time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Sambal Oelek Chilli Paste
The action of grinding a chilli paste is “oelek” or “ulek” in Malay. Commercial brands like the Indonesian ABC brand are good, but this sauce is so simple to make that you should try it. Remember to bring it to boiling point, then allow to cool before storing.
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic
2.5-cm (1-in) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
12 red finger-length chillies, deseeded
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
⅜ cup (100 ml) vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
1 Grind the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies in a food processor or mortar to a smooth paste.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the paste over medium heat until fragrant, 3–5 minutes. Season with the sugar, vinegar and salt.
3 Remove from the heat and cool, then store refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 2 months.
Makes 1 cup
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Aromatic Nonya Spice Paste
This curry paste is the classic Nonya standby. Use it as base for many Nonya curries and laksa dishes. Double the quantity as a timesaving exercise and use it as a stir-fry starter for vegetables and soups instead of starting with chopped garlic and onions.
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, tender inner part of bottom third only, thinly sliced
10 red finger-length chillies, halved and deseeded
1 tablespoon dried prawns
2 candlenuts or macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon salt or fish sauce, to taste
1 Grind the onion, lemongrass, chillies, dried prawns and candlenuts or macadamia nuts in a food processor or mortar until smooth.
2 Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the paste over medium heat until fragrant, 1–2 minutes.
3 Add the lime juice, sugar and water, mix well and bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until the mixture thickens. Season with salt to taste and remove from the heat. Cool and store refrigerated in a sealed jar.
Makes 1 cup
Preparation time: 45 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Chilli Sambal
This is a favourite recipe that can be made up and heated for use later and will make a great Christmas gift when bottled.
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
1½ tablespoons Sambal Oelek Chilli Paste (page 7) or other sweet chilli paste
60 g (½cup) dried prawns, rinsed and dryroasted
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp, mashed with ¼ cup (60 ml) water, strained to obtain the juice
50 g (¼ cup) dark brown sugar or shaved palm sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Salt, to taste
1 Heat the oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the garlic, onion and Sambal Oelek Chilli Paste over medium heat until fragrant, 1–2 minutes.
2 Add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt, and stir-fry until the volume reduces to half, 3–5 minutes. Season with salt to taste and remove from the heat. Cool and store refrigerated in a sealed jar.
Makes 1 cup
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Fish Curry Powder
The difference between a fish and a meat curry powder is a couple of spices that add sourness and aroma to the fish curries. You may choose a commercial blend or make your own using a little less or more fenugreek seeds, mustard and some lime juice to hold the powder together.
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 teaspoons fennel seeds
4 dried red finger-length chillies, stems discarded, broken into pieces
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 Dry-roast each of the whole spices separately, in a frying pan, over gentle heat until fragrant, 2–3 minutes each.
2 Let them cool and then grind all the spices to a fine powder in a mortar or spice grinder. Store in a sealed jar refrigerated or frozen.
Makes ½ cup
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Crispy Fried Shallots
2 tablespoons oil
5 small Asian shallots, sliced
1 Heat the oil in a frying pan and stirfrying the sliced shallots over medium heat until golden and crispy, 1–2 minutes.
2 Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels. Alternatively, cover the shallot slices with the oil in a dish and microwave for 1 minute on high, then stir and return to microwave for another 1 minute.
Makes ½ cup
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Vietnamese Beef Stock
All the delicate aromas of Vietnamese food are contained in this classic pho (pronounced “fir”) soup—wonderfully complex fragrances of the slow-cooked beef stock, with back notes of star anise, peppery ginger and refreshing, minty galangal.
750 g (1½lbs) beef bones, hock or shin, fat trimmed
2 star anise pods, bruised
5-cm (2-in) fresh ginger, peeled and bruised
5-cm (2-in) fresh galangal root, peeled and bruised
5 Asian shallots
1 onion
10 cups (2.5 litres) water
3 spring onions, sliced or chopped
1 stick cinnamon (2.5 cm/1 in)
4 dried black Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft, stems removed, caps sliced
500 g (1 lb) stewing beef or chunk steak, fat trimmed, sliced into chunks
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste