Malaysian medley

By JAN BILTON - The Marlborough Express

Malaysia has a rich food history, offering exotic delights with a touch of spice. Try these simple recipes to bring a taste of Asia to your dining table.

Malaysian cuisine is a tempting potpourri of Malay, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese and Sri Lankan foods. The style of cooking is similar to Indonesian where spices are ground to a paste with a pestle and mortar and stir-fried to bring out the flavour.

In addition, Portuguese explorers brought their own ingredients and cooking techniques to Malaysia in the 16th century, adding further appeal to a range of exotic dishes.

Traditionally, a Malaysian everyday dinner consists of rice, one meat or seafood dish and a vegetable dish. There is no set number of dishes served but it can vary from three to six. Malaysian meals are not served as separate courses all dishes are served together and eaten with rice. Chilli-based sambals add extra zing.

Unlike many Asian countries where desserts are often not served, Malays love rich sweet desserts often based on glutinous rice, sago, mung beans and bean flour. Coconut milk provides the richness, palm sugar adds sweetness and the pandanus leaf adds flavour. The latter is used in a similar way we use vanilla beans. Sweet spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and cloves flavour many desserts.

The following recipes have been adapted to suit Kiwi cooking styles and tastes.

GRILLED FISH, MALAYSIAN-STYLE

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp each: finely chopped root ginger, garlic

1 tsp each: grated lemon rind, chilli paste

600g skinned and boned white fish fillets

2 Tbsp oil

3/4 cup coconut cream

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp each: salt, sugar, ground turmeric

Place the onion, ginger, garlic, lemon rind and chilli paste into a blender and process until smooth. Alternatively, grind with a mortar and pestle. Brush about one-third of this mixture over both sides of the fish.

Heat the oil and fry the remaining chilli mixture for 3 minutes. Add the other ingredients (except the fish) and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Cook the fish over a barbecue or under a grill, basting once with the sauce. Serve on a platter with a little of the sauce poured over. Serves 4.

MARINATED CHICKEN SKEWERS

1kg skinned and boned chicken

1 tsp each: ground cumin, coriander, turmeric

1/2 -1 tsp ground chilli

3 Tbsp each: peanut or canola oil, soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp palm or brown sugarCut the chicken into 2.5cm cubes. Thread on to skewers. Place in a shallow dish.

Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken, ensuring it is well coated. Marinate the chicken for 1-3 hours.

Preheat a grill to high. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes, turning often. Serves 6.

MALAYSIAN-STYLE COMPRESSED RICE

For this recipe, the rice is traditionally steamed in banana leaves in which it swells and compresses. Best prepared a day ahead.

1 1/2 cups short grain rice

3 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp grated root ginger

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Cover tightly and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until the stock has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender.

Line a 20cm square pan with foil or waxed paper and spoon the rice in. Press down with a weight. Stand for several hours.

To serve: with a wet knife cut the rice into 5cm squares. Cover and reheat in the microwave or a conventional oven. Serves 4-6.

SAGO PUDDING

A platter of sliced fresh fruits could accompany this dessert. Palm syrup can be produced by melting palm sugar in a little water. Stir until dissolved.

1 cup sago

2 1/2 cups water

1 small cinnamon stick

4 cardamom seeds

150g palm sugar, chopped

1 cup thick coconut milk

pinch salt

Extras: thick coconut cream palm sugar syrup or maple syrup

Wash the sago under cold water. Place in a saucepan with 2 cups of the water, the cinnamon stick and cardamom seeds.

Dissolve the palm sugar in the remaining water over medium heat. Strain.

Simmer the sago, stirring, until clear and thick. Add the palm sugar mixture, the coconut milk and salt. Cook, stirring, until very thick. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Pour into a mould and chill, until firm.

Serve equal portions topped with extra coconut cream and palm sugar syrup or maple syrup. Serves 6-8.

Copyright Jan Bilton