12   large red chillies, roughly chopped
2     tablespoons dried shrimp paste, (belacan paste)
150 ml (5 oz) water
4     tablespoons lime juice.

Blend the chillies and shrimp paste and water.
Season to taste with lime juice.

VARIATIONS.
Use the basic recipe, add two mashed hard boiled eggs or 1 ripe tomato or half an avocado.  Blend any one of them with the basic recipe and add a littlle sugar if the finished product is too sharp.

A really good Roti Canai is feather-light, crisp, non-greasy and some would say , the Indian community’s greatest culinary contribution  to Malaysia.  Roti Canai is a much lighter, flakier version of an Indian bread known as Roti Paratha.

1 kg (2lb) plain flour
2  eggs, beaten
1  teaspoon sugar
100g (3 1/2 oz) butter or ghee, melted
2 tablespoons condensed milk
1/2 cup ghee or oil for frying
2 cups water

Sift flour into a mixing bow, add eggs, salt, sugar and melted butter.  Combine water with the condensed milk and add to mixture.  Mix well to make a soft dough.  Roll dough into a ball and cover with a damp cloth .  Leave to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 small balls.   Coat in ghee or oil, cover and leave to rest for a minimum 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Heat an iron griddle or heavy pan, and coat with oil.  Flatten dough balls and stretch out as far as possible.  Fold edges inward, continue until you have a round shape 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter. This is required to give the bread a layered texture.  Fry the roti individually until crisp and golden,  adding more ghee or oil as necessary.

Helpful Hints  It takes great skill to swing out the dough in circles to stretch it paper thin, as the “Roti man” does with a theatrical flourish.  Most home cooks use the bottom of a very large cooking pan and with oiled hands, slowly stretch and push the dough out.

You probably have your own ideas about the best time to introduce your baby to solid foods. However, for convenience I include the order which I have found works well.

This is the first of Nani’s menus for our special little Segals.

1. Mashed ripe banana
2. Scraped or stewed apple
3. Yoghurt
4. First vegetables - sweet potatoes and pumpkins
5. Cereals
6. Egg yolk.

This is introduced around six months because of its high iron content. Until theyare six months old, babies have sufficient iron stored in their bodies, but after this time they need to include iron-rich foods in their diet.

7. Other vegetables.
8. White meat - chicken, fish.
9. Organ meat - brains and liver.
10. Red meat - veal, beef, lamb, rabbit.

Fruit can make an excellent introduction to solid food for our babies. Choose the fruits for your babies carefully and always buy fruit in in season, making sure it is thoroughly ripe and sound. As with any any new food, introduce fruits slowly, one at a time, beginning with just a taste and gradually increasing the quantity daily, if your baby likes it and doesn’t show any allergic reaction.

BANANA YOGHURT
4 months.

A great favourite. Just mixed mashed banana with natural, home-made yoghurt. Kids of all ages love this. Try freezing banana yoghurt in icecream trays or with ice block sticks for the over-ones.

BANANA APPLES
4 months

Mixed mashed banana with stewed or freshly grated apple. Bananas can be mixed with any fruits in season, try paw paw, rock melon, orange juice.

BANANA EGG.
6 months

1/2 banana
1/2 hard boiled egg yolk

This is a good way to introduce eggs into baby’s diet. Make sure the egg is hard-cooked and use only the yolk. For the first taste, begin by mixing just a tiny amount (less than 1/4 teaspoon) of egg yolk with banana; gradually increase the amount of egg until a whole yolk is used.

APPLES
4 Months

SCRAPED OR GRATED APPLE (OR PEAR)

When introducing your baby to raw apple, choose only ripe eating apples- JONATHANS or DELICIOUS. Scrape or grate some raw apple with a spoon and put a little of it in the baby’s mouth. Start with 1/4 teaspoon, gradually increasing it. When your baby is sitting in his /her high chair give him a mound of grated apple to experiment with.

