Crave 12 April 2013 by Crave Malay Mail

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MALACCA FAVOURITES

Celebrate the historical city with its iconic dishes

SATAY CELUP (MAKES 4 SERVINGS)

PORTUGUESE CURRY

(MAKES 4-6 SERVING Despite its famous moniker of devil curry, its real name is actually debal curry. This popular Portuguese dish is

best eaten the next day, as the ﬂavours develop better. No coconut milk is used but vinegar is added to give it an

spice paste 20 stalks dried chillies, soaked until soft, drained and cut into 3cm lengths 15 (150g) shallots, peeled 2 cloves garlic, peeled 3 (15g) candlenuts 3 stalks (35g) lemongrass, chopped into small pieces 20g galangal, skinned 2cm (10g) turmeric, skinned Using an electric blender, ﬁnely grind all the spice paste ingredients adding a little water to move the blades. Heat the cooking oil in a wok and sauté the spice paste until it is fragrant while stirring continuously to prevent any burn-

100ml cooking 1 teaspoon mus 400g chicken, c 450g roast pork 500ml water 1 ½ tablespoon 2 tablespoons c salt to taste

ing. Add mustard seeds; saute for 15 seconds. Add chicken pieces and roast pork; mix to combine and leave to cook for 2 minutes. Add water and vinegar. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer until the chicken is tender. Adjust the season-

Taster Comments: This was very tasty especially with a bowl of rice. One coul RACHEL MAH Student

chicken stock 3 litres water 2 chicken carcasses, chopped roughly 1 teaspoon white pepper corns, crushed with the back of a cleaver spice paste 3 stalks (40g) lemongrass 8–10 shallots, peeled and cut into thin slices 80g lengkuas, sliced thinly 15 stalkes (15g) dried chillies, soaked until soft and drained 20g candlenuts ¾ tablespoon coriander seeds (ketumbar), toasted ½ tablespoon fennel seeds (jintan manis), toasted 25g garlic, peeled and sliced 125ml cooking oil 50g palm sugar (gula Melaka), or to taste ½ tablespoon salt, or to taste 150- 200g peanuts, fried & ground coarsely skewers 300g boneless chicken meat, cut into 4cm rectangles 500g medium sized prawns, cleaned 400g squid, cleaned and cut into 4cm squares 350g brown squid, cleaned and cut into 4cm squares 10 tofu puffs, halved and ﬁlled with a slice of cucumber 250g meatballs 250g spinach 200g cockles, shucked 20 quails eggs, hardboiled and peeled ½ loaf Hainanese bread, cut into 2cm squares 2 cucumber, quartered and sliced 4 Chinese crullers (yau char kwai), cut into 2cm squares

To prepare the satay celup gravy: Place all the stock ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes. Turn off the heat. Sieve the stock, discard the solids and set aside 1 ½ litres of stock for the sauce. Using an electric blender, ﬁnely blend the spice paste ingredients. Heat oil in a wok and sauté the spice paste until fragrant, stirring continuously. Add the reserved stock, gula Melaka, salt and ground peanuts. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes and adjust the seasonings to taste. Remove from the heat.

To prepare skewers: Pierce all the items with the bamboo skewers, except the bread, cucumbers and yau char kwai. Set aside. To serve: Pour the satay celup gravy in a steamboat or a pot and heat it up at the table. Place your choice of skewers and cook in the gravy. Occasionally stir the satay celup gravy as it sometimes sticks to the bottom. Dip the bread, cucumber and yau char kwai in the sauce. — Recipe by Debbie Teoh. Photography by Kenneth Lim, Gray Studio.

