oil

Air fryer Experiment: Ikan Cencaru Sumbat

February 28, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

An informative post on Malaysia.

30g cooking oil — The result of our Air Fryer experiment: Ikan Cencaru Sumbat

For some, frying can be intimidating— the worry that we will burn and blacken food into nothingness, or the hot oil that may leave a very painful splatter. We have not even mentioned the anxiety about cholesterol-laden food. So why are we crazed about using an air-fryer to fry our food? Imagine your family sitting down at your dinner table and being greeted with a platter of hot ikan cencaru sumbat. Your family will thank you and ask how you braved a wok full of hot oil.

But you didn’t. You decided on the healthier (and safer) alternative – to use an air fryer. Here in this experiment, we will determine if it is possible to make ikan cencaru sumbat using an air fryer. How complicated can it be?

It’s simple, as it turns out. But the results aren’t precisely similar to legendary warungs that sold stuffed fried ikan cencaru with crispy skin. The most significant difference between air fried ikan cencaru and the ones sold by the warungs is that the fish’s meat is juicier and more flavorful than the warungs’ crispy version. There’s just one catch, you must peel its skin off to access the luscious meat inside. We found the skin of the air fried ikan cencaru inedible, but then again, we reckon it was the skin that sealed in the flavor of the sea as the fish gets cooked in the air fryer. On another note, to fully enjoy air fried ikan cencaru, we recommend removing the myriad of pointed bones before cooking the fish. This so that you can enjoy that flavorful meat without interruptions.

In this experiment, we used the Philips XXL Airfryer. What this device actually does is concentrate convected heat into a small cooking cavity utilizing a fan. Yes, just like a conventional oven with a built-in fan, but much smarter. Unlike most ovens, you just have to select a pre-programmed button, and it comes out perfect!

Ingredients

A. The fish

300g Ikan Cencaru (Ask your fishmonger to only remove the stomach and gills)
5g turmeric powder
4 tsp cooking oil

B. The herb and spices paste

Lay out the ingredients. Photo by Choen Lee.

Shallots 30g
Galangal 40g
Ginger 30g
Lemongrass 25g (1 or 2 stalks, depending on the size)
Dried chilli 5g
1 tsp assam puree
6g sugar
5g salt
120ml water
30g cooking oil (about 3 tbsp)

Method

The herbs and spices paste.

Instead of a food processor, we will be using a blender to puree the ingredients.

1. At least an hour before working on the rest of the ingredients, wash and soak the dried chilli in water.

2. Peel the shallots and put into the blender.

3. Remove the outer skin of the galangal and ginger and put them into the blender.

4. Remove the outer layer of the lemongrass, chop into smaller pieces, and put it into the blender.

5. When the chilli looks a bit more rehydrated, put them into the blender.

Facebook — Throw the ingredients into the blender. Photo by Choen Lee.

6. Add in 120ml of water. Blend everything within into a slightly gritty puree.

food processor — Blend the spices into a nice paste. Photo by Choen Lee.

7. Put in 30g of cooking oil into a small saucepan, and heat up over low heat. Put the pureed herbs and spices in and stir.

Instagram — Heat it up in a small saucepan. Photo by Choen Lee.

8. Stir in the assam puree, followed by the salt and sugar. Keep stirring.

Malaysia — Add in sugar and spice. Photo by Choen Lee.

9. Do not cook until the paste becomes too dry. We want it to have some water within.

10. Set aside and let it cool down. We shall now turn our attention over to the fish.

The fish

1. With a small, sharp knife, cut open the belly part even more. Slide the knife between the spine and flesh on both sides. Then remove the central spine between the head and the tail. Pare off the flesh that’s sticking to the spine and set aside- we will stuff it back into the fish later.

2. Remove about 8 or 9 long bones at the rib cage area. After this, search for the shorter bones pointing outwards to the skin (along the blue line in the photo) and remove them. It’s easier to do this on a bigger fish. We used fingers to feel for the bones and pull them off.

Philips Malaysia — Remove the central spine. Photo by Choen Lee.

Prime Minister — Remove the long bones on the rib cage area. Photo by Choen Lee.

3. After paring off whatever flesh you could salvage, discard the bones. Put the pared flesh back into the cavity of the fish. (Shown in the photo are bones from 2 fishes).

4. Coat the exterior of the fishes with about half a teaspoon of turmeric powder (about 5g). You could also rub 1 tsp of cooking oil per side of fish so that when cooked, the finished product looks like it came out of a deep fryer.

5. Scoop in one tablespoon (or more) of the herbs and spice paste into each fish’s cavity. The more you put, the more moist the cooked meat will be. Still, you put too much, and it all spills out into the air fryer. So find a nice balance for your size of fish.

6. Put the fishes into the fryer basket, and select the mode with the fish icon. The airfryer will do the rest automatically.

7. When it’s cooked, serve! We served it on a bed of chopped mint and pegaga (centella asiatica), with a sweet chilli on the side. You could also just have it with plain white rice, using the leftover herbs and spices paste as a dip.

