Malay Yellow Rice ('Nasi Kunyit')

'Nasi Kunyit' means 'yellow rice' in Malay. It is a very special dish in the Malay custom as it is often cooked to commemorate an occasion of thanksgiving such as a special anniversary, a religious occasion or the completion of the milestone in one's life such as the completion of a course of studies. It is usually served along another very special Malay dish called 'rendang' which I will feature on the next post.

Nasi Kunyit is usually cooked in the confines of one's home; then wrapped in fresh banana leaves along with a serving of beef rendang, fresh sliced cucumbers and a hard boiled egg. These packets are usually distributed to friends and family - who receive this offering with much happiness; for this is such a special treat as it is truly a dying art. (See previous post - how it was done in Singapore for me.)

My mom cooked this dish for me in Singapore as our thanksgiving on the occasion of the completion of my MSF degree in Chicago. It was truly very special for me; as it took special effort on my 74-year old mom. (Thank you Mak! I love you very much.) 

I decided to make some for myself and Connie in Chicago; partly for our own thanksgiving occasion - but partly also to make sure that this tradition is kept alive.

The most formal version of this dish uses glutinous rice ('sticky' rice as it is called in North America). Unfortunately, we were unable to source glutinous rice and had used calrose rice instead. Nonetheless, the end result certainly did not disappoint and we are happy to share the recipe below with you. Stay tuned to Part II of this series, as we share with you a complex yet delicate authentic Beef Rendang dish that will showcase the beautiful spices of South East Asia! - Ros

Ingredients

- 2 cups of rice

- 1 tin of light coconut milk

- 1 tbsp turmeric powder

- Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Clean the rice with water. 

2. Soak the rice in sufficient water as below. Add in 1 tbsp of turmeric powder to the water and stir. Let it soak for about 6 hours.

3. Drain the water. The rice should be nice and yellow in color as per below.
4. Place the rice on fresh banana leaves if available. If not, wax paper is a good replacement. This is then placed on a flat dish; ready for steaming.
5. Steam the rice. 

6. When the rice is 75% cooked, take the rice out and place it it a deep bowl.
7. Add a dash of salt to the coconut milk, then mix the salt in. (Adjust salt to taste)
8. Pour the salted coconut milk onto the rice, then mix.

9. Place the rice back on the banana leaves / wax paper and put it back in the steamer.
10. Continue steaming the rice until it is completely cooked.

'Pulut Kunyit' : A Malay Thanksgiving

A very traditional Malay dish of glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and the iconic Malay beef rendang, made by Ros' mom in Singapore. Indeed this dish is becoming more rare by the day, as authentic rustic Malay cooking becomes a dying art. Stay tuned to delimilli as Ros attempts to recreate this beloved rustic dish from our kitchen across the world in Chicago!

Steamed Red Snapper

We cooked a whole snapper for dinner yesterday, using Connie's family's Cantonese steamed fish recipe. It was delicious and very healthy! We laid the fish on a base of soft tofu and covered it entirely with spring onions, fresh cilantro and cut chillies. As sauce, we doused the steamed fish with a mix of light soy sauce and then hot olive oil.


For our recipe of steamed fish, please refer to our archive here: http://delimilli.blogspot.com/2011/02/steamed-sea-bass-over-silken-tofu.html

Spicy Eggplant with Minced Beef

Spicy Eggplant with Minced Beef

This is a delicious, easy to cook dish that can be served as a one dish meal for dinner. It contains a vegetable and some meat and great umami from our use of oyster and soy sauces. The dish takes 15 minutes to prepare, but the actual cooking should last no longer than 15mins. Try our recipe for a lovely savory and spicy meal that will guarantee to make you and your family happy!

Ingredients:

2 medium sized long Chinese eggplant

0.5 lbs of minced beef, marinated with a dash of light soy sauce and cracked pepper

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 stalks of spring onions, cut approximately 1 inch long

1 red fresno pepper, sliced thinly

4 Thai chillies, sliced thinly

Sugar

Olive oil

A small handful of cilantro

Seasoning

2 tbsp of oyster sauce

1.5 tsp dark soy sauce

1.5 tsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp Chinese chilly oil

1 mug of water

Steps

1. Slice the eggplants lengthwise, and then slice into 3 parts. Soak these eggplant slices in salted cold water for 15mins. Soaking the eggplant in salted water will allow it to retain its beautiful purple color.

