The Spicy Side of Life - Chicken Rendang and Nasi Minyak

I don’t know whether I am back in business, but I try. Today I had that wonderful feeling again … of hot and spicy food slightly heating me up from the inside.

I had some Chicken Rendang and Nasi Minyak. 

As it was my first step into the direction of Malay cuisine, I had to do some research. Usually I go about by checking Wikipedia and then reading through the different dishes. I found a few other things I would love to try, like for example Murtabak, but that has to wait for a while.

I set my eyes on Nasi Minyak, rice flavoured with ghee and some dry spices and … you will see later. The description said, it is usually eaten with Rendang.

The most traditional way of doing that dish is with buffalo meat. As I don’t have it and I didn’t want to try getting it, I settled for chicken, which is also quite common these days.

So, don’t be afraid of the heat or the colour (you will see later, why it has roughly the same colour), we have means and ways to reduce the heat.

Now, let’s go for the Chicken Rendang first.

Chicken Rendang

Ingredients
1 tbsp. ghee
500 g chicken breast, cut into small chunks
1 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped
1 dried chilli, finely chopped (less seeds, less heat)
Some water
400 ml coconut milk
A hand full of fresh coriander

Method
Melt the ghee in a pan. Then fry the chicken pieces together with the turmeric and a bit of salt.

Bash the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli together in a mortar, adding a bit of water to make a paste – kind of.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, fry now the paste you just made.

Now add the coconut milk and the chopped up stalks of the coriander. Bring this to the boil and leave to simmer.

At some point add the chicken back and continue simmering until the sauce thickens.

Just prior to serving, add the coriander leaves and check the seasoning whether you need more salt.

Serve the Chicken Rendang together with the …

Nasi Minyak

Ingredients
A mug of basmati rice
Two mugs of water for steaming the rice
1 tbsp. ghee
A hand full of cashew nuts
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
4 cardamom pods, cracked open
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (mind the seeds)
1 tsp. turmeric
Another mug of water
A hand full of peas (frozen, if you like)
A hand full of fresh coriander
Salt

Method
Add the mug of rice and the water into a pot and bring to the boil, while the lid is open. Then put on the lid, reduce the heat to a minimum and leave for 20 minutes.

Fork through the rice to loosen it up a bit, if you like and then set the rice aside.

Melt the ghee in another pan and roast the cashews. Then remove them from the pan.

Toss the cinnamon stick, star anise and the cardamom into the pan and fry them.

After that add the shallot, chilli and the turmeric. Let them all together enjoy some heat.

At this point it’s time for the rice to return. Add them to the pan together with some water.

While you are at heating things up, add the peas as well and finally the chopped up coriander leaves and the cashews.

Serve right away – as I already said – together with the Chicken Rendang. Well, they have both turmeric in it, so it’s not too much contrasting in terms of colour on the plate, but it tastes luvly.

Hähnchen Rendang und Nasi Minyak

Heut ist es mal an der Zeit für malaysische Küche. Das habe ich bis jetzt noch nicht ausprobiert. Also wird es mal Zeit. 

Insgesamt habe ich zwei Chillies verbaut. Es war trotzdem leicht scharf und aufwärmend. Das ist auf jeden Fall gut, wenn es wieder kälter wird – oh nein, der Winter kommt.

Falls man nicht so auf Schärfe steht, wäre es vielleicht angebracht, die Samen der Chillies zu entfernen. Was soll’s immer her mit der Schärfe.

Hähnchen Rendang

Zutaten
1 EL Ghee
500 g Hähnchenbrust, in kleine Stücke geschnitten
1 TL Kurkuma
Salz
2 Schalloten, feingehackt
2 Knoblauchzehen, feingehackt
Daumengroßes Stück Ingwer,feingehackt
1 Stengel Zitronengras, feingehackt
1 getrocknete Chilli, feingehackt
Etwas Wasser
400 ml Kokosmilch
Eine Hand voll frischer Koriander

Zubereitung
Das Ghee in der Pfanne schmelzen. Dann darin die Hähnchenstücke anbraten mit dem Kurkuma und etwas Salz zusammen bis das Fleisch etwas Farbe bekommt – und damit meine ich nicht die Farbe von dem Kurkuma.

Die Schalotten, Knoblauch, Ingwer, Zitronengras und Chilli in einen Mörser geben und dann ordentlich zusammenstampfen. Ein wenig Wasser dabei, so dass eine Paste entsteht – oder so ähnlich.

Das Hähnchenfleisch aus der Pfanne nehmen und statt dessen die Paste hineingeben. Das Fleisch erst mal zur Seite stellen. Die Paste anbraten.

Dann die Kokosmilch und feingehackte Korianderstengel hinzugeben. Das ganze zum Kochen bringen und köcheln lassen.

Irgendwann kommt dann auch das Fleisch zurück in die Pfanne und weiterköcheln lassen bis die Sauce etwas dicker wird.

Kurz vor dem servieren noch die Korianderblätter hinzugeben und kontrollieren, one noch etwas Salz nötig ist.

