Halwafy's Recipes

Apam Cantik Manis

2007-02-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

Made some of these tonight for a gathering with some friends tomorrow morning. It's been some time since I made these - used to make them back at my mum's place for my kids and nephews and niece. It was difficult for me to find the recipe for this but I would like to share this recipe with everyone and anyone who love these soft apams, just like me.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup ice cream soda
1 Tbs ovalette
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
some food colouring; red or/and green

Method:
Start water boiling in steamer. Mix all ingredients above in a bowl using a mixer until batter becomes white and fluffy (looks similar to bahulu batter). Divide into separate bowls for separate colours. Spoon mixture 3/4 full into apam cups lined with paper cups. Steam for 10 mins.

Fish Ball Noodles

2007-01-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

A fellow blogger mom asked for this recipe.

This is the basic recipe I used for my fish cake noodles - although, obviously, for the lack of many of the ingredients, I had to substitute and make do with whatever I had. By the way, I got the recipe from here.

For the noodles, I highly recommend using the one I have in the picture below. The noodles taste nice and light and my kids love them. I did not at all follow the exact measurements of this recipe, although, I did use it as a 'guide' to gauge how much of the ingredients are needed.

In the end, IMO, these things are really up to your own tastes and preferences when you cook - because you and your family are the people who are going to tuck in.

Would be really nice with some pickled green chillies, I think.

Ingredients:

* 2 tbsps cooking oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cm ginger, minced
* 6 cups water
* 3 tbsps Concentrated chicken stock
* 1 tbsp sliced preserved cabbage (optional)
* 12 fish balls
* ½ tsp sesame oil
* Pepper to taste

* 300gm thin rice vermicelli (mai fun)

Garnishing:

* 1 cup bean sprouts, tailed and blanched
* 1 stalk celery, cut into 1 cm sections
* 1 stalk of scallion/spring onions, finely chopped
* ¼ cup sliced fried shallot

Directions:

1. Heat oil, stir fry garlic and ginger until aromatic
2. Add in water and bring to a boil. Add chicken stock and preserved cabbage, simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in fish balls, sesame oil and pepper to taste; cook for 5 minutes until done.
4. When serving, place vermicelli into individual bowls. Add garnishing and pour hot soup over the vermicelli.

Sotong Kangkung

2007-01-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

The secret of any sotong kangkung or rojak buah is needless to say, its sauce, because the main ingredients usually are served raw or simply blanched before they are served with the sauce. Here I have included the recipe of this nice sauce to be eaten with ‘yong tau fu’ and sotong kangkung type of rojak. Follow the recipe exactly and you will not be disappointed!

Mix all these together:

1cm cube belacan (held to a flame but be careful not to burn it!)
3 Tbsp petis
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
10-12 small extra hot chillies ( cili padi) pounded
1 Tbsp chili paste (or as much as u like)
7-8 Tbsp sugar
salt to taste
80-100ml warm water
and finally, 1-2 Tbsp pounded roasted peanuts and 1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling on top of rojak

The original ingredients for sotong kangkung (according to my recipe) would be:

300gm kangkung
1 sotong kembang (sliced)
1 cucumber (sliced)
½ pineapple sliced and cut into small portions
4-5 fried tofu (sliced)

Cherry Crumble

2006-12-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

Made this today for an old friend who came to visit. Probably the easiest dessert I have made and it tastes great and looks great too. I substituted the oats with some mixed muesli cereal with the nuts and raisins included. Highly recommended!

Ingredients:

55g butter
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
400g cherry pie filling (or any other pie filling)

Method:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
Melt butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Remove pan from heat; stir in oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt until a dry, crumbly dough forms. Press about 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of 8 inch pan, making a firm even layer.
Spread cherry pie filling in the crust, and sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature with cool custard.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2006-11-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

At 9.45am yesterday I decided that I wanted to give some cup cakes to some good friends who I intended to visit and we were running late because my eldest son had to go to a birthday party in the morning and we had to leave by 11 am. And therefore, I admit that I scrapped the cake part and used a cake mix instead which I had in my kitchen cabinet. It turned out very, very good, honestly. But next time I make this, I do really intend to try the real recipe below.

Ingredients:

224g (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line muffin tins with paper cups.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Bread and Butter Pudding

2006-10-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices day-old bread

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup raisins

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.Cut bread into triangles and arrange in an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with raisins, lifting the slices here and there to get some of it inside.In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.

