whatsonpenang.com

You are here: Home -> Salads

Salad Tips with Celebrity Chef Nik Michael Imran

February 14, 2021 By Keith Leave a Comment

A great post about Penang Malaysia.

chef

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

  1. In a small bottle or bowl, add in the egg yolk, mustard, honey, vinegar, sea salt and olive oil.
  2. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!

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

This article was first published on this site.

I trust that you found the post above of interest. You can find similar content on our main site:
https://www.whatsonpenang.com/

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

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: chef, Condiments, Cuisine, Director, Food and drink, Foods, Nik Michael Imran, oil, olive oil, Salads

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!

chef

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

  1. In a small bottle or bowl, add in the egg yolk, mustard, honey, vinegar, sea salt and olive oil.
  2. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!

print

Related posts:

  1. Beri Biru: Kecil Tapi Berkuasa!
  2. Pucuk Paku with Toasted Coconut aka Kerabu
  3. Kerabu Pegaga, a Salad Featuring the Next Superfood?
  4. 10 Resipi Trend Makanan 2020 yang Masih Popular
Tags:Chef Nik Michael Imran, Focus on Wellness, health, pegaga. daun gajus, Salad, salad recipe, salad tips, salads

Source

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

Leave us your reaction down below, write a comment and let me know which subjects you want us to cover in up coming articles.

Filed Under: Food On Penang Tagged With: chef, Condiments, Cuisine, Director, Food and drink, Foods, Nik Michael Imran, oil, olive oil, Penang, penang food, Penang Malaysia, Salads, What's On Penang, whatsonpenang.com

Chili Head Bar & Eatery @ Straits Quay, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

June 15, 2020 By Keith Leave a Comment

This blog post comes courtesy of kenhuntfood.com. Great reviews backed up with some great photos too.

A new branch to Tree Monkey- a popular Thai restaurant found in Tropical Spice Garden, Batu Ferringhi; Chili Head Bar and Eatery is a place that embodies both Thai food and alcohol in one place. Right next to Healy Macs, the restaurant at Straits Quay offers the charming sea view in which diners can opt to dine-in at an air-conditioned environment or the outdoorsy al-fresco setting. Like most Thai restaurants, the menu consists of many familiar Thai delights but the price tags will set you back a bit (just so you can imagine the steepness- one small portion of Mango Salad may cost up to Rm 24 after tax). Great atmosphere, consistent quality but the price points are too steep to justify. 
Bar
food
Lime and Chili Seabass (Rm 48.80/ whole fish)

Healy Macs
Sizzling Beef (Rm 38.80)

Hospitality Recreation
Penang
Thai Mango Salad (Rm 20.80)

penang food
Thai-Styled Beef Noodles (Rm 24.80)
We started the meal with the Thai Mango Salad with crunchy raw Mangoes, Shallots, Tomatoes and toasted Cashew Nuts. The combination was amazing and the seasoning was spot on. a pity that the portion was way too small for the price. Moving on next was the Steamed Seabass with Lime and Chili, a classic Thai dish. Chili Head’s rendition was good… a perfect mix of Sour and Spiciness with a generous amount of Chilies and Garlic; the let down was again, the small portion (we expected bigger fish for that price). The star dish of the day was Sizzling Beef… tender, juicy and flavorful meat served on a sizzling hot pan… with Black Pepper sauce; not too Thai but definitely very delicious. We also had a bowl of Thai-styled Beef Noodles…. flavorful and herbaceous broth, tender meat but nothing out of the ordinary (not disappointed but just okay).
Penang Malaysia
Salads
Ratings:
Taste: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Price: 6/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 cheap)
Service: 7.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Parking: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Ambiance: 7.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)
Non-Halal (Full menu available here)
Service Charge: Yes 10%
Government Tax: Yes 6%
Additional Information:
Address: 3A-G-11, Straits Quay, Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang, 10470, Tanjung Tokong, Penang.
Business Hours: 12 pm to 1 am. Opens Daily.
Contact Number: 604- 890 3009
Chili Head Straits Quay Facebook Page

Source

You can find similar articles to this on our main site: Whats On Penang

Write a comment below to let me know what you think of this article and at the same time let me know which subjects you want us to cover in future articles.

Filed Under: Food On Penang Tagged With: Bar, food, Healy Macs, Hospitality Recreation, Penang, penang food, Penang Malaysia, Salads, Straits Quay, Television programs, Thai cuisine, What's On Penang, whatsonpenang.com

Login/out

Username or Email Address

Lost your password?

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email

Login
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Submit Guest Post
  • Submit Review
  • Submit Event
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Advertising
  • Art
  • Bars & Pubs
  • Blog
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Food On Penang
  • Langkawi
  • Magazine
  • Motors
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Penang Hotels
  • Penang Images
  • Penang News
  • Penang Video
  • Property
  • Sport & Fitness
  • Theatre
  • Travel
  • Website Design
  • What's On Now
  • What's To See On Penang

Recent

  • Jiran Residensi – Exquisite living at Butterworth from RM200K
  • 'Memories of Penang' by Jimmy Fong
  • Su Vege Buffet 素香素食自助餐 @ Lebuh Tye Sin, Georgetown, Penang.
  • The Penang City, October 2017
  • Victoria’s Secret Is Having A Women’s Day Promo With 37% Off Bestselling EDP

Reviews

  • Bars & Pubs
  • Books
  • Fitness
  • Guest Houses
  • Hotel
  • Kids Entertainment
  • Movies
  • Music Event
  • Music-Album
  • Night Clubs
  • Places of Interest
  • Restaurants
  • Sports Clubs
  • Theatre
  • Travel

Copyright © 2021 · What\'s On Penang · Log in

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Submit Guest Post
  • Submit Review
  • Submit Event
  • Contact Us