Latest news with #sambal
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Noodle salad and fried shrimp: Mandy Yin's recipes for Malaysian home-style prawns
The 14 states of Malaysia are located on a peninsula to the south of Thailand and on the island of Borneo, so it is no surprise that we absolutely adore seafood. Prawns are my seafood of choice at home, and I lean into store-cupboard staples to bring together easy, quick meals for my small family. Today's glorious noodle salad is perfect for summer, not least because it's a simple assembly job, while the second recipe, if you make a little effort to devein some shell-on prawns, rewards you with the most magnificent plate of them that you'll ever eat. Kerabu is an umbrella term in Malay denoting a vibrant salad of vegetables and herbs, dressed with a fiery sambal, shrimp paste and lime to bring everything together. The dressing is spicy, sharp and smells wonderful from all the herbs. You might also find kerabu noodle salads. This is my very easy version, perfect for hot days, because it doesn't involve any cooking. I've substituted tinned anchovies (use the best you can afford) for the shrimp paste to avoid having to toast the paste. Coincidentally, when I blitzed up the first test of this dressing, it smelled very much like cincalok, another Malaysian speciality of fermented krill mixed with shallots and chillies. A traditional kerabu salad will always include laksa leaves (AKA hot mint), but these are tricky to find in the UK, so I have used a mixture of herbs more commonly found in British supermarkets, not least because I find that the basil goes a little way towards the fragrant pepperiness of hot mint. Prep 25 minSoak 10 minServes 4-6 For the dressing2 fresh red chillies, seeds and all, stalks discarded, flesh finely chopped1 banana shallot, peeled and roughly chopped 4 fresh makrut lime leaves, stems removed50g tin anchovy fillets, not drainedJuice of ½-1 lime, to taste 1 tbsp dark brown sugar 3 tbsp chilli sauce (I make my own tomato sambal (see recipe below), but I also like Maggi's garlic chilli sauce or sriracha), plus extra to serve1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp tamarind paste, or Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea & Perrins) 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil For the salad150g mung bean glass noodles, or rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in just-boiled water for at least 10 minutes30g bunch fresh basil (Thai, holy or regular), leaves picked 30g bunch fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped30g bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped, stems and all300g cooked and peeled small cold-water prawns (defrosted if frozen, and any excess water gently squeezed out)¾ cucumber, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes Put all the dressing ingredients in a small food processor and blitz to a smooth puree. Drain the soaked noodles and put them in a large bowl. Roughly tear the basil leaves into the noodles. At least 15 minutes before you want to serve, to give all the flavours a chance to come together, put all the remaining ingredients and the dressing into the noodle bowl, mix thoroughly and set aside. That said, if you're making this well in advance, don't add the cucumber until 15 minutes before serving, because it releases water after a while, which will make for a very wet salad. Serve with extra sambal or chilli sauce on the side. This brilliant sambal is a perfect balance of spicy, sweet and tangy, and I'll take it any day over sriracha and even my beloved Maggi garlic chilli sauce. The best thing is that it comes together extremely easily and quickly, and keeps for months in the fridge. Prep 5 min Cook 15 min Makes 300g 150g fresh red chillies, stalks discarded, flesh roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped 60ml vegetable oil 3 tbsp tomato puree 1½ tsp table salt 4½ tbsp dark brown sugar Using a stick blender or a high-speed blender, blitz the chillies, garlic and oil to a fine puree. Put a small, nonstick saucepan on a medium heat, add the chilli-garlic mixture and stir-fry for 10 minutes; if it starts to splutter too much, turn down the heat a little. Add the tomato puree, salt, sugar and 80ml water, stir-fry for two minutes, just to dissolve everything, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, decant into a sterilised jar, seal and store in the fridge. This is an excellent dish from my dad's repertoire. It is based on a dish he used to have as a child in a Chinese restaurant in Malacca. We know it as har lok fried prawns. Yes, it's a bit fiddly, because it requires you to devein shell-on prawns, but that's just about the only real work involved. Frozen, whole, raw jumbo prawns from the supermarket freezer aisle are generally cheaper than fresh ones, so by all means use them instead. The magic of the prawn-infused sauce comes from the tomalley released from the prawn heads and shells. Prep 5 