Serimuka

2006-10-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

For bottom layer;
1 cup glutinous rice, some coconut milk, salt to taste
For top layer;
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup of eggs (4-5 eggs depending on size)
3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
2-3 leaves pandan (screwpine) leaves, blended with a little water and sieved to get the coloured and fragrant essence
3 Tbs plain flour

Method:
Wash rice and leave submerged in clean water for 2-3 hours. Line a loose bottom cake tin (8")with some aluminium foil. Drain rice and pour into cake tin and spread evenly. Add some salt to the coconut milk and pour into the pan - just up to the level of the rice. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

Wrap your hand with a towel (because the rice is hot!) before inserting hand into a clean sandwhich bag/ plastic bag. Press hard with palm on the glutinous rice, all around the pan until rice is flat and level. Drizzle a little plain flour on top of surface and spread evenly with hand (still wrapped in bag).

Mix all ingredients for the top layer and sieve twice to get a smooth and thick mixture. Heat briefly on a low fire just until you can see a little steam coming from it and the mixture gets thicker, stirring constantly.

Pour mixture onto cooked and flattened rice. Steam for 30-45 minutes. Cool before cutting and serving.

Cream Puffs

2006-10-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:

2 (196g) packages instant vanilla/white choclate pudding mix

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk (or a little less)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Poke a small hole in each and leave the oven door a little ajar for a few minutes before taking them out. Centers should be dry.When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells. (If you want recipes for other fillings for the cream puff, you can go to my friend's recipe blog and also this blog.)

Cinnamon Rolls

2006-10-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 (47g) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup warm milk

1 egg, room temperature

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups bread flour

1 (7g) package active dry yeast

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped pecans/ raisins

1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons milk

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Mix together and knead for 8-10 minutes and leave covered in a warm place for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, the size of the dough will have doubled. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough.Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9x13 buttered pan - but I used a normal 9" round cake tin. Let rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting.

Chicken Milano

2006-10-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chicken broth, divided
1 cup heavy cream
300 gm skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
225 gm dry fettuccini pasta

DIRECTIONS:
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute chicken. Press on chicken occasionally with a slotted spatula. Cook for about 4 minutes per side or until the meat feels springy and is no longer pink inside. Transfer to a board; cover and keep warm. Discard the fat from the skillet.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and 3/4 cup of the chicken broth; increase to medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. In the same skillet used for the chicken, over medium heat, bring 1/4 cup chicken broth to a boil; stirring the pan juices. Reduce slightly and add to the cream sauce; stir in basil and adjust seasonings to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or according to instructions on package; drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the sauce.

Cut each chicken breast into small pieces. Transfer the pasta to serving plates; top with chicken and coat with the cream sauce; serve.

Peach Pudding

2006-09-07T04:40:00.000-07:00

Tried this recipe from memory today - somebody gave me this recipe or something similar to it years ago but I seem to have lost it - and the result was (thank goodness) yummy!! Simple and lovely. Try it!

Best eaten with some light cream or evaporated milk.

Ingredients:

1 pack agar-agar (20g)

3 1/4 cups of water

2 small cans of evaporated milk (170g each)

2 Tbsp custard powder, mixed with a little cold water

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 loaf butter/ madeira cake

1 can peaches, drained, diced, syrup set aside

Method:

Cook the agar-agar strips in water until strips dissolve completely. Reduce heat. Add sugar and evaporated milk and stir. Pour in the custard mixture. Stir and mix well. Leave on reduced heat for a while, stirring occassionally until mixture reaches boiling point just for a few seconds. Set aside.Line bowl with cake slices/ cubes and drizzle with the syrup from canned peaches. Arrange a layer of peaches on cake and pour agar-agar mixture to fill the bowl. Refrigerate.

Tip: If you can't find a 20g pack agar-agar and don't know how to measure the water, go by this rule of thumb: 1 cup (full and packed with) agar-agar strips requires 3 cups of water. Obviously, you need to adjust the rest of the ingredients as well. For agar-agar to be nice and sweet, the sugar must be a little excessive (too sweet) before the agar-agar sets - once set, the agar-agar will be 'just nice' - hopefully!