Remember to peel off the skin of the fish to get to the juicy meat inside the ikan cencaru sumbat. If you have suggestions or ideas to improve this recipe, please do PM us on our Instagram or Facebook channels. We’d like to hear what you think.

This article was first provided here.

I trust you found the article above informative. You can find similar content on our main site here:
whatsonpenang.com

Let me have your feedback below in the comments section. Let us know what subjects we should write about for you in the future.

Simple Egg Salad with Spicy Nutty Dressing

February 26, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

A really good post about Malaysia.

This is an easy old-fashioned kind of salad made with simple ingredients and topped with a chilli peanut dressing. It’s often the kind of salad we would get when we go home to visit our kampung (Malaysian village). You could say this is comfort food in salad form.

Some Prep, a Little Art Arrangement and Voila!

We love how easy this salad is to put together. While the peanuts, eggs and tofu require a tiny bit of cooking, everything else just needs a good wash and slice.

The way that this egg salad is arranged makes it quite a fun dish to put together with your kids. It starts with a bed of lettuce arranged like petals on a flower followed by a layer each of thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, tofu and finally eggs. While those are all the vegetable ingredients we used, you are certainly not limited this list.

Egg Salad with Chilli Peanut Dressing

Ingredients:

Salad

130g or 1 large tomato, sliced
70g or 1 firm tofu
3 large eggs
120g or 1 Japanese cucumber, sliced
1 head of romaine or iceberg lettuce

Dressing Sauce

150g peanuts
1/2 cup chilli sauce
3 cloves garlic, grated
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Toast the peanuts for 5 to 7 minutes on dry pan. You’ll know they are ready when you notice that the skin breaks up and you can hear popping sounds. Remove from pan. Allow peanuts to cool. Remove the skin and set aside.
Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a pan. Add tofu and fry until they are golden brown. Remove from oil onto a paper towel to drain some of the excess oil. Thinly slice the tofu. Set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and gently add eggs. Boil for 8 to 12 minutes depending on how firm you prefer your yolks to be. Prepare an ice bath. Remove eggs from the hot water and dip into an ice bath to cool and instantly stop the cooking process. Remove the shell. Slice and set aside.
Wash all your vegetables. Separate all the lettuce leaves and slice your tomatoes and cucumbers so that they are about 1/2cm in thickness.
Arrange everything on a serving plate. The lettuce leaves go on first and form a bed to hold the other components together. Follow with sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, sliced tofu and eggs.
Time to make the sauce. Roughly blend or chop the skinless peanuts.
Put the chopped peanuts into a bowl. Add chilli, garlic, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix together.
That’s it! You can choose to serve the salad with the dressing already poured over it or keep it separate.

Toasted Coconut Coated Salads and More

If you’re looking for more traditional salad recipes, check out our Kerabu Pegaga or Urap Pegaga and Ulam Raja recipes. Both these tasty salads feature herbs we feel should be considered the next superfood. The ingredient pegaga not only keeps you looking young but has brain boosting properties as well.

Both salads are coated with delicious toasted coconut and blended chillies. Yes another spicy salad. What can we say, Malaysians love spicy food!

Of course, we have more than salads. Check in with us on Butterkicap.com or follow us on our Instagram or Facebook as we try out and post new recipes. If you have any recipes of your own to share, please do contact us on our social media platforms. We’re a community of foodies just wanting to share our recipes and spread our love for Malaysian food.

The above post was first provided on this site.

I hope that you found the post above of interest. Similar content can be found on our blog here:
https://www.whatsonpenang.com/

Let me have your feedback in the comments section below. Let us know what subjects we should write about for you in future.

We have been driving a lot less; does it mean we can save on servicing?

February 26, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

A really good article about Malaysia.

With the movement control order (MCO) and work-from-home directives, car owners everywhere recorded much lower usage in 2020. We all love driving and many of us took to the streets the moment the MCO and interstate travel restrictions were lifted.

However, with the new norm of working from home, yours truly only recorded 6,000 kilometres of driving last year, a huge drop of 70% compared to the year before. With such low mileage, it is not even reaching the stipulated “service at every 10,000 kilometres” in 12 months.

As such, should we still stick to the kilometre-reading or follow the other rule- every six months?

What happens if you didn’t follow the specified maintenance schedule?

All dealerships require the owners of new cars to return for maintenance activities at a stipulated schedule. The majority of mass-market vehicles have a schedule of every 10,000 km travelled or six calendar months from the last date of service, whichever occurs first.

Volkswagen in Malaysia meanwhile require customers to return just once a year, or every 15,000 km, applied to every car from the Polo 1.6 to the Golf R. Check your owner’s and servicing manual for specifics.

Servicing is important as the engine oil is changed, together with the oil filter and other inspection that ensures the vehicle performs at its best. At certain intervals, transmission fluid is replaced, air and fuel filters swapped to new units, as well as replenishing the brake fluid.

With such little driving done last year, owners of new vehicles must still adhere to the time-based servicing schedule of every six months, or as stipulated in the individual manufacturer’s requirement such as Volkswagen.

It sounds like wastage as your engine oil might have only done minimal work, but remember, adhering to the manufacturer prescribed service schedule is one of the key methods to keep your warranty valid. Apart from wear during operation, oil in the engine also deteriorates with time.

