Nyonya Acar Awak (Malaysian Spicy Vegetable Pickle)

Visually vibrant to the eye and refreshingly piquant to the taste, acar awak is a traditional cold Malaysian pickle bursting with a lip-smacking blend of sweetness, tang and spice as well as a spectrum of textures and crunch levels. A joyride for your tongue, if you will, especially when served alongside hot rice and as an accompaniment to cut through heavier curries.

Some recipes omit the pineapple; I personally find it adds a juicy, succulent sweetness that really elevates this dish. The blending of the paste takes a bit of work, so feel free to double or triple the quantities and make a large batch at one go. Be sure to top liberally with more chopped peanuts and roasted sesame seeds just before serving.

Nyonya Acar Awak (Spicy Mixed Vegetable Pickle)

Serves 12 as a small side

Chop the following into 2” sticks:

1 medium-large cucumber (about 300g), pulp removed

1 medium carrot (100g), peeled

A handful long green beans/French beans (100g)

¼ of a white cabbage (150g)

*You can also use cauliflower or other crunchy vegetables. Measurements are approximate, adjust to taste

Stir in 1 tbsp salt.

Slice 200g pineapple into small chunks.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels and spread everything except the pineapple onto it. Bake on very low heat (about 100C) for about 25 mins to dry out (or if you live in Malaysia/somewhere very hot, feel free to lay it out in the sun for a few hours!)

• Spice paste:

Grind the following together and fry in oil over medium heat for 10 mins until fragrant:

5 shallots/1 large cooking onion

5 cloves garlic

5 dried chillies, deseeded and soaked

2 candlenuts

1 tsp turmeric powder (or 1” fresh turmeric )- if you are multiplying this recipe, do not increase turmeric quantity too much as it can taste bitter. Just add a bit more than 1 tsp.

1 stick lemongrass, white part only

1” galangal

Optional for non-vegetarians: a bit of belacan, dried shrimp

Stir in and bring to a boil:

¼ cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

Stir in and immediately turn off heat:

Prepared vegetables

2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup (about 50g) roasted ground peanuts

Allow to cool completely and refrigerate in a glass jar overnight (or for up to 4 weeks) so flavours can intensify. 

Before serving, leave at room temperature for a short while (so it's not stone cold) and top with extra ground peanuts and sesame seeds. 

Devour with hot steamed rice!

Chunky Avocado Toast

Hello again foodies!

Firstly, I'm SORRY. I know it's been HALF A YEAR since my last post. I am a useless, inconsiderate, irresponsible food blogger :(

By way of explanation, since my post in June 2012 it's been an incredibly busy summer of long rehearsals to dance in the London Olympics closing ceremony, after which I flew straight back to New York to launch into a busy second year. September to November were two stressful months spent juggling school with apartment hunting, followed by the slog of packing, renting a U-Haul truck, and slogging across town with heavy furniture when we finally found one. This trend of most apartments coming unfurnished in NYC? Really not a fan.

ANYWAY, now that I'm finally settled in a little cosy home in Harlem and am on winter break, hello!

Now on to the dish at hand. My fiance Ari, a self-confessed avocado hater before tasting this at the lovely Leather Lane branch of Prufrock Coffee in London, made the following for me in no time at all earlier today. 

Four ingredients, a few minutes and voila: a delectable combination of creamy avocado, crunchy buttery toast, refreshing lime juice, hints of spice and salt to bring it all together. The easiest, yummiest brunch ever!

Chunky Avocado Toast

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 slices wholegrain bread

Butter

1 large ripe avocado (you know it's ripe if it's soft enough to yield to pressure)

Half a lime

Salt

Chilli flakes, or red pepper flakes, or torn up dried chillies

Toast and butter the bread.

Slice up the avocado and pile equally on each slice of toast. *If you are an avocado virgin, please see "Easy Twisty Way of Cutting an Avocado" below. 

Top each slice with a generous squeeze of lime juice. Sprinkle with salt and chilli flakes.

Stuffyourfacenomnomnom!

Easy Twisty Way of Cutting An Avocado

Cut lengthwise all the way around (working around the seed) and twist the two halves apart.

