For the longest time, I avoided Hakka Lei Cha (aka Lui Cha in Hakka) because I thought it was something you’d eat if you’d lost a bet, or if you were on a diet – it just looked too healthy and vegan to be enjoyable.

So despite being 100% Hakka, I’d never had Hakka Lei Cha until I had a go at making it myself a couple of weeks ago. In other words, when I finally tested it out, absent any past personal experience to compare it against, I could only rely on Paul’s memory for how it should taste. 

That’s because, unlike this Hakka moi, our South African Paul did in fact eat Hakka Lei Cha when we visited a Hakka settlement in Machap (Melaka) courtesy of Tourism Malaysia a few years back. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t just more game about eating it than me, he even had a go at making it during the Hakka Lei Cha workshop conducted by our hosts.

This video includes footage filmed during the Machap Hakka Village workshop –

By the way, Hakka Lei Cha is also known as Thunder Tea, BUT the common opinion that the term comes from the thunderous sound of the paste being pounded is wrong – the written Chinese character for “Lei/Lui” is the word “to grind”, not “thunder” (both words share the same pronunciation in the three Chinese dialects I know). 

Also, during our Machap Hakka Village visit, our Hakka hosts demonstrated how the tea paste was made, and it involved rolling and grinding (not pounding) the wooden pestle against the ridged walls of the purpose-built bowl in a circular motion. 

This means the correct process of making Lei Cha does not in fact produce thunderous sounds, contrary to the made-up claim of those trying to explain why it’s called “Thunder Tea”. Having said that, the Michelin Guide website says “Thunder Tea” is a fun & accepted nameplay for the dish, so who knows (definitely not this particular Hakka).

So what is Hakka Lei Cha anyway? It’s a rice bowl that comes with different toppings such as peanuts, salted radish, tofu, cooked shredded vegetables eg. snake beans and leafy greens, and it’s served with a bowl of green soup poured over it, which is made from ground Chinese tea, herbs, peanuts and sesame seeds.

While it’s true that it’s predominantly vegan, it can optionally come with non-veg toppings like dried shrimp and ikan bilis (fried dried anchovies).

In my research, I came to realise that no two recipes for Hakka Lei Cha are the same; this fact is widely acknowledged, with the explanation that the dish is one borne from necessity and pragmatism, in line with my Hakka ancestors’ nomadic upbringing in hostile environments – you basically adapt the ingredients to what’s available in your neck of the woods. 

This is great news to diaspora Malaysians & Singaporeans whose biggest complaint when it comes to Malaysian cooking is usually that they can’t find the right ingredients in their part of the world.

I’m going to break down the recipe and its variations, and give my adaptation at the end (based on my own flavour preferences). 

If you were to make everything from scratch, you could expect to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen (even with my ninja skills and help from my kitchen appliances), so this is how I approach it –  

Hakka Lei Cha can essentially be split into three components – 

1. Tea Paste
2. Toppings
3. Rice & Vegetables

The tea paste and the toppings can be prepared in advance; this is what I do – 

1. Freeze the tea paste in silicone moulds, then keep the blocks in the freezer until I need to use them.
2. Cook up the toppings with long shelf lives, and store them in my pantry.
3. Cook the rice and vegetables either just before serving, or keep them in the fridge – they’ll last a few days.

Doing it this way will cut down your Hakka Lei Cha prep time on the day to 20 minutes, give or take.

When I first shared about my Hakka Lei Cha experiments, one of my fellow overseas Malaysian friends, Ivan Choy, mentioned that he treats Part 3 – ie. the rice and veggies – as a weekly fridge clear-out exercise, which is a brilliant idea because I’ve always been loathe to buy too much leafy greens since they don’t keep long in the fridge, but now I can.

If You Can’t Find Everything

Lei Cha’s biggest hurdle for most home cooks is sourcing the herbs. Here’s a breakdown of what’s essential, what’s optional, and what you can swap.

Tea paste herbs

The base herbs are Asian basil, Asian mint and coriander. One of my Malaysian Hawker Pro students in England used Western basil and Western mint as substitutes during our Zoom workshop, though I would suggest to add a touch of fresh ginger and some black peppercorns next time, to give it a bit more punch.

My recipe includes Vietnamese mint (daun kesum, also called laksa leaves or polygonum) because I had a lot left over from an event that was begging to be used up, and doing so accidentally helped enhance the flavour, at least according to Paul.

Sawtooth coriander was used in the version made at the Machap Hakka Village – I didn’t realise that until I went back through our photo archives. I’ll add it in my next batch since this is another ingredient that’s readily available in Cabramatta (we have so much to thank Vietnamese immigrants for all these herbs, really).

Mugwort is also widely available at Asian grocery stores in Sydney (I can even get it at my local Tong Li) but otherwise, substitute with rocket, or leave it out altogether.

Nuts and seeds

Roasted peanuts are standard for the paste, but I’m sure some other types of nuts would work. I’m thinking out loud but peanut butter might be a good substitute if you’re big on shortcuts (like me).

Roasted sesame seeds (white or black) are the other base ingredient in the paste. I’m guessing tahini or Chinese sesame paste could be viable replacements, though again, I haven’t tried it myself.

Toppings

The essential toppings are roasted peanuts (skin off) and preserved radish (chai poh, sometimes called salted turnip). For decades, I’ve been using Thai minced preserved radish in lieu of finger-sized salted radish for my business (specifically for my Chai Tow Kueh), but whatever you can find should work – just make sure you check how salty it is and rinse it as much as is necessary to temper the saltiness.

Various types of salted radish pictured below; they will all work but you may have to mince them if they come in big chunks –

Beyond that, you can add any combination of:

Dried anchovies (ikan bilis), dried shrimp, salted fish, crispy fried onions (I add that just because I almost always have some sitting around), crispy fried garlic.

