Sharing And Caring

Makan Makan
By FARIDAH BEGUM


It takes every individual to realise that they have to do their bit to keep society together.

LIVING in the city often makes us behave individualistic and the inborn traits of wanting to assist or gather friends and family together become a distant memory in our lives.

Looking back a decade or two ago, the society we live in today is far different from the one we had then.

Even the lessons learned in school are different already!

What happened to the lessons in giving a helping hand, a friend in need is a friend indeed and so many more phrases that we often had drilled into our heads in school.

Gone are the days, I think, when all of us would rally around friends, good times or bad times, get together and visit one’s home instead of making plans to meet at shopping malls such as these days.

We were often invited to meals at either homes, no matter how meagre the offerings.

It is rather sad that we do no more than argue over matters that don’t even cause a dent in our lives, or even allow political differences dictate who our friends are and who aren’t.

The thought, for some, may be a little mushy but hey, when all is said and done, who do you call for hope, encouragement and support when you know your life is somewhat hanging in the balance.

Friends and family are important components in our lives and we should never forget to give thanks for their presence. No matter how bad or how difficult life is, they will help you get back on your feet and give you the hand to help guide you out of your misery.

Right now, as we speak, there are many around us who could benefit from a simple smile and a good conversation from any of us. There are many friends who have lost their jobs and perhaps, in some cases, on the verge of losing the only source of income they have.

It would be good in our own way for the lucky ones to strike out and assist in any way possible. If you are cooking, why not share a dish or two of your meal with the neighbour who is going through some hard times.

Their thanks is reward enough and such good thoughts when collected make our lives happier and more fulfilling. Try it. This is not idle talk as I often do this and feel good about the positive vibes that I collect.

On a chirpier note, I would like to highlight an e-mail I received last week from G.S. Chng.

He said: “Hi, just to let you know I compile all your recipes and cook them for my wife. I find them easy for our hectic lifestyles where coming home in the evening means not cracking our heads on what to cook but we can just browse through the clippings. Great stuff! We are Malaysians after all and the foods just taste so Malaysian.”

Thank you, Chng, for your vote of confidence and for trying those recipes out.

Yes, life has become a little more hectic and despite the fact that we spend very little time at home, we still would like home-cooked meals on the table but in as little time as possible.

This week, I respond to Chng and many others who would like quick, cheap and nutritious meals.

Bon appetit to all, a great fortnight ahead and don’t forget to send over some food to your neighbour next door. Keep friendships going for a more peaceful and happier existence.

Faridah Begum believes life is about sharing and food is a great catalyst in this direction.



Sardine in a Real Hurry
Ingredients

1 can of sardines (425g)

3 tbsps tomato ketchup

2 large onions – cut into rings)

6 bird’s eye chillies

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Method

In a wok, heat the cooking oil, add the sardines and the tomato ketchup.

Let it cook on a medium flame.

Stir occasionally to prevent the sardine and gravy from burning and sticking to the wok.

When the sardines are cooked for about five to six minutes, put in the onions and chillies and let the dish to continue simmering until the onions are soft. Serve.

Simple Spinach
Ingredients

300g spinach – cut into 3cm lengths and washed

3 shallots – finely sliced

3 red chillies – broken into small pieces

1/2 tbsp cooking oil

Salt to taste

2 tbsps coconut cream – made up with water to make 1 cup of liquid

Method

In a wok, heat the cooking oil and saute the dried chillies and onions. When soft and fragrant, add the spinach and cover to let the vegetable soften. After a minute or two, add salt to taste and coconut milk. Cover and simmer for about five minutes. Dish out and serve.



Udang Masak Lemak
Ingredients

1kg tiger prawns – cleaned and deveined (preferably with the shell on)

Blend together:

6 shallots

2 clove garlic

1cm galangal

3 stalks lemongrass

8 bird’s eye chillies

2cm fresh turmeric

1 turmeric leave

3 pieces of dried tamarind rind (asam keping)

Salt to taste

3 cups thick coconut milk

1 cup water

Method

In a pot, place the blended ingredients, turmeric leave, coconut milk and water, with salt and dried tamarind pieces.