Tap the blade of your knife so that it's wedged into the seed, and twist to remove.

Score the avocado into strips with your knife.
Spoon the flesh out with a spoon.

Eggs in Purgatory (Uova in Purgatorio)

I first discovered this fabulous Southern Italian dish a few years ago when leafing through our copy of The Sopranos Family Cookbook, which Arivind (being a huge fan of the hit TV show) spotted in a bargain bin at a second hand book store and was compelled to buy. Since then it has become a staple in our Frequently Cooked list- essentially eggs poached in a "purgatorial" rich red tomato sauce, this classic Neapolitan concoction not only tastes good, costs nothing and takes virtually no time or effort, but packs a nutritious punch too! Perfect for those days when you haven't stocked up your cupboard but still want a quick comforting brunch.

Adapt as you wish by adding dried chillies, red pepper flakes or even olives. Non-vegetarians, I highly recommend throwing in a handful of chopped bacon at the start- it's not the done thing but I've discovered it really elevates the flavour to a whole new level.

Enjoy!

Eggs in Purgatory (Uova in Purgatorio)

Serves 2-3 (depending on how many eggs each person wants)

Heat a bit of olive oil in a deep pan. Throw in and toss over medium heat briefly until fragrant:

1 clove garlic, smashed

A few fresh basil leaves, torn (or if you don't have it, a sprinkling of dried mixed herbs)

Optional: A handful of chopped bacon, or crushed dried chillies, red pepper flakes, olives, onions...

Pour in roughly 400ml of tomato passata/puree (or however much you need to cover the base of the pan)-

I think canned chopped tomatoes are too watery, but if you only have that just use it

and add 1 tbsp tomato puree. Bring to a simmer.

Season the tomatoes well with salt, then gently break in 6 eggs.

Sprinkle with dried herbs, freshly ground black pepper and

grated parmesan/whatever cheese you feel like.

Cover and simmer over low heat for about 8-10 mins until egg whites are firm but yolk is still runny.

Serve with buttered toast or crusty bread.

Kuih Ketayap/Dadar/Gulung (Malaysian Pandan Crepes with Sweet Coconut Filling)

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Just in case you fancy something a little different for Pancake Day tomorrow, I thought today would be the perfect time to share with you try this traditional recipe for Malaysian filled crepes.

Flavoured with fragrant pandan and stuffed with sticky sweet coconut, this ubiquitous kuih (a generic term encompassing many sweet and savoury bitesize cakes, cookies and snacks) is known back home by a range of names- kuih dadar (I assume referring to how the omelette-like crepe is fried), kuih ketayap as the batter surface takes on patterns similar to the Malay skullcap when cooking or the simpler kuih gulung due to how it is rolled. Whatever you choose to call it, it's a tasty little bundle for those who want a pancake with a difference.

Kuih Ketayap/Dadar/Gulung (Malaysian Pandan Crepes with Sweet Coconut Filling)

Makes 8-10 rolls

• Crepe batter

Whisk together until lump free:

100g plain flour

Pinch of salt and sugar

½ cup thin

coconut milk (or some people like using regular fresh milk)

½ cup water

A few drops pandan paste (if you prefer to extract fresh pandan juice, blend 6 large pandan leaves with the 1/2 cup of water then strain through a cheesecloth or sieve)

1 egg

1 tbsp oil

Allow the batter to sit for 30 mins (it will take on a thicker consistency).

• Coconut Filling

Combine in a small pot and dissolve over the stove:

½ cup water

100g gula melaka (coconut palm sugar)

1 pandan leaf, torn into strips (or knot it if you prefer- I think tearing it gives more flavour)

Stir in:

1 cup dessicated coconut

2 tbsp coconut cream (if you are lucky enough to have access to freshly grated coconut you won't need to add this. I just add it to the dried dessicated stuff so the filling doesn't end up too dry)

1 tsp cornstarch diluted in a bit of water

Add more water if necessary. Simmer over low heat until sticky then leave to cool.

