Tag: south east asian

• 

  The Easiest Nam Jim Dressing

  Wikipedia writes ‘Nam jim (น้ำจิ้ม) is Thai for “dipping sauce”. It can refer to a wide variety of dipping sauces in Thai cuisine, with many of them being a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and sour’.

  I use this dressing in my PK’s Thai Beef Salad.

  I use a blender (don’t tell anyone please) instead of a mortar and pestle because I am lazy. You will get a more visually appealing result if you use the former, though I hope the taste is similar. I primarily use this dressing on my Thai Beef Salads and they have a lot going on visually anyway.

  Edit: Last time I made this dressing I used a mortar and pestle and the results were worth it 🙂

  If you haven’t already, please go and have a read of my post PK’s Curry Paste Kit. It will show you just how off the charts bonkers I am about using whole spices and the freshest ingredients when making your own pastes etc. Actually maybe give that post a miss ;).

  STEPS:

  1. Gather the ingredients
  2. Mix in the wet blender
  3. Serving

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili
    • 5 coriander roots (cilantro)
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 2.5cm piece fresh ginger root
    • 3 Tbsp fish sauce
    • 3 Tbsp lime juice
    • 1 Tbsp palm sugar
  • Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a tablespoon
    • a teaspoon
    • a medium sized bowl
    • a wet blender with a small bowl
    • a dry mill (optional)
    • a small serving bowl for the middle of the table

  Gather the ingredients

  Steps:

  1. Dry mill your whole kashmiri chilis to get 1 tsb. Mostly I use store bought powder though.
  2. Wash the 5 coriander roots thoroughly if you have just harvested them. I have a stash in the freezer though of roots retained after using the rest of the plant. See my post Herbs – Coriander (Coriandrum sativum).
  3. Peel and rough chop the 3 garlic cloves.
  4. Peel and rough chop the 2.5cm ginger root.
  5. Bring the 3 Tbsp fish sauce, 3 Tbsp lime juice and 1 Tbsp palm sugar together.

  

  Mix in the wet blender

  Steps:

  1. Pop everything into your wet blender and pulse till you get the look you are after.
  2. Have a taste and add a bit more of anything you think is under represented. For example I normally add a bit more fish sauce for the saltiness factor.

  

  Serving

  Pop the lot in a serving bowl. I do this so that every one can build their own Thai salad at dinner. I haven’t tried storing this in the fridge for very long but the salt content of the fish sauce should let it keep for a while. You might just want to freshen up the citrus flavour by adding a bit of lime or lemon juice.

  I would love to hear about your favourite Thai salad dressing or dipping sauce.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 12, 2016

• 

  PK’s Favourite Nam Jim Dressing

  Wikipedia writes ‘Nam jim (น้ำจิ้ม) is Thai for “dipping sauce”. It can refer to a wide variety of dipping sauces in Thai cuisine, with many of them being a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and sour’.

  I use this dressing in my PK’s Thai Beef Salad.

  I use a blender (don’t tell anyone please) instead of a mortar and pestle because I am lazy. You will get a more visually appealing result if you use the former, though I hope the taste is similar. I primarily use this dressing on my Thai Beef Salads and they have a lot going on visually anyway.

  Edit: Last time I made this dressing I used a mortar and pestle and the results were worth it 🙂

  If you haven’t already, please go and have a read of my post PK’s Curry Paste Kit. It will show you just how off the charts bonkers I am about using whole spices and the freshest ingredients when making your own pastes etc. Actually maybe give that post a miss ;).

  STEPS:

  1. Gather the ingredients
  2. Mix in the wet blender
  3. Serving

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili
    • 5 coriander roots (cilantro)
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 2.5cm piece fresh ginger root
    • 3 Tbsp fish sauce
    • 3 Tbsp lime juice
    • 1 Tbsp palm sugar
  • Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a tablespoon
    • a teaspoon
    • a medium sized bowl
    • a wet blender with a small bowl
    • a dry mill (optional)
    • a small serving bowl for the middle of the table

  Gather the ingredients

  Steps:

  1. Dry mill your whole kashmiri chilis to get 1 tsb. Mostly I use store bought powder though.
  2. Wash the 5 coriander roots thoroughly if you have just harvested them. I have a stash in the freezer though of roots retained after using the rest of the plant. See my post Herbs – Coriander (Coriandrum sativum).
  3. Peel and rough chop the 3 garlic cloves.
  4. Peel and rough chop the 2.5cm ginger root.
  5. Bring the 3 Tbsp fish sauce, 3 Tbsp lime juice and 1 Tbsp palm sugar together.