Oxidation occurs when oxygen molecules interact with oil molecules which will lead to chemical breakdown, reducing the oil’s protective capabilities plus an increase in viscosity.

Carefully blended additives in the engine oil are also designed to deplete with time. Anti-wear additives are added to oils to form a sacrificial barrier and it is this sacrificial nature that makes engine oils lose their effectiveness and must be changed.

By not adhering to the six-month schedule, the dealership has a strong reason to deny any replacement on parts that fall under the warranty coverage. New car owners should also return to only authorised dealerships for all scheduled preventive maintenance servicing. This is to ensure all fluids and replacement parts are genuine items.

Filters might be clogged up if you overstretched your servicing schedule, making the vehicle consume more fuel and could even cause a breakdown while driving.

The brake system meanwhile might be less effective and suffer more fade, as the corrosion inhibitor additive in the brake fluid has worsened and overheats.

Some new car owners mentioned earlier that they could not get a slot to service their vehicle within the six months interval (MCO, reduced staff, distancing etc). Under these circumstances, the agreement between the dealership and the owner must be clearly laid out. With computerised data logging, remarks can easily be tagged to specific vehicles.

Alright, so you drive a car that is already out of warranty coverage. Well then, it is best to check with your regular mechanic if you can stretch your servicing interval. You might have been using semi-synthetic engine oil and these do not hold their lubricating qualities as long as fully synthetic oils.

Fully synthetic oils are made with base oils that are more resilient to oxidation and heat, while their additives also typically provide better performance.

So, in summary, can I stretch my service interval to follow the 10,000-kilometre distance? For owners of new cars, the answer is no. It will void your warranty and complicate things further being a new car owner. Follow the prescribed month-based schedule even if you only have done 1,000 kilometres.

For owners with a car that is already out of warranty, it’s best is to check with your mechanic. But on a personal recommendation, best to get the oil change by the ninth month since the last change, as it is already a 50 per cent-stretch on the life of the engine oil.

We treasure our cars and definitely like to have the best for our passion and hobby. The engine oil is the lifeline of the car, and it is better to spend on servicing rather than deal with a breakdown later, keeping in mind ‘penny wise, pound foolish’.

This post was first provided on this site.

We trust that you found the above of interest. You can find similar content on our blog here:
whatsonpenang.com

Please let me have your feedback in the comments section below. Let us know which topics we should cover for you in future.

Urap Salad with Pegaga and Ulam Raja to Maintain Youth

February 25, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

A really good article on Penang.

Urap is a Malaysian and Indonesian salad of Javanese origins comprised of steamed or boiled vegetables mixed with spiced toasted coconut. While the vegetables usually consist of water spinach, long beans, bean sprouts and cabbage, we love a version using fresh herbs such as pegaga and ulam raja which are packed with powerful nutrients. The combination of boiled and fresh vegetables with the rich taste of shredded spicy toasted coconut is not only addictive but good for you too.

Could Pegaga and Ulam Raja be the Secret to Youth?

If you have never heard of pegaga, it’s time to pay attention. This humble looking herb is rich in amino and fatty acids, beta carotene and phytonutrients, thus improves circulation and stimulates cell growth. What does this mean to us? Well, this in turn aids in collagen production, keeping your skin looking rejuvenated and your hair and nails strong. Besides being a beauty booster, a 2012 study found that Pegaga extract had a positive effect on protecting brain cells from toxicity.

What about ulam raja? This herb has long been used in Malaysian traditional medicine to help treat conditions such as high blood pressure, arthritis, fever and diabetes. To top it all off, ulam raja has antioxidants which help repair cells in your body thus preventing premature ageing.

Together these two herbs seem to be a great combination keeping you looking young and healthy.

Urap with Pegaga and Ulam Raja Recipe

Ingredients:

Spicy Coconut Mixture

2 fresh red chillies
5 green bird’s eye chillies (cili padi)
3 shallots, peeled
3 tbsp water
20g belacan (shrimp paste), optional
1 1/2 cup freshly grated white coconut flesh
1 tbsp brown sugar
3-4 lime leaves
1 tsp salt

Vegetables and Other Ingredients

200g water spinach (kangkung)
80g pegaga (centella asiatica, pennyword, gotu kola)
60g ulam raja (cosmos caudatus, king’s salad)
200g bean sprouts
100g carrot (about 1 small carrot)
1-2 tbsp lime juice (according to taste)

Method:

Spicy Coconut

Blend or pound red chillies, bird’s eye chillies, shallots, belacan and 2 tbsp of water. Note: the addition of the belachan (shrimp paste) is optional as some people may not like the flavour. Set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan. Add the blended chilli mixture and stir for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp salt. Stir.
Add freshly grated coconut and the lime leaves for aroma. Continue to stir and toss the ingredients about so that they are mixed well. This should take about 3 minutes. Once done, discard the lime leaves and set aside the coconut mixture for later.

