Bak Kut Teh Recipe (Pork Bone Tea Soup. (Originally published in 2006, this post is updated with new photos.)
Bah Kut Teh or Pork Bone Tea is a Chinese soup dish. Infused with herbs such as Dong Quai, Cinnamon, Star Anise, and loaded with pork ribs, dried Shitake mushrooms, tofu puffs, and heaps of garlic, this soup fills the kitchen with evocative scents. Bah Kut Teh needs a couple hours of slow boiling and the end result is concoction perfumed with a sweet herbal and earthy flavor. It’s best cooked and served in a clay pot and eaten with plain white rice, yau char kway (Chinese crullers), a dish of stir-fried vegetables such as Chinese Greens in oyster sauce, and a small plate of chili plus soy sauce condiment… If you make Bak Kut Teh at home, do save a bowl or two as your breakfast the following day. Intensely flavorful and hearty, Bak Kut Teh is certainly my cup of tea. Chicken Curry with Potatoes. There are many variations of chicken curry in Malaysia: Indian, Chinese, Nyonya, Malay, but chicken curry with potatoes is possibly the most common chicken curry in Malaysia.
Everywhere you go where curries are served, you will probably find this type of chicken curry. For the Nyonyas in Penang, chicken curry is especially popular and often served with nasi kunyit (coconut milk and turmeric-infused sticky rice). In fact, there is a Nyonya ritual that celebrates the first month of a new born baby. Called “mua guet” or 满月 in local dialect, this celebration comes complete with a nice food package–in the old days, the food package was packed in a delicate and beautiful Nyonya sia na (wood basket) –that contains chicken curry, nasi kunyit, and a few other goodies. I often make chicken curry here in the US and I love serving the chicken curry with roti canai (I buy the frozen ones from Asian food stores). Assam Pedas Fish Recipe. Assam Pedas, or literally “sour spicy,” is a classic Malaysian dish.
Ask any home cooks in Malaysia–Malay, Chinese, or Indian–and you are bound to get various recipes for Assam Pedas. Everyone has their own interpretation for this favorite dish and there are endless adaptations; suffice it to say, it’s sour, fiery hot, and tastes extraordinarily satisfying… When I made my sambal for nasi lemak last weekend, I made a point to prepare some extra spice paste for this Assam Pedas dish. While traditional Assam Pedas calls for ikan tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) or ikan pari (stingray), I used pomfret instead. (In the United States, even in California, it’s almost impossible to find fish commonly found in Malaysia.)
Much like nasi lemak, if you haven’t tried Assam Pedas, it’s very hard to describe just how wonderful this is. Penang Assam Laksa Recipe (Nyonya Hot and Sour Noodles in Fish Soup. Before I start writing this post, I have a confession to make.
I have an Asian (Chinese/Malaysian) mouth. In my gastronomic dictionary, it simply means that I can’t live without rice and noodles, soy sauce, sambal belacan, spicy and pungent food–the foods of my Chinese-Malaysian root. Just this past week, I had a massive Asian mouth attack. Foods Recipe, Cooking, Malaysian. The ever famous Penang Char Koay Teow, makes me salivate everytime I see or smell it!
I am not a picky eater but I am real fussy about my plate of char koay teow. I remember during my school days in Convent Green Lane, there was this school canteen hawker who serves a to-die-for wet char koay teow. Hungry like a cow after school, I always must have a plate at least 3 times a week. Sometimes, I cannot wait so long and just had to have a dose of it during recess time when the canteen is usually ever so crowded. I always thought lining up for my plate of koay teow was a game of 'squeeze-in-queue' and have to say it's the survival of the most determined. 1 packet of koay teow - rinsed in hot water to rid unwanted oil. 1 handful taugeh (beansprout), 1/2 handful garlic chives (cut to the length of beansprout), 3 peeled and deveined prawns (leave tail intact), 1 egg.
Mee Siam (Spicy Rice Vermicelli) Recipe. Mee Siam or “Siamese noodles” is basically spicy fried rice vermicelli with various toppings such as shrimp, chicken, fried firm tofu, and shredded omelet.
Mee Siam is usually served with a piece of kalamansi lime (the juice gives an extra tangy kick to the noodles) and a dollop of sambal on the side. When I was researching for Mee Siam recipes, I came across two distinct variations: dry vs. wet. The version I am sharing today is Malaysian Mee Siam recipe, which is dry. Singapore Mee Siam is often wet and topped with gravy. Regardless of the regional adaptations, Mee Siam is a popular noodle dish in Malaysia and Singapore. Foods Recipe, Cooking, Malaysian.