2. After 15mins of soaking, drain the water and pat the eggplants dry.

3. Heat olive oil in the wok, and panfry each piece until it becomes soft. Set aside.

4. Using the same wok, and the remaining oil, fry the minced meat for about 2-3minutes. 

5. Add the garlic and all other ingredients as shown below except the spring onion.

6. Pour in the seasoning and bring all the ingredients in the wok to a boil.

7. Add in the eggplant and stir for a while. 

8. Add in the spring onion and mix well. Season with sugar to taste.

9. When done, the dish should look like this. 

10. Sprinkle with minced cilantro. Serve with hot rice.

Savory Malay Pancakes (Roti Jala)

Eid marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan. It is a day to celebrate one's abstinence whilst fasting during Ramadhan. Traditionally, Malay Muslim families celebrate the first day of Eid with an abundance of delicious, festive foods, along with various sweet offerings including home baked cakes and cookies. 


Part of the fun of Eid is in preparing the food to be shared with friends and family. Being in Chicago during Eid for the second year, I was contemplating the special menu to celebrate this special occasion. Since I have to attend class on that day, I planned to prepare something simple yet delicious. So my thoughts went to 'Roti Jala' a very classic Malay savory pancake that goes very well with a beef curry. Roti jala is by no way an everyday dish. It takes considerable time to prepare, and usually served for tea in the company of special guests and loved ones. To be served roti jala is indeed quite a delightful treat for anyone visiting a Malay household! 


Special thanks to my sister, Su, for sharing this family recipe, and Kak Idah from Toronto for her brilliant idea on the apparatus. - Ros


Ingredients (Serving for 3-4 people):
- 1.4 cups of flour
- 2.8 tbsp evaporated milk
- 1 medium egg
- 1.4 cups of water
- Salt to taste
- A pinch of tumeric for color


The process starts with the preparation of the batter. Mix all the above ingredients to a liquid batter. Pour some of the batter to the 'squirt' bottle. (If you are in Singapore or Malaysia, you can buy the roti jala apparatus from many grocery shops). Then follow the process below:

1. A bit of butter and a dab of olive oil is added to the pan.

2. We used a 'squirt' bottle because we did not have the right apparatus.

3. Make round, concentric circles like above. Leave for pancake to cook, but just on 1 side.

4. They are folded into four like the above. Just love the ones that's ever so slightly browned.

5. The table is set up for dinner.

This is our second try at roti jala. It gets better each time. :)

Prawns in Egg Gravy

Prawns in Egg Gravy

This is the perfect dish to go with rice congee on a cold fall day. The ingredients are basic, and it takes less than 15mins to prepare.

Ingredients:

- One red fresno pepper (sliced)

- 2 stalks of spring onions (sliced)

- 1 small handful of fresh cilantro (diced)

- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)

- 1 sweet onion (diced)

- 1 egg

- 0.75lbs of cleaned prawns

- 0.5 cups of water (more if you prefer runny)

Preparation:

1. Heat wok, and pour 1 tbsp of olive oil

2. Panfry the prawns until 75% cooked

3. Heat the wok again, and pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil

4. Stir fry all ingredients (other than the prawns) in the wok other than the egg and prawns

5. When the ingredients are wilted, add the water, continue with cooking for 2mins

6. Break the egg and cook for 1 - 2mins

7. Add the prawns, stirfry

8. When the prawns are close to ready, it should look like this.

9. Season with salt and sugar to preference.

10. Serve with freshly made, pipping hot rice congee. Enjoy!

Terrace Dining in Summer

One of the best things about summer is the open terraces at restaurants. There is just something so appealing, so luxurious and inviting about terraces. I am not sure exactly what or why, but I can safely say that it must be my trips to Europe that help me come to this conclusion. From Paris, to Geneva, to Amsterdam, to Madrid... the streets come alive with rows of little tables and seats arranged neatly for customers to enjoy the sun and their meal. In the US, the terrace culture is not as entrenched as the ones in Europe. Well for one, there is not much of a coffee culture in this country. Nonetheless, we managed to find some wonderful terraces to visit this summer in Chicago. These are the rare gems that should be shared with everyone! Ros

1. Piccolo Sogno

Dream a Little Dream...  and they will come true - at the very least, dreams about fabulous terrace lunches, surrounded by fountains and multi-colored leaves and the best tasting food. I recently became acquainted with Piccolo Sogno, after the many times that the restaurant had been recommended to me by a close Milanese friend.  Despite my trying to introduce him to other Italian places, he still swears by Piccolo Sogno, saying that it is the most authentic Italian place in town!  And... definitely the place was a wonderful oasis, which reminded me of what it was to lunch a late lunch in some lost terrace in Rome  or the narrow cobblestone streets of Capri.  Piccolo Sogno is located at the west end of the city, among not very pretty looking bridges and the remains of some of the Chicago Tribunes operation buildings.  But once you step in and set foot into the terrace, time stops and suddenly you are transported!  