Vegetables

Boil about 3 cups of water in a medium sized pot.
Wash and prepare your vegetables. For water spinach, cut and discard the thick part of the stems. For pegaga, you want the leaves and just about 3 inches of the stem from the leaf. For the ulam raja, remove and discard the thick part of the stems. Peel the carrots and cut so that they form strips.
Set aside the pegaga and ulam raja. These two will not be cooked but rather served fresh. The rest of the vegetables will be put in the hot water.
Add the bean sprouts in the hot water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
Add carrots to the hot water. Boil for 3 minutes then remove and set aside.
Add water spinach to the hot water. Boil for 3 minutes then remove and set aside.
Now put everything together. In a large bowl, put all the vegetables together then add the coconut mixture along with lime juice. Toss until all the vegetables are coated with the coconut mixture.
Serve.

Salads and More

If you’re a fan of our urap with pegaga and ulam raja, be sure to look up our kerabu pegaga recipe. It is much simpler to make as it does not require boiling or steaming vegetables. Besides, it features our favourite super herb, pegaga.

There are plenty more salads coming up on Butterkicap.com so do check back in with us once in a while or follow us on our Instagram or Facebook as we try out and post new recipes. If you have any recipes of your own to share, please do contact us on our social media platforms. We’re a community of foodies just wanting to share our recipes and spread our love for Malaysian food.

This article was provided on this site.

I hope that you found the post above interesting. Similar content can be found on our blog:
https://www.whatsonpenang.com/

Let me have your feedback below in the comments section. Let us know which subjects we should cover for you next.

Luv-ing Wagyu, Chef Nik’s Way: Tips, Tricks & Hacks

February 19, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

An interesting post about Malaysia.

Wagyu beef is known for its tender, juicy texture and beautiful marbling of fat and meat. Steak connoisseurs look at it as a piece of art that should be prepared only with the best ingredients. No wonder even the lowest grade of Wagyu beef can cost hundreds of ringgit per pound of meat.

For most Malaysians, meat is meat. What is so special about Wagyu beef that makes it one of the most sought-after, premium ingredients in the world? To get the answer, let’s go back to the basics.

What is Wagyu Beef?

grapeseed oil — *Juicy, fatty, rib cap – Perfect for a steak cookout!*

Wagyu literally means “Japanese cattle”. If you guessed it right, you are off to a good start! Japanese cattle has the highest quantity of intramuscular fat compared to other cattle. The marbling effect is not just pleasing to the eyes but a feast to the mouth as well! The layering of fat gives the meat a nice meaty, rich flavour, especially the rib-eye part.

Choosing the right cut of meat can be difficult. There is a wide range of different cuts and grades to consider. It can be quite overwhelming for a first-timer. Although you can find hundreds of guides about choosing the right cut of meat within your budget, none is as simple as Chef Nik’s. Butterkicap’s own culinary extraordinaire, Celebrity Chef Nik Michael Imran, has his own 3 golden rules to guide you when cooking with Wagyu.

Chef Nik’s 3 Golden Steak Rules

Chef Nik Michael loves steaks, and his number one rule is to make it as uncomplicated and straightforward as possible. To him, a good steak must hit the steak trifecta:

a) nice crispy, seared crust,
B) maximise juiciness in the flesh. This is through heating the insides gently by flipping often
c) meat cooked to medium rare (or as low as you enjoy it)

In order to hit all three criteria, you only need to follow these 3 rules.

Choose Your Meat

japan — *Pop quiz – Can you differentiate between the A5 and F1 grade meat?*

Do you know, each steak cut is graded? Yes, not just humans are graded but cows too! Unless you are planning to become a chef, most of us will not be able to understand it. In fact, you might get even more confused. The most important thing is you know where to get the best cuts and AAH Nippon saves you from that whole ordeal.

According to Chef Nik, there’s no one best cut that suits everybody’s taste but if he’d like to recommend one, it would be the A5 grade meat. But, at the end of the day, it depends on your own choice.

2. Salt to Crisp Ratio

Usually, steaks are flavoured simply with a generous amount of salt and a crack of pepper. Shockingly, that is a big no-no! Pepper takes away the flavour of wagyu and the one thing you don’t want is a bitter steak. Instead of fine salt, use salt flakes, Fine salt dissolves quickly and not able to absorb the moisture from the meat. Besides that, don’t forget to refrigerate the meat at least for an hour without covering.

3. Know Your Palate

Steaks can be prepared at four levels of doneness; well done, medium well, medium and medium-rare. Ideally, steaks are best eaten medium-rare. However, not everyone prefers it. So, follow the simple guide below to get the level of doneness that you desire.

a. Medium rare: Cooked to 55 Celsius
b. Medium: Cooked to 60 Celsius
c. Medium well: Cooked to 65 Celsius
d. Well done: Cooked to 70 Celsius

Padprik Wagyu, So Delicious!