Cook over a low flame until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir for a few minutes.

When the mixture thickens a little, add the prawns. Switch off the flame once the prawns are cooked. Serve.

Pleasant Surprises

MAKAN MAKAN WITH FARIDAH BEGUM

When we know how to improvise, the food can be very nice.

I MUST thank readers who have not only been trying out my recipes but who have also been constantly e-mailing me their efforts and the verdict on the fruits of their labour.

I am happy to note that many are beginning to take up the challenge of planning their meals with more surprises in store for their family.

Before I go any further, I must thank all of you for your constant support and this has actually helped me to come up with more and easier fix-it fast meals for all of you.

A reader, who has been in contact with me ever since my column began in August, spoke of how she tore up the hundreds of recipes she had collected over the years and was discouraged to try because of the parts in the recipes that began to look like a spare parts catalogue.

I, too, feel the same way when looking through my own collection of recipe books and I always fall back on the golden rule my mother imparted to me: “There is always an easier way of getting things done. It’s not called cheating or doing away with tradition but it is improvising.”

Incidentally, sometime last year, when I decided to make my own Nasi Kerabu, I was following the recipe book to the letter and nothing turned out as it was photographed. I worked through the recipe, refusing to admit defeat. After a few improvisations, I managed not only to make Nasi Kerabu like the Kelantanese themselves but also got my Kelantanese husband proudly exclaiming that I made it like the original version. He has since been insisting that this is the main dish whenever he has friends over.

Likewise, all gulais that called for difficult and often impossible stuff have since been restructured and, thankfully, they all taste like the traditional version, minus the hours of toil in the kitchen.

This week, I am trying to change the fact the battered or breaded fish fillets must always come with chips and Tartar sauce.

For the tempura black-pepper fish fillet, I am pairing it with a nice mushroom sauce and a medley of colourful vegetables as a side accompaniment to the delicious white fish.

For the light-batter tempura fish fillet, I am going Western this week with the fish becoming the vehicle for a lovely mushroom and cheese topping. Something like a bruschetta with a mushroom topping but hyped up with a generous sprinkle of pizza cheese. Enjoy them!

Faridah Begum is passionate about cooking and stuffing family and friends with food, whether tasty or not.


Tempura Black-pepper Fish Fillet with Mushroom Sauce and the Summer Medley

Tempura Black-pepper Fish Fillet with Mushroom Sauce and the Summer Medley

Ingredients:

One packet of frozen tempura black- pepper fish fillets, deep-fried and drained

1 tablespoon of brown sauce mix, mixed with a little water

Fresh thinly sliced button mushrooms

Salt and pepper to taste

Medley of vegetables – leeks, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, cauliflower, celery and carrot

A little olive oil or butter

Method:

Sauté the button mushrooms in some butter and when browned, add the brown sauce mixture and wait till it simmers.

In another saucepan, heat up a little olive oil, toss the vegetables in and stir-fry until slightly soft.

Season to taste and place a portion on individual plates. Put a piece of the fish fillet on the plate and smother with the mushroom sauce. Serve with garlic bread.


Baked Cheesy Fish Fillet

Baked Cheesy Fish Fillet

Ingredients:

A packet of frozen tempura fish fillets, deep-fried and drained

A little olive oil

A variety of mushrooms, cut up into bite pieces

Some pizza cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley for garnishing

Method:

Heat the oven. Lightly oil an oven-safe dish and place the fish fillets at the bottom, take care not to overlap them. Sauté the mushrooms for about three minutes and pour it over the fish fillets. Sprinkle with cheese as generously as possible, season with pepper and add the parsley.

Grill the dish for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese bubbles and serve.

Simply Smashing

Makan Makan: By FARIDAH BEGUM

You can cook fast and still dazzle your guests with showy and tasty stuff.

