Gong Hei Fat Choi!
Celebrate Chinese New Year 
See my Spicy Sweet Shrimp recipe on Sample Recipes webpage.

From Chaper 11, Festivals and Feasts of Malaysia:

Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, also referred to as Lunar New Year, is the most important celebration for the Chinese and Chinese Peranakans. It begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the fifteenth day, so is usually observed in January or February. On the eve, there is a family reunion dinner when spirits are appeased and food offerings are made to gods, including Kuan Yin, the goddess of Mercy. The married and family elders give unmarried youngsters ang pow, red packets that hold gifts of money. Homes are decorated with oranges, plum blossoms, and kumquat trees for good luck. Firecrackers are exploded to ward off evil spirits. Non-Chinese friends often pay a visit and offer greetings of gong hee fatt choy. On the fifteenth night of Chinese New Year, which is called Chap Goh Meh, unmarried women throw oranges into the sea to wish for prospective good husbands and celebrate by eating rice dumplings. New Year celebrations end on the fifteenth day with Shang Yuan Jie, the festival that honors the Lords of Heaven, Earth, and Water.

On New Years’ Eve, foods that symbolize long life, joy, togetherness, children, and prosperity are served. Buddha’s Delight (vegetarian dish), steamed whole fish (signifying abundance), curried noodles (for longevity), sticky rice (signifying sustenance), egg rolls (for wealth), eggs (for fertility), sweet sesame seed balls, turnip cakes, and fruits are served. Vegetarian and fish dishes are prepared on the first day of the New Year as slaughtering animals is considered bad luck. So spicy sweet shrimp (symbolizing happiness, page 286) and fish dishes are popular.

Depending on the homes, New Year’s day meal may consist of popiah, shark fin soup, fried rice in lotus leaf, roast chicken, sesame and honey chicken, fragrant duck, braised Chinese mustard greens with seaweed, kailan with crabmeat sauce, and boiled dumplings. Hainanese chicken rice (page 126) served with a light chicken broth, sesame-scented rice, and a chile ginger dip (page 106) is a traditional meal served in many homes.

Sweets and cakes are essential for the New Year, including almond cookies, pineapple tarts, water chestnut cake, semolina cake, peanut puffs, and butter cookies. Also during this time, a traditional household offers candy, honey, and sticky rice cake to the House Gods or Deities (protectors of the home) and ancestors.

Chinese Peranakans (Baba-Nonyas) also celebrate the Lunar New Year. Although of a mixed Chinese and Malay heritage, they identify themselves as Chinese, observing their many festivities and religious and ancestral rites. They speak Malay and the women dress in Malay attire, but they have remained Chinese, retaining their “traditional” Hokkien customs. But unlike the Chinese, their foods have a strong Malay influence, prepared with chilies, rempah (spice pastes), spices, lemongrass, coconut milk, and belacan (dried shrimp paste). Following their Chinese identity, they prepare and serve foods based on their symbolism. Their choice of ingredients and dishes for festivities derives from Chinese traditions and the concept of yin and yang. Some of their festive dishes include chicken curry (page 171); chap chye (mixed vegetables with mung bean noodles); inchee kabin (similar to the spicy fried chicken on page 165); ayam sioh (tamarind coriander chicken, page 164); nasi lemak (coconut-infused rice, page 117); and spicy laksas (pages 151 and 153) with fiery sambal condiments. Every Nonya household offers a great variety of delectable kuehs and sweets. Kueh kapit (love letters), seri muka (glutinous rice custard), kueh lapis (layered custard), kueh kosui (steamed rice custard), and kueh bangkit (snow-white arrowroot flour cookies) are some they enjoy. For Chap Goh Meh, the fifteenth and final day of the Lunar New Year period, Nonyas enjoy pengat (page 253), a sweet porridge prepared with sweet potatoes, taro, and/or bananas flavored with coconut milk and pandan leaf, a true reflection of their mixed heritage.