  

  Mix in the wet blender

  Steps:

  1. Pop everything into your wet blender and pulse till you get the look you are after.
  2. Have a taste and add a bit more of anything you think is under represented. For example I normally add a bit more fish sauce for the saltiness factor.

  

  Serving

  Pop the lot in a serving bowl. I do this so that every one can build their own Thai salad at dinner. I haven’t tried storing this in the fridge for very long but the salt content of the fish sauce should let it keep for a while. You might just want to freshen up the citrus flavour by adding a bit of lime or lemon juice.

  I would love to hear about your favourite Thai salad dressing or dipping sauce.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  June 12, 2016

• 

  Poh’s Nyonya Chicken Curry

  What I like most about this dish is that you get to make your own curry paste (or in Nyonyan cuisine ‘a rempah’). Please see Malay for spice if you want more information.

  When I cook this meal I reduce the sauce until it sticks to the chicken, the roof of your mouth and, of course, your fingers :).

  I have tried it with boneless chicken breast but I have to say I prefer using chicken drumsticks. The bones make for a tastier sauce and the thighs for tenderer meat. If you don’t like the look of the bones at serving time use two forks to jerk the chicken.

  My notes say that I originally got the recipe from Taste.com.au and that it was by Poh Ling Yeow. I can’t find that original post now but she wrote that it took her lots of trial and error to get that ‘authentic taste.’ She wrote “The first time I made this and it worked, I jumped around like a lunatic, I was so happy. I felt like I had conjured magic, to make a dish like this and have it hitting all those familiar notes of home”.

  The ingredients list might look a bit daunting at first but trust me it is worth it. I have of course tweaked it a bit for my lazy cooking style and reduced the chili content for my family. Add your favourite whole chilis after the paste has been sautéed if you like it hot.

  Oh, by the way, you can double the recipe as this meal freezes well. I recommend keeping any leftover rice in a separate container for a stress free microwave reheat though.

  STEPS:

  1. Make the rempah
  2. Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot
  3. One pot simmer

  You will need:

  • Rempah Ingredients:
    • 1 tsp table salt
    • 1 tsp brown sugar
    • 3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
    • 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili (at the minimum)
    • 1 Tbsp dried belacan (shrimp paste)*
    • 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 270g red shallots (sliced)
      
    • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
    • Note *: I sometimes use a treacle consistency type of belacan but find it too sticky and harder to blend than the dried version.
  • Curry Ingredients
    • 3 Tbsb coconut cream
    • 10 sprigs of curry leaves
    • 1 star anise
    • 2 whole cloves
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets
    • 500g potatoes
    • 500ml coconut milk
  • Rempah Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a medium sized bowl
    • a small plate
    • a wet blender with a very small bowl
    • a dry spice mixer (or a mortar and pestle)
  • Curry Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a measuring cup for the coconut milk
    • 2 large plates
    • a large deep frypan or stockpot

  Make the rempah

  I listed all the ingredients for the curry itself and the rempah for your shopping lists but I’ve actually posted the rempah recipe separately here – A Nyonya Rempah.

  Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot

  In summary:

   

  Steps:

  1. Peel, halve and parboil the 500g of potatoes in the saucepan. Rinse and then drain them.
  2. Bring the 3 Tbsp coconut cream, 1 star anise, 2 whole cloves and the 1 cinnamon stick together. Then chuck them in the pot.
  3. Bring your Nyonya curry paste out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature somewhat. If you are using a frozen batch you should have defrosted it fully by now. Chuck the paste in the pot too.
  4. Sauté everything that is in the pot for about 10 minutes. Watch the colour of the Nyonya paste change and the oil start to separate out. See the image below showing the raw paste on the left and the cooked paste on the right. By now your kitchen is smelling amazing :).
  5. To the pot, add the 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, pausing to mix them with the spice blend as you go.
  6. Add the now parboiled potatoes, 10 sprigs of curry leaves and 500ml of coconut milk to the pot and simmer until the potatoes and chicken legs are cooked through.

  Serve with lots of your favourite rice. Mine is Basmarti and please don’t tell anyone I use the store bought packets you microwave for 90 seconds.

  

  Poh is amazing,

  PK

  Related Links:

  • see all recipes using chicken here
  • see more Southeast Asian posts here
  • see all curry recipes here

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  May 16, 2016

• 

  PK Makes Poh’s Nyonya Chicken Curry

  What I like most about this dish is that you get to make your own curry paste (or in Nyonyan cuisine ‘a rempah’). Please see Malay for spice if you want more information.

  When I cook this meal I reduce the sauce until it sticks to the chicken, the roof of your mouth and, of course, your fingers :).

  I have tried it with boneless chicken breast but I have to say I prefer using chicken drumsticks. The bones make for a tastier sauce and the thighs for tenderer meat. If you don’t like the look of the bones at serving time use two forks to jerk the chicken.

  My notes say that I originally got the recipe from Taste.com.au and that it was by Poh Ling Yeow. I can’t find that original post now but she wrote that it took her lots of trial and error to get that ‘authentic taste.’ She wrote “The first time I made this and it worked, I jumped around like a lunatic, I was so happy. I felt like I had conjured magic, to make a dish like this and have it hitting all those familiar notes of home”.

  The ingredients list might look a bit daunting at first but trust me it is worth it. I have of course tweaked it a bit for my lazy cooking style and reduced the chili content for my family. Add your favourite whole chilis after the paste has been sautéed if you like it hot.

  Oh, by the way, you can double the recipe as this meal freezes well. I recommend keeping any leftover rice in a separate container for a stress free microwave reheat.

  STEPS:

  1. Make the rempah
  2. Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot
  3. One pot simmer

  You will need:

  • Rempah Ingredients:
    • 1 tsp table salt
    • 1 tsp brown sugar
    • 3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
    • 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
    • 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili (at the minimum)
    • 1 Tbsp dried belacan (shrimp paste)*
    • 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 270g red shallots (sliced)
      
    • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
    • Note *: I sometimes use a treacle consistency type of belacan but find it too sticky and harder to blend than the dried version.
  • Curry Ingredients
    • 3 Tbsb coconut cream
    • 10 sprigs of curry leaves
    • 1 star anise
    • 2 whole cloves
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets
    • 500g potatoes
    • 500ml coconut milk
  • Rempah Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a medium sized bowl
    • a small plate
    • a wet blender with a very small bowl
    • a dry spice mixer (or a mortar and pestle)
  • Curry Equipment
    • a chopping board
    • a long sharp knife
    • a measuring cup for the coconut milk
    • 2 large plates
    • a large deep frypan or stockpot

  Make the rempah

  I listed all the ingredients for the curry itself and the rempah for your shopping lists but I’ve actually posted the rempah recipe separately here – A Nyonya Rempah.

  Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot

  In summary:

   

  Steps:

  1. Peel, halve and parboil the 500g of potatoes in the saucepan. Rinse and then drain them.
  2. Bring the 3 Tbsp coconut cream, 1 star anise, 2 whole cloves and the 1 cinnamon stick together. Then chuck them in the pot.
  3. Bring your Nyonya curry paste out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature somewhat. If you are using a frozen batch you should have defrosted it fully by now. Chuck the paste in the pot too.
  4. Sauté everything that is in the pot for about 10 minutes. Watch the colour of the Nyonya paste change and the oil start to separate out. See the image below showing the raw paste on the left and the cooked paste on the right. By now your kitchen is smelling amazing :).
  5. To the pot, add the 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, pausing to mix them with the spice blend as you go.
  6. Add the now parboiled potatoes, 10 sprigs of curry leaves and 500ml of coconut milk to the pot and simmer until the potatoes and chicken legs are cooked through.

  Serve with lots of your favourite rice. Mine is Basmarti and please don’t tell anyone I use the store bought packets you microwave for 90 seconds.

  

  Thanks Poh,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  May 16, 2016

• 

  PK’s Curry Paste Kit

  You’ve probably noticed, that for me, cooking is a journey thing and not a destination thing. Nothing epitomises this more than making your own curry pastes. I love the experience of sourcing the spices and getting inside tips from Asian grocers. It has also driven much of the layout of my kitchen garden so I can get the freshest ingredients. There is also the thrill of a covert dash to get new kitchen kit purchases into the cupboard undetected, so I can tell my wife ‘no that isn’t new, I have had it for ages’. Ha!

