Panang Muu แพนงหมู Panang Curry With Pork

I was determined to use up all the meat and seafood in my freezer, bounties that I bought months ago that I didn't have the opportunity to cook.

Among the goodies I unearthed was a piece of pork fillet which I turned into a delicious panang curry. With the homemade curry paste I prepared beforehand, frozen kaffir lime leaves in the freezer and coconut cream in my pantry, such a wonderful meal can be prepared with ease.

As I have mentioned before, this keang (Thai curry) is named after the Malaysian state of Penang but it is simply the Thais' interpretation of a Malaysian curry, so don't expect to find anything similar when you are in Penang next.

Though completely misleading, whoever invented this luscious dish should truly be applauded.

P.S feel free to add some green beans to the curry if our heart desires.

serves 4 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
500g of pork fillet, thinly sliced
1 can of coconut cream (Mae Ploy brand)
3 heaped tbs of Panang curry paste, homemade or shop bought
4 tbs of fish sauce
4 tbs of palm sugar
6 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
5 bird chillies, halved lengthwise
3 heaped tbs of toasted peanut, pounded (optional)

Slice pork and finely shred the kaffir lime leaves.

Fish sauce and palm sugar is a must of course.

Add 1/3 can of the coconut cream to the wok and cook on medium heat until the oil starts to split.

Add curry paste, mix well and allow the paste to fry in the coconut cream/oil mixture on medium heat for about a minute.

Add the rest of the coconut cream (reserving a few tablespoons for later use) and bring it to a simmer, season with fish sauce and palm sugar. Add pork to the wok together with half of the kaffir lime leaves and chili halves, mix and cook gently until the pork is just cooked. Finally stir in the pounded peanut (if using) and check for seasonings.

Drizzle the reserved coconut cream and garnish with the rest of the shredded kaffir lime leaves and chili halves.

Serve with plenty of steamed rice and perhaps a perfectly fried egg?

Rohu Kalia, Fish Cooked In An Aromatic Turmeric And Yoghurt Sauce

It has been quite a week but alas! the much anticipated long weekend is finally here! As the day continues to heat up, lying in bed composing a blog post in my very cool room seems like the best thing to do at the time being. 

I have had a box of New Zealand deep sea cod fillets sitting idle in the freezer for months. There were many failed attempts and recipe ideas to use them up, I finally managed to do that last Sunday with a bit of planning and a will stronger than usual.

I came across this very simple Bengali specialty in The Food Of India - a beautiful cookbook that I often refer to whenever I want to try out some new Indian dishes at home. The end result didn't disappoint and this is certainly a recipe that I will go back to.

recipe adapted from The Food Of India

serves 4 as part of an Indian meal

you'll need;

600 g of cod or other film fresh fish fillets

oil for cooking

5 cm piece of cinnamon stick

4 cardamom pods

3 cloves

3 cassia leaves or bay leaves

1 small brown onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3 cm piece of ginger, grated

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp of cumin powder

1 tsp of chili powder

400 ml of Greek yoghurt

3 green chilies, julienned 

salt and black pepper to taste

Prepare the aromatics and set aside.

Pan fry cod fillets in batches until golden on both sides, remove and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan, fry the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves and bay leaves over a low heat for about a minute. Add the onion saute until golden (~5 minutes). Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and chili powder and continue to saute for a further 30 seconds.

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add in the yoghurt (this prevents the yoghurt from splitting and curdling). Return the pan to the stove, add chillies and bring it to a simmer, season with salt and return the fish to the pan. mix the fish gently with the sauce and simmer until the fish is cooked completely. 

We had this mild dish with Punjabi cabbage (recipe up next) and plenty of steamed basmati rice.

Kari Ikan Mamak, Mamak (Indian Muslim) Style Fish Curry - "Malaysian Monday 97"

I know it is already Wednesday but it is better late than never right? 

This is a popular Indian muslim style fish curry that can be found at every corner of our beautiful country. It is extremely simple to recreate this delicious dish at home especially if you are able to obtain some Malaysian fish curry powder (look for burung nuri brand curry powder for fish). I made this in just under 40 minutes during my afternoon break, just to give you an idea of how easy it is.

Spanish mackeral is the fish of choice and cutlet is preferred rather than fillet, if your are unable to find Spanish mackeral, snapper is a good substitute. With the added eggplant and okras means you can save yourself from making another side dish, just make sure you have plenty of steamed rice or roti to mop up the delicious sauce!

P.S remember to check out my prawn version (kari udang mamak) and if you are after Nyonya fish curry (gulai ikan) please click here.

serves 6 to 8 as part of a Malaysian meal

you'll need

1 kg of spanish mackeral cutlets

oil for cooking

1 tsp of funegreek seeds (halba)

1 small eggplant, cut into wedges (optional)

10 okras

2 long green chillies, sliced

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 brown onion, chopped*

6 garlic cloves*

5 cm piece of ginger*

4 tbs of Malaysian fish curry powder (I used burung nuri brand)**

1 tbs of chili powder**

500 ml of coconut milk

500 ml of stock cup stock

2 stalks of curry leaves

4 tbs of tamarind concentrate

Blend ingredients * in the food processor, set aside

Mix ingredients ** with a little water to form a paste, set aside

Blend or chop onion, garlic and ginger and set aside.