Rice and vegetables

Jasmine rice is the usual base, though at the Hakka Village we visited, they actually served it with puffed rice out of a packet. Most other recipes I’ve seen use either uncooked rice stir-fried with oil and garlic, then transferred into a rice cooker to cook, OR they simply use freshly-cooked white rice. I had some leftover cold rice to use up the first time I made this, so I turned it into a garlic fried rice.

For the leafy greens, almost anything goes, including cabbage; I’ve even used English spinach.

Hard tofu is in the base recipe but can be left out entirely or substituted with tofu puffs.

Seasoning

For all three components, you have the flexibility of using just salt, or if you’re not a hardcore health purist, you can add or replace with some of the following – MSG, chicken powder, mushroom seasoning, oyster sauce, and soya sauce.

Likewise with garlic and sauteing with oil; this is optional but I mean, who doesn’t like garlic? If omitting, you can just poach all the ingredients.

Now that I’ve gotten my longest preamble ever out of the way, this is roughly how I make Hakka Lei Cha – all the amounts are estimates; adjust as you see fit.

Jackie M’s Hakka Lei Cha

(adapted from various sources, including The Hakka Cookbook)

Part 1 – Hakka Tea Paste

2-3 TBSP dried Chinese tea leaves
50g Thai Basil, roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped
50g Asian Mint, roots removed, roughly chopped
50g Vietnamese Coriander (aka daun kesum aka polygonum), roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped
50g Coriander, roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped 

200g Mugwort, cut into 4-inch lengths
⅔ cup peanuts, roasted
2-3 TBSP sesame seeds (black, white, or a mixture), roasted
Enough water to turn it into a smoothie-like consistency (2-3 cups?)

1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP oil

½ tsp pepper
1 TBSP salt +1 tsp MSG (optional)
OR 1 ½ TBSP chicken powder
OR 2 TBSP mushroom seasoning

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a large wok. Add minced garlic and saute until lightly aromatic.
2. Add all the herbs and mugwort; mix well.
3. Add water and cover wok until vegetables are wilted – about 30 seconds.
4. Transfer into a powerful blender (ThermoCook or Thermomix).
5. Add tea leaves, peanuts, sesame seeds, pepper, and seasoning.
6. Blend into a smooth paste – approximately 2 minutes on high speed if using a ThermoCook.

Part 2 – Toppings

200g ikan bilis (dried anchovies), rinsed and drained
100g dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained
100g salted radish, rinsed & chopped (substitute – sweet Thai minced preserved radish)

⅓ cup oil

½ cup crispy onions (recipe here – https://jackiem.com.au/2016/12/16/how-to-make-crispy-fried-onions/)
½ cup crispy garlic

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in pan; add dried anchovies and fry until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels.
2. Reheat the oil and add dried shrimp; fry for about 30 seconds; remove and place on paper towels.
3. Add salted radish into the pan and fry briefly – about 30 seconds; remove and place on paper towels.
4. Once cooled, transfer ingredients into jars and store until use.

Part 3 – Rice & Vegetables

2 cups leftover rice
100g hard tofu, finely diced
100g snake beans, thinly sliced (I use the slicing function on my food processor)
400g vegetables eg. cabbage and/or different Asian leafy greens, all thinly sliced (I use a food processor)

3 TBSP minced garlic
3 TBSP oil

Seasoning (any, or any combination of, the following):
Salt, pepper, MSG, chicken powder, mushroom seasoning

METHOD:

1. Heat 1 TBSP oil in a wok; add 1 TBSP garlic and saute until aromatic.
2. Add rice and stir-fry, sprinkling with a light amount of seasoning (optional). Remove and set aside.
3. Heat ½ TBSP oil and add 1 tsp garlic and saute until aromatic. Add tofu and fry until heated through. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
4. Heat ½ TBSP oil and add 1 tsp garlic and saute until aromatic. Add snake beans and fry until just done. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
5. Heat 1 TBSP oil and add 1 TBSP garlic; saute until aromatic. Add vegetables and fry until just done. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
6. To serve, add about 1 cup of boiling water to ½ cup tea paste, mix well. By the way, the amount of water is up to you; I prefer my Lei Cha soup rich and creamy but it’s more common for it to be of a thinner consistency.
   Place rice in bowl, top with vegetables; pour tea soup over it.
   Add other toppings and serve.

Quick message to wrap things up –

1. if you want to learn how to cook Malaysian food properly, you know you need more than recipes; you need mentorship from someone who’s been running a Malaysian food business outside Malaysia for over 30 years. Drop me a line if you want to find out more about my online MalaysianHawkerPro.com coaching programme, or my twice-weekly Zoom cook-alongs which I run for my Malaysian Cooking Club on Skool.
2. Right below is the most recent issue of our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) digital magazine, which you can download completely free; it contains more recipes, a dining directory for Ipoh/Perak, and a number of articles. This issue comes with two different covers, though the content are the same –

Click to View or Download Truly Malaysian by MOMC, featuring Ipoh White Coffee Cover – 

Click to View or Download Truly Malaysian by MOMC, featuring Ipoh Kai Si Hor Fun Cover – 

The post How to Make Hakka Lei Cha first appeared on Jackie M..

On our most recent trip to Malaysia for a Tourism Perak x Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) collaboration, our team had the opportunity to visit a number of coffee-serving establishments. 

This included Niang Republic and Chang Jiang Kopitiam (organised by Roselyn Lim of the Perak Tourist Guide Association) and Cascada by Magical Beans and Kong Fu Kopitiam (organised by Ben Yap of IpohTreats.com).

So what’s the difference between regular Malaysian kopi and Ipoh white coffee? It’s to do with the roast, actually – Ipoh coffee beans are a less dark roast compared to what you would find elsewhere – hence the “white”. 