From Flavors of Malaysia

On Thanksgiving Day, like everyone else we have roast turkey or chicken with stuffing,

sweet potatoes, and vegetables. I season the roast and stuffing with Malaysian seasonings

and have a peppered gravy or sometimes a light dipping sauce for the meat. Bob and

Geeta look forward to this special meal every year. Sometimes I serve the roast with ghee

rice, fried rice, or a vegetable biryani. My daughter, Geeta, grew up with this different yet

unique Thanksgiving meal that she enjoys to this day. Here, I am giving you here a recipe for

one of the roasts I prepared recently, followed by recipes for its accompaniments.

 

Lemongrass ‘n’ Spice Scented

Roast Chicken

Makes 4 to 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 4-pound whole chicken

2 to 3 tablespoons plus ¼ to ½ cup

cooking oil

1 to 2 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon salt

1 to 1½ tablespoons regular soy

sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine or vinegar,

cider vinegar, or distilled white

vinegar

Spice Blend 1

2 cloves

1 star anise

1-inch cinnamon stick

Spice Paste

¼ cup diced shallots or onions

1 heaping tablespoon sliced garlic

cloves

1 heaping tablespoon sliced fresh

ginger

2 tablespoons sliced lemongrass

stalk (¼-inch to ½-inch pieces)

1 fresh red chile (Fresno, cayenne,

jalapeno, Serrano, Thai, or cherry),

sliced (deseeded if less heat is

desired)

¼ cup water

Spice Blend 2

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Optional:

Flavors of Malaysia, A Journey Through Time, Taste, and Traditions (Hippocrene Books, October 2010)

 

By Susheela Raghavan

 

From Flavors of Malaysia, Chapter 11 (Festivals and Feasts of Malaysia) and Chapter 7 (Meats Festive Favorites)

 

Throughout the year, Malaysians celebrate many religious holidays and festive occasions that reflect their beliefs and culture. One common, significant characteristic of all Malaysian festivities is rumah terbuka or “open house.” Whether the celebration is Malay, Chinese, or Indian, friends and neighbors of other faiths and ethnicities are welcomed into the family home to share the lavish and plentiful festival foods. During this month, Ramadan, the fasting month for Muslims begins. At the end of this fasting period, on August 31st, is celebrated Hari Raya Puasa, a joyous occasion for Muslims of Malaysia.

 

Hari Raya Puasa

 

Hari Raya Aidilfitri, known elsewhere in the Islamic World as Eid, and popularly as Hari Raya Puasa in Malaysia, is a major festival for Malays and Indian Muslims. It marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting (puasa). Each year, fasting starts in a different month according to the moon and Muslim calendar. It is a joyous occasion for all Muslims, signifying purification and renewal through self restraint. Family members decked in their best attire go to pray at the mosque in the morning, and then visit cemeteries to say prayers for the departed souls of their loved ones. Then they come to their decorated homes, light oil lamps, and open their doors to celebrate and share their foods with relatives, friends, and neighbors. Many Malay and Indian Muslim homes prepare their favorite family recipes, handed down through generations.

 

Ketupat or nasi impit (page 281), beef rendang (page 177), and ayam masak merah (page 284) are a few special dishes for Hari Raya Puasa, usually served with beef floss (serunding daging), roti jala (a net-like crepe), satay (page 65) or satay goreng (page 178), eggplant and pineapple pajeri (page 232) and acars (see Chapter 3). Rice is symbolic for Malays and Indian Muslims in Malaysia so a variety of rice dishes abound during Malay festivities, including nasi minyak (ghee rice, page 121), nasi kuning (yellow rice, page 118), nasi dagang (red rice in coconut milk, page 128), ketupat pulut (glutinous rice wrapped in palm leaves), or lemang (glutinous rice cooked in hollow bamboo). I remember going to my Muslim classmates’ homes on this special day to eat their delicious dishes.