Taster Comments: I’ve always imagined the satay celup sauce to be similar to a satay sauce but the sauce has less peanuts with a hint of gula Melaka, which makes it addictive.” RACHEL MAH Student

On April 15, 1989, Malacca was conferred with the historical city status. Celebrate Malacca’s rich heritage with these unique dishes. The city is full of intriguing little dishes, such as satay celup. Even though enterprising shopowners have brought the spicy peanut sauce styled steamboat

to Kuala Lumpur, Malaccans know the best is still in their hometown. Our resident chef, Debbie Teoh who hails from Malacca shares with us her recipe for this dish for you to recreate at home. Her advice to many is to dip the bread and crunchy Chinese crullers with the sauce at the end, as it would have been infused with

FRIDAY 12 APRIL 2013

DEVIL

GS) appetising tang. Traditionally it uses a mix of roast pork and chicken, but omit the pork if you prefer.

oil stard seeds, ground coarsely chopped into bite sizes k, cut into 2cm slices

ns vinegar caster sugar or to taste

ings to taste. Remove from the heat and cool before refrigerating. Reheat and serve the curry one day later. Add a little water if gravy becomes too thick. – Recipe by Debbie Teoh. Photography by Kenneth Lim, Gray Studio.

ld not help eating seconds.”

the sweet ﬂavours. Another dish from the Portuguese settlement is the debal or devil curry, with its tangy rich ﬂavours developed after it stews overnight. Other good eats from the city include the chicken rice balls, cendol doused with their famous gula Melaka syrup and Nonya food.

Colourful kuih angku

Secretariat of “Visit Malaysia Year 2014” Puan Noryahati binti Awang, together with Chef Dato’ Ismail and Chef Florence Chong. During the launch, the two well-loved chefs also demonstrated how to make the fragrant nasi ulam. Each state is highlighted every weekend, kicking off with the “Taste of Negeri Sembilan” for April 11. The small state, which Chef Hamdan hails from, is famous for its hot and spicy dishes such as masak lemak cili, le-

mang and rendang, This will be followed by Melaka, that highlights the rich Peranakan culture, including unique dishes like satay celup, chicken kapitan, ayam pongteh and cool cendol. The highlight of the promotion, which runs till November, includes Sarawak laksa, rendang tok from Perak and laksa Perlis. The Taste of Malaysia buffet dinner starts from every Thursday, 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Assorted kerabu

for RM128++ per person. For every Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, there will be Hi-Tea from 12 noon to 4pm,

later, I’m still here,” he says. According to Koetke, he took up the job purely because he fell in love with teaching. He also felt that in some ways, he needed to give back what he had learnt. “So many people were so good to me, giving me opportunities when I grew up,” he adds. Thus for every student, Koetke feels he is giving them a piece of himself. “I always tell every student I teach that I give them a little piece of me to use in their career,” he says. Koetke who also carves ice professionally, loves to learn about wine, coffee and tea. “I’m always fascinated with things,” he adds. That curiosity has led him to discover many things and far-ﬂung places like Ecuador and now Malaysia. “What I like to tell students, it is amazing what you can do when you have a culinary career and the places you can go.” he says. For Chris Koetke’s American recipes, see our digital edition by clicking www.mmail. com.my

INTI’S NEW CULINARY ARTS PROGRAMME THIS April, Inti InterKnife skills national University & are essential in the course Colleges (Inti) kicks off a new Diploma of Culinary Arts programme, in partnership with the United States of America Kendall College (Kendall). “Kendall has a high level of culinary education that is difficult and challenging,” says Vice President of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts Chris Koetke. The Chicago college is also part of the Laureate International world best chef, it does not Universities Centre of Excel- matter, if you do not make lence in Culinary Arts series, money as you will go out of which is a global network of business, “ he says. Graduschools available in Mexico, ates of the programme will Chile, Ecuador and Brazel. receive a dual certificate Kendall makes its first foray from Inti and Kendall. Interin Asia with this partnership national exposure will also with Inti. be given, such as digital The two year diploma courses and cooking classcourse will focus on practi- es with visiting chefs. Gradcal and entrepreneurship uates can also opt to conskills in culinary and food tinue onwards in Kendall for service operations. The stu- more courses. This course dents will also be groomed is offered in Inti’s Subang via internship programmes Jaya and Penang campus. within the hospitality industry. Koetke stresses the un- For further details, contact derstanding of business as 03-56232800 or visit www. a chef. “Even if you’re the newinti.edu.my