This makes the coffee taste smoother and less bitter – which, as a non-coffee snob I’ve not paid much attention to in the past, but have now come to notice and appreciate every time I order kopi in Ipoh. 

Also, the beans used in Ipoh are typically a blend of Liberica (Malaysian), Arabica, and Robusta, slow-roasted in palm oil/butter/margarine.

In this demo, Michael Tan, the owner of Cascada by Magical Beans, explains the process of making Ipoh White Coffee – 

It’s clearly a better option to drink Ipoh White Coffee in Ipoh itself, but if you can’t wait, here’s the recipe extracted from Michael Tan’s explanation and re-jigged for a 2-cup serve at home – 

IPOH WHITE COFFEE HOME RECIPE

Adapted from Michael Tan, Cascada by Magical Beans, Ipoh

INGREDIENTS:

70g coarse-ground Ipoh White Coffee Powder

270ml boiling water

190ml evaporated milk

65g condensed milk (iced) or 35g (hot)

METHOD:

1. Bring water to a full rolling boil.
2. Place coffee powder into a coffee sock (or cloth filter bag) set over a heatproof jug.
3. Pour the boiling water over the grounds. Cover and steep for 15 minutes.
4. Lift the sock and let it drain. 
5. For hot coffee, warm it gently before adding milk – don’t reboil. For iced coffee, proceed straight to the next step.
6. Add evaporated milk and condensed milk. Stir well, or pour back and forth between two jugs tarik-style to blend and aerate.
7. For iced coffee – pour over ice. For hot coffee – pour and serve.

Condensed milk quantities are a starting point. Adjust to taste, and if you’re making iced coffee, remember the ice will dilute as it melts – lean slightly sweeter than you think you need.

Next time you visit an Asian grocery store, see if you can track down Malaysian coffee powder to get the best results. Here’s an example, from the factory we visited – they come in different varieties eg. 3-in-1 (coffee plus sugar plus creamer), 2-in-1 (coffee plus sugar), or just straight up coffee (which is what you want if you’re using the recipe above) –

To make kopi O (black coffee, Malaysian style) from the same base: dilute 50/50 with hot water, add sugar to taste, or leave it unsweetened as kopi O kosong.

By the way, at almost every place we visited, we were offered Ipoh White Coffee served with a piece of butter – which looked very cool and added a silky, slightly savoury hint to the coffee. 

I was told this was a throwback to the early years of Chinese migration to Southeast Asia, which has made a comeback in recent years (and nothing to do with the Bulletproof Coffee craze).

Next time you visit Ipoh, here are the places you should absolutely check out, not just for their Ipoh White Coffee but also for their food – 

Cascada by Magical Beans PT8299, Jalan Johan 2/6, Kawasan Perindustrian Pengkalan 2, 31550 Pusing, Perak Tel: +60 13-580 8825 Hours: Daily 9am – 6pm

Chang Jiang White Coffee 7, Jalan Windsor, 30250 Ipoh, Perak Tel: 05-253 8896 Hours: Daily 8am – 6pm

Kong Fu Kopitiam 39, Jalan Panglima, 30000 Ipoh, Perak Tel: +60 17-733 1928 Hours: 9am – 5pm, closed Wednesdays

Niang Republic 14, Jalan Bijeh Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak Hours: 11am – 5.30pm, closed Tuesdays

Want more recipes, eating guides and articles? Grab your copy of our latest Truly Malaysian by MOMC digital magazine here – it’s completely free –  (click here to download or view the magazine) – 

The post How to Make Ipoh White Coffee At Home (And Where to Drink It In Ipoh) first appeared on Jackie M..

At the time, I assumed that my customers would already know how to use curry pastes and it would be just one extra step to educate them on using the dry variety. Turns out that was incorrect. Every now and then I’d hear back from people who had no idea.

In fact, a couple of months ago a Malaysian customer reported back raving about my Laksa, made using the Laksa Nyonya Paste – she didn’t buy it; she was gifted it by someone who did buy a pack but didn’t know how to use it.

You can read more reviews about my Handcrafted Dry Curry Paste Kits here (they’re just screenshots I saved to Google Photos; nothing fancy); most are by Malaysians, even Malaysians in Malaysia; all are unsolicited – Honest Reviews of Jackie M’s Curry Paste Kits

So I finally buckled down yesterday (yes I can be very productive when I put my mind to it) and compiled this recipe collection/guide – it contains not just the typical dishes you would use these Dry Curry Paste Kits for, but also creative ways to tweak them for other dishes.

You can download the eBook/Recipe Collection here – Click to View or Download

I actually have a few more recipes/recipe ideas I’ve not yet added to this compilation for various reasons, some as petty as that I don’t have good photos for them yet. So make sure you save the Google Drive link to this eBook because I’ll continue to update it, or if you want an easier-to-remember url, you can bookmark this page from my website, where the “Download Cookbook” lives – JackieM.com.au/CurryPastes

My curry pastes are only available online (unless you can make it to my Concord Hospital Market stall which runs once a month, usually on the last Thursday). You can buy them here – Shop.JackieM.com.au

The post A Collection of Recipes And Ideas for My Handcrafted Dry Curry Paste Kits first appeared on Jackie M..

During this visit, organised by Ben Yap of IpohTreats.com, Mama Sheerah prepared an extensive array of dishes, but they were not the usual rendang, chicken curry, ayam goreng, nasi lemak, etc. that you would expect at a typical Malay eatery but rather offerings that were familiar and delicious but also a little less widely available.

I was so impressed I decided (once we were back in Sydney) to run a couple of Zoom sessions with my private Malaysian Cooking Club community covering some of the Nasi Minyak ensemble we ate at Mama Sheerah’s.

Here’s the recipe for Pajeri Nenas, based on what I found at ResipiCheNom.com, but adapted with my own tweaks etc. It’s a little different from Mama Sheerah’s but it’s very good – just ask Annie, who tried making it – not once but twice in two consecutive weeks – after my initial Zoom sessions.

