Chinese New Year in 2021 is an odd one. Many families around the globe will be celebrating Chinese New Year at home in a lockdown. My brother said CNY is now ‘Celebrate Next Year’. 

But it doesn’t have to be so. We can still celebrate at home even if you can’t cook. All you need is some creativity!

This is what we will do: buy a store-bought roast chicken and turn it into 'Two Way Pineapple Roast Chicken’ with Kewpie’s Roasted Sesame Sauce. Best of all, it can be done in just 15 minutes!

 

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A post shared by Sara | Cooking Instructor (@sarakhong)

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WHY EVEN A BEGINNER CAN MAKE THIS

Even if you can’t cook, you’ll be able to make it. You only need to:

1. Buy & slice a chicken
2. Chop a few things: pineapple, carrot, celery
3. Make a delicious dressing using Kewpie roasted sesame sauce for a nutty and creamy texture 

Then arrange everything into a platter!

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TOOLS

• Round platter
• Chopping board + knife
• Bowl for mixing sauce

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RECIPE CARD

No-cook Roast Chicken with Pineapple for Chinese New Year (20 Minutes, 9 Ingredients)

10th February 2021

Servings: 4

Prep: 15 min

Total: 15 min

Difficulty: easy

Print This

Lessen yours and your family burden this Chinese New Year with this no-cook Chinese New Year dish!

By: Sara Khong

Ingredients

• Roast chicken - 1/2
• Pineapple (canned) - 1 can
• Celery - 6 inches
• Carrot - 6 inches
• Seasonings
• Kewpie roasted sesame dressing - 6 tbsp
• Kewpie honey mustard sauce - 3 tbsp
• Light soy sauce - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Garnish
• Lettuce - 2 - 3 leaves
• Toasted white sesame seeds - 1 tsp

Directions

• Step 1 SLICE CHICKEN & PINEAPPLE: Slice the roast chicken breast meat into thin slices.Cut pineapple slices into half, then slice thinly.
• Step 2 ARRANGE CHICKEN SLICES & PINEAPPLE: Arrange chicken slices and pineapple slices, alternatively, around the plate.
• Step 3 MAKE SAUCE: In a bowl, combine Kewpie sesame sauce, Kewpie honey mustard sauce, and light soy sauce. Mix well.
• Step 4 MAKE CHICKEN SALAD: Slice celery and carrot into matchstick-size.Cut the rest of the chicken into shreds and mix well with celery and carrot. Pour the sauce into the bowl of chicken and vegetables. Toss to combine.
• Step 5 ARRANGE CHICKEN SALAD: Place lettuce in the middle of the platter. Scoop flavoured shredded chicken and vegetables on the lettuce.
• Step 6 GARNISH: Garnish with sesame seeds.

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COOKING TIPS

1. Visit a major supermarket to get everything at one go You can get Kewpie sauce and all of the ingredients at major supermarkets. Some supermarkets have deli sections where you can buy roast chicken. 
2. Buy chicken at the nearest chicken rice store - If not, get a chicken from your nearest chicken rice store. Remember to order ahead of time if you’re making it for Chinese New Year as it's a busy season. You can even ask the seller to slice the chicken breast for you.
3. Replace chicken with duck - This dish can be made with duck (I think it’ll taste even better!)

Not being able to cook is not an excuse anymore. Try out this simple recipe and impress your family this Chinese New Year!

The post No-cook Roast Chicken with Pineapple for Chinese New Year (15 Minutes, 9 Ingredients) appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

The post Cold Dish Platter for Chinese New Year (9 Ingredients, 30 Minutes) appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

I regularly visit a TCM specialist for holistic health checkup. Yes, I see the doctor even if I’m not sick. In TCM, it is believed that nobody can be 100% healthy and seeing the doctor is for ‘maintenance’ (tiau li/ 调理)

While I am blessed to not have any major illness, my stomach and digestion is weak. According to the doctor, poor digestion is the reason for my puffy eyes and inability to gain weight. Gasp. My stomach is not making me pretty!

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FERMENTED FOOD IMPROVES DIGESTION

This piece of information led me to find ways to improve digestion. One of the many ways is eating fermented food. Then it became my  Food Philosophy. I believe in eating traditionally like our grandmothers - which include eating fermented food.

