
Home Made Oyakodon
The oyakodon is a classic Japanese bento dish.served in many Japanese restaurants including here in Malaysia. Check out this recipe and try making your own.
The spirit of feasting together is ever- present during Ramadan, where everyone puts in a little more effort to buka puasa (break fast) at home with family. This makes cooking up a feast all the more worthwhile because it is shared with the people we love! Here are our renditions of 4 traditional Raya recipes that’ll bring some bold flavour to the table:
SOTONG SUMBAT WITH KUAH KACANG
Fresh squid boasts a sweetish taste and firm texture when cooked right, and in this case complemented by the soft sticky texture of glutinous rice stuffed into the squid. Couple this with tangy peanut sauce and you’ll find every bite is a scrumptious delight.
Yield: 4 pax
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
Whole squid, cleaned | 1 |
Glutinous rice, washed and soaked in warm water for 2 hours | 400g |
Peanut Sauce | |
Peanuts, ground until fine | 200g |
Shallots, peeled | 10 |
Garlic, peeled | 3 cloves |
Galangal, peeled and slice into thin pieces | ½ inch |
Lemongrass | 3 stalks |
Dried chilies, soaked in warm water until soften | 8 stalks |
Tamarind pulp | 2 tablespoons |
Water | 2 cups + ½ cups |
Cooking oil | ½ cup |
Salt | As needed |
Gula Melaka | As needed |
Method:
1. Using a colander, drain the glutinous rice until most of the water is out.
2. Pat the cleaned squid dry with a kitchen towel. Spoon glutinous rice loosely into each squid tube and close with a toothpick. Do not over-stuff because the squid will shrink during cooking. Set aside.
3. Place shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, soaked dried chilies and ½ cup of water in a blender and blend until you get a fine mixture.
4. Heat up cooking oil in a pot and sauté the paste until the oil has separate from the paste and the paste has turn darker.
5. Add in ground peanuts and let it cook for a few minutes.
6. Mix tamarind pulp with water and pour it into the pot. Bring the heat to simmer and let the sauce cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add in stuffed squid into the sauce and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for further 20 minutes, until the glutinous rice has cooked.
8. Once done, season with salt and Gula Melaka accordingly.
SAMBAL JAWA
This protein rich spicy noodle dish is a classic favourite cooked mostly during celebratory occasions. The beauty of Sambal Jawa is that there is no correct way to prepare it, which is why the taste differs according to region. Try this version and prepare for a spicy sensory-overload!
Yield: 6 pax
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
Onion, sliced thinly | 1 |
Garlic, chopped | 2 cloves |
Ginger, julienne | 1 inch |
Dried chilies, sliced | 3 |
Red chilies, sliced | 2 |
French bean, cut into 2 inches long | 200g |
Glass noodle, soaked in warm water until softened | 100g |
Foo chuk, soaked in warm water until softened | 50g |
Potato, cubed | 3 |
Tempeh | 50g |
Dark soy sauce | 1 tablespoon |
Salt | As needed |
Cooking oil | As needed |
Method:
1. Heat up 2 cups of oil in a pot. Deep fry tempeh and potatoes, until it has turn light brown and cooked through. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok and sauté onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant.
3. Add dried and red chilies, French bean, glass noodle and foo chuk into the pan and cook it for 4 minutes. Add in fried tempeh and potato.
4. Season the sambal with dark soy sauce and salt. Toss it well.
5. Serve the sambal immediately.
PULLED DUCK RENDANG GYOZA
Gyoza is the Japanese name for the semi-circular dumplings stuffed with meat and vegetables, most commonly served as a side dish in gourmet Chinese restaurants. We’ve put our very own flavoursome spin to this recipe that uses duck rendang as stuffing – yummy!