HOME-MADE YOGHURT

3 tablespoons commercial natural yoghurt
2 tablespoons powdered milk
2 1/2 cups of milk

Prepare jar by pouring boiling water into it and setting it stand for a few minutes before emptying. (Make sure you put a spoon into the jar or it might crack.) Mix in commercial yoghurt starter and pour into prepared jar. Screw on lid and wrap jar in a piece of clean blanket and place in a plastic bucket. Put the bucket in a warm spot in the house. Allow to stand for about 6 hours. Unwrap and refrigerate. Reserve 3 tablespoons for the next batch.

RICE SMOOTHIE
6 months

1/2 cup rice powder.
2 cups milk.

In a small saucepan, bring milk to just below boiling point. Add the rice powder, stirring constantly. Lower heat, cover saucepan and simmer gently for 10 minutes .

This cereal can be served with honey, wheatgerm, stewed apple, yoghurt, mashed banana or a combination.

PUMPKIN PIE
6 months

1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon wheatgerm

Butter a small ovenproof dish. Combine pumpkin
and cheese, place in dish. Sprinkle wheatgerm over. Bake in a moderate oven until wheatgerm is toasted.

CARROT CUSTARD
6 mont6hs

1 cup pureed carrot
1 cup unsweetened egg custard
chopped parsley

UNSWEETENED EGG CUSTARD

2 cups milk or formula
2 egg yolks

Beat egg yolks and milk together, heat gently, stirring constantly until custard coats a metal spoon. Remove from heat immediately, cool.
Store in covered container in fridge.

Mixed together carrot puree and custard, sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve warm or cold.

GUIDE TO INGREDIENTS
——————–
Most of the ingredients are available at the grocery stores or
supermarkets. Some, though, are special and have to be obtained from
the Indian stores. This is the basic Indain Toolkit!

Substitutes may change the character of the dish. It is better to omit
an ingredient if not available than to substitute for it. If whole
spice is not available, you may use the ground form, but the ground form
is less pungent.

—————————————————————————-
NAME - INDIAN NAME - DESCRIPTION
—————————————————————————-
Asafoetida - Hing - Dried gum resin from the root of various Iranian and East Indian plants.  Has a strong fetid odor - definitely an acquired taste.   May be obtained.
—————————————————————————-
Besan - Besan - Flour of dried chick peas.
—————————————————————————-
Cardamom - Elaichi - Dried fruit of a plant. Mostly the seeds are used. Seeds of 4 pods measure approximately 1/4 t.
—————————————————————————-
Coriander - dhania - Aromatic herb of the parsley family. Sold as cilantro or chinese parsley.  Also sold as seed or dry powder.
—————————————————————————-
Cumin - Jeera - Very aromatic and reminiscent. Sold whole or ground.
—————————————————————————-
Dals - Dal - Hindi name for all members of the legume or pulse family.  Commonly used are: Arhar, Channa, Masur, Mung, Labia (black-eyed peas),  Rajma (red kidney beans).
—————————————————————————-
Fennel Seed  -  Sauf  -         Has an agreeable odor and licorice flavor.  Available whole or ground.
—————————————————————————-
Fenugreek -       Methi   -        Has a pleasant bitter flavor and sweetish  odor.
—————————————————————————-
Garam Masala -  Garam Masala -  A mixture of spices; details come later.
—————————————————————————-
Chat Masala -   Chat Masala -   A variation of Garam masala.Available in Indian stores.
—————————————————————————-
Ghee -          Ghee  -         Fat for frying. Pure ghee is clarified butter.
—————————————————————————-
Mustard oil -   Larson -        Pungent oil made from black mustard seeds.
—————————————————————————-
Mint -          Pudina -        Aromatic herb.  Fresh and dried leaves are used in the preparation of chutneys.  Dried leaves are much less fragrant than the fresh ones.
—————————————————————————-
Pomegranate -   Anar dana  -    A flavoring agent.  Has some scent.
—————————————————————————-
Saffron  -      Kesar -         Made of stigmas of a flower grown in Kashmir and Spain.  It is aromatic and    yields a yellow color.
—————————————————————————-
Turmeric -       Haldi -         An aromatic powdered root.  Used as a flavoring, and for flavoring curries.
————————————–

If you’re going traditional this Christmas, a roast turkey is essential. This one, with all the trimmings, forms the centrepiece of a Christmas lunch.