PAJERI NENAS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
½ cup cooking oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-inch ginger, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
4 cloves, optional
4 cardamom pods, optional
1 sprig curry leaves
3 TBSP meat curry powder, mixed with a little water
50 g ikan bilis, optional
1 TBSP dried shrimp, soaked in warm water, strained
½ cup coconut cream
2–3 TBSP kerisik (toasted shredded coconut)
2 TBSP sugar
Salt, to taste

METHOD:

1. Cut pineapple into thick pieces.
2. Pound ikan bilis (if using) and dried shrimp.
3. Heat oil. Add sliced aromatics, cinnamon, star anise, curry leaves (and optional spices). Cook until lightly golden and fragrant.
4. Add curry paste, pounded ikan bilis + dried shrimp, plus a little water. Cook until oil separates.
5. Add pineapple. Mix through.
6. Add sugar and cook 10–15 mins until pineapple absorbs the spices. Add a little water if you want more gravy.
7. Add coconut cream and kerisik. Season with salt and adjust sugar.
8. Cook until everything is well-combined. Remove and serve.

1. By the way, I’ve previously written about Mama Sheerah; you can check it out in this article here – Malay Food In Perak – 4 Must-Try Places
2. As mentioned above, this was part of an ensemble I made during the Zoom sessions; I collated the recipes in this PDF which you can download here – Jackie M’s Cooking Club Nasi Minyak Collection
3. Finally, more about these eateries along with Perak food stories and recipes can be found in our FREE Truly Malaysian by MOMC digital magazine.
   You can download the Perak issue by clicking on the magazine covers below (we published this issue with two different covers, but the same content) –

The post How to Cook Pajeri Nenas (Pineapple Curry) first appeared on Jackie M..

During my twice-weekly Zoom cooking sessions, my Malaysian Hawker Pro and Skool Malaysian Cooking Club students are always engaging with each other on the latest and greatest kitchen utensils and gadgets – most recently, silicone wok-stirring spatulas.

What triggered the silicone spatula conversation was my experience using a spatula that snapped in half after only a couple of weeks, because it had a wooden handle that was separate to the scoop.

Like this – 

So down the rabbit hole we went, until one of our members came across a Kickstarter project spatula called the Turnula – details here – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/turnula/turnula-smarter-and-easier-way-to-cook?ref=cmcu5u

I approached the people behind the Kickstarter about doing a review, and they sent me two Turnulas – a right-handed and a left-handed one (Paul is left-handed).

Quick heads-up that I’m not getting paid for this review nor do I get any commission on sales etc. I’m just giving my honest opinion about the Turnula based on my experience of using it for different cooking functions over the last two weeks.

Truthfully, when we first started using the Turnula, I was using it the way I would normally use a traditional wok spatula – sometimes it worked well, other times, I was confused about the point of its side-scoop design.

Meanwhile, Paul was happily using it for his scrambled eggs and pancakes every morning – I even shared a clip of him doing so on social media – only to have the Turnula people contact me to point out he’s actually not using it the way it’s meant to be used. Either way, Paul remains very happy with his left-handed Turnula, so we’ll leave him at it.

What the company clarified with me was that the Turnula is designed for lateral sweeping; for example, when it comes to sautéing, you’re meant to –

(1) Let the head glide along the surface of the pan so it slides fully underneath the ingredients before lifting.
(2) Sweep the ingredients sideways across the pan, allowing them to roll gently off the side of the Turnula.

Based on this previously overlooked functionality, I tested out the Turnula on a number of dishes/pans. Here are my thoughts on where it stood out, and where it struggled –

Everything clicked once I stopped trying to use the Turnula like a typical wok spatula (ie. scooping it forwards).

I started using a combination of the lateral sweep movement it was designed for (as demonstrated in the first clip), and also just turning it with my wrist (in clips 2-4).

Cooking sambal and rempah (spice pastes) in a wok, which requires a long, patient process of frying spice paste until the oil separates, is perfect with the Turnula.

The wrist-driven motion means the effort is noticeably less than with a traditional wok spatula (anyone who’s cooked a long rempah fry-off knows how much that can take out of your arm and shoulder).

The Turnula, by contrast, is so light and fluid and low-effort it feels therapeutic instead of stressful, and the continuous stirring motion suited the task perfectly.

Same story with congee (I tested it on Bubur Lambuk which is basically Malay-style congee). The Turnula handled the low, gentle, rhythmic stirring of the congee beautifully.

If your cooking life involves a lot of wok work, particularly the kind of low-and-slow paste frying that Malaysian cooking demands, this tool is what you need in your kitchen.

Low-walled frying pans are where the Turnula’s design works somewhat against it – scooping sideways didn’t feel like it gave me enough control to prevent my spice pastes from spilling over the sides, and it didn’t get enough leverage to lift up my crepes cleanly – so I still prefer using a regular spatula for these tasks.

The Verdict –

Ultimately I think you need to see the Turnula as a specialist utensil, rather than something that will replace all your cooking spatulas. Its lateral design fits in perfectly with tasks that require long, patient stirring – apart from rempahs, sambals and porridge/congee, think of tasks like roasting sesame seeds and shelled peanuts.

You’ll find that the effort is noticeably less than if you were using a wok spatula, where a lot of elbow and shoulder exertion is required.

Key Features of the Turnula, as listed in the Kickstarter:

• Innovative lateral-sweep design
  Enables smooth rolling motion for more even, efficient cooking.
• Designed for all users
  Available in both right-handed and left-handed versions.
• Precision-Tapered Edge
  0.03mm tip that slides under food without resistance.
• Flexible stainless steel core
  Firm support with enough flexibility to bend to different pan shapes.
• High-wall design:
  Allows quick, controlled scooping of ingredients and sauces in one quick sweep.
• Special Arch
  Creates a built-in safety clearance between hand and heat source to reduce burn risk.
• One-Piece Design
  The seamless finish prevents trapped grease for easy cleaning, and is dishwasher-safe.