Padprik is a Thai dish that has gained much popularity among Malaysians. But, why? Padprik is a wholesome dish that tastes sweet, sour and spicy at the same time. Thus, it is no surprise that Chef Nik loves it so!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil
200g Wagyu steak, salted and refrigerated
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1tablespoon of grated ginger
3 tablespoons of cili giling/boh
1 lemongrass, bashed
Kaffir lime leaves, 2 nos
Cili padi, 2 nos (sliced lengthwise)
2 tablespoons of tom yam paste
200ml water
2 tablespoons of chili sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of gula Melaka
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
1 carrot, cut into batons
2 long beans, cut into batons
1/4 cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 shucked Japanese sweet corn
1/2 yellow onion, sliced

Preparing The Dish

Method:

Place a wok on top of a high flame. Let it heat and pour in some oil.
Place the steak in the wok. Constantly flip the steak every 20-30 seconds. After that, remove the steak when the top is well-seared with a good looking crust all over. Then, remove the steak & leave to rest on a wire rack.
Next, lower the flame and in the same wok, add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Let it cooked till brown. About 1 minute.
Now, add in the cili boh and let it cook until the oil starts to separate. About 2 minutes
After that, add in the lemongrass, kaffir leaves and cili padi. Stir for 1-2 minute s. Next, add the tomyam paste and cook for 1 minute.
Pour ini 100ml water. You may need to add more water as the sauce thickens. Add in the chili sauce, oyster sauce and Thai fish sauce.
Moving on, add in the gula melaka. Stir to combine. Add salt to taste.
Bring the sauce to a boil and add in your long beans, carrots and cauliflower florets. Toss it well & cook for 1 minute just to ever so slightly soften.
Lastly, add in the corn and sliced onions. Stir to combine and turn off the fire.
Before plating, remove the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf from the sauce.
Next, slice the steak you’ve set aside to rest.
Lastly, pour some of the sauce in a deep-bottomed plate and place the sliced steak on top.

AAH Nippon: Halal Wagyu Specialist

In Malaysia, finding the source of quality halal Wagyu meat was near to impossible since most supermarkets got their supply straight from Japan. Luckily, 2017 brought a game changer into the local meat scene.

AAH Nippon is the pioneer and biggest Halal Japanese Wagyu importer and distributor in Malaysia. With the aim to educate, create awareness and make Wagyu more affordable for Malaysians to enjoy, AAH Nippon provides webinars and classes for you to sign up and learn more about the intricacies of Wagyu cattle rearing, the technology behind it as well as the integration of the Halal procedure and the fine art of Japanese butchery.

Do You Luv Wagyu Like Chef Nik Does?

Cooking a steak piece is easy, but with the right technique, it can turn from a simple fare to a 5-star gourmet meal. However, if you’re not sure what to do, just follow Chef Nik’s 3 golden steak rules.

So, if you love Wagyu as much as Chef Nik, flex your newfound knowledge about Wagyu this #LuvWagyuMonth and get a chance to win fabulous cash vouchers or a supply of Halal, best quality Wagyu from AAH Nippon. For more information, click here!

The above article was first published on this site.

We trust you found the above interesting. Similar content can be found on our blog:
https://www.whatsonpenang.com/

Let me have your feedback below in the comments section. Let us know what topics we should cover for you in the future.

Salad Tips with Celebrity Chef Nik Michael Imran

February 14, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

A great post about Penang Malaysia.

Salads are the first thing that pop into your mind when you think of the words, ‘diet’ and ‘health’, followed by a very unappealing visual of green, mushy leaves that makes you scrunch up your nose. Despite that, we still order and make salads, day in and day out, simply because it helps most of us achieve our target weight since salads are widely known to have the least amount of calories contained in a dish. No surprise there!

However, one question does come to mind. Do salads have to be unappetizing and more like a torture tool just to lose a couple of kilos? Well, Malaysian celebrity chef and Butterkicap’s Culinary Director, Nik Michael Imran, says otherwise. Growing up, Chef Nik loves his salads and the reason for his love of salads is, yes you guessed it, variety. A combination of colourful vegetables and a flavour-packed dressing can make even the most hardcore meat-eater feel tempted.

Salad Dressing 101

No one wants a soggy, wet salad, Chef Nik included. In the case of salads, Chef Nik stresses the importance of perfecting the basics. Preparing salads are a no-brainer. It’s all about texture and taste. So, how do we make a perfect salad?

His years of eating and making salads has made Chef Nik realize that there are two important rules when preparing salads.

1 – Follow the Golden Ratio

There are thousands of ‘best’ salad dressing or vinaigrette recipes you can find on the web. However, the best recipe, according to Chef Nik, is the one that follows the 25:75 golden ratio.

The 25:75 golden ratio is referring to the measurements of the vinegar and oil used (the two main ingredients in a dressing or vinaigrette). The oil helps to ‘flow’ through your salad while the vinegar gives the punchy, sour flavour typical of a salad dressing. However, Chef Nik mentioned that having just the oil and vinegar is only halfway through your journey in making the best dressing ever.

2 – Don’t forget the emulsifier

Another important component of the salad dressing is the emulsifier. An emulsifier helps to combine both the oil and vinegar, which, if you remember your Year 4 science lessons, have different densities and will separate. An emulsifier can be mustard or even an egg yolk, as long as it can thicken and combine the oil and vinegar together. With the emulsifier, the oil and the vinegar will not drip off the leaves and pool down under the salad bed but instead coat the leaves in your salad evenly for a more flavourful bite.