Ingredients
6.5kg turkey
200g butter, softened
12 slices streaky bacon
Salt
pepper
Pork forcemeat stuffing for the carcass
Celery, apple and walnut stuffing for the breast
Pork forcemeat stuffing
500g pork mince
50g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 egg, lightly beaten
Celery, apple and walnut stuffing
50g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
200g cooking apples, cored and chopped
60g apricots, chopped
100g walnuts, chopped
1½ cups croutons
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped sage
1 lemon, rind grated, and juiced

Method
Wash the turkey inside and out then dry with a clean cloth. Remove neck and giblets, and set aside for use in Giblet stock.

First, stuff the turkey. Put the forcemeat into the body cavity and cover the stuffing with a piece of bread. Loosen the neck skin and push the celery and apple stuffing well into the breast cavity. Pull the skin gently over the stuffing and secure with skewers. Tie the legs together with string.

Arrange two large sheets of foil across the roasting tin, one widthways and the other lengthways. Spray the foil with cooking oil.

Lay the turkey on its back and rub generously with butter, making sure the bones are well covered. Next, season the turkey all over with salt and pepper and lay the bacon strips over the breast, with the rashers overlapping. Now, wrap the turkey in loose foil and place in a 220°C preheated oven for 40 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 170°C and cook for 3 ½ hours. Increase the temperature to 200°C and remove the turkey. Take off the foil from top and sides of the bird, then remove the bacon slices.

Baste the turkey thoroughly and return to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes for a golden finish. Give the turkey as much basting as possible during this final stage. The bacon rashers can now be returned to the oven to finish cooking and served with the turkey.

Pork forcemeat stuffing: Place the meat in a bowl. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the onion and celery and cook until soft. Allow to cool. Add the cooked onion and celery to the mince. Add the parsley, sage, breadcrumbs, lemon, egg, salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Celery, apple and walnut stuffing: Melt butter in a pan, then add the onions and celery and cook until soft. Add the apples, apricots and walnuts.
Cook for about four minutes over brisk heat, stirring continuously, then put the mix into a bowl. When cool, add the croutons, parsley, sage and lemon. Season to taste.

Serves 8

Well it aint the Long Island version (however I will include that later) But this is to cool off and kick back with a great drink to have if you aint in the mood for eggnog!

Ingredients
1.5 litres water
6 peppermint teabags
500ml lychee juice or 2 x 565g tins lychees drained
juice of 4 limes
6 sprigs of mint
ice

Method
Bring the water to the boil and add the teabags. Allow to infuse for 5 minutes and remove the bags. Cool. Add the lychee juice and lime juice. Pour into glasses with ice and garnish with sprigs of mint.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The poster of this recipe is not religious in anyway. I do however respect highly the views of those who are religious and do extend an apology if some of my postings are not in agreeance with your beliefs. I do not apologise however, for posting them here as I believe that my own beliefs are as valid as the next persons.

I know this is not for the religious element in our clan  but this tastes fantastic!

Roast pork with pear and sage.

How do you improve on a traditional roast? You give it a modern twist, such as this sauce, which combines fresh pears with aromatic sage.

Ingredients
3-4kg leg of pork
extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons of rosemary sprigs
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
5 pears
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon grated ginger
250ml (1 cup) pear juice (or substitute apple juice)
2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons chopped sage
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Method
Preheat the oven to 220C. Score the rind of the pork and rub with oil and salt. Then push sprigs of rosemary and garlic into the cuts.

Place pork on a rack in an oven dish and roast for 30 minutes or until the rind is golden and starts to crisp.

