Satay

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Satay-the Malay authentic dish is loved by all.  It is dipped into a peanut gravy sauce and eaten with ketupat.

         

This is our Malaysian satay.  It is either beef or chicken slices skewed on coconut leaf sticks and barbecued over moderate charcoal grill.
 Satay is dipped into a gravy of peanut sauce cooked with dried chilies, lemon grass, garlic, shallots, galangal, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, blended peanuts and a bit of belacan (shrimp paste).
The meat is marinated with lemongrass, garlic, ginger, shallots, galangal, salt and sugar.  Satay is a Malay cuisine.  It is loved by all races in Malaysia.  It is a favorite takeaway for birthdays, Christmas potluck and Hari Rayas (the Malay new year).
                                                                                                                                                                               

Ayam Penyet-Smashed fried chicken-A Pontianak Recipe

A Pontianak Ayam Penyet cuisine

Masak Merah (Chicken cooked in red sauce)

Masak Merah-Cooking chicken meat in red sauce

 This is Kak Bedah's cooking during the recent Ramadhan bazaar at Stutong Market.  This is the first time I observed chicken meat cooked in red sauce.  I asked Kak Bedah for her ingredients for sharing with viewers.

Masak Ayam Rendang

Ayam Rendang marinated in spices in the process of cooking

Ayam Rendang simmering and ready to serve.

We all heard of beef rendang.  We ate it and raved about it.  It is definitely a Malay food.  It is the first time I hear of chicken rendang.  The food was already a heap in the process of being cooked when I arrived at the Ramadhan Food Bazaar. Kak Bedah, a special functions food caterer and cafeteria owner had generously shared with me the ingredients she used in her cooking.  I will retrace and present her cooking in a more comprehensible manner.

1.  Pound red onions, lemon grass, garlic, ginger and galangal and put aside on a dish.

2.  Pour chilli powder and turmeric powder in separate bowls and add water.  Mix to form a paste. 

3.  Pour oil into a kuali and fry star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cumin seeds  until fragrant.

4.  Fry item 1 until fragrant and add item 2.

5.  Add in chicken meat and stir fry. Add in toasted coconut and add water to boil. Sir continously.

6.  Add santan and allow it to simmer.  Add salt and sugar to taste.

7.  Garnish with slices of turmeric leaves.

Sayur Keladi Masak Lemak

Yam stem is edible.  It is cooked as a side dish during the Ramadhan bazaar

I know the Chinese eat yam stem.  I think all Sarawakians ate this.  I get to see how the Malays prepare this food during the Ramadhan food bazaar.  This dish was already a heap when I arrived at the scene so I will retrace and present how this dish is cooked with the ingredients generously shared by Kak Bedah.

1.  Pound red onions, lemon grass, garlic, ginger, galangal and chillies in a mortar.  Put aside on a dish.

2.  Pound shrimp paste or belacan, and dried anchovies (ikan billies) and put aside on a dish.

3.  Stir fry item 1 until fragrant followed by item 2.

4.  Add water and bring it to boil.  Add yam stem. Stir frequently.

5.  Add santan and simmer.

6.  Add salt, sugar to taste and garnish with turmeric leaves, daun kesun and daun sengkeh.

Masak Dalcha

The appetizing taste of Ramadhan food-the Sarawak Malaysian Dalcha

The Ramadhan bazaar was an eye opener for me.  I got to see food being prepared on the spot.  One colorful dish was the dalcha which Kak Bedah concocted.  Based on the ingredients she generously shared with me, I would like to share how it was cooked in a more comprehensible way.

Cooking Jackfruit as a side dish

It was the first time I have ever seen jackfruit being cooked as a side dish.  The Malays call this dish 'buah nangka masak lemak'. I caught Kak Bedah cooking this dish at the Ramadhan bazaar.  The video version is available on YouTube.  I download my own pictures and present how this dish is cooked in a more comprehensible way on blogger.

Kak Bedah has been generous in sharing her recipe with our YouTube audience.  I feel that I will do her more justice by presenting this way.

Cutting the jackfruit for cooking

Borneo jungle fern

 In the Borneo jungle, the jungle fern is eaten by animals and insects.  It is eaten by the people of Sarawak.  It is edible, in particular, the first portion of the plant when it is plucked off.  If it fails to break, bend or is hard when broken, it is not eaten.  The indigenous people of Sarawak have been eating it for centuries.  It is a jungle surviving food or vegetable.

The locals call jungle fern 'paku'.  There are other types of jungle ferns.  One of them is called 'midin'.  'Paku' and 'Midin' are sold in the jungle produce market in the city of Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo.  For 'Paku', the fern is sliced in half and soaked in water and is washed over several changes of water.

It is cooked with peanut cooking oil with a bit of chili, garlic, onions and belacan- shrimp paste or dried prawns.  A bit of salt is added if there is no shrimp paste because the latter is salty enough.  'Paku' and 'midin' are loved by all races including the Malays, the Chinese, the indigenous races of Sarawak and the Indians.

Midin and Paku are considered 'cold' vegetables.  For consumption, it is 'balanced' with hot spices like chili and Chinese red wine which are used to cook 'Midin'.  The Foochow people of Sibu cook 'midin' with red wine, garlic and a bit of oyster sauce.  'Midin' is another type of  'paku'. 'Paku' is thick and dark green.  'Midin', on the other hand, is thin, reddish and delicate.  'Paku' (thick green jungle fern) is more commonly found in the city near river fringes and behind housing estates.

The fern is used in tattoo motif designs, high fashion fabric and apparel and costume designs, handicrafts, wood carvings, potteries, home furnishing, hotel decor, creative arts and even as a product name.  Nature is reflected in all these mediums of arts.  I see the fern in every native arts and crafts.  It is the stamp of Sarawak.  It is synonymous with the rain forest of Borneo.  It is the symbol of Borneo.