Malaysian Vegetable Curry Food

MALAYSIAN-STYLED VEGETABLE CURRY

Steps:

• In a 1 ½-quart saucepan, heat 1 cup of the oil to 350°F. Fry the eggplant sticks, in small batches, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until the skin turns slightly darker. Using a pair of tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Fill another saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Blanch the okra for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
• Make the chile paste: Place the jalapeños, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, and 2 tablespoons of oil in a food processor. Blend into a fine paste. (Alternatively, you can also use a mortar and pestle to pound the ingredients.)
• Heat a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, then sauté the chile paste, stirring often, until the chile turns a darker shade of red, 20 to 30 minutes. Add more oil if the pan starts to look dry along the way.
• Add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric, and continue to sauté for a few more seconds until fragrant.
• Add the vegetable stock, tofu puffs, pandan knots, and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes over medium-low heat.
• After 10 minutes, uncover the pot. While the broth is simmering, add the cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, lime leaves, and curry leaves. Use the back of the spatula to immerse the vegetables in the broth if needed.
• Season with palm sugar, salt, and mushrooms seasoning. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Once the cabbage is as crisp-tender as you like, add the okra and coconut milk, then simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Swirl in the lime juice, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove the pandan leaves before serving.

VEGETABLE CURRY (MALAYSIAN CHINESE STYLE)

Steps:

• Cut all the ingredients in (A) into small pieces. For the lemongrass, use only the white section. For the chili, remove the seeds and the piths. For the galangal, make sure to remove the skin altogether.
• Blend until it becomes a smooth paste.
• Saute the curry paste over low heat until it turns aromatic.
• Add the remaining seasoning in (B).
• Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock to form a gravy.
• Add the carrot, cabbage, eggplant, and long bean follow this sequence. Add more stock if necessary along the way.
• It takes five to ten minutes until all the vegetables become soft.
• Once the vegetables are soft, add the tofu puffs.
• Remove from heat once the curry returns to a boil. Serve with plain rice.

MALAYSIAN VEGETABLE CURRY

Steps:

• Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind chili paste, onions, garlic, ginger into a paste
• In a small bowl, combine fish curry powder and chili powder and turmeric powder with a little water to make a thick paste
• In a wok or pot, heat ghee or vegetable oil, fry the ground paste for 2-3 mins
• Add curry paste, stir-fry on low heat until quite toasted and oil starts to ooze from paste - do not burn!
• Add coconut milk, chicken stock [or vegetable stock or water], tomatoes and season with salt
• Gradually bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, about 15 mins
• Add each vegetable in order - those that take longer to cook are added first
• Simmer until just tender, or to your liking of crispness, remove from heat promptly
• Serve hot with bread, Roti or steamed rice.

MALAYSIAN CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• First make the curry paste. Put the garlic, chillies, lemon grass, ginger, shallots and turmeric in a food processor and whiz to a paste. With the motor running, trickle in a little groundnut oil and blend well, scraping the sides of the processor several times. (Or you can pound the ingredients together in batches using a pestle and mortar).
• To make the curry, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat the groundnut oil in a large cast-iron casserole or heavy-based pan. Tip in the curry paste and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until they are beginning to soften.
• Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and stir to coat them in the spice paste. Add the lime leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, coconut milk, stock, sugar, soy and fish sauces and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender.
• For the rice, rinse the grains in cold water to get rid of any excess starch. Drain and tip into a heavy-based pan. Add the rest of the ingredients with 200ml water, stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Leaving the lid on, remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve while still hot.
• Skim off any excess oil on the surface of the curry. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Tip in the beans, put the lid on and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes until the beans are tender. Scatter the coriander leaves over the curry and serve with the coconut rice.