Reduce heat to 180C and cook until medium done. Allow about 25-30 minutes per 500g for remainder of cooking. The pork is cooked when the juices of the meat run clear when pierced in the thickest part with a fork or skewer.

Peel the pears and cut into thin wedges. Melt the butter in the pan and add the ginger and pears. Cook until the pears are just coloured. Now add the lemon juice. Reduce. Add the pear juice and 2 tablespoons of sage and cook for a further 15 minutes. Blend until smooth with the balsamic vinegar. Take out and mix through the other tablespoon of sage. Serve with the pork.

Serves 10-12

  . . . remember, the secret is to keep stirring until absolutely cooked!

With Christmas only days away, I’ve decided to share my secret christmas pudding recipe that has been handed down through countless generations to the first born in each family.

Take 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of sugar, 6 drops of lemon juice, a handful of nuts, 4 large eggs, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 cups mixed dried fruit, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 or 2 bottles of whisky (preferably Irish).

Sample the whisky to check the quality. This is a vital test, if the pudding is to turn out perfect. Select a large mixing bowl. Check the whisky again, as it must be just the right temperature. To ensure that the whisky is of top quality and the right temperature, pour one glass and drink fast. Repeat for double confirmation, we don’t want mistakes at this stage of the pudding.

With an electric mixer, beat 1 cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again. Meanwhile test the temperature of the whisky by crying another tup. Repeat to quest the tolity. Add the 4 leggs, the 2 frups of fried druits and beat til high.

Sample the whisky again, checking for tonscistististicity. Next sift 3 cups of whatever is nexsht on the lisht, ish doesn’t really matter. Wample the whisky, thish time checking the colour. Sift the half a litre of lemon juice, fold in the chopped butter and stained nuts. Add 1 babblespoon of brown shugar, add whatever is left, and wix well together.

Whink remaining drisky. Grease oven and turn pudding into an oven dish at 200 degrees. Pour everything into the coven and bo to ged.

Bye for now . . .

Nasi Lemak is not only the name for rice steamed in coconut milk, but is also the name for a whole range of dishes. Though Malay in origin, the Nonyas added more dishes to the menu, making it part of the traditional feast on the twelfth (last) day of a wedding. Besides the rice, the meal would include Sambal Ikan Bilis (anchovies), Sayur Kangkong(vegetables), Sambat Udang (prawn), sliced cucumber and omelette triangles.

Ingredients
1 Cup Rice,(washed and drained)
2 Cups Santan
1 Pandan Leaf, (tied in a Knot)
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 can coconut cream

Ingredients for Prawn Sambal <img src=images/topics/nasilemak.jpg align=right>
10-12 Prawns,(shelled and de-veined)
1 Large Onion,(sliced)
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Tamarind Juice
2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
Pound together :-
2 Dried Chillies
2 Fresh Chillies
1 Small Piece Blacan
1/2-inch piece Lengkuss
1 Candle Nut

Ingredients for Garnishing
2 Hard-Boiled Eggs,(cut in wedges).
2 Tablespoons Ikan Bilis,(deep-fried till crisp).
1 Piece Yellow Bean Curd,(deep-fried & sliced thinly).
1/4 Cucumber,(sliced thinly).
2 oz Kangkong,(scalded)

Method
1) Wash and clean the rice and put it in a small pot. Add the Coconut Cream, Santan and the Pandan Leaf and bring to the Boil.
2) When the rice begins to boil, lower the heat.
3) Simmer gently for 10 -15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and remove from the heat.
4) Loosen rice grains with chopsticks. Cover up and allow rice to cook in its own heat for 10-15 minutes.
5) While the rice is cooking, prepare the Garnishing and Prawn Sambal.
6) For the Sambal, heat oil and fry the onions until slightly brown.
7) Add the pounded ingredients and fry until fragrant. Add Prawns and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
Add Sugar, Salt and Tamarind Juice. Allow to cook for another 4-5 minutes and serve.
9) Serve the rice with the Sambal and other Garnishing.