We had one of my favorite dishes of all time - fried zucchini flowers and spaghetti neri with shrimp.  Love, love, spaghetti with squid ink and Piccolo Sogno's rendition of it was just spectacular!  All paired amazingly well with a pinot bianco.  So as summer finishes trickling through Chicago's unusually warm streets - this venture in terrace dining is something to be remembered and I am sure that Piccolo Sogno will be one of those favorite regular Italian restaurants we will want to visit on a regular basis. - Connie

The lovely terrace of Piccolo Sogno in downtown  Chicago.

A summer treat: Zucchini Flowers!

Black ink pasta with prawns in fresh tomato sauce.

2. La Creperie

We discovered La Creperie sometime in 2010, and what a happy find this turned out to be! Aside from the delicious crepes that it serves, we love its location, which is within a 10minute walk from home. So it is just a short hop away for us when the mood for crepe strikes! - Ros

A large menu of sweet and savory crepes to choose from.

La Creperie opens its terrace in summer and we get to enjoy our meal under wide umbrellas at the back of the restaurant. The umbrellas are colored red, blue and white - the national colors of France. On Bastille Day (July 14), the terrace gets decorated even more and one can't help but be part of the celebration of France's independent day.

We love the casualness of the terrace at La Creperie.

A sugar and butter crepe, and a glass of Orangina makes a lovely breakfast!

We each have our favorites at La Creperie. I started with the Nutella crepe but eventually grew to love Connie's favorite, the plain butter and sugar crepe (served with a serving of whipped cream) as per the above. The crepes are crispy on the outside but chewy and ever so buttery on the inside. Best eaten with a glass of Orangina or just a plain cup of Earl Grey tea. Such a simple, satisfying and amazing treat, to be savored with each bite! Ros

Bon Appetit!

Great Lake (Pizza) in Andersonville, Chicago

The shop front - very forgettable. It hides a true gem.

I wrote in my Facebook entry about the Great Lake.  I said something along the lines of '...Great Lake is the best kept secret in town.' and a response to that was that the Illinois Lake society said the same line before requesting a donation!  So...  The name - Not the most unique.  The place - could be passed by in a flash - and given full curtains, no signage indicating any presence of a restaurant, and pretty much the silence, one would not know if the place was open or closed...  But the experience - Unforgettable.  It is indeed true that Simplicity is the key to excellence.

So we decided to venture and try this wonderfully kept secret (not so secret now).  We arrived, not knowing if it was the right place or not and when we finally decided to open the door and step in into a 12 seat tiny place, we were greeted by 10 pairs of eyes and an 'invisible secret hand shake'.  The pizza maker and the pizza oven where visible a few feet away so we knew we were in the right place.  We ordered quite quickly and took a seat at a communal table, together with a wonderful suburban couple (running away from the kids); another couple with foreign accents; two 20 somethings women, enjoying BYOB root beer and us - the delimillis (multi-national Asians, art and food loving bloggers).

The waiting starts...

Only two choices of beverage: Orange soda or water.

We took our seats and waited.  All or our hearts (also the ones from the 10 other pairs of eyes) skipped a beat as suddenly plates with cutlery were brought to the table, as the oven seemed to open and close in a flash.  The first to get their pizzas were the child escaping couple - who were feeling even guilty to start eating as we all stared (our eyes suddenly joined the group of 10 in instant admiration of all things pizza). Soon enough we all got our pizzas and... HEAVEN.  Absolutely fantastic - Artisanal crust, with farm cheese, tomatoes and the freshest red onions thinly sliced.  Cooked into a bite that tasted of French onion soup with heirloom tomato, and basil mist.  Refined and rustic, the ying and the yang of Great Lake.  Best part was sharing the experience with the fellow diners, who were equally impressed and sharing their thoughts...

Our experience was a highlight and an adventure which we tried to capture through photography.  Verdict - a Must.  Decision - Will Try Again.  Final Comments - not only Two Thumbs Up but 10 Eyes Wide Open and Smiling! - Connie

The pizza finally arrived. Just look at that crust!
We had the Tomato Sauce, Farmers Cheese and Dante Cheese Pizza: eden foods organic tomatoes, cedar grove organic farmers cheese, wisconsin sheep dairy co-op (wsdc) dante aged sheep's milk cheese, california olive ranch (cor) arbequina extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, sel gris de guérande (grey sea salt).
Plus one extra order of tropea onion.

No guessing if we liked it or not. ;)

Curry Fever

We eat a lot of curry at home.

Chicken Curry

Beef Curry

Prawn Curry

Other than rice, here are the other possible accompaniments to curry. What a truly versatile dish this is!

