Nasi Lemak & Kimchee

[vampyrichamster]

I promised _maldorora I'd put up a recipe for this, and I think at least mokie will like the kimchee. Hammie-style cooking is horribly bit of this, bit of that, so please note that my measurements are liable to moments of common sense. If it looks like its too much for you, or too little, go with your gut.

Nasi Lemak

1 1/2 cups Rice (Thai Fragrant)
1 1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1 - 2 Screwpine (Pandan) Leaves, knotted (optional)
1/4 inch Ginger (sliced, optional)
A pinch of salt

Sambal

8 - 10 large Chillies
1 - 4 small Bird's Eye Chillies (optional)
1 whole medium head of Garlic
A pinch of salt
Lime Juice (Kaffir Lime, preferred) OR Lemon Juice (optional)
Soy sauce to taste (optional)


You may want to adjust the liquid levels and cooking times according to the variety of rice you're using and how you're cooking it. In any case, if your rice packet comes with instructions, it's always best to follow the liquid levels there. Also, some people may find the coconut milk too rich, so you can experiment with a little more or less. It's further possible to substitute the coconut milk completely with evaporated milk. So long your rice comes out fluffy and like steamed rice, you're doing okay!

Microwave: Combine all the ingredients in a deep microwave-safe dish (with a lid). Cook it uncovered on HIGH for 8 minutes. Cover rice and cook on MEDIUM for a further 12 minutes. Watch for the rice drying out, as the cooking time is dependent on the make of microwave you're using. If the rice has a light, fluffy and dry (not dehydrated) consistency, you're done.

Rice cookers are your friend, should you have one.

Make the sambal by throwing everything except the lime juice in a blender and mincing to a fine paste. Lightly stir fry until fragrant. Add a bit of lime/lemon juice and soy sauce to taste before serving. You can freeze the sambal for longterm storage. (Basic chilli paste is good for nearly everything).

Traditional condiments served with Nasi Lemak include deep fried (shelled) peanuts, deep friend anchovies, sliced cucumber, half a boiled egg and a bit of sambal. Luxurious versions will have some kind of curry or rendang alongside. What kind of curry or rendang is entirely dependent on taste. I like it with tinned sardine (in tomato puree) curry, for example, or simple vegetables stewed in coconut milk.


Kimchee

As given to us by a Korean friend.

A large jar
Enough Cabbage leaves to fill up 3/4ths of jar
Salt
Sambal to taste (optional, see above for recipe)

1. Dry cabbage leaves in full sun until wilted.
2. Salt thoroughly, add sambal and leave for 24 hours in jar in a warm, dark place.
3. Transfer jar to fridge and leave for about a week.
4. Serve cold, sliced finely (just run a pair of kitchen scissors through it and you'll get nice small chunks).

Good for rice gruel and as an appetizing pickle before Asian meals.

Comments

[mokie]

Kimchee sounds like spicy sauerkraut...

Damn. Now I want sauerkraut.

[vampyrichamster.livejournal.com]

It's Korean spicy sauerkraut. I have a decent recipe for salted veggies too, which is actually the same recipe sans chilli. I love pickled veggies.

[bijuarukei.livejournal.com]

I've never tried kimchee before and I've always wanted to! Is it good?

[vampyrichamster.livejournal.com]

It's kind of like a very spicy sauerkraut. The amount of chillies you add in is totally dependent on taste, and I use minced chillies. The traditional version uses dried chillies. Some people further like to add dried or pickled shrimp. If you skipped the chillies, you'll end up with plain salted cabbage.

It's very good as a starter or condiment. Best taken with rice, but having it with noodles (ramen/soumen/soba/udon/any Chinese noodle) adds a kick to otherwise plain stock. (It's ridiculously cheap and easy to flavor plain Uni-student ramen food with kimchee instead of MSG, and healthier.)

[bijuarukei.livejournal.com]

I'll give it a try! I don't really like spicy food though... X_X

[vampyrichamster.livejournal.com]

If you de-seed the chillies you use before you cook them, they give flavor without the spiciness. This trick holds true for anything that needs chillies in them. :)

[bijuarukei.livejournal.com]

I'll keep that in mind! Thanks!

[mousoucarnival.livejournal.com]

I felt so lame the first time that I ate kimchee and thought it was supposed to be warm...at least I didn't COMPLAIN about it like my friend though. That had to be embarassing! XD; I love Korean food though, but kimchee still has yet to grow on me...

The other recipe sounds good though, I think I shall have to try it, thanks for posting this! =)

[vampyrichamster.livejournal.com]

First time I had kimchee, the Korean friend who gave us the recipe I posted here treated us to a full Korean BBQ. One of the other starters was raw beef liver. Huge sashimi-eating monster though I am, there are things I'm glad to say I've tried once and never want to try again. But I remember I was basically taking one slice of liver and just swallowing it. Nearly choked. But what to do? You don't want to insult the host. ;)

Nasi Lemak is a traditional Malaysian breakfast food. I'm originally from Malaysia, and our tastes are very different from the Koreans or Japanese. But Malaysians really love Korean and Japanese food, which is why we have many expatriates where I come from, and thus many K/J establishments. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_maldorora/]

oooooh yummy! thank you for posting this!!!! and the sambal recipe looks amazing.

[vampyrichamster.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome! Sambal is a cornerstone of Malaysian cooking. It's the base for pretty much all our curries and features in most of our sauces. It's also a good dip and condiment on its own. One of the most basic things you can do with it is add on coconut milk, tamarind juice (assam jawa), dried tamarind slices (assam keping, optional), a few slices galangal (optional), a pinch or more of turmeric powder, coriander and a few bay leaves (daun salam), and you have a coconut sauce that will go well with vegetables, eggs and all kinds of meat (specially chicken). The sauce itself, in Malay cooking, is for a style of cooking called "masak lemak", which means literally, "richly cooked". My favorite variant is the egg one, where you drop in eggs into the boiling gravy to poach, and you end up with a quick, tasty, egg curry.

Oooo, damn. Sorry about that. Food makes me ramble! I could end up rambling daaaaays unstopped...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_maldorora/]

*__* that all sounds so wonderful...ramble away!!!