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..

Watch Street Food Journeys: Malaysia (Kedah) here (Chef Jo’s Bihun Sup Utara segment comes in at around the 7:25 mark) >> https://youtu.be/zjnRpNnF5gM

Bihun Sup Utara (Northern Malay Noodle Soup) by Chef Johari Edrus

INGREDIENTS:

Soup – 

6-7 shallots, cut into chunks
6 cloves garlic
1 kg beef bones, washed
300 g lean beef, cut into 2 or 3 large pieces
4 stalks Chinese celery, roughly chopped (reserve leaves for garnish)
4 spring onions, roughly chopped (reserve green part for garnish)
2-inch ginger, lightly bruised
1 pack Soup Spices
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
4 cardamom pods
2 star anise
1⁄2 TBSP ground cumin
1⁄2 TBSP ground fennel
1 1⁄2 TBSP ground coriander
1⁄2 TBSP ground black pepper
1 stalk lemongrass, lightly bruised
1⁄2 beef/chicken stock cube (optional)

Vermicelli –

500g dried vermicelli
1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Enough water for boiling

Red Sambal – 

1⁄2 cup cooking oil
4-5 TBSP chilli paste
2 TBSP chilli powder
2 TBSP chilli sauce
1⁄2 cup tamarind juice
2 TBSP sugar
Salt, to taste
Water for diluting

Condiments –

Boiled beef from the broth pot, diced
200g salted radish, soaked and pat dry
Lime, cut into wedges
Chinese celery leaves, shredded
Green onion, shredded
Fried shallots
Salt, to taste

METHOD:

Soup –

1. First grind/pound the shallots and garlic till you have a coarse paste. Divide the paste in half (for both broth and sauce).
2. Place all the ingredients into a large stock pot, add enough cold water to cover the bones/meat. Bring to a boil, skim any impurities from the surface.
3. Reduce to a steady simmer for at least 2.5 hours, or till the meat is tender. Season to taste with salt and ground white pepper.

Vermicelli –

1. Boil water in the pot, then add the vermicelli. Sprinkle the turmeric powder; stir well. Once the vermicelli is soft, remove from the pot.
2. Pass through the cold tap water to cool it down and put aside.

Red Sambal –

1. Heat up a pot, add in the cooking oil, sauté the remaining shallot/garlic paste until fragrant.
2. Add the chilli paste, stir well; add a bit of water to dilute it.
3. Add the chilli powder, cook further, add a bit of water to dilute it and continue to cook until the chilli powder is cooked through. Add the chilli sauce and cook until thickened, stirring continously to prevent burning.
4. It’s time to add in the tamarind juice, salt and sugar. The sambal should be slightly sweet. Continue to cook until it becomes slightly thick in texture. Store in a container.

To Serve –

1. Portion the vermicelli in a serving bowl, place the boiled beef, and some of the bone if you wish, salted radish, Chinese celery leaf, lime wedge, pour in the beef broth sprinkle with green onion, fried shallots and lastly a scoop of the red sambal. Serve immediately.

This episode of Street Food Journeys: Malaysia on Kedah also features:

• a Roti Canai Sarang Burung (bird’s nest roti canai) cooking segment by yours truly
• Malaysian diplomats Khairul Tazril, the Chargé d’Affaires to Serbia, and Kartini Tajul, the Education Attaché at the Consulate of Sydney
• The JetLag Warriors trying bihun sup utara and roti canai sarang burung
• Ken Abroad experiencing a river lunch
• MOMC chefs Rene Juefri, Bob Adnin and Chef Dato’ Ismail Ahmad along with Salsabila Abbas, Syed Wafa, Fadhillah Ariffin, Sue Ann Ooi answering the question – “What dishes do you think of when you think of Kedah?”

The recipes for the entire series, produced in partnership with Tourism Malaysia Australia, can be found in the special edition MOMC eMagazine which you can download here >> Click to View or Download

Sign up to our email list so you don’t miss a single issue of our MOMC free recipe eMagazines >> MalaysianChefs.com/JoinToday

The post Northern Malay Noodle Soup by Chef Johari Edrus (Bihun Sup Utara) first appeared on Jackie M..