Chef Nik’s Favourite Salad

Condiments — *Chef Nik’s childhood favourite: Pegaga & Daun Gajus Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing*

Making salads require an imaginative mind. We need to think outside of the salad bowl. For that, we need to ponder on the question, ‘What makes a salad, salad?’ Chef Nik’s answer might echo your thoughts as well. According to him, a salad can be any combination of different vegetables and herbs that are available locally or commercially, mixed with a dressing of your choice, be it a as simple as a splash of olive oil or a complicated one, like a tahini-turmeric dressing.

Salads are a representation of your individuality. Whatever combination of flavours that works for you is the best way to go. After all, you are not impressing anyone else but yourself because you will be the one to eat it.

Ready in 10 Minutes!

Growing up in a big family, eating meals is like a ritual to Chef Nik. Like in most Malaysian households, eating as a family is actually spending quality time together and most memories, bad or good, are made while eating. One of Chef Nik’s fondest memory growing up is eating salads usually made with this honey mustard dressing at home. A practice he does until today.

The subtle citrus-y note of the pegaga and the fragrant lemon-like smell of the daun gajus brings a zing to the salad and so refreshing that you can’t help but eat a second helping. This recipe does not have any measurements. Let your taste buds decide!

Ingredients:

a) Salad

Asian Pennywort (Pegaga)
Cashew leaves
Slices of cucumber, sliced length-wise and salted
Cherry tomatoes, cut into wedges and salted
Coral lettuce leaves
Romaine lettuce

b) Kuah ‘dressing’

Honey
1 egg yolk
Wholegrain or seeded mustard
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Vinegar

Method:

a) Preparing the salad dressing

In a small bottle or bowl, add in the egg yolk, mustard, honey, vinegar, sea salt and olive oil.
If you are using a bottle, put the lid on tightly and shake till all the ingredients are well-mixed. If you are using a bowl, use a whist and mix gently.

b) Assembling your salad

In a large bowl, add all the vegetables and ulam. Make sure you don’t put too much of the vegetables until the bowl as it will become packed and dense. This is important to ensure the dressing can flow freely and coat the vegetables and ulam evenly.
Pour in the honey mustard dressing. If you are not an expert, you can pour it in, little by little. The most important thing is, that you coat the leaves evenly and lightly. Too much salad dressing will resulted to a very ‘wet’ salad and wilted leaves.
Once the salad is well coated, use a pair of tongs to place your salad onto a plate and you are done!

Eating Well for Wholesome Wellness

Eating well is just one aspect of living well and healthy. In the end of the day, it is all about perspective. As how Chef Nik Michael has learned the art of perfecting salads by being creative, you can do the same as well!

Learn more about wellness by tuning to the “Focus on Wellness” sharing session, organized by the Oxford & Cambridge Society Malaysia on YouTube at 8pm tonight for a lively discussion on wellness and living with a great panel of experts in different fields, including Chef Nik Michael Imran himself.

Eat well, live healthy!

This article was first published on this site.

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Poon Choi Recipe: Prosperity Dish For The Chinese New Year

February 11, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

An interesting article about Penang.

Foodies, Lunar New Year is less than two days away, and reunion dinner is just tomorrow. We bet most of you are busy preparing all the ingredients for a sumptuous meal. We thought a pot of lavish Poon Chooi might add conversation to the table. Traditionally a Cantonese festive meal, today, Poon Choi is widely available in most Chinese restaurants to signify prosperity. We all know the dish can get very expensive, so why not make it yourself this year with this lavish Poon Choi recipe?

A Step-by-Step Poon Choi Recipe For The Lunar New Year:

A good pot of Poon Choi is usually filled to the brim with all sorts of ingredients to signify prosperity. Chinese will usually add expensive ingredients on the top to resemble wealth in a pot. They do not go too far from vegetables, meat, fish maw, prawns, abalone and more. Then again, you’re free to include or exclude any ingredients of your choice.

Ingredients:

(Serving: 6-8 pax)

Cantonese cuisine — Photo: eckitchensg (Website)

150g Dried Fish Maw (Soaked and Soften)
60g Dried Mushroom (Soaked and Soften – reserve soaking liquid)
500g Fresh Sea Cucumber (Washed; Soaked and soften if using dried ones)
1 kg Prawns
250g Fresh Scallop
1 kg Roast Meat (Roast pork, Duck, Chicken or mixture)
1 Can Abalone
300g Broccoli (Floret Only)
1 Can Sea Asparagus
150g Carrot (Peeled & Sliced)
500g Napa Cabbage (Cut into Chunks)
500g White Radish (Cut into Chunks)
300 Fried Yam

1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Chopped Garlic
2L Water (including reserved mushroom soaking liquid)
120ml Oyster Sauce
60ml Fish Sauce
1tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
2tsp Sugar

60ml Hua Tiao wine
4tbsp Corn Flour
4tbsp Water

Steps:

Soak and prepare all ingredients in advance (fish maw, sea cucumber, mushroom & etc) and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large heated pot over medium heat.
Add chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add in water, mushroom, fish maw, cabbage, white radish and all other seasonings required for the broth.
Photo: eckitchensg (Website)
Bring it to boil over medium high heat then lower the fire to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
Cook and blanch ingredients that needed to be cooked in the broth. Remove the ingredients when cooked and set aside for layering.
Photo: eckitchensg (Website)
Estimated Time (Varies based on size): Prawns and Scallops about 3 minutes. Broccoli about 15-20 seconds. Carrot about 2-3 minutes, sea cucumber about 3 minutes.
Once all is done cooking, turn of the heat and set the broth aside.
Ingredients that do not need to cook in broth: Roast meat, Abalone, Sea Asparagus, Fried Yam

In a clean pot, start with Napa Cabbage and White Radish.
Then arrange the rest of the ingredients in section, based on your creativity or preference.