 

I used to look forward to going to my good Malay classmate’s home…. just to enjoy her mom’s kuehs. Kuehs are colorful arrays of sweet and savory little cakes, custards, and cookies. Even though I had to take 2 buses to get there…a long journey for me then, but her mom’ kuehs were worth the journey! These kuehs are an important part of Hari Raya festival foods. They are generally made from glutinous rice flour, palm sugar, pandan leaf, coconut milk, and many local fruits—durian, banana, coconut, jackfruit, and pineapple.

 

Below is my recipe for beef rendang (from chapter7, Flavors of Malaysia) that most Malay and Muslim homes prepare for Hari Raya Puasa. If you prefer chicken I have a chicken rendang recipe in chapter 11 (Festivals and Feasts).

 

Beef Rendang (Rendang Daging)

 

Beef rendang (rendang daging) is an intensely aromatic and rich, slow-simmered braised beef preparation. It came with the Minangkabau immigrants from Sumatra in Indonesia and has become a favorite with Malays all over Malaysia, who prepare it fiery like their ancestors. It is traditionally prepared at Malay homes for Hari Raya Puasa (Eid), weddings or other festive celebrations. Rendang is generally made with beef or chicken, but depending on ethnic and regional preferences also with mutton, water buffalo meat, duck, tofu, hard-boiled eggs, or vegetables. Depending on the region, rendang is served with plain cooked rice, ketupat, lontong, or lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tubes over a charcoal fire).

 

In my recipe, beef is slow-cooked or simmered in coconut milk, chilies, and spices, till all the liquid is gone and the chicken just cooks in the fragrant oil. The flavor of rendang varies depending on how much coconut milk and dried chilies are added. I add spices to my recipe to take this dish to an even more flavorful level…and its flavor closer to the rendang tok, a specialty from the state of Perak. You can reduce the spices by half and use less chilies than the locals would add to give a less spicy and fiery rendang. I braise the beef and cook it slowly in coconut milk till the sauce becomes slightly dry and thick, and the meat becomes extremely tender and dark. The final beef becomes coated in an intensely flavored dry sauce. It has a delicious aroma and tender texture that almost melts in your mouth. For a saucier dish, you can add some water and cook till sauce becomes thick and coats the beef.

 

Makes 3 to 4 servings

 

INGREDIENTS

 

4 to 5 tablespoons cooking oil

1 pound beef chuck, rump, loin, or sirloin steak, cut into 1½-inch to 2-inch pieces

5 teaspoons tamarind concentrate or tamarind juice extracted from pulp (see page 339 )

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised with back of knife and tied into a knot

1 Kaffir lime leaf with 2 lobes

¾ - 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 teaspoons thinly sliced or chopped palm sugar or dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ heaping cup toasted grated coconut (kerisik) (see page 319 )

 

Spice Paste

1 tablespoon sliced garlic cloves

1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh or frozen and thawed galangal or fresh ginger

¾ cup sliced shallots or onions

7 to 15 dried whole red chilies (depending on heat desired and type of dried chiles ), steeped in hot water for 5 to 8 minutes, slit and deseeded; or 2½ to 3¾ tablespoons cili boh (see page 315 ); or 1¼ to 1¾ tablespoons bottled sambal oelek

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

 

Spice Blend 1

2 cloves

2 cardamom pods

1¼-inch cinnamon stick

1 star anise (or 3 petals)

 

Spice Blend 2

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

 

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Process Spice Paste ingredients to a coarse paste. Combine Spice Blend 2 ingredients and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet and fry Spice Blend 1 ingredients for about ½ minute. Add Spice Paste and another 2 tablespoons oil and cook, stirring, for about 4 to 5 minutes, till fragrant. Add Spice Blend 2 and remaining oil and sauté for another 2 minutes.

3. Add beef and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes, coating well with paste. Add tamarind juice, lemongrass, lime leaf, and coconut milk, and cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes.

4. Add sugar and salt and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 20 to 30 minutes (adding more oil when necessary), till beef becomes tender and dark, and oil starts seeping out. (Be sure to keep stirring to prevent sauce or beef from sticking to wok).