Check out the Turnula page for more details (shortened link so it’s easy to remember): JackieM.com.au/Turnula

The post Review: Turnula for Malaysian Cooking first appeared on Jackie M..

Catch the replay here (63 mins) –

Here’s a breakdown of the key points from the livestream –

Concept: Malaysian-Style Swedish Meatballs

The core idea is an East-meets-West fusion dish, recreating the Swedish meatball experience at home but with a Malaysian twist. This approach was inspired by a craving for IKEA meatballs but wanting a more satisfying, flavourful, and budget-friendly version. The key innovation is using a Malaysian bouncy beef ball recipe as the base for the meatballs, which are then fried and served in the traditional Swedish style with lingonberry jam.

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The Meatballs: Bouncy Asian Beef Balls

This recipe creates meatballs with a distinctively firm and bouncy texture, different from softer Western-style meatballs.

Key Ingredients & Principles

• Beef Mince: Use a fattier, “lower quality” mince. In Asian cooking, the higher fat content is desirable as it prevents the meatballs from tasting coarse and dry. It’s also more economical. We used a 1kg pack that cost $13, and only needed half ($6.50 worth).
• Temperature is Crucial: The minced beef should be kept in the freezer for about an hour before use. It needs to be firm and very cold, but not frozen solid. This prevents the meat from “pseudo-cooking” from the friction and heat of the blender blades.
• Seasoning:
  • Fish sauce
  • Chicken powder
  • Sugar
  • White pepper
  • Tapioca starch
  • Baking powder
  • A little water
  • A little oil
  • (The full recipe can be found here – https://jackiem.com.au/2017/01/19/make-beef-meatballs/)

Technique (Thermomix Method)

1. Blitzing: Combine the semi-frozen mince and all other ingredients in the Thermomix bowl. Blitz at a high speed (e.g., Speed 9) but for a short duration. I blitzed for 15 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides. Blitzing for too long can overwork the meat and heat it up. The goal is to create a fine, pink, firm paste.
2. Kneading: After blitzing, use the Thermomix’s kneading function for about one minute. This step is vital for developing the bouncy texture.
3. Alternative Method (No Thermomix): You can use a regular blender for the blitzing step. For kneading, transfer the mixture to a stand mixer with a dough hook or do it manually by slapping the meat paste against the side of a large stainless steel bowl. Slapping helps expel trapped air bubbles, which is the key to achieving the desired bounciness (dahn ngaan in Cantonese).

Cooking Process (Two-Stage)

1. Boil First: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Form the meatballs by squeezing the mixture between your thumb and forefinger. Drop the balls into the boiling water. They are cooked when they float to the surface. Let them cook for another 3 minutes after they float.
2. Then Fry: After boiling, the beef balls are transferred to a deep fryer to get the classic brown, slightly crispy exterior of Swedish meatballs.
3. Meal Prep: These boiled beef balls can be frozen for later use.

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The Sides: Mashed Potato & Grilled Corn

Paul’s Mashed Potato (Thermomix Method)

• Preparation: Cut potatoes into smaller chunks to speed up the cooking time. There’s no discernible difference in water absorption or final texture.
• Skin On or Off?: This is personal preference. Leaving the skin on adds nutrients and texture. For a smoother, more IKEA-like mash, peel them. The Thermomix blends the skin in well, so you barely notice it.
• Potato Variety: Most standard supermarket “washed” potatoes work fine.
• Cooking: Place the cut potatoes into the Thermomix simmer basket. Fill the jug with water up to the max line. Cook for 20 minutes at 110°C on a low speed (e.g., 1.5).
• Alternative Cooking: You can also roast, grill, or even microwave potatoes to soften them before mashing.

Malaysian-Style Grilled Corn

• Inspiration: Hawker-style grilled corn from Pangkor Island, Malaysia.
• Technique: Shuck the corn and place it directly on the grill. There is no need to pre-boil it.
• Seasoning: We used Hilmie’s barbecue seasoning (a Malaysian product meant for meat) to replicate the flavour. Butter is also a key component. The Hilmie BBQ seasoning was a revelation and worked perfectly with the grilled corn (we wanted to go right back out to Woolworths to get more corn).

The post How to Cook Malaysian-Style Swedish Meatballs first appeared on Jackie M..

And if you’re as painfully Malaysian as I am, your default supermarket cut for steak would be something like scotch fillet (which is why I rarely eat steak – it’s exxy). But Paul decided to add a “Budget Meal” angle to our South Africa Meets Malaysia broadcasts, so he tested three different ways to prepare chuck crest to produce the most tender results.

Catch the replay here –

Here are the key points and techniques from the broadcast:

1. Choosing and Preparing Cheap Cuts

• The experiment used chuck crest, one of the cheapest and toughest beef cuts (previously ~$12/kg, now ~$14.99/kg).

• Chuck crest is usually used for slow-cooked dishes (curries, stews), not steak. The goal was to see how it performs as steak using different prep and cooking methods.

• Always cut steaks 3 cm thick (approx.) to allow proper heat penetration and searing.

Budget tip:
Buy cheap “dog bones” and secondary cuts (like chuck, shank, ribs) from butchers or wholesalers such as Australian Meat Emporium. These are undervalued by mainstream customers but perfect for home cooks who know how to coax flavour from them.

2. The Three Methods Tested

For cheap cuts, slow pre-cooking (sous vide or oven) breaks down sinew and collagen. A quick sear at the end adds crust and flavour.

3. Key Searing Tips

• Use high-smoke-point fat — beef tallow, ghee, or canola (avoid olive oil).

• Dry the steaks thoroughly before searing to avoid steaming.

