIR-FRY DRIED SHRIMPS: Heat oil a in wok over medium heat. When oil is sufficiently heated, add in dried shrimps. Stir-fry until dried shrimp is turns slightly darker and fragrant (about 1 minute).

3. STIR-FRY PUMPKIN: Add in pumpkin and stir-fry until slightly golden (about 1 minute).

4. SEASON & BRAISE: Pour in water used for soaking dried shrimps and season with salt. Cover with a lid. Simmer until water evaporated and pumpkin softens (about 5 – 10 min)

5. FLAVOUR WITH BASIL: Add in Thai basil leaves and give it a few stir. Dish out and serve hot.

COOKING TIPS

1. Soak dried shrimps and retain its water. When soaking umami-rich produce like dried shrimps and dried Chinese mushrooms, retain the water and use it in your cooking. The water contains umami flavour which will make your food taste better. (Note: some cook will not do that if they think the produce is not organic/ clean)
2. Use a sharp cleaver. My least favourite part of making this dish is chopping the pumpkin. To make my task easier, I use a sharp cleaver/ Chinese knife to chop pumpkin and its tough skin. It’s much easier!
3. Scrap off the fibre. While removing the pumpkin seeds with a spoon, scrap off the fibre too. This is to prevent the pumpkin from turning too mushy when cooked.

If you want to inject some colour into your diet, eat more plants, and love flavourful dishes, give this dish a go!

The post Pumpkin Stir-fried With Dried Shrimps and Thai Basil – 3 Ingredients appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

Among my favourites are chicken drumstick made from soy milk (the ‘meat’ is held in a wooden ice-cream stick!), congee made from rice and beans, Buddha’s Delight, and vegetarian fried prawns.

The ‘prawns’ are made from cauliflower. Meat-lovers will be sceptical, but when cut into florets and fried in batter, it does looks a lot like fried prawns. It also similar colour and texture.

Cauliflower itself is mildly sweet, unlike green vegetables which can be bitter. To mimic the umami flavour of prawns, seaweed is added.

I like adding mushrooms seasonings for better taste. After all prawns, seaweed, and mushrooms all contains glutamate which gives them the much loved umami flavour.

TOOLS

• Knife + chopping board
• Wok
• Chopstick/ tongs

RECIPE CARD

SHORT RECIPE

Cut 130 g cauliflower into florets. Shred & soak seaweed. Mix 3/4 crispy flour + 3 tbsp oil + 1/4 cup water (or more) + seaweed + 1/4 salt + 1/4 mushroom powder. Coat cauliflower in batter. Deep fry until golden brown.

STEP-BY-STEP

PREP: Soak seaweed in water and drain. Cut cauliflower into florets. Set aside.

MAKE FRYING BATTER: In a large mixing bowl, mix crispy flour, 3 tbsp of oil and water. Mix well with a chopstick or a whisk. If it is too dry, add more water until a smooth and thick paste is formed. Add salt, mushroom seasonings, and seaweed. Mix well.

COAT CAULIFLOWER IN BATTER: Add all the cauliflower into the batter and mix well. Make sure each cauliflower is well coated with the batter.

DEEP FRY: Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Deep-fry cauliflower, in batches, until golden brown. Place on paper napkins.

SERVE: Serve hot on its own or with chili sauce, ketchup, or mayonnaise.

COOKING TIPS

1. Crispy flour is a combination of corn flour, wheat flour, rice flour and baking powder. It is available at most of the grocery stores. I like to use Hup Loong’s.

Enjoy!

The post Vegetarian Fried Prawns/ Fried Cauliflower appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

I enjoy watching her sitting on the floor, using her hands to smack the fish paste again and again, and would eagerly try the first few fish paste to see whether it was tasty enough. If it wasn’t my mother would add more salt and sesame oil.

Most often than not, my mother would have extra fish paste in the fridge, and would make fish balls and other dishes with it. One of my top favourite dish that my mother makes is steamed egg tofu topped with homemade fish paste and tasty oyster sauce. Whenever she makes this, I will eat a lot more rice than usual. When I eat the last piece, I always feel that she makes too little of it.

Recently, as she was teaching me how to make this dish, I asked “Mummy, who taught you this dish? I’ve never seen it anywhere else” to which she replied “I don’t know. Maybe I invented it”. So this is probably truly my family recipe. (If you’ve seen this dish somewhere – let me know!). I am probably bias, but this is really super delicious! It’s such an easy and quick dish to make, not to mentioned low in calories and healthy. Do try it!

TOOLS

• Wok + Steam rack (to steam tofu and fish)
• Pan/pot + spatula (to make sauce)

RECIPE CARD

SHORT RECIPE

Chop 1 egg tofu into 10 slices. Top with fish paste (80 g). Steam 5 mins. Mix 1/2 tsp sugar + 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbso water + 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce + 1 tbsp soy sauce. Fry 3 cloves of minced garlic in 1 tbsp of oil. Add seasonings. Cook until sauce thicken. Pour sauce over fish paste.

COOKING TIPS

1. Buy store-bought fish paste if you’re too busy to make your own. They are available at wet market.
2. Add sesame oil and white pepper to store-bought fish paste. However, note that store-bought fish paste may not be as fresh, add 1 tsp of sesame oil and a few dashes of pepper to rid of the fishy odour.

Enjoy!

The post Steam Tofu With Fish Paste & Oyster Sauce – 10 min appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.