Nasi Kebuli is a fragrant rice and crispy chicken royal dish that’s famous the Malaysian state of Pahang. The word “Kebuli” is an abbreviation of the royal honorific “ke bawah duli (yang maha mulia)” (kind of like “his Majesty” etc.). I didn’t grow up in Pahang so this backgrounder on Nasi Kebuli is courtesy of our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) chef Zaleha Olpin who IS from Pahang, and from my own reading at the Aku Anak Pahang Malay-language blog. Nasi Kebuli is said to be a middle eastern-Arabic dish which became popular in India, and then Indonesia and Malaysia. In Malaysia itself, it was a favourite in kampungs (rural villages) in Pahang, and especially in the Kuala Lipis region.

Sultan Mahmud Shah of Pahang (1914-1917) visited Kuala Lipis with some 60 of his followers, and when he requested for a meal with chicken, a local gentleman by the name of Hussin served him Nasi Kebuli, and the rest is history.

In this episode of Street Food Journeys: Malaysia featuring the state of Pahang, I had a go at making Nasi Kebuli, with the recipe tweaked to be accessible to Australian cooks.

Watch the replay of Street Food Journeys: Malaysia Series 1 Episode 3 on Pahang here (my cooking segment kicks in at about the 15:30 mark) >> https://youtu.be/KL7QWoBanfc

Nasi Kebuli

INGREDIENTS:

1 brown onion
1-inch piece ginger
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass
1 tsp crushed pepper
1 TBSP coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp galangal powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 TBSP oil
2 cups water
2 chicken Maryland pieces (thigh plus
drumstick)
2 tsp salt
1 TBSP chicken powder (optional)
2 TBSP spice mix
2 TBSP oil
2 cups Basmati rice, rinsed
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chicken powder
Water
Oil for deep-frying
1 cucumber, sliced

METHOD:

1. Blend spice ingredients in a food processor;transfer into a saucepan and fry until oil separates.
2. Remove two TBSP spice mix and set aside. Add water to the saucepan along with salt and/or
   chicken powder and chicken, and bring to a simmer.
3. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is just done. Remove chicken pieces and allow to drain on a rack.
4. In a separate saucepan, mix the rinsed rice with the remaining 2 TBSP spice mix and toss well on low heat.
5. Transfer into a rice cooker or saucepan, add water and some of the sauce from the spice marinade that was used to simmer the chicken;
   cook until done.
6. Heat oil to 180C; fry the chicken pieces until skin is crispy (about 5 minutes).
7. Mould rice in a bowl, transfer onto serving plate, add chicken and serve garnished with cucumber slices and optional tomato sambal.

Other guests in this episode include Zaleha Olpin, who made a Pahang version of Pulut Panggang (grilled sticky rice rolls wrapped in banana leaf), our resident award-winning tour guide Shaukani Abbas, Masters of Malaysian Cuisine co-founder Paul Gray, and TV host and TikTok star Mark O’Dea.

Our MOMC group publishes a free recipe eMagazine which we send to our email subscribers. Here’s the issue which accompanied Street Food Journeys: Malaysia Series 1 >> Click to View or Download

Sign up to our email list so you don’t miss a single issue >> MalaysianChefs.com/JoinToday

The post How To Cook Nasi Kebuli (Crispy Chicken & Rice) first appeared on Jackie M..

As someone who’s run a Malaysian food business for decades, I’m always trying to strike a balance between maintaining “authentic” flavours while cutting down on time spent in the kitchen (thanks to labour costs and staff shortage issues). My friends at MyBlueTea.com.au recently sent me some samples of their natural pandan powder (made from pure pandan leaves with no artificial colouring) so I decided to give them a try in my cooking.

Just to clarify in case you’ve no idea what pandan is, I’ve always described it as “Asian vanilla” – it’s subtle and it’s used as a flavouring agent in both sweet and savoury dishes in Southeast Asia. If you come across green-looking snacks, it’s a good bet they’re pandan-flavoured, though to be fair, a lot of the pandan essence you see is “enhanced” with artificial colouring.

Typically I’d use fresh (or frozen) pandan leaves, and either blend them with water, then strain, or when cooking rice or curries, I would bruise the leaves, tie them into a knot and add them to my cooking.