Chicken Curry with Toasted French Bread

Beef Curry with Malay Savory Pancakes (Roti Jala)

Mmmmmmmmm..... we love curry!

Destination Singapore: Mission Food. Part 2 - Snacks

Every foodie culture has its arsenal of snacks to combat hunger pangs that hit in-between meals. They come both in sweet or savory versions. Typically, they are fast to cook or if not cooked personally - are highly accessible. During my trip back home, I took the opportunity to look for some of my favorite snacks growing up in Singapore. 

1. "Zui Kuey"

First up - savory steamed rice cake; fresh from the steamer, eaten with a cooked fermented cabbage topping. The topping certainly does not sound scrumptious, but it certainly goes very well with the relatively mild flavor of the smooth textured steamed rice cake!

"Zui Kuey"

2. "Ang Ku Kuey"

The most famous and highly distinctive version of this delicious rice cake comes in bright red color. Not sure if the color represents the flavor, but the version I get from a neighborhood bakery (as shown in the picture) is light purple and is supposed to the 'salty' variety. It is not entirely salty, the predominant flavor is still sweet from the red bean filling inside these cakes. The banana leaf that they are placed also contributes a lovely fragrance to the cakes. Goes so well with a cup of tea.

"Ang Ku Kuey"

3. Spicy Mini Shrimp Rolls

Usually a festive snack, but these days, one can get them from the supermarket at any time. I recall making them from scratch with my mom and sister during the Ramadhan; the month that precedes the Muslim festival of Eid. My mom would buy dried shrimps, soak them overnight, then blend them into a rough pulp. A sambal is then made and the pulp is cooked in the sambal until dry and crispy. The most tedious task awaits after the filling is done, that is to roll each and every one of these by hand. A laborious work of love indeed! The end result is truly deliciousness in a small pack! Spicy and crispy, it is very hard to stop eating them once one gets going! These days, my sister buys them from her contacts in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. They taste just as delicious... No matter what time of the year I eat them, they will always remind me of the time we made them from scratch in my mom's kitchen.

Mini Spicy Shrimp Rolls

4. "You Tiao"

These are favorite breakfast snacks, and definitely Chinese. There are many ways of eating them. In Singapore, they are eaten with rice porridge, sweet bean porridge, or just on its own, dipped in the local Singaporean coffee (see next item). They are made fresh in the market. I always enjoy watching them made so deftly by the hawkers. Moulds of clean, fluffy dough are kneaded into rolls, then cut into rectangular pieces about 3-4 inches long and 1 inch wide. A long line is then imprinted in the middle of this rectangular roll of dough (usually with a long wooden stick), then pulled lengthwise to stretch three times its length, before being placed in a wok of hot oil. The hawker uses long, wooden chopsticks to guide the frying process. In a few minutes, fresh, hot 'you tiao' is ready for consumption. Oh I love to witness this process. Also just so I get the freshest 'you tiao' to go with my cup of fresh brewed... (see below).

"You Tiao"

4. "Kopi C Kosong"

One can write a whole blog entry on the intricacies of ordering coffee in Singapore. I shall attempt to explain some of the more common terms here. Kopi is the Singaporean word for coffee - not too challenging to the imagination for sure. But what does 'C' mean? In Singapore, Kopi C represents coffee with evaporated milk (as opposed to condensed milk that one will get when ordering just 'Kopi'). Don't ask me how the 'C' came about - I do not know. Kosong is the Malay word for 'empty'. In the context of Singaporean coffee however, 'kosong' means 'without sugar'. So in summary, Kopi C Kosong means coffee with evaporated milk, and no sugar. Complicated? Wait until you mix all that with more terms like 'peng' (iced), 'kau' (strong). Hehe... this truly separates locals from foreigners in Singapore!

"Kopi C Kosong"

5. Local Bakery Cakes

This last Singaporean snack holds a special place in my heart. It represents everything luxurious and foreign in my 7-year old mind. A slice of heaven; that could be purchased for 30cents a piece back then. Indeed a small fortune for little Ros. I will get a slice (or two when I was feeling particularly rich) from a bakery at Block 18 in Marsiling Drive. I took delight and a lot of pleasure from the act of choosing a slice; but usually I would choose the ones with bright red jelly (I guessed them to be strawberry jam. Hence my favorite because of my fascination for all things western). Fast forward a couple of decades, I have since tried pastries in many pastry capitals of the world, but nothing can ever quite match the 'specialness' of these cakes. I look at them with a lot of fond memories; and 7-year old Ros never fails to resurface at the sight of these humble cakes; all her hopes and dreams - in a slice.

Local Cake

Special thanks to Mr Fang Leow of Singapore for an education on 'zui kuey' and 'ang ku kuey'. :)