  By not buying your pastes you get to:

  • have a pleasant and calming experience;
  • control of the ingredients’ quality;
  • use less salt and preservatives;
  • help the environment by eliminating a lot of packaging.

  I want to share with you some of my curry making kitchen kit and I also have some handy hints for you.

  Paste Making Tips:

  • Use whole spices and just before you mill them, dry roast them in a hot pan, keeping them moving the whole time. Experiment a bit, with the goal being more the release of the spices’ aromas in my opinion, rather than a change in their appearance. Safe to say that if the smoke alarm goes off, you have dry roasted them too long or too high :).
  • Try and use as much ingredients from your garden as possible, harvesting what you need just before making the paste to lock in the freshness.
  • Cooking is a lot about chemistry and the interactions between ingredients. As an example, I implore you to add chillies to your pastes and curries etc as you cook and not just as you serve dishes. I use kasmiri chilli because it is high on flavour and low on heat because my wife doesn’t like the heat.This way the dish will hit all the right notes but let people tweak it the way they like it on the table.
  • Whilst not as economical as bulk purchases, try and buy whole spices in quantities that you will go through quickly. For some spices this might mean very small packets. You could always go in together with some friends to get the bulk discount. The idea is not to have the spices sitting for to long in you cupboard losing their aroma.
  • Grinders are better than bladed mixers because the former doesn’t generate heat and hence doesn’t cook the ingredients. I use short bursts and pauses when using my bladed mixers to overcome this.

  Equipment List:

  Dry spice mixer

  I would really like a combination wet/dry mixer but they can cost an arm and a leg. So I have bought one of each type instead. I use a Breville Spice/Coffee grinder to mill my freshly roasted whole spices. I never use it for coffee now to prevent taste cross over.

  

  Wet Mixer

  I have had several blenders over the years but the best so far has been the Nutribullet. I was shocked when it worked as well as the TV adverts said it would. It is pretty powerful but the draw cards are that it comes with a small jug and one of the blade attachments curves down and then up.

  

  This is important because even though most curry pastes freeze well, I generally make them in very small one meal batches. The low profile blade mixes all of the ingredients even for small volumes of ingredients.

  Citrus Juicer

  This is by far the best juicer I have ever owned. I needed something easy to use because we have a massive lime tree and an equally productive lemon tree in our kitchen garden. Given how many I go through every week and not having the space for a electric juicer, I hunted high and low for a solution. This beastie makes short work of lemons and even the biggest of limes. The power is in the concave presses and the long handles.

  I bought it from Kitchen Warehouse but I can’t remember how much it was other than it being enough to make me wonder if it was worth it before I tried it. It sure is though :).

   

  Please let me know if you have any tips or favourite curry paste making kit and I will give it a try 🙂

  PK

   

   

   

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 24, 2016

• 

  Rick Stein’s Garam Masala

  I use Rick Stein’s garam masala in so many dishes it isn’t funny. This uniquely south asian spice blend is earthy in taste and aroma. The blend is so verstile though and enhances the dishes of many cuisines.

  Sure, you could buy a garam masala from the shops. MasterFoods makes a really good one that I grew up with but making your own means that the spices haven’t lost their aroma and you get to personalise the blend.

  Rick Stein says “Even more important than the mix is having them freshly roasted and then ground” and of course, he’s right. It is a bit of extra effort but a pleasurable experience. The resulting spice mix  lasts for months in an airtight container.

  Steps:

  You will need:

  Roast the whole spices

  Pop all the spices (except the nutmeg) in a hot pan and keep them moving the whole time. Safe to say that if the smoke alarm goes off, you have dry roasted them too long or too high :).

  Experiment a bit, with the goal being more the release of the spices’ aromas in my opinion, rather than a change in their appearance.

  Mill the spices

  Once cooled, transfer everything to your blender or mortar. Grate the nutmeg (or like me use shop bought ground nutmeg, oops) separately and to the mill. Run the mill in quick bursts until you get the consistency you like. Then store in an airtight container.

  For more Rick Stein recipes click here.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  March 9, 2016