• Sear for 60 seconds per side, pressing down with a heavy object or steak press to maximise surface contact.

• Don’t cover with a lid — use a porous splatter guard to prevent moisture buildup and splatter.

• Flip often (every 30 seconds) if cooking directly from raw to build even crust.

4. Seasoning and Marinade

• Simple, Malaysian-influenced seasoning:

  • Salt

  • Chicken powder

  • Chili flakes

  • Sarawak pepper (adds floral aroma and depth)

  • Optional: a dusting of cornstarch for light tenderising

• Always season to taste — adjust salt and spice levels to your preference.

5. Sauce #1 – Mushroom + Peppercorn Sauce

Technique:

• Sauté fresh garlic and Sarawak peppercorns in butter to extract oils and aroma.

• Add button mushrooms (browned in butter if possible).

• Incorporate beef stock (preferably homemade from beef bones).

• Finish with evaporated milk for creaminess.

Budget notes:

• Cheap mushrooms from “specials shelf” or clearance bins work fine.

• Homemade beef stock from pet-grade bones yields flavour and tallow for frying later.

6. Sauce #2 – Malaysian-Style Chili Hot Sauce

Hybrid concept: a cross between a Western hot sauce and a Malaysian sambal.

• Soak dried chillies in hot water until softened.

• Blend with onion, garlic, tomato, vinegar (apple cider, ~1 tbsp), chicken powder, Sarawak pepper, and salt.

• Cook down until fragrant — consistency should be pourable, not pasty.

• Adjust thickness with water or the reserved chili-soaking liquid for more heat.

7. Stock & Fat Rendering

• Save and reduce leftover beef-bone stock until gelatinous.

• Once chilled, scrape off the fat cap to render into beef tallow.

• Use that tallow for frying steaks — it’s cost-effective and adds rich, beefy flavour.

8. Additional Tips

• If you only own one Thermomix, make chili sauce in it and cook mushrooms on the stove.

• Avoid bottled minced garlic — use pre-peeled cloves from Asian grocers (~$6–8 per kg).

9. Results Summary

• Sous Vide (57 °C, 2 hrs) → Tender, juicy, clearly the winner.

• Oven (90 °C, 2 hrs) → Acceptable, but firmer texture.

• Pan-only (raw) → Tough; not steak-worthy.

Takeaway:
To transform cheap chuck cuts into steakhouse-quality meals, low-temp precook + high-heat sear is the unbeatable combo.

The post The $10 Chuck Steak Challenge: Can You Turn the Cheapest Cut into a Decent Steak? first appeared on Jackie M..

• Grilled lamb fillets (reverse-seared)
• Malaysian lamb curry using my Handcrafted by Jackie M. Meat Curry Paste
• Beef Bak Kwa using a recipe I had previously posted here – https://jackiem.com.au/2018/03/09/make-chicken-beef-bak-kwa-barbecued-minced-meat/
• Chakalaka (a South African side/relish that I’d never come across prior to that day)

Here’s the replay of the livestream (1 hr 08 mins long) –

1. Grilled Lamb Fillets (reverse-seared) by Paul:

Paul experimented with the lamb two ways:

• Air fryer method: 120°C for 25 minutes. This cooked faster than expected, so it was closer to medium than medium-rare.
• Sous vide method: 55°C for 4 hours using the Thermomix sous vide function. This turned out more tender and juicy.
• Both were finished in a hot pan with butter and beef tallow for about 60 seconds a side, then rested for 5 minutes.
• His marinade was a mix of oyster sauce, garlic, chicken powder, cumin powder, and cumin seeds.

Keep in mind that oyster sauce contains sugar, so the meat caramelises and chars quickly in the pan.

2. Malaysian Lamb Curry by yours truly – 

Since I didn’t want to get in Paul’s way on camera, I did my Malaysian lamb curry in the Thermomix, as follows:

1. Dice the lamb.
2. Add my meat curry paste, a little water, some oil, and coconut cream.
3. Cook for 45 minutes at 120°C in the Thermomix on reverse stir, measuring cup on.

You don’t have to use a Thermomix; this recipe works just as well on the stovetop, in the oven, or in a slow cooker.

I do things agak-agak (guesstimate)-style – I didn’t weigh how much lamb was going in, nor measure the amount of water, oil or coconut cream – I just eyeballed everything. I would guess there was about 1kg of lamb in my batch, and I used a whole pack of my Family-Sized curry paste kit in it, probably about 1/2-2/3 cup water, and about the same amount of coconut cream, along with about 2 TBSP oil.

My packet instructions say to reconstitute the paste ingredients in water, saute for a couple of minutes with oil, then add the protein etc., but really, throwing everything in together works just as well when you’re cooking meat that requires a longer cooking time.

3. Chakalaka by Paul – 

Paul also made chakalaka, a South African side dish often served with grilled meat and pap (maize porridge). He calls it the South African version of sambal.

The base ingredients are onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, capsicum, chillies, and tomato. We used an official Cookidoo (ie. Thermomix) recipe and skipped all the ingredients we didn’t happen to have on hand, ie. the capsicum and the beans. Despite their omission and the fact that we didn’t adapt the rest of the seasoning to accommodate their absence, the end result was really good and flavoursome (and not too salty etc. as you would have expected).

4. Bak Kwa (Malaysian-style Barbecued Meat Slices) by yours truly – 

Bak kwa is something I used to make occasionally at my restaurant, and I revisited it for this session. This time I used beef mince, but pork or chicken will work too.