To cook, heat a tiny bit of oil in a non-stick shallow frying pan over medium heat. Using a small ladle or 1/4 cup, scoop and pour the batter into the centre of the pan (the batter should sizzle upon contact) and swirl the pan quickly to make a large round thin layer. The crepe will set quickly- once the edges curl up, flip it over and let fry briefly on the other side.

Slide it off onto a plate once cooked, add a bit more oil to the pan and repeat until the rest of the batter is used up.

To assemble, place 2 tbsp of filling onto one edge of the crepe.

Roll it up snugly, folding in the sides at the midway point.

Repeat with the rest of the filling and crepes, then eat.

HAPPY PANCAKE DAY! :)

Sticky Apple Cake

SAM TAN'S KITCHEN HAS MOVED! Please visit the new website/online store at www.samtanskitchen.com. You can also follow Sam on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Thank you!

Several wrinkly deteriorating apples in my fridge and some luscious looking recipes online inspired me to make this. Dark, moist, fragrant, sweet and festively spiced with chewy chunks of soft fruit and the added bite of nuts- NOM NOM NOM.

Sticky Apple Cake

Makes one large-ish (about 13" x 9") rectangular pan's worth of oooey-gooey cake

Stir together and let soak for at least an hour:

150g sultanas

Generous glug of brandy

Melt 225g butter, then leave aside to cool.

Combine in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer for a few minutes until thick and pale:

2 eggs

300g dark muscovado sugar

100g white granulated sugar

Add and fold until well-mixed:

The melted butter

The soaked sultanas

2 large green apples, cored and chopped

100g nuts, toasted and chopped (I used hazelnuts but use whatever you want)

250g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Dash of ground nutmeg

Pour into a lined 13" x 9" rectangular baking tray and bake for about 1hr 15 mins at 160C (or 140C fan-assisted). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kabocha Korokke (Japanese Pumpkin Croquettes)

SAM TAN'S KITCHEN HAS MOVED! Please visit the new website/online store at www.samtanskitchen.com. You can also follow Sam on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Thank you!

OK, so strictly speaking I can't call this recipe kabocha korroke as I didn't actually have any of those beautiful deep green Kabocha squashes (or Japanese pumpkins) on hand. Instead, I massacred poor Count Pumpkula instead- our Halloween pumpkin vampire which no longer had a purpose in life beyond October 31st.

The late Count Pumpkula, serving us well in life and in death. Or is that undeath?

The Kabocha squash you're meant to be using for this recipe

Kabocha squashes have an exceptional intense sweetness like a cross between sweet potato and butternut squash, so a few adjustments were necessary to get the far more watery, inferiorly flavoured regular pumpkin to taste the same. If you have a proper Kabocha on hand, the sieving step won't be necessary as it won't be that wet, and you can omit the sugar and flour in the mash.

Kabocha Korokke (Japanese Pumpkin Croquettes)

Makes about 10 small pieces

Cut half a small Kabocha pumpkin into small chunks- leave the skin on so you get pretty green bits in your croquettes. Boil for about 20 mins in salted water (or some people use chicken broth) until tender and cooked. Drain thoroughly, then mash and set aside to cool.

If using regular pumpkin instead of Kabocha, drain it again

once mashed by pressing through a fine sieve.

Finely chop half a small onion and fry for a few minutes in a bit of oil or butter over medium heat until translucent. Stir it into the mashed pumpkin along with:

2 tbsp light soy sauce

½ tsp salt

A generous dash of white pepper

1 tbsp flour (if using normal pumpkin)

1 tbsp sugar (if using normal pumpkin)

Place 1 cup flour, 1 extra large whisked egg and 1 ½ cups panko

(Japanese breadcrumbs) in 3 separate bowls.

Panko- lighter, flakier and crisper than normal breadcrumbs,

commonly found in Asian shops

Shape the pumpkin mash into croquette patties with two large spoons.

Dip each pattie in flour...

...then in egg...

...then in panko breadcrumbs.

Deep fry a few croquettes at a time until brown and crisp, turning several times with a pair of long wooden chopsticks. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Let cool for a few minutes so you don't burn your tongue. Drizzle with a bit of fruity tonkatsu sauce if desired, then crunch away!