Nice and Easy Brownies

2006-09-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

Tried this recipe yesterday - was looking for a non cakey type of brownies recipe. This one tastes nice - very, very easy to make and mine was ready in the oven after 20 minutes (make sure never to overcook your brownies!) Nice and not too cakey - but still not the kind I'm looking for. Anybody out there with a good non cakey brownie recipe, feel free to contact me!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, and mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the vanilla and stir in walnuts if desired. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are firm. Cool before cutting into squares

Sweet Red Chicken

2006-08-10T01:25:00.000-07:00

As usual, my recipes are really for people like me who are living overseas and want a taste of home using whatever ingredients that are available here. Enjoy cooking!

Ingredients:
A. 4 pieces of chicken, with skin
Some turmeric powder
Salt to taste

B. 1 bombay onion
2-3 cloves garlic B

asic Malay aromatic spices:
1”-2” cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
1 star anise
2-3 cardamon seeds
1.5 tsp chilli powder or more if preferred
1.5 ” ginger, sliced into strips
3 - 4 tsp tomato puree
2 Tbs tomato ketchup
3-4 tbs fresh milk
½ Bombay onion sliced into strips
¼ cup frozen peas
Oil for frying
Pinch of sugar - optional

Method:
Mix ingredients A together and fry in hot oil until chicken is cooked and crispy on the outside – but not too hard to bite into. Set aside. Blend (in a blender) ingredients B. Fry the spices in hot oil for 1-2 minutes and pour in the blended mixture, ginger strips and chilli powder - cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until mixture turns into a darker colour. Stir occasionally. Add tomato puree, milk, tomato ketchup and stir. If mixture looks a little dry – add a few tbs oil used to fry the chicken. Add the fried chicken together with the onion strips. Stir. Add the peas once the onions are cooked/ 2-3 minutes later. Add salt and sugar. Leave for a while (5 mins), on very low heat before removing.

Yummy Banana Muffins

2006-08-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup mashed ripe banana (3 bananas)
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
6 tablespoons milk
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
chocolate chips (recommended)

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside. In a separate bowl cream margarine and sugar, add eggs and mix until smooth. Stir in milk and mashed banana and mix well. Fold in flour mixture into the liquid ingredients until combined. Add chocolate chips (or you can just drizzle on top after you spoon the batter into the paper cups). Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds of the way full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Strawberry White Chocolate Tiramisu

2006-08-10T01:23:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

12 ounces white chocolate
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
3-ounce package cream cheese or mascarpone, softened
36 ladyfingers
1 1/4 cups cooled espresso or strong coffee
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, stems removed and sliced

Method:

Melt the chocolate with 1/4 cup of the whipping cream in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Stir until smooth; cool to room temperature. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese or mascarpone until fluffy. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate. Whip remaining 1 1/4 cups whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold (see note) the whipped cream into the cream cheese-chocolate mixture; set aside. Dip the ladyfingers in coffee (better to pour the coffee in a saucer) and line the sides of a 9-by-3-inch springform pan with ladyfinger halves, cut sides in. Arrange half the remaining ladyfingers on bottom of the pan. Cover with half the filling. Cover filling with half of the sliced strawberries. Repeat layers, ending with strawberries. Refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.

Note: To fold, place the heavier mixture over the light mixture. Starting at the back of the bowl, cut vertically through the mixtures and across the bottom of the bowl. This method gently combines the mixtures.

Chocolate Lovers' Favorite Cake

2006-08-10T01:20:00.001-07:00

Original recipe yield: 1 - 10 inch Bundt cake.
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 2 Hours

INGREDIENTS:
1 (510g) package devil's food cake mix
1 (110g) package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
1 cup melted butter
5 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch Bundt pan. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs and almond extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Mayo Chicken

2006-08-10T01:20:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces with skin – I normally use 4 pieces of chicken thighs but I’ve tried using 1 whole chicken as well and it works great.
Turmeric powder
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Curry powder
Mayonnaise

Method:
Rub the chicken all over with the turmeric powder, salt and curry powder. Arrange the chicken pieces in your baking tray or ovenware. Cover the chicken with some mayonnaise – just all around the surfaces, don’t bother to put any on the bottom of the chicken pieces because once the chicken is in the oven and coking, the melted mayo will cover those parts. Leave to marinate for 1 hour. Heat oven at 200 degrees – once oven is ready, cook chicken for 35 minutes. If you’re cooking 1 whole chicken, cook according to weight, 20-25 mins for each 500g plus an extra 20 mins for 1 chicken. You don’t need to cover the chicken with foil if you’re just cooking the pieces. But if you’re cooking 1 whole chicken, it’s better to cover first and only take off the foil for the last 20 mins to make the skin crispy. Lastly, sprinkle some pepper on the chicken while it’s still hot. Try it!

