Spiced Tomato Relish From The Tummies' Kitchen

I picked up The god of small things by Arundhati Roy 14 years after I first read it. Like the first time, I was transported back to Kerela of the 60's after reading just the first few pages. It is a complicated and moving tale that can get quite heavy at times; one do need to have a break from the book, to regroup, to digest and to contemplate from time to time before continuing. During one of those breaks, I walked out of the dark and stuffy Ipe family's Paradise Pickles and Preserves factory and stepped right back into my bright, airy kitchen to start another batch of my very own spiced tomato relish.

There are always jars of condiments (preserves, chutneys, relishes) in our fridge as I am a firm believer that a good condiment can turn a dull meal into an good one and a good meal into an excellent one. However, good shop bought condiments can be quite pricey but fortunately I am pretty good at making them and more importantly I do really enjoy making them.

I think everyone should have a jar of this very delicious and extremely versatile relish in the pantry. We are using it with everything and in every possible way at the rate of one jar per week. I will show you different ways to enjoy this addictive relish in the coming days, meanwhile make a large batch today so you can share it with your love ones too.

If you also like to have a condiment of some sort with your meal, you might want to check out these versatile relish/sauce of mine;

1) beetroot relish

2) Anglesea sauce

3) homemade dried shrimp chili sauce

4) onion relish 

P.S more relishes and chutneys on the way so please stay tuned!

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
makes ~500 ml
you'll need;
100 ml of olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 slices of ginger or 2 tsp of ginger powder
3 to 4 bird chilies, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
a small piece of cassia or cinnamon bark
4 cloves
450 ml diced or crushed tomatoes

1 sprig of rosemary

1 stalk of basil

2 heaped tbs of brown sugar

4 heaped tbs of vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, chilies, bay leaves and dried spices with olive oil over medium heat until onion is soften. Don't be alarm by the amount of oil used, the attractive red tint oil will serve as a protector for the precious relish.

Add canned tomatoes, herbs, sugar and vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.

Simmer uncovered on very low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the sauce is thickish. Check for seasonings, it should be savoury, sour, sweet and extremely aromatic.

Remove solids and allow to cool completely before bottle in sterilized jars.  It can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.

It goes perfectly with some delicious stuffed meatballs, recipe coming up.

Stir Fried Choko And Mung Bean Noodles With Dried Shrimp Chili Sauce 蝦米辣椒醬炒粉絲佛手瓜 - "Malaysian Monday 87"

My cousin W.Y whom I haven't seen for years was in Sydney to attend a conference. It was a great opportunity to leave town for a few days and do a bit of catching up with her.

We shared a few nice meals and we pretty much talked non stop; mesmerising about the past, talked about the present and touched on the near future. As you can imagine food was one of the many topics of interest  in between glasses of Australian reds.

For someone who is not a keen cook she rarely read my blog unless she is after a particular family recipe, Thai recipes or when she wants to spy on me. She did request for more simple home dishes that we grew up with, therefore my unofficial theme for this month's Malaysian Monday will just be that - simple but delicious dishes that will transport us back to our carefree childhood in Cameron Highlands.

I was looking for the tender choko shoots known as dragon's whiskers but it looks like I might have to wait for a few more weeks before they start appearing on the market. However choko is readily available at my local supermarket so I decided to make a simple stir fry using the remaining homemade dried shrimp chili sauce, I think W.Y will be pleased with my choice since she went home with two jars of my prized chili sauce.

P.S the 24th MMM roundup is up, remember to to head over to my friend Sharon's blog (Test With Skewer) if you haven't done so.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 4 as part of a shared meal

you'll need;

3 heap tbs of homemade dried shrimp chili sauce

1 choko, peeled, removed seed and cut into long strips

a small bunch of mung bean noodles, soften and drained well

1 tbs of light soy
1 tbs of oyster sauce

dash of white pepper

Peel and slice choko into matchstick size strips.

Soak mung bean noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, cut into shorter pieces (~6 cm).

Heat up the wok and saute the dried shrimp chili sauce with some vegetable oil.

Add choko, mix well and stir fry on high heat for a minute.

Add mung bean noodles, season with soy, oyster sauce and white pepper and continue to stir fry on high heat until the noodles are tender (~1 minute).

Serve with plenty of steamed rice on the side.

I am the host for the September event so please send all your entries to me at sureshchong@yahoo.com. To find out more about the event and on how to enter please click HERE.

Chinchalok Relish With Shallot, Chili And Lime - Merdeka Open House 2012 & "Malaysian Monday 86"

If you are already a fan of pungent Asian delicacies such as dried shrimp, shrimp paste, fish sauce, mentaiko or salted fish then you are going to enjoy and appreciate this simple condiment that is packed full of flavour. But if you are rolling your eyes and feeling sick at the thought of all the ingredients I just mentioned, it is wise to look away right now.

I wasn't planning to start blogging again until next week but then I remembered the invitation from Pick Shan (Babe In City - KL) for her annual Merdeka Open House party. Not wanting to miss out on the virtual party to celebrate our country's 55th birthday I interfered with my trip to share with you something that is uniquely Malaysian.

I actually did have plan for a grander and more sophisticated dish but sadly time wasn't on my side. Though simple and uncomplicated in term of ingredients used and the preparation process, the same can't be said about the taste of this relish using chinchalok (brined baby shrimps or krills, or udang geragau in Malay), an age old Malay delicacy that is now enjoyed  by all Malaysians. 

P.S More recipes using chinchalok will be posted in the coming weeks so please stay tuned!

makes 1/3 cup

you'll need;

2 to 3 tbs of chinchalok (brined shrimps)*

2 shallots, sliced

2 to 3 bird chilies, sliced

juice from one lime
*available from good Asian grocers.

This is what chinchalok looks like.

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. A delicious relish is ready in less than 5 minutes. Serve alongside rice or congee.

My friend Sharon from Test With Skewer will be hosting this month's event, please send all your entries to its.sharon@gmail.com

To learn more about the event and on how to enter, please click here.

Thai Condiment Sets

A common sight at all Thai noodle shops or stalls are the 4-container condiment sets that come in all shapes, colours and made from different materials. They are not unlike your salt and pepper sets but just a bit more exotic and fun. You are able to add one or all of the four condiments to any noodle dish to achieve the final balanced flavour that suits your taste, it's a totally democratic way of eating! 

The four condiments each carries the basic flavours of Thai cooking namely hot (dried chili flakes or prik pon) , sour (sliced or pounded chilies in vinegar or nam som prik), salty (fish sauce or nam pla) and sweet (suagr or namtaan).

Do it as the Thai would and always have the condiments on the table when serving Thai style noodles at home next.