Malaysian delights at Mamak

Last week I got to indulge my tastebuds in some Malaysian delights at the very well known Mamak restaurant, Chinatown. I must say it's a favourite of mine when I'm down that side of Sydney city.

Dining for two, we could not go past the Roti Canai. Mamak is known for it's fluffy and crispy ball of roti, and it's a true show watching the chefs create this masterpiece.

Roti Canai $5.50

I've never been a fried rice fan, even if you call it nasi goreng! But, I've been through most of the menu at Mamak over the last couple of years so I figured it was time to try this item. There was a nice zing in the rice and the lime really added a kick to the flavouring.

Nasi goreng $12

Rojak - I tried this on my previous visit and was instantly addicted. The prawn chips on top have a unique twist where they have whole baby shrimp encased in them. The yambean and cucumber strips add a lovely fresh crunch with the sweet satay sauce. And the coconut cake within the salad is just incredible.

Rojak $14

Mamak - Chinatown
15 Goulburn Street,
Haymarket, Sydney
T: (02) 9211 1668
No reservations
lunch 11:30 - 2:30
dinner 5:30 - 10:00
supper til 2am (fri & sat)

Pumpkin Soup and Chicken Caesar Salad

Saturday night's dinner was a bit of a mash together. Nobody wanted anything heavy and the warm day meant nobody really wanted anything hot either. Looking around the kitchen, I decided on making a big pot of pumpkin soup and a chicken caesar salad.

Now remember when I said I don't use actual recipes.... below is all a guesstimate as to quantities used!

I will confess, I love Butternut pumpkin. Rarely will I buy any other variety. I cut up about 1.2kg of Butternut in to approx. 3cm cubes and roasted at 200 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the flesh becomes soft but not baked hard.

One leek sliced finely with a couple of tablespoons of butter in a medium heat saucepan to allow the leeks to soften but not colour. Add two medium potatoes (peeled and diced to 1cm cubes) and 1L salt reduced chicken stock (you can use vegetable if you like.) Add the baked pumpkin and two tablespoons of honey, and bring to a rapid simmer. Leave simmering until you can see the potato pieces starting to crumble in the stock and the pumpkin starts to mush up. Remove from heat, put lid on saucepan and allow to stew in its own warmth for about 15 minutes. Blend to a puree (I find I have to do this in two batches in my blender.)

You can add cream if you wish at this stage, or just a good dollop of sour cream (or cooking Philadelphia) when serving. The dishes in the image are served with chives from the garden.

Caesar salad has never been a favourite of mine. I think perhaps I consumed a dish once with a vile rendition of sauce on it and it put me off the thought of eating Caesar salad for quite some time. But I noticed we had a rather large Cos lettuce in the fridge, and knowing this household, the lettuce would normally go off before it's even looked at.

I decided to make my own version of Caesar sauce - one whole egg, two tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard and four anchovy fillets with some of the oil from the jar all whizzed up in the micro blender. When the mix comes together, add a grind of salt and pepper and slowly drizzle in about a 1/4 cup of good quality light olive oil. Remember, all quantities give and take depending upon how it tastes and works for you!

The salad was simply a stack of chunky Cos lettuce, toasted slices of Turkish bread, shaved parmesan cheese, crispy pieces of bacon, soft boiled eggs, quick cooked slices of chicken breast, anchovy slices and the sauce.

Disfrute de su comida (or something, in Spanish!)

Vietnamese and Japanese inspired feast

The Central Markets in Adelaide have a lot to answer for!! The "old" food court as we refer to it, on the Western side of Moonta Street, has the best place for Vietnamese food I've come across. Over the years I became a great fan of dish #11, or, bun cha gao, and consequently I have developed my own version of the meal to suit my tastes and cooking styles.

Essentially I see the dish like a big cold roll opened out in to the bowl! We have shredded lettuce, cucumber, mint leaves and bean shoots under some rice vermicelli, julienned carrot, snow peas, a beef and onion in lemongrass mixture, and topped with fried shallots and crushed cashews.

As mum doesn't eat a lot of meat, I also make the dish with spring rolls to either top the noodles or to serve on the side.

A chilli vinegarette is poured over the dish and by the time you finally get to the bottom of it, the remaining vegetables and noodles are in a sweet and sour soup.

 
A meal at a Japanese restaurant on Brisbane's Southbank inspired the tofu dish I make to accompany the Vietnamese feast. Agedashi tofu is a fried (age) tofu in a fish (dashi) stock sauce. Because of mum's intolerance to fish I avoid the dashi component. But I have developed a gorgeous silky sauce to pour over the potato starch fried firm tofu pieces - equal parts mirin and ponzu (citrus soy), with chopped spring onions and chilli. 
 

By the time the hot starchy crust on the tofu has softened in the sauce, it leaves a sticky gooey texture on the bottom of the tofu piece and it absolutely melts in your mouth.

The meal is very fresh, very 'clean' eating (apart from the fried tofu - but it's hot, shallow oil so it doesn't absorb much). It's also the kind of meal which expands as you eat it... and there never seems to be an end in sight!

 The final feast:

Tomato and Chilli Salsa

Every couple of months I make up a batch of this Tomato and Chilli Salsa. It's great to just leave in the tub in the fridge then add to the side of your plate with chicken, beef, pork, fish, actually just about anything. It's also great to use as a dip with crackers and cheese platter or to add some zing to your toasted sandwich for lunch! The chilli components are entirely optional if you prefer something a little more gentle on the palette.

You may begin to notice I'm not really a fan of using quantities in recipes (unless it is for a specific baking recipe like cakes and pastries and finer items), hence the below list doesn't give a lot of detail. I'm hoping most people can judge whether a "good dollop" is the appropriate quantity or a "smidgen" is more suited to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Onion - red, white or brown, chopped
• Garlic - crushed or minced
• Chillies - chopped, optional
• Ginger - grated
• Tomatoes - peeled and seeded, chopped
• 1 Cup lightly packed soft brown sugar
• 1 Cup basil - chopped
• 1 Cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 Cup dry sherry
• Sweet chilli sauce

 Method:

1. Soften the onion, garlic, chillies, ginger in the oil. Do not allow to brown.
2. Add the chopped tomato pieces. Remember, a salsa is quite rustic, so there's no need to be fine and delicate with the ingredients. The original recipe I sourced this from suggested to peel the tomatoes too but I find the skin adds more texture to the final product.
3. Once the tomato is warmed through in the mix, add the remaining ingredients: basil, sugar, vinegar, sherry and a good couple of tablespoons of chilli sauce.
   
   
4. Stir until well combined. Reduce to a simmer and allow to thicken and become dark and syrupy over the next 1 to 2 hours. The mix will require stirring frequently to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
5. The salsa will continue to thicken on cooling so it's fine to turn the heat off with a bit of liquid and softness still in the mix.