EDITORIAL NOTE by Lee Khang Yi

for RM98++ per person. For reservations, contact 0327738338 or email westindining@westin.com

Various ulam with dips

DRIVEN BY PASSION “ONE of the principal ingredi- et, whom he luckily considents for a successful chef is ered as his mentor in classical you must have passion,” says French food. Koetke went on Vice President of Kendall Col- to work in France, including lege School of Culinary Arts the famous kitchens of Pierre (Kendall) Chris Koetke. The Gagnaire and Taillevent. He rehost of the show, Let’s Dish on turned to Chicago to head Le the American Livewell televi- Francais restaurant, reputed sion network, believes Chris Koetke that every student teaches basic must have passion, cutting skills discipline and intensity to become a success. “If you do not love it, it will be very hard, ” he says. Constant practice is also needed to hone the skills. “Discipline is what takes your gift and turns it into a profession, “ he adds. Lastly, one has to be intense, as chefs are always about achieving perfection. Passion can strike at any age, and in Koetke’s case, he was just 12-years old, when he decided to pursue a culinary career. “When I was growing up I was already drawn to the kitchen,” he says. Once he to be one of the top ten best made up his mind, he started restaurants. Five years after he became cooking and pursuing classes at his hometown Valparaiso, head chef, Koetke got a call Indiana. Eventually he moved from Kendall offering him a cuto Chicago, where he worked linary instructor post. “I said I’ll with French chef Jean Banch- teach for 2 years but 15 years

Chef Florence Chong, Chef Dato’ Ismail and Chef Hamdan at the cooking demonstration

TASTE OF MALAYSIA THE Westin Kuala Lumpur’s restaurant The Living Room recently introduced, “Taste of Malaysia” that features food from the 14 different states of Malaysia. The ongoing weekend dining promotion is a great way for diners to experience the specialties of each state, including far-ﬂung Borneo. The team headed by Westin’s Chef Hamdan who is an expert on Malay and Indonesian cooking will prepare the dishes. Ofﬁciating the launch was Head

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Crave Editor

The weekend is here, so how about celebrating with the family over some Malacca satay celup? It’ll be a fun treat, as everyone dips their own skewers in the spicy peanut sauce laced with gula Melaka. Or if you prefer a weekday item to perk up your cooking repertoire, try the delicious Portuguese devil curry that tastes even better as you keep it longer. Sweet lovers can also bake up our easy to make bread and butter pudding. We also talk to American chef Chris Koetke from Chicago’s Kendall College on what makes a good chef. For a weekend treat, drop by The Westin Kuala Lumpur’s Taste of Malaysia spread. We tried the dishes from the launch and believe us, it is plethora of delicious local dishes you can’t stop eating. For delicious seafood cooked BBQ style, our pick is Awet Thai Seafood at Kampung Kayu Ara. If you have any queries, please email me at khangyi@mmail.com.my

Rajan Gopal Senior Manager, Direct & Classiﬁeds Direct line: 03 74951282 rajan@mmail.com.my

FRIDAY 12 APRIL 2013

IN THE KITCHEN with EU HOOI KHAW EGGS are so good to eat, whether half or hard-boiled, in an omelette, gently scrambled to a creamy mass, steamed in a custard (sweet or savoury) or baked in cakes, cookies and puddings. They often have a bad rap as a high-cholesterol food, but as in all things we eat, so long as we have them in moderation, little harm would come to us. Recent health studies have shown that one egg a day does not have a significant impact for coronary heart disease and stroke. In fact eggs are a good source of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which help prevent age-related macular degeneration, which is a cause of blindness among those aged 65 and over. Eggs are one of the richest sources of choline, which aids foetal brain development and enhances memory function late in