Das Hähnchen Rendang servieren zusammen mit …

Nasi Minyak

ZutatenEin Becher Basmatireis
Zwei Becher Wasser zum dünsten des Reises
1 EL Ghee
Eine Hand voll Cashewkerne
1 Zimtstange
1 Sternanis
4 Kardamomkapseln, das innere davon
1 Schalotte, feingehackt
1 rote Chilli, feingehackt
1 TL Kurkuma
Noch ein Becher Wasser
Eine Hand voll Erbsen
Eine Hand voll frischer Koriander
Salz

Zubereitung
Den Reis mit dem Wasser in einen Topf geben und zum Kochen bringen. Sobald der Reis schön blubbert, den Deckel drauf und die Hitze reduzieren. Für 20 Minuten vor sich hinköcheln lassen.

Wenn man mag, kann man dann nochmal das ganze kurz mit einer Gabel auflockern. Den Reis zur Seite stellen.

Das Ghee in einer anderen Pfanne schmelzen und die Cashewkerne darin rösten. Dann die Cashewkerne aus der Pfanne entfernen.

Da kommt jetzt die Zimtstange, Sternanis und Kardamon rein. Kurz anbraten.

Es folgt die Schalotte, Chilli und Kurkuma. Die Zutaten ein wenig die Hitze schmecken lassen.

Nun kommt der Reis wieder zurück in die Pfanne mit einem Becher Wasser, so dass uns da nicht anpappt.

Wo jetzt nun schon mal alles erhitzt wird, kann man auch gleich die Erbsen hinzugeben und wenn man dann schon fast fertig zum Essen ist, kommen noch die Cashewkerne und der Koriander mit drunter.

Zeit zum Essen. Wie ich schon erwähnte – ja, das habe ich schon gesagt – Nasi Minyak und Hähnchen Rendang zusammen servieren und Spass dabei haben. Lecker!

Christine & Christian - Episode 2: Mind the Ghee

Since the book arrived on Wednesday, I had a bit of time to check it out. Not too much, though. I don't want to rush anything. Too often in life we have to rush and so we miss some good parts.
Therefore, I decided to take it easy on that cooking business. There are over 250 recipes in the book and when I say I want to cook them in over 250 days, that could mean ... hm ... 500 days ... or ... 444 days ... or even ... 250 days. Due to that, it might mean nothing at all.
Now, Tasting India is divided in 10 regions food wise. So far I had a glimpse at the first section: Kalkata & Darjeeling. First thought? 
Mine was tea. I appreciate a good cup of Darjeeling tea once in a while. In this section of the book are 35 recipes. So, if you would like to take on a mathematical approach and would assume that there are equally numbers of recipes in each section, you would get 350 recipes. I don't want to confirm anything and I don't want to take a mathematical approach either. Just in case, you want to do anyway, you can tick 2 off, because I already had a go at two of those. I went for something simple, where I don't have to spent a lot of money on ingredients. I simply got a few potatoes. The rest I have at home.
As to that, I consider myself to be well equipped, also for taking on a lot of Indian cooking. At least that is what I thought. Some weeks ago I was in need of some cardamom pods. I knew they had to be somewhere, but I couldn't find them.
This time, when I needed them, it was just opening the cupboard, quick glance and here we are. I don't know what it was back then.
To the two selected recipes ... the first is Alur Dom and the other Luchi, in other words Curried Potatoes and Puffed Puri Bread. Both recipes were in need of ghee, the bread recipe even heavily.
There was still ghee in the house, but by far not the amount mentioned.
To put it simple, ghee is clarified butter, that can stand more heat and adds more flavour to your meals. I have to check again some shops for ghee. I guess I need to have some in the house at all times, unless I want to make my own, which has to be possible somehow.
In the meantime, I have to select a few recipes without ghee until I get chance to stock up some more of it.
I guess, at the essential points this time I used sufficient ghee, as things tasted fine.
For the curried potatoes I had to do my own spice mix with turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper, coriander seeds and sugar.
While the preparation for the curried potato wasn't in need of any attention, I went for the puffed puri bread.

You can already see, where this is heading ... a lot of food. Well, they are not all evenly sized on the picture, but hey, enjoy! There was enough dough for 36, but I decided to put half of the balls to the fridge to make some fresh puffed puri breads tomorrow. Fresh is better.
The balls were flattened, rolled out and then, normally in ghee, deep fried. 

Simply try to imagine the smoke in the house. I opened each and every window afterwards. The luchis (puffed puri breads) will only puff properly, if the ghee (or oil) has the right temperature. I must have done everything right, for there was a lovely puffing going on.
After all the luchis had been fried, the potatoes were ready, too.

Time to enjoy an Indian meal. To create some atmosphere, I switched my newly acquired Internet radio to an Indian radio station and went for it ...

I for sure will have some more of it. The recipe for the Alur Dom stated it would serve 8 people. Maybe it holds true, if you have some fish with the potatoes as was suggested in the recipe or ... alternatively it stated to have the puri bread along with it. Hm! I thought it would last at most for 4 people ... Oh! I hope I'm not that greedy. I was supposed to use 1 kg of potatoes. So, judge for yourself.
Anyway, if I want to go through the whole book, I need some time to eat up all the food in a reasonable way or I need some guests. Any volunteers?