Malaysian Curry Laska

You might be able to tell that I have been craving for food from my country of origin, Malaysia. Not too long ago, my mummy sent me a care package with a bunch of food items that I am still not able to get in British Columbia, Canada. In this package she included a single packet of Curry Laska Paste. Below is what it looks like.

I haven't been feeling too well lately and thought this would be a simple fix. If it didn't live up to my standards, I could always get take out! Now, I have made curry laksa on my own from scratch before but I could never recreate it exactly because of the lack of some ingridients though I came close. I couldn't believe it when I tasted this. This is truely authentic! The only thing missing was the cockels to go with the meal. When I write about this paste, it only gives you the paste to cook the curry soup. The rest of the ingredients like the yellow noodles, chicken, tofu etc are fresh ingredients you have to put together yourself. I was so delighted with this. Not only that, it was so easy too! If I remember correctly, I just sauteed some minced garlic and onions, added the paste and water. Bring to boil and then add tofu and coconut milk. Simmer for a minute or 2 and its ready! HAH! It sure transported me back to the hawker stalls in Malaysia.

Beef Curry Pie Two Ways

I made the filling for these tasty treats a couple of days ago. The one above, I call it Beef Curry pot pie since I put it in a pot and covered it with store bought puff pastry. Had I time, I would have made short crust pastry and made it into some turnovers to be frozen.

Below I turned the pie filling into little appys, also with puff pastry and garnished with a few sprigs of lovely parsley from Richard and his lovely wife. I was hoping that the crust wouldn't open but, I guess it added to its presentation.

Now, what did put into the filling? Humm, I think I started with sauteing some minced garlic, then added pureed lemon grass and curry paste. Once fragrant, I added the beef, cubed potatoes and frozen veggies (unthawed) all at once. Gave it a good stirr and added a little water to help the bottom not stick. I also added beef stock and salt and pepper. Then simmered on med-low heat till potatoes were cooked and water has mostly evaporated. I let it cool and used as mentioned above. This pie filling was one of my mum and dad's favourite recipes on mine. I remember making this as a young teenager for my parents. Pastry from scratch too. Certainly brings back memories.

Special requests! Indian food

My good friends Chocolate Girl and Living Sword left for Berlin for vacation a few days ago. I wasn't expecting to hear from them, let alone so soon after their departure. It was a short email requesting for some recipes! Of course I couldn't help but to take this opportunity to add another post to my food blog. Here's a recipe for Tandoori Chicken.
6 chicken thighs, 1/4 c lemon juice,1/2 small onion chopped, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 3 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp lemon juice(extra), 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp paprika, pinch of chilli powder or to taste, 1 c yoghurt, red food colouring (optional)

Directions:1. Remove the skin from chicken and brush with lemon juice. Cover and let marinade in refridgerator for 30 mins.
2. Process onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, extra lemon juice and salt in a food processor until a smooth paste is formed. Combine this paste with the paprika, chilli powder and yoghurt and mix together until smooth. Add enough drops of food colouring to make the mixture a deep red colour.
3. Place the chicken pieces in a large shallow dish and spread liberally with the spicy yoghurt mixture. Cover in plastic wrap and refridgerate. Marinate chicken for at least 4 hours or over night.
4. Preheat oven to 180C or 350F. Place chicken pieces on a wire rack over a large baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken pieces are tender and cooked through.

Well, Chocolate Girl, as for an easy curry dish I found this recipe that I have not tried myself but reads and looks good. When I make a curry, I usually make it the way my mum makes it. It is really easy but you must have good quality curry powder mix. If you have access to some, I'll give you that recipe. If not, here's the one I found in one of my favourite cook books. Red Chicken Curry.
2 tbsp ghee or butter, 2 medium onions sliced, 1 medium red bell pepper chopped, 4 colves garlic crushed, 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground corriander, 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp hot chilli powder, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 425 g can tomatoes, 1kg chicken thigh fillets, 2 c chicken stock, 1/4 c cream or coconut milk, 1 tbsp concentrated tamarind.

Directions: 1. Heat ghee in a large pan, add onions, bell pepper, garlic, ginger and ground spices. Cook till onions are browned lightly.
2. Add paste, undrained crushed tomatoes, chicken and stock, simmer covered about 20 mins or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Stir in cream or coconut milk and tamarind. Simmer uncovered about 15 mins or until mixture has thickened slightly. Serves 4-6.