life. An egg contains 13 essential vitamins and minerals, among them riboflavin, selenium, vitamins K, B12, B6, phosphorous, folate, iron and pantothenic acid. All in all, it’s a wholesome food. In fact, those who sing believe that a raw egg taken early in the morning improves their voice! Besides chicken eggs, we also eat quail, duck and the rarely seen goose eggs. Duck eggs usually come in the form of salted or century eggs. The last is made by coating duck eggs with wood ash mixed with lime and clay and left to ferment for a month. Eggs also hold an auspicious meaning. For the Chinese, when a baby is a month old, red dyed hard boiled eggs are given to family and friends. It is also common to receive bunga telur, prettily dressed up in Malay weddings.

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

SCRUMPTIOUS SEAFOOD INCEPTION STARTS from the most innocent remarks between friends, or in this case an iPhone shot shared over Instagram. Once we saw the plate of Awet Thai Seafood’s BBQ cockles, it started a craving for the molluscs. Hence, one rainy night, we headed towards uncharted territories i.e. Kampung Kayu Ara. “It looks dodgy,” said my friend when she drove towards the restaurant just 5 minutes off the busy highway. Luckily, we had Karen, so we weren’t completely lost. Since her first visit a few weeks back, she had visited the restaurant three times to relish the food, a true testimony of how wonderful the food tastes. A quick chat with the manager revealed that its unusual name came from the nickname of its Thai head chef and co-founder, Prawet Noosin. The first Awet Thai Cafe emerged in 2007 at Cheras. Since its success, they expanded to Puchong, Kajang and even Kuching. The restaurant serves an extensive menu, with perennial Thai favourites such as tomyam, mieng kham, and all kinds of curries. If you’re confused on what to order, ask the friendly manager for recommendations. The place is rather spacious, with a choice of air-conditioning or the more rustic dining outside, for you to enjoy the night breeze. The draw for us was its Thai barbecue items, all prepped upon order and grilled over a flaming hot charcoal fire. Even though we weren’t lucky enough to enjoy the cockles since they only serve it during the weekends, we compensated with BBQ crabs (RM56 per piece). Patience is needed as you pick through the crab, but you will be rewarded with sweet tasting flesh. All the BBQ items are served with an appetising dip - a mix of cloudy lime juice, garlic and chillies including the fiery bird-eye chillies. Most of the time, the items served are all super fresh, hence you only

6 slices white sandwich bread, sliced in triangles and buttered 70g caster sugar 130g raisins 450ml milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 large eggs, beaten Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a baking dish with butter. Arrange the bread on the dish, sprinkling each slice with sugar and the raisins till all the bread is used up. Heat the remaining sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a small pot, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar melts. Combine the beaten egg with the hot milk mixture. Remove from the heat. Strain the mixture over the bread, making each slice is covered. Leave for 5 minutes to allow the mixture to soak into the bread. Bake for 30 minutes, or until it is golden brown and custard has set. Note: For an added luxury, you can soak the raisins overnight in rum or brandy and use it in the pudding. Add three teaspoons of the alcohol together with the pudding. The remaining liquid can be used for another batch of raisins.

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Colourful Thai style water chestnut dessert

The action at the barbecue station

The fish is moist and fragrant

need a little of the dip to just enhance its natural flavours like the fork tender BBQ pork neck meat (RM25.50), lightly marinated with salt and pepper. Fish lovers can also enjoy the BBQ salt baked tilapia (RM43). The fish is stuffed with lemongrass, garlic and coated with rock salt. As the salt seals the skin, it creates a steam effect for the fish when cooked on the hot coals. Once it is cooked, you peel away the thick skin, to discover a sumptuous moist fish infused with a hint of the fragrant herbs. The restaurant also does the same cooking method with the delicate haruan fish. Aside from the yummy BBQ items, Awet also has some signature must-eats, like the sweet tasting Coconut milk prawns (RM48 for around 400grams of prawns). The prawns are served in a fragrant broth infused with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and the crustacean’s sweet essence. You will also find oyster mushrooms and fresh bamboo shoots hidden in the light creamy broth. Equally good was the Steamed lemon sotong (RM40 for minimum 400g sotong). Unlike other places, where the lemon juice tends to be too sharp, the balance of the flavours including the