Brown eggplant with a little oil until half done and set aside.

Heat up a little more oil in the pan, add funugreek seeds and curry leaves, be careful as the oil might splits, after 30 seconds add the blended ingredients and mix well. Cook the spice mixture on low heat for another 30 to 60 seconds.

Add in the curry paste and mix well. Continue to stir until oil starts to split.

Add coconut milk and stock and let it simmer for 10 minutes before adding the eggplant and tomatoes and green chilies and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add fish cutlets and cook for a further 3 to 5 minutes or until the fish is done. A minute or two before the fish is ready add in the okras and tamarind concentrate. Check for seasonings before serving.

Serve with plenty of steamed rice or some flaky homemade roti canai.

The crazy season has started, we decided a combined Nov/Dec roundup should work better for everyone during the busiest period of the year. I will be hosting the next event, so please send all your entries to me at sureshchong@yahoo.com . To find out more about MMM and on how to enter please click here

Kaeng Phet Ob Gai แกงเผ็ดอบไก่ Baked Whole Chicken In Red Curry Sauce

Tummy wanted a Thai curry while I was looking forward to a good old Sunday roast, in the end we came to a sweet compromise and the result is this beautiful baked whole chicken in red curry sauce using the same technique I learnt from cooking the Italian classic - chicken cooked in milk and the chicken came out moist and juicy as you had imagined.

With the selection of vegetables in the delicious sauce, all you need is plenty of steamed rice and some cold Singha beers

P.S You may use green curry paste of course, homemade is the best but good quality shop bought ones are allowed too :)

recipe from the tummies' kitchen

serves 4 to 6 as part of a Thai meal

oven preheated at 200 C (conventional)

you'll need;

1 free range chicken, removed excess fat, rubbed with garlic and pepper paste

2 small zucchini, cut into manageable pieces

2 long eggplants, cut into manageable pieces

a handful of green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 4 cm pieces

3 heaped tbs of homemade or shop bought red curry paste

2 kaffir lime leaves, torn

1 can of Ayam brand coconut cream

1 can of Ayam brand coconut milk

1.5 cups of stock

4 tbs of fish sauce

4 tbs of palm sugar

1 bunch of Thai basil, picked

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

2 to 3 bird chillies, sliced

garlic, pepper and coriander paste;

3 cloves of garlic,

3 coriander roots, scrubbed and chopped

2 tbs of white peppercorns 

a pinch of salt

*pound everything into a course paste

Prepare the vegetables and set aside.

Cook eggplant pieces with a little oil on high heat until slightly soften. This step is optional but the end result is worth the extra few minutes.

Rub chicken with the garlic, pepper and coriander root paste then brown chicken in a pot with a little oil until golden all over, remove and set aside.

Place 4 heaped tbs of coconut cream into a oven proofed pot (big enough to snug the chicken in) and slowly bring it to a simmer, when the coconut cream starts to split, add in the curry paste and fry until oil bubbles start to appear, add torn kaffir lime leaves and stir for a further minute.

Add in the rest of the coconut cream, coconut milk and stock, mix well and bring it to a simmer.

Return the chicken to the hot creamy sauce and place the pot into the hot oven for 45 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. 

Baste the chicken with the curry sauce from time to time. When the bird is ready, remove from the pot and allow to rest in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes before chopping.

Put the pot back onto the stove and bring the sauce back to a simmer, add the vegetables and cook to your liking. Check for seasonings and throw in the Thai basil.

Cut chicken into pieces Chinese style and arrange neatly in a large shallow platter.

Pour the sauce with the vegetables over, garnish with finely shredded kaffir lime leaves, sliced chillies and Thai basil. Serve with plenty of hot steamed rice and some cut chillies in fish sauce on the side.

Vietnamese Goat Curry (Ca Ri De)

My dear friend A and I ventured out to Footscray during the long weekend, something we used to do quite a bit but that was when I still cooked regularly at home. Instead of our regular Vietnamese meal we opted for Ethiopian food for a change, it was a delightful meal but we both had way too much of the delicious injera. We left the African quarter feeling happy and satisfied (not to mention how full we were), a long stroll to the Vietnamese market followed, for some food shopping and to walk off those fast expanding injera in our stomachs. I picked up some fresh herbs, sauces and spices for the pantry and some very fresh goat meat from a halal butcher.

If you are a fan of Vietnamese chicken curry (ca ri ga) then you might want to give this goat version a try. The recipe and cooking method is exactly the same but do increase the amount of spices and curry powder when cooking this gamey meat, an advice given by a lovely Vietnamese lady who runs an Asian supermarket in my neighbourhood.