Spaghetti Meatballs

2006-08-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

For meatballs:

250g minced meat
1 egg
1 slice of bread, shredded into small pieces (just by using your fingers)
salt to taste
garlic salt
1 tspn dried parsley
a sprinkle of black pepper
¼ tsp cumin seed, pounded (jintan putih)
A large jar of your favourite spaghetti sauce. (I use a 750g jar)
½ bombay onion
Salt to taste

Mix all meatball ingredients well and leave for a while in the fridge so that it will be easier for you to shape them into small size balls. Heat up your pot and add some olive oil to fry your onions for a bit before adding the sauce. Once it reaches boiling point, reduce the heat and let it simmer while you prepare the meatballs. In order to shape the meat into balls, take a handful of the meat mixture in your hand and squeeze so that the meat comes out in between your thumb and forefinger. Use a teaspoon to scoop and shape the meat mixture into small sized meatballs and drop them into a bowl (I normally make them just a little bigger than the fish balls back home). Once they are all ready, drop them slowly into the pot and increase heat for a while, slowly stirring initially so that the balls will not break or crumble. Again, reduce the heat once the sauce has reached boiling point and simmer for a while (25 to 30 minutes, I think), stirring once in a while. Add salt to taste.

Tip: Don’t forget to add some olive oil in your boiling water when cooking your spaghetti. Once cooked in the time as instructed on packet, drain and run cold water through it for a few seconds before melting a few dollops of butter on the still hot and steaming spaghetti. I just think it taste better this way. Try it!

p/s: read comments on this recipe for more tips!

Classic Tiramisu

2006-08-10T01:17:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 tub mascarpone cheese (around 1 cup)
1 pot whipping cream (10floz/ 280ml)
3 tbls sugar
1 packet sponge fingers
coffee for dipping
cocoa for dusting
chocolate curls for decoration (optional)

Method:
1. Combine egg yolks and sugar in the top of a ‘double boiler’ i.e. your yolks in a glass/metal bowl, resting on a pot/saucepan of boiling water. Reduce heat to low, and cook for about 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whip yolks until thick and lemon coloured.

2. Add cheese to whipped yolks. Beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold into yolk mixture and set aside.

3. Pour coffee onto a saucer, dip fingers in coffee one by one until coffee is absorbed into part of each finger and line the bottom and sides of a large glass bowl. Spoon half of the cream filling over the sponge fingers. Repeat process; dip sponge fingers, line and spoon filling.

4. Dust top with cocoa and chocolate curls. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. For the chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and run it down the edge of the chocolate bar whilst holding the chocolate bar over the tiramisu.

p/s: I use 2 oval shaped pyrex bowls for this recipe. Fits perfectly.

Rendang Perantau

2006-08-10T01:16:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
500gm beef (not lean, cut into small pieces 4-5cm)
1 can of coconut milk
3 cms galangal (pounded just a bit)
2 sticks of lemon grass (pounded just a bit)
2-3 teaspoons of turmeric powder
1 slice of dried assam slices
2 tsps of chilli powder
salt to taste
kerisik – dessicated coconut (choose a type that does not look too dry) - about 1 tbls, browned without oil and pounded to a rough paste

to be blended:
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
3 cms ginger

Method:
Put everything except the asam slices and kerisik in a wok or a pot. Salt can be added later too. No oil needed. Make sure the mixture of ingredients cover the beef very generously. Increase heat to boil and then reduce heat and simmer until coconut milk is very thick. Don’t forget to stir once in a while to avoid the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the wok/ pot. Then add the asam keping and stir a little bit more until the rendang is even thicker and any flowing liquid is nearly dried up. Then add the kerisik and stir some more. Add salt to taste. Rendang should be ready when its gravy is very thick and not flowing anymore. Eat with rice or nasi himpit.