ONE of the most important lessons that I learned in the kitchen when I was in my teens was that you must be positive that what you serve will be good and tasty.

I believe that food is not about gluttony but about taking something into your body that you should appreciate and enjoy.

For this fortnight, I present to you a dish that embraces all cultures in the world – the briyani.

Call it any other name: paella, nasi minyak, pilau, kedgeree or any rice dish that combines all and sundry and it is this!

The prawn briyani is not unheard of as many of our Malaysian cooks are creative and have tried everything and anything that can be turned into a popular dish.


Little gourmet: My son Mustafa Kamel trying out (from front) the calamari rings, raita and prawn briyani.

For me, the briyani need not be loaded with ghee or cholesterol-high stuff but it must be pleasing to the palate and contributes to a great evening with family and friends.

During this holy month of Ramadan, the making of the briyani, as we prefer to call it here, is seen as an elaborate effort to show off to guests that you can really cook. Many may scoff at this, citing time and too much effort as reasons not to cook it.

Let me show you how easy and quick it is to do it and still be able to dress and relax while waiting for your guests to arrive.

I was also requested by friends to do something with calamari rings, which are hugely popular not only with the children but also with snacking adults.

Calamari rings are such that you should not spoil the batter coating it and you must never overcook it or you’ll end up with rubber bands.

Enjoy the prawn briyani with a cucumber and tomato raita that also makes a good topping for the calamari rings or rather a dip for a sourish and creamy taste.

Garnishing for the briyani is really up to you. It also depends on how you want it presented.

Thinly sliced omelettes or full-boiled quail eggs, sliced chillies, chopped coriander, fried onions and even fried almonds and fried chopped garlic are all great enhancements to an already great dish that can be eaten on its own or with rendang, dry masala chicken, beef or mutton and even with roasted chicken or other meats.


Prawn Briyani
Ingredients:
4 cups Basmati rice

2 packs of marinated garlic butterfly-cut prawns

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp ghee or butter

1 big onion – sliced

One stick of cinnamon, three each of cardamoms and clove and two pieces star anise

A handful of cashew nuts

3cm ginger and 3 cloves garlic (blended finely)

2 tbsp briyani spice (available at all supermarkets ready-mixed)

Salt to taste

1 tin evaporated milk

Chopped coriander leaves, fried onions, sliced chillies for garnish



Method:

Measure the rice in a measuring cup. Taking the same measurement, make up the same amount with the evaporated milk and water to top up. Heat up your rice cooker and put the olive oil and ghee in. When thoroughly melted, fry the cashew nuts until slightly browned before adding the spices and sliced onion.

When fragrant, add the blended ginger and garlic paste and sauté for another minute. Put in the briyani spice, salt to taste and sauté for a minute.

Add the evaporated milk and water and cover the rice cooker and let it boil. Meanwhile, wash your rice and drain the excess water totally.

When the milk and spices are boiling, quickly add in the rice and prawns, arranging the prawn so that it is buried in the rice.

Cover and let it cook. Once the water dries up, fluff the rice, slowly spading the rice from underneath to the top so that all the rice is cooked evenly. Once it is cooked, dish up to garnish and serve.




Calamari Rings and Cucumber-Tomato Raita
Ingredients:
1 packet tempura calamari rings, deep-fried and drained

Some salad leaves

1 cucumber, diced as preferred

10 cherry tomatoes, halved or

1 tomato, chopped up

1tsp salt

2 tbsp natural yoghurt

Juice from 2 limes



Method:

Put the cucumber and tomatoes together in a bowl. Add the salt, yoghurt and half the lime juice and mix well with a spoon, using a folding motion so as not to crush the tomatoes.

Taste and balance between the salt and lime juice to get a tart and easy blend. Chill it until ready to eat.

On a plate, arrange the salad leaves and the calamari rings on top of it. To eat, take a salad leave, wrap it round the calamari ring and add a little raita on top of it for a healthy snack.

Or have it with the briyani, as the calamari rings will add a great crunch to the whole meal.