The result is a mild but extremely aromatic curry, the tender meat literally falls of the bones a result of the slow and long braising. We had it with some freshly baked baguettes from a Vietnamese bakery but it will go equally well with some hot steamed rice.

serves 6 to 8 as part of a Vietnamese meal

you'll need;

1 x 1.5 kg of goat pieces on the bone*

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 white/purple sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 onion, cut into wedges

8 tbs of Vietnamese curry powder

1 tbs of coriander powder

1 tbs of black pepper

4 tbs of roasted chili flakes

4 shallots, chopped 

6 garlic cloves, chopped 

2 lemongrass, cut into 3" lengths and bruised with a hard object

3" piece of ginger, sliced thickly

5 kaffir lime leaves or bay leaves

1.5 cups of chicken stock

300 ml of coconut milk

300 ml of coconut cream

3 tbs of sugar

4 tbs of fish sauce

salt to taste

spring onion, coriander leaves and Thai basil to serve

* Available at halal butcher

Mix goat pieces with 3 tbs of the curry powder, cumin powder, black pepper  and a pinch of salt. Leave it for 20 minutes.

Prepare the aromatics.

Brown goat pieces in batches and set aside.

Saute chopped garlic, shallot, the rest of the curry powder and chili flakes for 30 seconds. then add in the goat pieces. Continue to stir and cook for a few minutes on high heat.

Return the goat pieces to the pot and continue to stir and cook for a few minutes on high heat.

Add lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, sugar, seasonings and stock. Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and bring it back to a simmer, cover and cook until the goat is almost tender. (~2 hours)

Add sweet potato and onion wedges and simmer uncovered til sweet potato pieces are tender. Check for seasoning.

Garnish with fresh herbs and chopped chillies and serve with some freshly baked baguette or steamed rice.

Gulai Kambing Kak Timah, Kak Timah's Lamb Curry - "Malaysian Monday 92" And A Very Exciting Announcement!

My Malaysian Monday post is fashionably late this week due to work and lack of cooking at home. Well it is better late than never and this is another very special dish from my nanny Kak Timah who taught me so much about the Malay customs and cooking.

After weeks of planning, cooking and tasting, my very first menu is upon completion. And as of Monday the 15th of October I will be running the kitchen of a Nyonya restaurant in Docklands, Melbourne. I must thank tummy and my friends for their emotional support during the past weeks, and the blessing of Kak Timah for using all her recipes.

Two years ago Sharon from Test With Skewer and I started Muhibbah Malaysian Monday to better promote Malaysian cuisine through blogging, now I am doing it in a physical way, who would have thought?

This is a mild but extremely aromatic curry that is heavily influenced by the cooking of Sumatera. It will go well with roti canai, nasi lemak, nasi minyak, nasi kunyit or roti jala. Give this a try or come say hello to me at Little Nyonya @ rear of building 818 Burke Street, shop 2. All 3 hungry tummies readers and blogger friends will enjoy a 20% discount if you mention the magic words - 3 hungry tummies that is! See you then!

Announcement! - I officially left my job on the 10th of August 2013 having spent almost 10 months cooking the food that I know and love best. Unfortunately the lack of support from skilled staff and management's direction (or the lack of it)  for the restaurant have made my job untenable. 

It is all good on my end; my new job does not required me to work on nights or weekends and it is only a 10 minute bike ride from home leaving me plenty of time to cook and blog again! 

recipe from my nanny Kak Timah
serves 6 to 8 as part of a Malaysian meal
you'll need;
2 kg of diced lamb (ask for meat from the leg)
1 tbs of coriander powder
1 tbs of cumin powder
1 tbs of fennel powder
a pinch of salt
3 cloves
2 star anise
1 cinnamon cassia bark
3 bay leaves
5 tomatoes, cut into wedges

for the rempah (curry paste);
2 red onion or 20 shallots, chopped
15 cloves of garlic
5 cm knob of ginger
2 lemongrass (white part only), chopped
2 cm knob of galangal
1 heaped tbs of turmeric powder
12 candlenuts, crushed
12 dried chilies, removed seeds, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
pinch of salt

Blend spices to a fine paste and set aside.

Add coriander, cumin and fennel powder to the lamb in a large bowl, mix well and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes.

Pan fry lamb pieces in batches until well brown all over, remove and set aside.

Fry curry paste with a cup of cooking oil until oil separates, stirring constantly to prevent catching at the bottom. Add in dried spices and bay leaves and continue to cook for a minute more.

Return the lamb to the pot and mix well, fry lamb in the paste for 2 to 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and simmer for 45 minutes or until lamb is almost tender. Season with salt and sugar.

Add tomatoes and coconut cream and cook for a further 15 minutes. Check for seasonings.

Serve with one of the dishes suggested... preferably with a view such as this :)

The interior of the restaurant.

My friend Sharon will be hosting the October event, so please send all your entries to its.sharon@gmail.com

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