Ingredients (for 500 g mince):

• Thick cooking caramel (kicap pekat / caramel sauce)
• Five spice powder
• Fish sauce
• Soy sauce
• Chinese rice wine
• Sugar
• Oil
• Fried onion (I tested this to absorb moisture and add texture – didn’t really make any noticeable difference)

Method:

1. Knead everything together until the mixture turns sticky. I used my Kenwood dough mixer with the K whisk.
2. Roll it out thinly (about 2 mm). Traditionally I would place the mince in between parchment sheets before rolling with a rolling pin, but this time I tried heatproof cooking bags, which created much less mess.
3. Bake at $120°C$ for 20 minutes.
4. Cut into squares.
5. The original recipe I published (refer link at top of this post) said to bake again, at 180$°$C, for 20-30 minutes. Because I wanted to wrap up the session in a hurry, I skipped that step and instead, scorched the slices with a torch to create a smoky char. In hindsight I think they would have been better served being baked – it felt like the sugar didn’t not have enough time to soak through and caramelise the pieces.

FYI shop-bought bak kwa usually looks redder thanks to food colouring. Mine skips the colouring, but the flavour is the same.

Camp Food Packing Tips:

Apart from the above, we also had some beef rendang which I had made the day before – again, using my famous Handcrafted by Jackie M. Rendang Paste Kit – I made that in a slow cooker, also throwing everything in – the diced chuck crest, a pack of my curry paste, about half a cup of water, some coconut cream, and some oil – and cooking it on the high temperature setting for about 5 hours. At the end, I stirred in a couple of tablespoons of kerisik which I had made previously (completely optional) to give it that extra toasted coconut paste nuance.

What we took with us in two chiller bags (there was a fridge and a microwave onsite):

1. Both beef rendang and lamb curry keep very well since they’re dry-ish and slow-cooked; we packed them in takeaway boxes.
2. We vacuum-packed the bak kwa in small vacuum pouches – several slices per pack.
3. We also vacuum-packed what was left after our lunch, of the reverse-seared lamb cutlets.
4. We packed the chakalaka in a leak-proof tub.
5. We packed some acar which I’d made in last week’s South Africa Meets Malaysia broadcast – but didn’t end up eating it because there was too much food in the end.
6. A small thingy of bird’s eye chilli powder

As an FYI the food above was meant to supplement what was being served at the retreat; eg. we ‘d eat their rice/toast/even their scrambled eggs, but we’d scale it up with our stuff.

Why did we go through such trouble? You’re going to think we’re food snobs, and you’re probably right.

I just don’t like the idea of wasting my calorie allocation on forgettable food:

1. I don’t eat pork, and being an Australian-run retreat, pork features a lot on the menu – think bacon, pork chops, pork sausages etc. If you ask for a pork-free serving, you may end up with less food (ie. the pork stuff are omitted but not always replaced with bigger portions of other stuff) or they give you a vegetarian substitute and you become an involuntary vegetarian for part of the weekend.
2. We often joke about English food and how plain and bland it is – well, in my controversial opinion, the English influence on Australian camp food is still alive and well 200+ years after the poms settled in this country. My fellow retreat attendees will protest that hey, they did serve Butter Chicken for dinner – but look, it was an Indian dish in name only – any spice in it was so diluted the sauce might as well have been ketchup stirred into cream.
3. For the record, everything else about the retreat was beautiful – the accommodation, the facilities, the staff (not to mention the talks) – but really, I wish they’d allow me to set up a market stall onsite next time for those attendees who, like me, prefer food with a bit more punch.

The post Camp-Ready Food – Lamb 2 Ways, Chakalaka, Bak Kwa (South Africa Meets Malaysia 2) first appeared on Jackie M..

I remember wondering why she would even think I knew anything about gnocchi because last I checked, it wasn’t Malaysian. Like it or not, that’s how I’ve always been when it comes to cooking; across the 33+ years I’ve been in the food space, I’ve always been tunnel-visioned to the exclusion of most other cuisines. 

That’s the same when it comes to South African cooking. My partner-in-crime Paul Gray, as most of you would know, is from South Africa. Paul is an outstanding cook in his own right, but because I tend to hog the kitchen most days of the week, I don’t get nearly enough exposure to his cuisine.

Some of you might even remember the good old days of our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) broadcasts during the Covid lockdown, when Paul would cook along live on air with Liam Ghani, who’s a Malaysian based in South Africa.

Since they stopped doing so (for various reasons – including that the lockdowns ended, and Paul moved to Sydney, etc.), I’ve had many people reminisce about how much they enjoyed watching these “boys” cook and banter about South African life, food, and culture.

I’m still hoping we can loop Liam back in some day, but in the meantime, I decided to get Paul back in front of the camera (instead of behind it, which is where he is most times – all our MOMC videos are edited, and sometimes filmed, by him), hence why we went Live last Friday on fairly short notice.

Paul made a steak using rump cap (a cut that I would never have thought would work for this purpose), while I contributed some obligatory Malaysian and Malaysian-inspired sides like a shortcut Acar, a Garlic & Butter Potatoes with chillies and curry leaves, and a shortcut coconut rice (although Paul ended up making it).

Here’s the replay of the broadcast for you to check out (it’s actually multi-streamed across our social media and YouTube channels) –

 Here are some tips extracted from the broadcast:

South African-Style Steak

Paul’s method for cooking the steak is a “reverse sear,” which is ideal for thicker cuts of meat.

Cut of Meat: A rump cap (also known as picanha) was used. Other good cuts include ribeye or Scotch fillet.

Preparation:

For a better crust, you can coat the steak in salt and leave it uncovered in the fridge for up to 24 hours to help draw out moisture.

Before cooking, pat the steak completely dry with a paper towel. A dry surface is crucial for getting a good sear.

Cooking Technique (Reverse Sear):

1. Place the steak in an oven on a low heat (130°C was used). Cook it until it reaches your desired internal temperature for doneness (e.g., 48°C for medium-rare). Using a meat thermometer is the most accurate way to do this.
2. Remove the steak from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes before searing.
3. Heat a cast-iron pan until it is very hot. Add a fat like beef tallow, followed by some butter just before finishing.
4. Sear the steak for approximately two minutes per side to develop a crust.
5. Once seared, it is crucial to let the steak rest for at least five minutes before cutting. Resting allows the juices to recirculate throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and flavourful steak. A useful tip is to rest the steak on a grill rack so that the bottom doesn’t get soggy and lose its crust.