While there are plenty of traditionally fermented food, many of them are made or processed in such as way that the good bacterias are gone (Read: 10 Fermented Food in Malaysia)

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BUT PASTEURISED FERMENTED FOOD IS WITHOUT PROBIOTICS

I've been to a Michelin-star restaurant in Tokyo, Shiojiri Jozojo,  that serves only Fermented food

According to the owner, Nobuaki Fushiki:

“There’s no point to eating the miso and soy sauce you can buy at supermarket…Those products have been pasteurized and contain zero live enzymes and good bacteria.” - Nobuaki Fushiki (Source: A Culinary Calling in Tokyo)

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MAKING KIMCHI IN MALAYSIA

That is why I make my own kimchi. There is no guarantee that the 'fermented' food that we buy truly has probiotics in it. As we only need to eat a small quantity, I only need to make it once every few months.

Here’s my family's recipe using things easily find in Malaysia e.g anchovies to replace salted shrimps (for the umami flavour). Other ingredients like napa cabbage and Korean pear are easy to find in the supermarket. The only specialty produce you need to buy is Korean Chili Powder.

Does it taste as good as regular kimchi? Yes! I let my Korean guests at my cooking class to try these recently. They told me it's just like those they had at home.

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TOOLS

• 2 large mixing bowl (about 13 inch/ 35 cm)
• Colander/ Salad spinner

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RECIPE CARD

Easy Malaysian-Style Kimchi

19th August 2019

Servings: 8 cups

Prep: 30 min

Print This

By: Sara Khong

Ingredients

• To brine:
• 1 large (1.3 - 1.5 kg) napa cabbage, cut into squares
• 1/4 cup himalayan pink salt
• To blend:
• 1 (80g) red onion, large
• 1 (350 g) Korean pear, peeled deseeded and chopped
• 1 bulb (45 g) garlic
• 1 thumb size (20 g) ginger
• 1/2 cup anchovies (ikan bilis), toasted
• 3 tbsp anchovy fish sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• To mix:
• 1/2 cup Korean chile pepper flakes
• 10 green onions (green part only), cut into 2 inches

Directions

• Step 1 CHOP CABBAGE: Chop cabbage into half, then quarter. Rinse under running water. Chop into 2 inches squares. Slice off the hard part.
• Step 2 SALT CABBAGE: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage with salt and set aside for 1 hour.
• Step 3 BLEND SEASONING PASTE: In a blender, pulse together onion, pear, garlic, ginger, anchovy, dried shrimp, fish sauce, and sugar until a paste is formed. Transfer to large mixing bowl and mix in the chilli pepper flakes. Set aside to let the flavours combine.
• Step 4 RINSE & DRAIN CABBAGE: Pour away the liquid. Then rinse the cabbage to remove any traces of salt. Drain in a colander for 20 minutes, or use a salad spinner to remove move of the water.
• Step 5 MIX CABBAGE, SPRING ONIONS, & PASTE: In another large bowl, mix together the green onions, seasoning paste, and drained cabbage until combined thoroughly, making sure the seasoning paste is distributed evenly among the leaves.
• Step 6 PACK IN CONTAINER: Packed the mixture tightly into a large containers. Leave about an inch from the cap.
• Step 7 LEAVE TO FERMENT: Ferment. Leave to ferment cool place for 24 hours. 
• Step 8 STORE: Store. Refrigerate and consumed within 6 months.

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SHORT RECIPE

Chop cabbage into squares. Rub salt into cabbage. Set aside for 1 hour. Blend seasoning paste: 1 onion + 1 bulb garlic + thumb-size ginger + pear + anchovy + fish sauce + 3 tbsp shrimp + 2 tsp sugar.  Pour into mixing bowl + add 1/2 cup chili flakes. Set aside to let the flavours combine. Rinse cabbage and drain in colander.  Mix : cabbage + seasoning paste + spring onions. Pack in jars. Leave for 24 hours. Keep in fridge.

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KIMCHI-MAKING TIPS

1. Cut cabbage in squares so that it's easy to eat. In Korean, it is call Mat Kimchi (pre-sliced).
2. Use a salad spinner to speed things up You can drain the cabbage in a colander. That takes about 20 minutes. Sometimes, when I don't have that patience, so I'll just dry it quickly with a salad spinner.
3. Buy Korean Chili Powder (Gochugaru) from Korean Mart  I got my chili powder from a Korean Mart (Freshan) in 163 Retail Park at Mont Kiara. It's RM 18.80 for a packet (500g). Find a Korean Mart near you or buy it online.
4. Store in glass jars Reuse empty jam jars. If you don't have any, get them at Daiso or IKEA
5. Use hands, not gloves According to Connie Chew, a fermentation guru from Malaysia, there are microbes in our hands that is good for fermentation(Source: Kimchi, Kombucha, and Belacan: How to ferment food at home)
   

   “Some people use gloves – especially when making spicy dishes like kimchi, but when you use gloves, you’re actually disconnecting from the microbes. There’s actually bacteria in the hands, which is encouraged, so try not to wear gloves when you’re making fermented food,” Connie Chew

    

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RULES FOR FERMENTATION

1. Do not fill kimchi to the brim When the fermentation process begin, vegetable liquid will be realised. Carbon dioxide and lactic acid that are produced will cause bubbling. If you fill it to the brim, juice will spill out.
2. Pack it tightly and submerge kimchi Don't expose it to air.
3. Do not open the jar during fermentation as the most important fermentation activity occurs at this stage (I got this tip from a book I read ' The Kimchi Cookbook' by Lauryn Chun. Opening it frequently will expose kimchi to oxygen which will affect the condition of kimchi.
4. Leave it to ferment for 24 hours in a cool and dark place. In a book that I read, the kimchi is left out for 3 days to ferment. However, I feel that Malaysian weather is too hot for that. After 24 hours, there is already sign of fermentation i.e bubbling. So I've always just leave it for a night.

Kimchi is one of the easiest and most sustainable way to get probiotic into your body. It's not hard to make and it goes well with rice. I try to have a little kimchi everyday when I have dinner at home.

If you're looking to improve your gut bacteria, this would work for you. Try it!

The post Easy Kimchi Malaysian-Style (11 Ingredients, 30 minutes prep) appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

We ordered Nasi Lemak Wrap (made with quinoa, nuts, vegetables and coconut oil amongst other things), cold-pressed juice and a smoothie bowl to replenish our expended energy and rebuild our aching muscles. We thoroughly enjoy the breakfast, especially the Pittaya Smoothie Bowl. It’s made with red dragon fruit topped with bananas, virgin coconut oil, almond milk, cacao nibs, granola, strawberries, bee pollen, desiccated coconut and chia seeds.

I thought to myself:  ‘I don’t mind having this everyday!’. Eating fruits, vegetables, and other food which incorporate a lot of superfood made me feel so good…until the bill came. Then I realise that I cannot be spending RM 18 on a smoothie bowl everyday. It’s only part of my breakfast – may I add.

HOW TO HAVE SMOOTHIE BOWL DAILY & EASILY

I thought out loud on my Instagram that I’ll try to make it at home (Follow me!) and I did. I wanted to create something easy – so easy that it is sustainable to have it everyday. How?

1. Five ingredients. I use only the bare minimum ingredients to speed things up, and make things less overwhelming.
2. Use dragonfruit. Just slice dragonfruit into half and scoop it out. You don’t have to peel or chop fruits.
3. Easily available at supermarkets. All the ingredients that you need are available in the supermarket. There is no need to visit specialty food store to make this.
4. Make in batch and freeze. It’s best to double or triple the recipe and make 4 or 6 containers to freeze. Every night, before you sleep, just place it in the chiller to defrost.
5. Easy toppings. Use topping that you only need to open from a packet and sprinkle onto the smoothie bowl such as granola and chia seeds. I also chose banana because it’s an easy fruit to prepare.