Once layering is done, set aside and bring the broth back to boil. Add Hua Tiao Wine and allow it to boil for a minute.
Mix the corn flour and water in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the corn flour mixture into the boiling broth and stir while adding.
Then, ladle the broth over the pot of layered ingredients.
Photo: eckitchensg (Website)
Once the ingredients are soaked in broth, bring the whole pot of Poon Choi back to the stove for a boil. Or, serve over induction hotplate.

Tips For The Perfectly Umami Poon Choi:

Hua Tiao Wine — Photo: eckitchensg (Website)

While it does take up a lot of time and effort to make this dish, you’ll be surprised by the outcome. You’ll taste the flavor of home and togetherness when the whole family gather around to feast. Here’s a few tips: Remember to prepare all the ingredients beforehand, especially those that requires soaking for up to days. For example, fish maw, mushroom, sea cucumber and more. Some may take hours, some may take days depending on the quality of your ingredients.

Poon Choi is typically separated into 3 layers, with bottom layer filled with ingredients that can soak up the flavor and broth. Second layer is filled with ingredients that has lots of flavors and gravy. The expensive ones go on the top for presentation purposes. With this Poon Choi recipe, you can play around with the ingredients and come up with your desired pot of abundance and prosperity! Have fun making, and Happy Chinese New Year!

Recipe & Photo courtesy of: eckitchensg

Check Out: Bak Kwa Recipe: Make This Delicious CNY Snack At Home Using An Oven

Also Read: 5-Star Penang Hotels Now Offer Premium Meals That You Can Order Online

Don’t Miss Out: Valentine’s Day Recipe: Full of Hearts Mango Swiss Roll

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Poon Choi Recipe: Prosperity Dish For The Chinese New Year

February 11, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

This blog post was recently published by penangfoodie.com. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

A Step-by-Step Poon Choi Recipe For The Lunar New Year:

Ingredients:

(Serving: 6-8 pax)

150g Dried Fish Maw (Soaked and Soften)
60g Dried Mushroom (Soaked and Soften – reserve soaking liquid)
500g Fresh Sea Cucumber (Washed; Soaked and soften if using dried ones)
1 kg Prawns
250g Fresh Scallop
1 kg Roast Meat (Roast pork, Duck, Chicken or mixture)
1 Can Abalone
300g Broccoli (Floret Only)
1 Can Sea Asparagus
150g Carrot (Peeled & Sliced)
500g Napa Cabbage (Cut into Chunks)
500g White Radish (Cut into Chunks)
300 Fried Yam

The Broth:

1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Chopped Garlic
2L Water (including reserved mushroom soaking liquid)
120ml Oyster Sauce
60ml Fish Sauce
1tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
2tsp Sugar

Finishing Touches:

60ml Hua Tiao wine
4tbsp Corn Flour
4tbsp Water

Steps:

Soak and prepare all ingredients in advance (fish maw, sea cucumber, mushroom & etc) and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large heated pot over medium heat.
Add chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add in water, mushroom, fish maw, cabbage, white radish and all other seasonings required for the broth.
Photo: eckitchensg (Website)
Bring it to boil over medium high heat then lower the fire to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
Cook and blanch ingredients that needed to be cooked in the broth. Remove the ingredients when cooked and set aside for layering.
Photo: eckitchensg (Website)
Estimated Time (Varies based on size): Prawns and Scallops about 3 minutes. Broccoli about 15-20 seconds. Carrot about 2-3 minutes, sea cucumber about 3 minutes.
Once all is done cooking, turn of the heat and set the broth aside.
Ingredients that do not need to cook in broth: Roast meat, Abalone, Sea Asparagus, Fried Yam

Layering the Auspicious Pot

In a clean pot, start with Napa Cabbage and White Radish.
Then arrange the rest of the ingredients in section, based on your creativity or preference.

Finishing and Thickening of Broth:

Once layering is done, set aside and bring the broth back to boil. Add Hua Tiao Wine and allow it to boil for a minute.
Mix the corn flour and water in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the corn flour mixture into the boiling broth and stir while adding.
Then, ladle the broth over the pot of layered ingredients.
Photo: eckitchensg (Website)
Once the ingredients are soaked in broth, bring the whole pot of Poon Choi back to the stove for a boil. Or, serve over induction hotplate.

