Thaise Vissoep (Thai Fish Soup)

Deze Thaise vissoep is lekker - van de combinatie van de vis met citroengras, gember, limoenblaadjes (en cili rawit).

This Thai fish soup is tasty - the combination of the fish with lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves (and cili padi). It's also really easy to make once you have the ingredients.

Make this soup on a chilly day and you'll soon feel thoroughly warmed from the inside out.

Ingredients:

Red snapper fish (around 500g)

2 lemongrass, 5 pieces of lime leaves

4 spices

* 1.5 red onion (* sliced) 

* 2 garlic, 2cm ginger 

5 pieces of cili padi (depends on how spicy you would like it)

Salt

spring onion, coriander leaves, fried shallots

1) Heat up the oil. Add the 4 spices, sliced red onion, garlic and ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves

    Stir fry and then add water to make the soup. Let it boil.

2) Add the fish and cili padi (rawit) and lower the fire. Then add salt to taste and fish sauce (if you have). Turn off the fire when the fish is cooked. 

3) Sprinkle the soup with spring onion, coriander and fried shallots before serving. 

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprout (Spruitjes), which looks like mini cabbage, is a very common vegetable found here. You can just 
- boil them, then add salted butter and nutmeg powder or with cheese sauce at the side
- roast them
- add them to stir-fried mixed vegetables

The possibility is just endless. 



Ingredients :

Brussels sprouts
butter, olive oil,
minced garlic, chicken cube, chili flakes

Ingrediënten:
spruitjes
boter, olijfolie,
gehakte knoflook, kippenbouillon, chilivlokken

Method :

1) Boil the Brussels sprouts for about 10 mins, add salt to the water. After they are done, drain them.
2) Heat up the wok. Add a bit of olive oil and butter.
3) Add the garlic and stir-fry it for a while. Then add some water and the chicken cube.
4) Add the vegetables and chili flakes. Mix them well.
    (I did not add anymore salt.)

That's it! This was a side dish to my beef curry. I suppose this can also be a side dish to meatballs and potatoes. Just be creative! :)

Begedil (Aardappelkoekje met gehakt)

I received a note in my mailbox from my neighbour, a student who's doing a project on food from around the world. I responded to it, met him and showed him my Malay Spice page on Facebook. He chose 2 recipes - Cucur Sayur (veg fritters) and Begedil (as shown here). I told him that these 2 are one of the simplest to make and he's happy with it as he too can then try it out. I thought he would choose something more special (to me at least) but he made me realised that simplicity is also good. I look forward to his finished project as he intends to make a cookbook and share it with the neighbourhood.

Begedil is a really simple and common dish that you can find at the Malay stall in Singapore. Some people think that it's time consuming but it's always a hit! One is never enough. Simple food can also be comfort food. :)



Ingredients :
1/2 kg fried potatoes
200g fried minced meat
spring onion, parsley 
fried shallots (optional)
a pinch of salt, white pepper
1 egg (beaten)
oil - for frying




Method :
1) Mash the fried potatoes in a big bowl.
2) Cut the spring onion and parsley fine. Add them and the fried minced meat into the bowl.
3) Add salt, pepper and fried shallots into the bowl.
4) Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
5) Take some of the mix into your hands and make it into a round/a ball. Continue to make them till the mix is finished. (Beware: it is already tempting to eat these.) :)




6) Heat up the oil. Dip the begedil into the beaten egg and put it directly into the pan. 
7) Fry till the egg is done on both sides.

Kuih Bakar Berlauk

My family and I were invited to a Chinese New Year gathering in Eindhoven recently. It was a rather long drive from Amersfoort. But It would also be fun meeting other Singaporeans in a gathering for the first time. 
It took me a while thinking what I should make, since it was a potluck. I wanted to try making something new and decided on 'Kuih Bakar Berlauk'. While I was looking for the recipe, I realised that there were things that I had to do differently. Original recipe calls for it to be done on a stove using a mould that I do not have. (see picture below)

# 'Kuih bakar berlauk' literally means a baked savoury dish cake.
   'Kuih bakar berlauk' betekent letterlijk een gerecht van gebakken cake. 'Lauk' betekent vlees of      
   groentegerechten en dus hartig. 

That's when I put on my thinking cap and made do with what I have. I baked it in the oven and used a less conventional mould (mini cupcakes). My verdict - The taste is still there, perhaps a slightly different texture. 




(A) Ingredients for the batter (about 100 pieces):
600 g flour
500ml coconut cream (I used KARA) + water
5 eggs
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cm of ginger (finely chopped) - I did not add
1 teaspoon yellow food colouring (powder) 

(B) Ingredients for the meat (I used minced meat) :
300 g minced meat
1 - 2  teaspoon white pepper 
1 - 11/2 tablespoon of meat curry powder
1 medium sized red onion *
1/2 cm of ginger *
5 tablespoon of oil
Salt to taste
 ( * finely chopped)

For toppings:
parsley, fried onions, sliced red chilli (deseed)

Method (B):
1) Heat up the oil. Fry the finely chopped or blended red onion and ginger till slightly fragrant. Add the curry powder. Mix till its even. (add a bit of water, if needed)
2) Add the minced meat and stir evenly.
3) Add salt and white pepper and water, if needed. Fry till the meat is cooked and till dry. After it is done, let it cool.

Method (A):
1) Beat the eggs, salt and ginger. 
2) Add the flour and coconut cream. Pour some water and mix till you get a smooth consistency.
    (The mix should neither be too thick nor watery). Add the colouring.
3) Add some of the cooked meat into the mixture. I added about 1/4 of it as my moulds are mini.

Now, let's bake them!
1) Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
2) Grease the moulds with oil. 
3) Pour the mixture into the moulds. 
4) For the toppings - put the minced meat, parsley, red chili and fried onions.
5) Bake for 15 - 20 mins. 

Bakwan / Cucur Sayur (Groente Koekje)

Bakwan (Cucur) Sayur / Groente Koekje is een populair Maleisische en Indonesische hapje. Er zijn 

verschillende Cucur, zoals met maïs, banaan, garnalen.

Ingrediënten:

200g tarwebloem

½ theelepels bakpoeder

2 rode uien - gesneden

1 – 1½ kopjes water

1 a 2 theelepels zout

¾ theelepel zwartepeper

2 lente ui

Groentemix (Ik gebruikte ‘Basis Roerbak Mix’ van Jumbo)   of

mix 1 wortel, 50g taugeh, 3 koolbladeren

                                                         olie om te frituren

                                                         * je mag ook garnalen toevoegen

1) Doe de bloem en bakpoeder in een grote kom. Voeg zout en water toe. Roer de   ingrediënten tot een beslag. 

2) Meng de groente en voeg toe aan de kom. Schenk iets water bij als het beslag te dik is. (Voeg de garnalen toe als je wilt.) 

3) Verhit olie tot 175◦c. Schep een eetlepel van de mix en frituur dit tot beide kanten licht   bruin wordt. (Even omdraaien tussendoor) Je kunt er meerdere tegelijk frituren, zolang ze     los van elkaar blijven.

Serveer ze met een pikante chilisaus!