The pandan powder supplied by My Blue Tea saves me having to hunt down pandan leaves in my corner of Sydney (no mean feat), and it saves me having to blend them etc. – I just use it straight from the packet, as you’ll see in the video here >>

Pandan Coconut Rice

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups jasmine rice

2 cups water (approx)

1.5  tsps pandan powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 TBSP coconut milk powder

METHOD:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the coconut milk powder in a saucepan or rice cooker; cook until rice is done.
2. Sprinkle coconut milk powder over the surface of the rice, stir with a rice paddle and mix well. Serve.

Pandan Chicken Curry

INGREDIENTS:

1.2 kg chicken drumsticks

2 brown onions, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 stalks lemongrass
1-inch knob ginger
4 Tbsps Malaysian curry powder
1/2 cup oil

1 TBSP pandan powder

2 stalks curry leaves (optional)
1.5 Tbsp chicken powder
1 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp salt
3 cups water + 1/4 cup coconut milk powder

METHOD:

1. Coat chicken drumsticks with Malaysian curry powder.
2. Combine onions, garlic & ginger in a food processor; blend.
3. Transfer into a saucepan and fry until most of the moisture has evaporated.
4. Add oil, and cook further until lightly browned.
5. Add chicken and sear.
6. Add all other ingredients, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.
7. Remove from heat; serve hot with pandan coconut rice.

The post How To Cook Pandan Chicken Curry & Pandan Rice first appeared on Jackie M..

I had the chance to test it out with my Lao-style grilled ox tongue recipe that I published recently >> https://jackiem.com.au/2019/10/24/how-to-cook-lao-style-grilled-ox-tongue-sous-vide/ – and I just wanted to come back here with an update. That method in itself (ie. using sous vide cooking) was a hack on the traditional way of tenderising ox tongue, which is to use shredded green papaya.

For those who have no idea what sous vide cooking is, it’s basically food that’s vacuum-bagged and placed in a water bath for an extended period of time until it’s uber tender, so that you can just finish it off (in the case of steaks) on a grill for seconds before serving it up.

When I make Malaysian-style soft-boiled eggs (which is NOT the same as regular soft-boiled eggs, since the water temperature needs to be well below boiling point, at about 65C-70C), I use a Thermomix or Thermocook >> https://jackiem.com.au/2017/01/13/cook-malaysian-soft-boiled-eggs/ – which allows me to set the temperature and time for the eggs to cook. And you could do the same if you had a sous vide unit as well; it’s the same concept.

However, if you have neither a sous vide stick nor a Thermomix, you could use the keep warm setting on your rice cooker (if you’re Asian, since most Asian households have one) or a slow cooker or Instant Pot. You’ll need to work out what the keep warm temperature is for your device (usually around the 65’C/149F mark), and adjust the cooking times accordingly.

FYI I know western cooks like precise measurements but I don’t – what two eggs or two pieces of steak are exactly the same size etc. anyway – so go and experiment away. If you’re doing Malaysian soft-boiled eggs I would try cooking them for 25 minutes (from the time the Keep Warm setting kicks in) and see how they turn out.

Back to the ox tongue, and I know technically sous vide means to cook the food in a vacuum, but I didn’t bother, partly because I didn’t want to waste any more vacuum bags than I needed to do, and also partly because not everyone has a vacuum sealer and vacuum bags sitting around in their home.

I used the same recipe but DOUBLED the amounts of seasoning (ie. 2 TBSP salt, 2 TBSP sugar, etc.), then I placed the ox tongue pieces in the cooker (in my case, it was the Instant Pot), and added just enough water to have them submerged.

I then left them in the pot on Keep Warm for the maximum duration it runs on the Instant Pot, which is 12 hours (just because I couldn’t be bothered timing it). Basically, I put them in the evening before and they were ready by the next morning.

The ox tongue turned out at least as tender as when cooked in vacuum bags in a proper sous vide bath, though probably slightly more well done. As per the previous recipe, I then just needed to sear them for 20-30 seconds or so on each side before slicing them up.

I’m going to test this out with steak next time but I hope this inspires you to take a second look at the under-utilised Keep Warm setting on your slow cooker or rice cooker or Instant Pot and start figuring out how you can experiment with sous vide cooking in them. Assuming you don’t already have a sous vide unit, of course.

The post How To Use The Keep Warm Setting On Your Cooker For Sous Vide Cooking first appeared on Jackie M..

Lao-style grilled ox tongue is one of my favourite dishes in the world, but the traditional method of tenderising the ox tongue using shredded green papaya has never really turned out to my satisfaction (to be fair, I only tried it a couple of times).