Easy Coconut Rice (Hack)

This is a quick method for making coconut rice without the risk of burning the rice due to the starch in the milk.

1. Cook your rice as you normally would, but add a bit of salt to the cooking water.
2. Once the rice is fully cooked, fluff it up with a spoon or spatula.
3. Add about two tablespoons of coconut milk powder directly into the hot, cooked rice.
4. Mix vigorously to ensure the powder is evenly distributed and fully incorporated.
5. Place the rice in a sealed container (like a thermo server) to keep warm and allow the powder to fully hydrate.

Quick Acar (Malaysian Pickled Salad)

This recipe uses a “hack” of starting with a pre-made sambal base.

Ingredients:

• Vegetables: Cabbage, carrots, and cucumber.
• Base: Any leftover or store-bought sambal.
• Dressing: White vinegar, water, sugar, salt, raw minced garlic, and turmeric powder.
• Add-ins: Crushed roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and fried onions.

Method:

1. For a quick-prep hack, chop the cabbage and microwave it for about five minutes to soften it, instead of blanching it in a large pot. Leave the carrots and cucumber raw for crunch.
2. Combine the vegetables in a bowl. Boil a solution of vinegar with a little water (around a 4:1 vinegar-to-water ratio) and pour the hot liquid over the vegetables.
3. To the vegetables soaking in the vinegar, add a generous amount of sugar, salt, turmeric powder, and minced garlic. Mix well.
4. After a few minutes, drain off some of the excess liquid, but not all of it, to avoid the acar being too dry or too watery.
5. Mix in your sambal base. Add fried onions, which help to thicken the sauce and add texture. Finally, stir in the crushed peanuts and toasted sesame seeds.
6. Adjust the seasoning with more sugar or salt until you have a balanced sweet, sour, and savoury flavour.

Potatoes with Garlic, Coconut Cream & Curry Leaves

This is a creamy, Malaysian-style side dish that can easily be made vegan.

1. Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Cook them until soft by microwaving, steaming, or roasting. For extra texture, you can briefly deep-fry or air-fry the cooked potatoes until the outside is slightly crisp.
2. Heat oil in a pan (use vegetable oil for a vegan version). Sauté minced garlic, curry leaves (fresh is best, but dried works), and sliced chilies until aromatic.
3. Stir in coconut cream and season with mushroom seasoning (a vegan alternative to chicken powder), a pinch of sugar, and pepper. Let the sauce simmer and thicken slightly.
4. Add the pre-cooked potatoes to the pan and toss until they are well-coated in the creamy sauce.

Paul and I plan to continue doing these broadcasts regularly; if you’re not already on my email list (where I send updates/recipes/etc.) – you’re missing out. Just pop your name and email address here – JackieM.com.au/email

The post How to Cook Steak & Accompaniments – South Africa Meets Malaysia first appeared on Jackie M..

I’ve developed these kits to use dried ingredients so that  –

1. they can be shipped anywhere around the world, and

2. they don’t need refrigeration etc.

My recipes are constantly evolving, with the latest example being the one for my Dry Sambal Belacan – a condiment made using onion, shrimp paste, chilli, etc.

As a Thermomix owner, using my Dry Sambal Belacan kit is easy – I just throw the packet contents into the TM bowl, add water and oil (amounts are specified on the label), and cook it for 30–45 minutes (measuring cup off for some/all of that period – I’m very agak-agak).

However, I’ve come to realise that most people simply fry it on a stovetop after adding water and oil – which takes about the same amount of time (say, ~30 mins) – something their busy lives may not afford them.

So just before I left for Malaysia, I decided to replace the dried onions in these packs with fried shallots. Since the shallots are already (commercially) pre-fried, it reduces the cooking time to 5 minutes.

Either way, this is how it should look when done –

I don’t know about you, but I personally prefer the dried onion original, so after giving it some more thought, I’ve decided to make two separate versions –

1. One that says “ORIGINAL RECIPE” and “best for cooking in a Thermomix”. You can order it here – https://shop.jackiem.com.au/products/handcrafted-dry-sambal-belacan-kit-original
2. And one that says “5-MINUTE RECIPE”. You can order that here – https://shop.jackiem.com.au/products/handcrafted-sambal-belacan-kit-5-min

If you’ve bought/eaten my freshly-made sambal belacan at my Concord Hospital Market, that version uses fried shallots.

So if you like it (and many of you do – I keep selling out on market day) – then stick to Version 2 when you buy my Handcrafted Dry Sambal Belacan kits. It’ll taste like my Concord Hospital Market sambal, and it’ll only take you 5 minutes to whip up.

However, if you like these messages I received in the last couple of weeks referencing Version 1 (and you don’t mind cooking it longer, or you can do it in a Thermomix), I would suggest you get that instead –

(Customer 1) –
“Jackie, I have just made the samba belachan and it’s the best I have ever tasted. I will be coming up in September and may I order 6 pkts.”

(Customer 2) –
“I cooked up a packet of sambal belacan last night. Used some to fry with sotong and ate some with plain hot rice. So good! My son tried it for the first time yesterday and loved it so much that I had to bottle up the rest of the sambal belacan for him to take back with him to Canberra this morning.”

By the way, I use the Sambal Belacan almost exclusively as a dip to serve with my meals, but you could also use it to cook other dishes, like in this example here when I decided to add it to fried eggplant –

Finally, if you’ve never seen my Handcrafted Dry Curry Paste kits before, here’s a photo of what they look like –

Hit me up if you have any questions.

The post About My Sambal Belacan Dry Curry Paste Kits first appeared on Jackie M..