minCook 30 minServes 4 1kg large shell-on prawns, defrosted if using frozen 4 tbsp vegetable oil 2 fresh red chillies, finely sliced 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced3 tbsp light soy sauce 110g ketchup – I use Heinz¼ tsp chilli powder Devein the prawns by sticking a toothpick through the second shell joint from the tail and pulling up through the flesh. The vein will become loose, so all you have to do then is to pull out the rest of it. Use scissors to trim off each prawn's two long feelers and snip off the very sharp end of the prawn's head. Put the oil in a large nonstick wok on a high heat. Add the chillies and half the spring onions, stir-fry for a minute, then add the prawns and stir-fry for five or so minutes, until nearly all the shells have turned bright pink – leave the wok alone for 20 seconds at a time between stirring, so the prawns cook through. Add the soy sauce, ketchup and chilli powder, and stir-fry for a further two minutes, until the sauce thickens. Spoon on to a platter, garnish with the remaining spring onions and eat immediately. These recipes are edited extracts from Simply Malaysian: Everyday Dishes to Cook at Home, by Mandy Yin, published later this month by Quadrille at £27. To pre-order a copy for £24.30, go to The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. Check ratings in your region: UK; Australia; US.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Noodle salad and fried shrimp: Mandy Yin's recipes for Malaysian home-style prawns
The 14 states of Malaysia are located on a peninsula to the south of Thailand and on the island of Borneo, so it is no surprise that we absolutely adore seafood. Prawns are my seafood of choice at home, and I lean into store-cupboard staples to bring together easy, quick meals for my small family. Today's glorious noodle salad is perfect for summer, not least because it's a simple assembly job, while the second recipe, if you make a little effort to devein some shell-on prawns, rewards you with the most magnificent plate of them that you'll ever eat. Kerabu is an umbrella term in Malay denoting a vibrant salad of vegetables and herbs, dressed with a fiery sambal, shrimp paste and lime to bring everything together. The dressing is spicy, sharp and smells wonderful from all the herbs. You might also find kerabu noodle salads. This is my very easy version, perfect for hot days, because it doesn't involve any cooking. I've substituted tinned anchovies (use the best you can afford) for the shrimp paste to avoid having to toast the paste. Coincidentally, when I blitzed up the first test of this dressing, it smelled very much like cincalok, another Malaysian speciality of fermented krill mixed with shallots and chillies. A traditional kerabu salad will always include laksa leaves (AKA hot mint), but these are tricky to find in the UK, so I have used a mixture of herbs more commonly found in British supermarkets, not least because I find that the basil goes a little way towards the fragrant pepperiness of hot mint. Prep 25 minSoak 10 minServes 4-6 For the dressing2 fresh red chillies, seeds and all, stalks discarded, flesh finely chopped1 banana shallot, peeled and roughly chopped 4 fresh makrut lime leaves, stems removed50g tin anchovy fillets, not drainedJuice of ½-1 lime, to taste 1 tbsp dark brown sugar 3 tbsp chilli sauce (I make my own tomato sambal (see recipe below), but I also like Maggi's garlic chilli sauce or sriracha), plus extra to serve1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp tamarind paste, or Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea & Perrins) 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil For the salad150g mung bean glass noodles, or rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in just-boiled water for at least 10 minutes30g bunch fresh basil (Thai, holy or regular), leaves picked 30g bunch fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped30g bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped, stems and all300g cooked and peeled small cold-water prawns (defrosted if frozen, and any excess water gently squeezed out)¾ cucumber, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes Put all the dressing ingredients in a small food processor and blitz to a smooth puree. Drain the soaked noodles and put them in a large bowl. Roughly tear the basil leaves into the noodles. At least 15 minutes before you want to serve, to give all the flavours a chance to come together, put all the remaining ingredients and the dressing into the noodle bowl, mix thoroughly and set aside. That said, if you're making this well in advance, don't add the cucumber until 15 minutes before serving, because it releases water after a while, which will make for a very wet salad. Serve with extra sambal or chilli sauce on the side. This brilliant sambal is a perfect balance of spicy, sweet and tangy, and I'll take it any day over sriracha and even my beloved Maggi garlic chilli sauce. The best