If you live in Malaysia, you know that you are very lucky where FOOD is concerned. Malaysians are known for the special relationship that they have with food which is evident from the variety of savory dishes and sweets that one can easily find at every corner. This is especially so during the many festive seasons, one of which was only recently celebrated – Deepavali.

One of the favorite Indian sweets eaten during Deepavali is Sugared Ghee Balls, which is also popularly known as “Neyyi Urundai” or “Payatham Urundai”. True, compared to the other more gloriously colored sweets found during this festival, Ghee Balls do not get full points for looks. In fact, its unstimulating colour and simple shape may even be a “put off” for some. But, for many who have tried it, this sweet has easily become a favorite.

Making it from scratch is relatively easy. The only tricky part is pouring the hot ghee into the flour mixture and molding the balls into shape. One may find that the first few balls take a longer time to make than first anticipated. Don’t let your spirits down if you find this happening to you. Persistence pays off and it won’t be too long before you start getting the hang of it.

Once cooled, pop a ball into your mouth and enjoy the taste as it slowly crumbles into a wonderful sensory delight. You won’t regret it!

This is my recipe for Sugared Ghee Balls. Read the rest of this entry »

I was at two minds whether to post the picture above. The picture does no justice to the delicious full bodied taste of this Black Bean Soup. Black Bean Soup is highly nutritious as black beans (also called “Black Turtle Beans”) are known to be packed with all sorts of vitamins and minerals. The soup tastes naturally sweet (not like sugar) and is very appetising when combined with a meal of steamed rice and other dishes.

This recipe is pretty much a “cook and leave it” recipe especially if you use a charcoal stove to double boil the soup. I am always partial to double boiling soup on a charcoal stove as the taste is immensely different, not to mention the effect it has on tenderising the meat which is being cooked. If you don’t have a charcoal stove, fret not as a gas or electric stove is fine and direct cooking is possible. For this recipe, direct cooking rather than double boiling is shown as I know not everyone has a double boiler at home.

This is the recipe for Black Bean Soup Read the rest of this entry »

Preserved Black Beans, Fermented Black Beans and Salted Black Beans all mean the same thing, namely black beans which have been preserved in a salty solution and are usually sold in glass jars. The taste is naturally salty and usually, only a small portion is used.

This dish was oft cooked by mum for lunch during my schooling days and it tastes delicious with plain white porridge or even sweet potato porridge. Preparation and cooking should be less than 30 minutes as it only involved mincing the pork and cooking it with the preserved black beans. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to whip up a great tasting dish in a jiffy.

This is mum’s recipe for Minced Pork Balls with Preserved Black Beans Read the rest of this entry »

Baked Beans is not Asian. I don’t think it is. But I’ve seen some of the rice shops here in Kuala Lumpur which serve baked beans cooked with other ingredients. This is just one of the many variants and it adds a bit of difference to the usual baked beans.

You can eat this with white rice or even fried rice. I suppose you can actually eat it on its own but you may have to adjust the taste (especially the tomato) so that the taste is not too overpowering

This is my recipe for Baked Beans with Minced Pork and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 tin of baked beans
• 50 grammes pork mince
• 1 medium sized potato (diced)
• 1 medium sized onion (chopped)
• 1/2 tin of water (use baked beans tin to measure)
• 2 tablespoons Cooking oil (palm oil)

Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons tomato ketchup
• a pinch of salt

Method

Heat oil in wok and fry potatoes till golden brown. Remove fried potatoes and set aside. Remove oil and leave just about 1 teaspoon of oil in the wok.

Fry the onions till aromatic. Add minced pork and stir fry till cooked. Add baked beans and return the fried potatoes into the wok. Stir well.

Add water and seasoning and bring to boil prior to serving.

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