Nasi Himpit

Rice cooked traditionally in a large pot with lots of water and then pressed down hard in a flat pan and left to cool. Once cooled, they will be cut into cubes. Away from Malaysia, what you need is just the rice that they sell in supermarkets that are sold in small boxes. Inside the boxes, cleaned rice is packed in small packets (that have small holes on them) and can be straightaway chucked into boiling water. Once cooked according to the instructions on the box, the westerners will tear up the plastic and pour the cooked rice into a plate. That’s how the westerners seem to like their rice – dry and not starchy. This product can be easily found in any supermarkets in England. In order to make nasi himpit though, this product is wonderful. What you need to do is just chuck 2-3 of these packets in a large pot of boiling water and let it cook for at least 2 hours. Make sure the packets are immersed in the boiling water and top up on the hot water if you need to. Make sure the nasi himpit is cooked evenly by turning over the packets once in a while. The nasi himpit is ready to be drained and cooled on a rack or a towel when the plastic is filled and nearly bursting (but not!) with the over cooked rice. Once cooled (normally for a few hours in room temperature or a shorter period in the fridge), the rice packets will be hard. Cut the packets into 2 before removing the plastic and cut further into cubes to be served with the rendang.

The Perfect Chicken Rice

2006-08-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Good long grain rice - 4 cups (this will require 1150ml chicken soup for the perfect water level, but must add a little bit more than that for a moist chicken rice - do not simply pour extra liquid into the rice, use the chart inside the pot to gauge how much you need!)
1 chicken (cut into 8 pieces)
Chicken stock cubes - (the actual recipe says 2 cubes but I just use half a cube - unfortunately without the cube, it will not taste like the chicken rice at the shops in Malaysia at all(!) so you should at least put a little bit in.)
Cooking oil - just a little bit for the soup, a lot to fry the chicken later on
Water - need to be more than 1150ml to accommodate the extra liquid needed and for the side dish soup, if required.
Salt to taste

To be pounded/blended together in the blender with a little bit of water:

Ginger - size about as big as your thumb :-). make sure it's young ginger i.e. when you cut it there should not be a rough texture in the centre of the ginger, it should be smooth and easy to cut through. Be generous with the ginger.
1 Large onion
3 Cloves garlic

Marinade:

3 tbls honey
4 tbls oyster sauce
3 tbls soy sauce
1 tbls sesame oil
1 tbls fennel seed,
pounded (jintan manis)

Method:

Heat up a little oil in a pot. Add the blended mixture and stir fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and the stock cubes. Add water. Increase heat to boil and then reduce heat and leave for a while to get the good chicken soup taste. Add salt to taste. Remove the chicken pieces and drain. Marinate chicken with the marinade above for at least 1 hour and fry in medium heat until crispy. If fire is too hot, the chicken will burn very quickly due to the honey. Heat up what's left of the marinade and pour onto fried chicken. Really yummy! Make sure you don't over-fry your chicken so that it won't turn hard. Don't need to fry for long as the chicken is already cooked inside!Use the prepared soup to cook the rice. Rice must be washed first and drained. While washing, you should measure the amount required for the perfect water level (using your fingers) and drain that amount into a measuring cup so that you'll know exactly how much water is needed. Pour the cleaned rice into the rice cooker pot. Add the soup and the extra bit more to make it moist (Again, for an estimate, just look at the chart inside the pot and increase the soup level by '1 cup' as stated on the chart). Stir the rice and soup and taste it. The mixture must taste a LITTLE on the 'too salty' side or else the rice will be bland. Add a bit more salt if necessary(!) I also love to add 3-4 more slices of ginger in the mixture to make it more fragrant. Use the rest of the soup as a side dish.

Chilli Dip

As usual, Malaysians always need something hot to spice up their food. For the chicken rice, a chilli sauce is prepared on the side to pour on the rice or on the chicken.For this dip/sauce: blend some fresh red chillies (4-5) and some garlic (2-3 cloves) with a little bit of the chicken soup. Squeeze some fresh lime into it or add some vinegar to balance the taste. Add some sugar to balance the hot and sour tastes.

This chicken rice is good. It doesn't use any food enhancers and yet it still tastes very nice. The chicken is sweet and succulent and the dip is pleasant. Hope you'll try it and also enjoy the result as I have. If you're used to cooking plain rice, just forget the confusing explanation on how to cook rice above and cook your rice as u normally do. But remember, there must be a little bit more liquid than usual for any rice dish that has onions etc in it for the rice to be nice and moist.

Urap Tomato

Now, this vege side dish is good and to me, the perfect accompaniment to chicken rice. Well, to me, at least. Try it! It's simple and no cooking is required. Mix the ingredients below and leave for a while in the fridge for it to cool.

3 tomatoes
1 large onion
3 green fresh chillies(slice all the above into very thin slices)
2 tbls pounded dried shrimp
2 lime
1-2 tbls sugar