thing is that it comes together extremely easily and quickly, and keeps for months in the fridge. Prep 5 min Cook 15 min Makes 300g 150g fresh red chillies, stalks discarded, flesh roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped 60ml vegetable oil 3 tbsp tomato puree 1½ tsp table salt 4½ tbsp dark brown sugar Using a stick blender or a high-speed blender, blitz the chillies, garlic and oil to a fine puree. Put a small, nonstick saucepan on a medium heat, add the chilli-garlic mixture and stir-fry for 10 minutes; if it starts to splutter too much, turn down the heat a little. Add the tomato puree, salt, sugar and 80ml water, stir-fry for two minutes, just to dissolve everything, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, decant into a sterilised jar, seal and store in the fridge. This is an excellent dish from my dad's repertoire. It is based on a dish he used to have as a child in a Chinese restaurant in Malacca. We know it as har lok fried prawns. Yes, it's a bit fiddly, because it requires you to devein shell-on prawns, but that's just about the only real work involved. Frozen, whole, raw jumbo prawns from the supermarket freezer aisle are generally cheaper than fresh ones, so by all means use them instead. The magic of the prawn-infused sauce comes from the tomalley released from the prawn heads and shells. Prep 5 minCook 30 minServes 4 1kg large shell-on prawns, defrosted if using frozen 4 tbsp vegetable oil 2 fresh red chillies, finely sliced 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced3 tbsp light soy sauce 110g ketchup – I use Heinz¼ tsp chilli powder Devein the prawns by sticking a toothpick through the second shell joint from the tail and pulling up through the flesh. The vein will become loose, so all you have to do then is to pull out the rest of it. Use scissors to trim off each prawn's two long feelers and snip off the very sharp end of the prawn's head. Put the oil in a large nonstick wok on a high heat. Add the chillies and half the spring onions, stir-fry for a minute, then add the prawns and stir-fry for five or so minutes, until nearly all the shells have turned bright pink – leave the wok alone for 20 seconds at a time between stirring, so the prawns cook through. Add the soy sauce, ketchup and chilli powder, and stir-fry for a further two minutes, until the sauce thickens. Spoon on to a platter, garnish with the remaining spring onions and eat immediately. These recipes are edited extracts from Simply Malaysian: Everyday Dishes to Cook at Home, by Mandy Yin, published later this month by Quadrille at £27. To pre-order a copy for £24.30, go to The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. Check ratings in your region: UK; Australia; US.
CNA
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
In Search Of Heat - From Sambal To Nam Prik
22:57 Min It is all about the sambal. Kevin treks through the lush Perak rainforests to hunt for the next unique sambal, before taking a trip to Isan to learn more about its 3 main flavour components. In Search Of Heat About the show: In Search Of Heat is back for a second serving with Fiji-born Singaporean private chef and photographer, Kevin Lee. In Season 1, Kevin was just starting to plant his roots here after living overseas for decades - becoming Singaporean while embracing his Fijian upbringing. These days, he continues to run his private dining supper club and has a small farm where he plants and harvests his own fresh ingredients. In this second season, Kevin goes on a wild road trip up north to Malaysia and Thailand on a journey beyond incorporating chilli and heat as part of his culinary identity. This time, he is looking outward as he travels to gather inspiration from our spice-loving neighbours to unearth some of the hottest dishes in the Southeast Asian region. He also rediscovers centuries-old cooking techniques that have almost disappeared, and even uncovers some of the most unsuspecting ingredients that go into mind-blowingly spicy concoctions worthy of ancient royalty.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
97 Nasi Lemak: $1.20 brown bee hoon & affordable nasi lemak to start your day strong
– if you live in Singapore, I'm 99.999% sure you've had a plate of this coconut rice and sambal combo at some point. Of course, I'm no exception to this unspoken rule. Maybe it's my appetite returning after recovering from the flu, but I woke up starved this morning. So what better way to feast than to stop by 97 Nasi Lemak at Old Airport Road Food Centre for a few choice dishes? With their Old Airport Road outlet open since 2021, the founders have brought plates of Chinese-style nasi lemak to our tables while keeping prices low. Of course, one of the answers is in the name. After scanning the menu, I set my sights on Set C (S$4) with fried chicken and a plate of Brown (S$1.20) with a slice of (S$1.40). Let's take a look at the nasi lemak first. I chose not to include any add-ons, which leaves me with a fried