Yield: 6 pax
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 3 Hours
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
Duck breast, cut into small chunks | 1 kg |
Red onion, peeled | 6 bulbs |
Garlic, peeled | 3 bulbs |
Lemongrass, chopped | 4 stalks |
Ginger, peeled and chopped | 3 cm piece |
Galangal, peeled and chopped | 2 inches piece |
Turmeric, peeled | 1 ½ inches piece |
Bird’s eye chilies | 7 |
Fresh coconut milk | 3 cups |
Water | 1 cup |
Gula Melaka | 1 teaspoon |
Turmeric Leaf, knotted | 1 |
Kaffir Lime Leaves | 4 |
Asam keping / tamarind | 3 pieces |
Kerisik / toasted desiccated coconut | 1 tablespoon |
Vegetable Oil | 1-2 cups |
Salt | As needed |
For the gyoza: | |
Gyoza skin, water, & chopped spring onion for garnishing |
Method:
1. Blend red onions, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric and bird’s eye chilies until fine.
2. Heat oil in a pot. Sauté the blended ingredients until fragrant and thick for about 30 minutes. Be sure to constantly stir the paste to avoid it from sticking at the bottom of the pot.
3. Add in duck breast, turmeric leaf, kaffir lime leaves and asam Keping. Stir well.
4. Stir in coconut milk and water. Season with salt and gula Melaka.
5. Simmer for 3-4 hours, until the meat is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Leave to cool and once cooled, shred the meat.
6. Take 1 teaspoon of the filling and place at the center of gyoza skin and seal.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on a non-stick pan. Place the bottom of gyoza on the pan and let it brown and crisp for 3 minutes. Add a dash of water and cover the pan. Once the water has completely evaporated, remove gyoza from the pan. Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve warm.
8. To make the dipping sauce, combine soy sauce, white distilled vinegar and few dashes of sesame oil.
LONTONG GORENG
Lontong is a compressed rice cake that is normally served alongside gado–gado or satay.Sometimes referred to as ketupat, the rice in lontong is wrapped in banana leaves, while ketupatrice is wrapped in coconut leaves. This recipe uses leftover lontong to make a delicious spicy stir-fry that’ll have your guests demanding for more, so you might want to keep an extra batch handy!
Yield: 6 pax
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 30 Minutes
INGREDIENTS | QUANTITY |
“Ketupat”, pre cooked and cubed | 700 g |
Chicken breast, poached and shredded | 1/2 cup |
Chinese chives, cut into 2 inch lengths | 1/4 cup |
Red onion, sliced thinly | 1 |
Garlic, minced | 2 cloves |
Chili sauce | 1 tablespoon |
Thick soy sauce | 1 tablespoon |
Light soy sauce | 1 tablespoon |
Sesame oil | 1 tablespoon |
Fresh chili paste | 3 tablespoons |
Eggs, beaten | 2 |
Prawns, de-shelled and deveined | 70g |
Oil | As needed |
Garnish: | 1 tablespoon |
Fried Onions | As needed |
Red chilli | As needed |
Method:
1. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a work over medium heat.
2. Sauté chili paste for a few minutes until it darkens in color. Add in garlic and red onion. Keep sautéing to avoid garlic from getting burnt.
3. Toss in shredded chicken meat and add in chili sauce, light soy sauce and sesame oil. Place ‘ketupat’ into wok and mix to combine.
4. Make a well in the centre and add more oil if needed. Pour in beaten egg and allow the sides to cook. As the eggs cook, stir it carefully to mix with ‘ketupat’ to avoid breaking it. Once done, transfer the dish to a warm serving bowl and garnish with fried onion and red chilies.
Put your chef hats on and have fun preparing these festive treats – call us over to share also ok? You’ll find more festive recipes at http://bit.ly/BIGRecipes, so get your masak–masak on. Remember to stock up on your ingredients at a Ben’s Independent Grocer near you, and do join us from 15th May to 24th June for our Raya ‘Ramadan Dihayati, Syawal Dirai’ Fair. Click the following link for info on all the in-store happenings you don’t want to miss: www.big.com.my/latest.
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