5. Add toasted desiccated coconut, blend well and simmer, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes, then if using water (for saucier finish), ½ cup, for another 5 to 6 minutes, till beef gets darker and sauce becomes thick and coats the beef. Remove lemongrass, lime leaf, cinnamon stick, and star anise before serving.

Serve with cooked white or brown rice, yellow rice (page 118), coconut-infused rice (page 117), or compressed rice (page 281); and cucumber carrot acar (page 99), vegetables in spicy coconut milk (page 223), or eggplant and pineapple pajeri page 232). For a festive occasion, serve with festive rice (page 278), spiced rice (page 120), or ghee rice (page 121).

 

 

Recipe From

Flavors of Malaysia, A Journey Through Time, Taste, and Traditions (Hippocrene Books, October 2010)

By Susheela Raghavan

Cooking Demonstration Video below. It is also available on YouTube

 Stir-fried Sambal Shrimp 

(Sambal Tumis Udang)

Sambals are the ubiquitous chile-based sauces of Malaysia and for most Malaysians the “soul” of a meal. Sambal tumis udang is one of our family’s favorite Malay dishes. To make it, shallots are a must and Ma or Periama would sit for hours in the kitchen peeling them. When I asked Ma why she didn’t use big onions so there was less to peel, she would say that the dish would not taste the same, but you can use regular onions in this recipe. Ma ‘tumised’ the ingredients in oil, a slow-stirring technique that takes away the raw notes,and releases a wonderful aroma to the sauce. Although it is frequently served with nasi lemak (coconut rice), Ma served it with cooked white rice, kankung belacan (spicy water spinach), and a cucumber tomato salad. Ma balanced the spicy shrimp sambal with “cooling” spices, such as fennel, star anise, cinnamon, and turmeric. These spices made her recipe a truly unique sambal tumis udang with Indian and Malay touches. I have added belacan, but it is optional. You can also use fish for this recipe.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 pound (about 2 heaping cups) shelled and deveined shrimp, tails intact

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ cup cooking oil

1 cup (6 ounces) chopped and pureed tomatoes, or ½ cup tomato paste, or 1½ cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or tamarind juice extracted from pulp

3 to 4 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

 

Spice Paste

2 tablespoons sliced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon sliced fresh ginger

2 cups sliced shallots or onions

12 to 20 whole dried red chilies

(depending on desired heat),

steeped in hot water for 5 to 8 minutes, slit and deseeded; or 3 to 5 tablespoons cili boh; or 1½ to 2½ tablespoons bottled sambal olek

4 to 6 fresh red chilies, preferably mild or deseeded (Fresno, cayenne, or cherry), sliced

1 lemongrass stalk, sliced into ¼-inch to ½-inch pieces

Optional: 1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (belacan), toasted at 400°F for 15 minutes

¼ cup water

 

Spice Blend

2 teaspoons coarsely pounded or ground fennel seeds

1 star anise

1-inch cinnamon stick

 

Garnish

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) or thinly sliced Kaffir lime leaves

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Rub shrimp with turmeric. Set aside. Process Spice Paste ingredients to a coarse or smooth paste.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet and sauté the Spice Blend ingredients for about ½ minute.

3. Add remaining oil and the Spice Paste and cook, stirring, for about 10 to 15 minutes, till the oil seeps out. (Note: This is when the spice paste gets to its optimum fragrance. But you can always add less oil and stir for less time and still achieve a wonderful flavor.)

4. Stir in the tomato puree, paste, or sauce (if using paste add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water), tamarind juice, sugar, and salt and sauté for another 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Add the seasoned shrimp and stir for about 4 minutes, till shrimp are cooked and coated well with sauce.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves or Kaffir lime leaves.

 

Serve with cooked white or brown rice, coconut-infused rice (page 117), spiced rice (page 120), yellow rice (page 118), ghee rice (page 121), or tomato rice (page 119); and spicy cucumber tomato salad (page 97) or stir-fried mixed vegetables (page 224).

 

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