I finally decided to use my sous vide unit and the result is perfect. If you don’t have a sous vide unit and you’re Asian and have an automatic rice cooker at home (yes, I’m stereotyping), the keep warm setting on it should work too.

By the way, if you’re based in Sydney, your best bet to buy ox tongue is from Asian butchers in Cabramatta – make sure you ask them to skin it for you, otherwise you could end up spending a loooong time doing it yourself at home.

Shoutout to Froothie Australia for the sous vide stick, and to Chang’s for the oyster sauce!

Lao-Style Grilled Ox Tongue

INGREDIENTS:

1 ox tongue (approx 1 kg pre-skinning)

Marinade –

1 TBSP salt

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP fish sauce

2 TBSP oyster sauce

2 TBSP minced garlic

1 tsp pepper

Dipping Sauce (combine and mix well) – 

2 TBSP fish sauce

1 TBSP lime/lemon juice

1 TBSP sugar

2 tsps minced garlic

2 tsps sliced bird’s eye chillies

1 TBSP chopped coriander

METHOD:

1. Cut ox tongue lengthwise so each piece is about 2 cm thick.
2. Combine with marinade ingredients, then place in one or more vacuum bags.
3. Vacuum-seal the bags (if there’s a risk of the marinade leaking, you might need to double-bag, with the inner bag folded).
4. Place in a water bath and sous-vide at 62’C for 6 hours (or use the keep warm setting on an automatic rice cooker, which, at 65’C, should be fine).
5. Remove, wipe off the marinade, and sear on a pan with a little oil (or cook on a grill – check out GearHungry) for about 20 seconds each side.
6. Slice and serve with the dipping sauce.

Do you want me to coach you on how to cook all the dishes on my restaurant menu? Then make sure you check out WokAroundAsia.com

The post How To Cook Lao-Style Grilled Ox Tongue first appeared on Jackie M..

Steamed minced beef with rice is one of those dishes I no longer see at yum cha, but I remember it quite well from my weekends as a trolley pusher plus kitchenhand at Choy’s Inn restaurant in Chinatown. 

The beef mince is actually the same as what’s used for San Chuk Ngau Yoke ie. steamed minced beef balls on beancurd sheets. These things here (I didn’t make these ones, but I’ll do a separate post on them another time) – 

The steamed minced beef with rice that was served at yum cha came in these small Chinese casserole dishes with lids, which I don’t possess, so I’ve improvised by using ramekins.

Also, the ones at the restaurant steamed the rice from scratch, then added the beef mince for further steaming; I just use leftover cooked rice from my rice cooker because it’s faster and easier.

Finally, for the record, they also served pork spare ribs rice and chicken rice (from memory they came with Chinese sausages too) – I just happen to prefer the beef mince version.

This recipe is heavily adapted from Cecilia J. Au-Yang’s Chopsticks Recipes Dim Sum cookbook.

Steamed Minced Beef with Rice

INGREDIENTS:

250g beef mince (not too lean)

30g water chestnuts, finely diced

2 TBSP spring onion, diced

Cooked rice

Fried whole egg (optional)

Marinade – 

½ tsp cooking wine

¼ tsp salt (or ½ tsp chicken powder)

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp soda bicarbonate

1 tsp sesame paste (optional)

2 tsp light soya sauce

¼ tsp white pepper

2 tsp cornstarch or tapioca starch

⅓ cup water

⅛ cup oil

You’ll need  – ramekins or small Chinese casserole dishes, steamer

METHOD:

1.  Combine the marinade ingredients except the oil, and mix well.
2. Place beef in a large mixing bowl and “pound” it by scooping it up with your hand and slapping it against the sides of the bowl.
3. Gradually drizzle in the marinade as you’re doing this.
4. Add diced water chestnuts and spring onion.
5. Add oil and continue pounding until springy and firm. The theory behind this is that you want to expel the beef of air pockets so that the meat is “bouncy” when you bite into it (unlike, say, an Italian meatball).
6. Fill the ramekins with desired amount of rice, then smear the top with 3 TBSP beef mince.
7. Steam for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
8. Place a separately-fried egg on top before serving (optional).

The post Steamed Minced Beef with Rice (Yum Cha Recipe) first appeared on Jackie M..