chicken wing and drumette, sunny-side-up egg, rice, cucumber, ikan bilis mix and sambal. The rice is well cooked and fragrant from the coconut milk. I love that each grain is visually separate, yet moist and easy to pack together for a solid mouthful. The fried egg was not as crispy at the edges, but since I was eating it for breakfast, I appreciated the lighter texture. The dish comes together when you take a bite of rice, sambal and ikan bilis mix. 97 Nasi Lemak's sambal is almost jammy in texture and holds a sweetness that most don't include. It's spicy, but not overwhelming. I would call it the perfect beginner's sambal for those unacquainted with spice. Butter Town: Assorted buttery shio pan & decadent sourdough cakes from hawker stall The mellow coconut pairs well with the salty ikan bilis, while the sambal adds both sweetness and spiciness. With a crunch from the fish and peanuts against the pillowy rice, this nasi lemak is a well-rounded contender. The chicken offers a crispy batter around nicely seasoned meat. While the rest of the dish is light, the fried chicken gives a welcome bite and fills you up. Biting off a chunk of cucumber at the end left a refreshing aftertaste in my mouth. The only gripe I have is the difficulty of tearing the meat off the bones. Granted, I was using cutlery instead of my hands, so tissue-covered fingers might be the best option for a mess-free bite. Moving on to the Brown Bee Hoon, I decided to add an otah to make it more filling. There were also cooked vegetables available, such as Long Bean (S$1) or Curry Vegetables (S$1.20), though I think curry might be a bit too exciting at 10 in the morning, lol. The bee hoon was seasoned well with soy sauce and oyster sauce. It was also moist, which is how I like it! This bee hoon tastes just like nostalgia, a comforting simplicity that lingered on my mind and tongue. I was most impressed by the price point: even the otah was 20¢ more than a plate of plain bee hoon. 97 Nasi Lemak also offers or Fried Noodles for the same S$1.20. However, I was a little disappointed by the Nonya Otah. It wasn't as flavourful as I hoped, and since it was pre-cooked, it cooled quickly. That was the biggest impact on the flavour for me. I would have liked stronger seasonings and more char on the otah. As a whole, I enjoyed the two dishes from 97 Nasi Lemak. Since I visited with a friend, the meal was filling but not jelak enough to induce a food coma two hours later. That's definitely important for office zombies out for breakfast or lunch! If you're dropping by with a friend like me, I highly recommend getting these two dishes and splitting the toppings for the perfect breakfast amount. The next time I eat here, I'll choose a vegetable add-on instead and give their curry a try. Oh, and a cup of soymilk to wash it down! I love sweet-and-savoury combinations so, so much. So if you're craving nasi lemak from 7am – 2.30pm, why not drop by for a bite at Old Airport Road Food Centre? 97 Nasi Lemak will give you a boost to get through the day, both at work and at home. Even if you're not near Mountbatten, there are also outlets at Anchorvale, Senja Hawker Centre and Hong Leong Building, so go give 97 Nasi Lemak a try! For a list of locations, opening hours and phone numbers, please click here. Expected damage: S$1.20 to S$6 per pax New cai fan hawker's huge, cheap salmon & free meal games, vouchers & discounts The post 97 Nasi Lemak: $1.20 brown bee hoon & affordable nasi lemak to start your day strong appeared first on
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Sambal halloumi morning buns
Here, the halloumi is marinated in sambal (a chilli paste – you can find great ones in Asian grocers) until it soaks up all of that flavour. The squeakiness of the cheese sings brilliantly with sambal, and the runny yolk of the fried egg melds with all the fiery flavours. Requires marinating time. Overview Prep time 12 mins Cook time 15 mins Serves 2 Ingredients 250g halloumi 2 tbsp sambal belacan (chilli paste with fermented shrimp paste), plus extra to serve ½ tsp lime juice vegetable oil, for frying 2 eggs To serve 2 sesame brioche buns Kewpie mayo 1 avocado, sliced Method Step Slice 250g halloumi into 1½cm-thick pieces, coat them in 2 tbsp sambal belacan and ½ tsp lime juice, and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Step Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan set over a medium heat, then fry the halloumi slices in batches until golden on both sides – about 2 minutes on each side. Step Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a separate frying pan set over a medium heat. Once the oil is very hot, crack 2 eggs into the pan. Fry until the skirts of the eggs are golden and crispy, then season the still-runny yolks. Step To serve, split and toast 2 sesame brioche buns. Smear one side of each bun with Kewpie mayo and the other side with a little extra sambal. Fill the buns with 1 sliced avocado, fried sambal halloumi and crispy fried eggs.