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Coconut milk prawns

Steamed lemon sotong

Relish the sweet tasting BBQ crab

chillies, is so well tempered here, making it a delicious combination, as you nibble through the tender cuttlefish rings. Our obligatory plate of greens was the Thai style fried paku pakis (RM15), a mildly spicy dish with the ferntops. Round up the meal with dessert in the form of Thai Style cendol (RM6.90) and a psychedelic pink Water chestBBQ pork neck meat with the dipping sauce

nut (RM6.90) attributed by a sweet tasting bandung syrup. The sweet treats taste rather ordinary, but offer a cool relief following the meal. Awet Thai Seafood, Lot 13544, Jalan Cempaka, Kampung Kayu Ara, Petaling Jaya. Tel:03-77250175. Open daily: 12pm to 3pm, 5pm to 11.30pm. Thai style paku pakis

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FRIDAY 12 APRIL 2013

AMERICAN RECIPES BY CHRIS KOETKE WILD RICE WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES (MAKES 6 SERVINGS)

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN WITH PINTO BEAN STEW AND CHIPOTLE SAUCE (MAKES 6 SERVINGS)

chicken 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon chile powder ½ teaspoon ground onion powder

To prepare chicken: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the chicken. Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over both sides of the chicken. Heat oil in a frying pan. Saute the chicken until browned. Remove and set aside.

6 boneless chicken breasts stew 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, peeled and cut into thin slices 1 red capsicum, cut into small dice

To prepare stew: In a large pan, heat the oil. Saute the onion and capsicum over high heat for 8 minutes, or until soft. Add corn and pinto beans, cooking it for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and

125g frozen corn kernels, thawed 425g canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained 1 tablespoon chopped coriander 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons spring onions, chopped

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

combine with remaining ingredients. Set aside.

To serve: Cut the chicken breast in slices. Place the stew on the plate. Top with chicken slices and place sauce on the side. Serve immediately.

To prepare sauce: Heat together all ingredients and whisk until combined. Keep warm.

sauce 250ml demi glace sauce ½ chipotle chile 2 teaspoons adobo sauce

roasted vegetables 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried sage ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 large onion, peeled and cut into large dice 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm slices 2 red capsicums, halved, cleaned of all seeds and cut into 2cm squares

wild rice 240g wild rice 750ml water ¾ teaspoon salt

To prepare vegetables: Preheat oven to 180C. Whisk the oil, dried thyme, sage, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Toss with vegetables and spread evenly on a baking tray. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked and browned. Remove from the heat. Leave to cool. You can prepare this a day ahead and refrigerate until needed.

You can prepare this a day ahead and refrigerate until needed.

To prepare rice: Bring the wild rice, water and salt to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 40-50 minutes, or until the rice begins to pop out of its shell. Strain and reserve.

1 tablespoon butter 3 tablespoons minced parsley ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ tablespoon oil 100g prawns, cleaned and peeled ¼ teaspoon mixed spice 5 tablespoons grated Cheddar cheese

To serve: Heat butter over high heat in a large saute pan. Once the butter becomes a toasty brown colour, add cooked wild rice and roasted vegetables. Continue sautéing and stirring periodically for 3-4 minutes, or until it is hot. Season wth pepper and salt to taste. Stir in parsley. Remove and place on a dish. In a separate frying pan, heat oil in a pan. Add prawns, saute until brown. Sprinkle with dried spices. Remove and top wild rice. Sprinkle grated cheese and serve immediately.