Tips For The Perfectly Umami Poon Choi:

Recipe & Photo courtesy of: eckitchensg

Check Out: Bak Kwa Recipe: Make This Delicious CNY Snack At Home Using An Oven

Also Read: 5-Star Penang Hotels Now Offer Premium Meals That You Can Order Online

Don’t Miss Out: Valentine’s Day Recipe: Full of Hearts Mango Swiss Roll

—

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chinese new year Poon Choi Poon Choi Recipe

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Salad Tips with Celebrity Chef Nik Michael Imran

January 28, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

Another blog post freshly published by butterkicap.com. I hope you enjoy!

Salad Dressing 101

His years of eating and making salads has made Chef Nik realize that there are two important rules when preparing salads.

1 – Follow the Golden Ratio

There are thousands of ‘best’ salad dressing or vinaigrette recipes you can find on the web. However, the best recipe, according to Chef Nik, is the one that follows the 25:75 golden ratio.

2 – Don’t forget the emulsifier

Chef Nik’s Favourite Salad

Ready in 10 Minutes!

Ingredients:

a) Salad

Asian Pennywort (Pegaga)
Cashew leaves
Slices of cucumber, sliced length-wise and salted
Cherry tomatoes, cut into wedges and salted
Coral lettuce leaves
Romaine lettuce

b) Kuah ‘dressing’

Honey
1 egg yolk
Wholegrain or seeded mustard
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Vinegar

Method:

a) Preparing the salad dressing

In a small bottle or bowl, add in the egg yolk, mustard, honey, vinegar, sea salt and olive oil.
If you are using a bottle, put the lid on tightly and shake till all the ingredients are well-mixed. If you are using a bowl, use a whist and mix gently.

b) Assembling your salad

In a large bowl, add all the vegetables and ulam. Make sure you don’t put too much of the vegetables until the bowl as it will become packed and dense. This is important to ensure the dressing can flow freely and coat the vegetables and ulam evenly.
Pour in the honey mustard dressing. If you are not an expert, you can pour it in, little by little. The most important thing is, that you coat the leaves evenly and lightly. Too much salad dressing will resulted to a very ‘wet’ salad and wilted leaves.
Once the salad is well coated, use a pair of tongs to place your salad onto a plate and you are done!

Eating Well for Wholesome Wellness

Eat well, live healthy!

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Tags:Chef Nik Michael Imran, Focus on Wellness, health, pegaga. daun gajus, Salad, salad recipe, salad tips, salads

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Savoury Cake with “Butterfly” Prawn Crackers

June 30, 2020 By Keith Leave a Comment

Another blog post freshly published by butterkicap.com. I hope you enjoy!

Savoury cakes are an acquired taste. When we hear the word ‘cake’, what we imagine is something sweet, decadent and rich. ‘Savoury’ is the last word we would think of to describe it. However, with an open mind, savoury desserts can be delicious too. But, only when made with the correct ingredients.

When it comes to flavour, it has to be strong, not pungent but with a herb-like sweetness in the end. I would say, savoury cakes are refreshing and light, perfect as an appetiser, refresher or amuse-bouche. While most of us don’t usually prepare or have an amuse-bouche as a pre-appetiser in house parties we organized here in Malaysia, I think it is high time we bring a small part of ‘haute cuisine’ to our table but of course, with a Malaysian twist.

Ingredients:

a) Savoury Cake Batter

90g coconut milk

90g milk

2g of turmeric powder

3g sugar

3g salt

75g flour, soft

b) Savoury Cake Filling

5g red chillies

10g chives

10g shiitake mushroom

10g onions, diced

c) Sambal Paste

100g dried chillies

10g garlic

30g shallot

20g dried shrimp

c) Sambal Aioli

2 egg yolks

30g lemon juice

80g canola oil

100g sambal paste

Method:

a) Savoury Cake Batter

Whisk all ingredients and strain.

b) Savoury Cake Filling

Dice red chillies and mushroom. Fine chopped chives.

Shallow fry anchovies until crispy.

Sweat red chillies and mushroom until fragrant.

Mix crushed anchovies and cooked vegetables into batter.

c) Savoury Cake

Bake at 150°C for 30 mins. Keep chill.

d) Sambal Paste

Remove seed from dried chillies. Soak in hot water.

Blend all ingredients into paste.

Sweat paste until fragrant.

e) Sambal Aioli

Emulsify egg yolk and oil.

Whisk in lemon juice, sambal paste and adjust seasoning.

One Bite, Full of Flavours

I know that some of you might feel intimidated looking at the intricate work of the crispy crackers on top of the cake. You can actually opt out on that. What’s important is the flavour of the cake. Trust me, you will not be disappointed upon the look of pleasant surprise on your guests’ face. Sometimes, it pays to try out new things, right?

If you love this recipe and would like to try more ‘haute cuisine’ with a touch of Malaysian in it, feel free to let me know by messaging Butterkicap on their Instagram and Facebook profiles. Till then, happy cooking!

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Tags:amuse-bouche, appetizer, cavoury cake with prawn crackers, Malay fusion, Malaysian fusion, savoury cake recipe

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Trust you enjoyed the article that they shared. Yow will discover other similar blog posts on our main site: Whats On Penang

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