TOOLS

• Blender
• Small plastic containers
• Knife + chopping board

RECIPE CARD

SHORT RECIPE

Blend 1 dragonfruit + 100 ml soy milk. Pour into containers. Top with chia seeds + granola + sliced banana.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

To enhance your already very healthy smoothie bowl, you can top up with more superfood such as:

• Honey
• Bee pollen
• Spices: e.g Ginger Powder/ Turmeric
• Desiccated coconut
• Cacao Nibs
• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

COOKING TIPS

1. Soy milk replacement. You can replace soy milk with other nut milk e.g almond milk, which was the milk used in the original smoothie bowl that I’ve tasted. However, I think soy milk is a more affordable hence sustainable choice.
2. Use fruit juice. Instead of soy milk, you can also use fruit juice. Juice fresh orange if you have the time.
3. Granola packets. For convenience, I like to buy granola in small packets of about 45 grams.

Enjoy this easy and delicious smoothie bowl!

The post Pink Pittaya Smoothie Bowl – 5 ingredients + 5 min appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

So I simplified one of my favourite recipe Jamu Drink For Health & Beauty. Instead of peeling ginger and turmeric (the latter cause my fingernails to turn yellow), I use blended spices from a bottle. Instead of boiling the tonic for three hours, I add spices and hot water in a thermos flask and let it sit overnight for the flavour to meld. Ta-da! That two tricks allowed me to have a cup of jamu tonic using only 5 minutes of my time!

This herbal tonic taste pleasant with a tinge of sour from asam keping, and sweetness from gula melaka (palm sugar) to balance the otherwise bitter taste of spices. In Indonesia, it was served at breakfast – a healthy way to start the day!

TOOLS

• Thermos flask
• Measuring spoon
• Pestle/ cleaver (to crush lemongrass)
• Knife (to chop lemongrass)

RECIPE CARD

SHORT RECIPE

Add 1 stalk of crushed lemongrass + 1 tsp ginger powder + 1 tsp turmeric powder + 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder + 2 cloves + 10 g gula melaka + 1 cup hot water in a thermos flask. Shake well & leave overnight.

COOKING TIPS

1. Leave for a few hours if you’re pressed for time You don’t have to leave the tonic overnight; a few hours is possible. However, leaving it longer would let the flavour to strengthen.
2. Adjust the taste according to your liking. I like my drink a bit more sourish so I’ll put more asam keping. If you like it to be sweeter, add more gula melaka. You can omit the sugar entirely if you don’t mint the herbal and somewhat bitter taste of the spices.
3. Sweetened with honey Instead of gula melaka, you can sweetened this drink with honey instead.

Enjoy your 5 minutes Jamu tonic!

The post Overnight Jamu Tonic in Thermos – 5 min appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.

But fruits is not good only for constipation. It provides fibre and fibre is an important part of a healthy balanced diet. It can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and some cancers, and can also improve digestive health. (source: UK National Health Service)

So in my attempt to make fruits more enticing, I thought of flavouring it with a Thai dip: prik-kab-klua. In Thailand, this salt-sugar-chili mixture comes along with fruits that you buy from a roadside stall. The additional tastes – salty, sweet and spicy – gives another dimension to tropical fruits.

I personally like the colour and texture. Fruits look so invited with sprinkles of red and white on top (sometimes I even oregano for the extra taste and additional green colour). Perfect to jazz up an ordinary plate of fruits for a party!

TOOLS

• Dipping bowl

RECIPE CARD

SHORT RECIPE

Mix 1 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp sea salt + 1 tsp chilli flakes

TIPS

1. Use sea salt I’ve switched to using sea salt in flavouring my food. Unlike table salt which has a sharp taste, sea salt milder and gentler to the tongue. Find out why sea salt is better than table salt
2. Add oregano I like to add another teaspoon of oregano into this traditional dip. Why? Of all herbs, oregano is one of the highest in antioxidant. Hence, I always find ways to sneak them into my cooking. I was so please to find that this dip taste much better with the addition of this spice. The herbaceous green notes tone down the spiciness of the chilli powder, the sweetness of the sugar, and the saltiness of the sea salt.

Sprinkle these over guava, mango, pineapple or any other fruits. Enjoy!

The post Thai Chilli Salt (Prik-kab-klua) – 3 ingredients  appeared first on New Malaysian Kitchen.