Essential Ingredients

Lengkuas
Galangal

This herb is of the same family as ginger. The aroma and flavour is very pungent and citrusy. You only need to use a bit in a recipe otherwise the dish will turn slightly bitter. 100g of fresh galangal peeled and blended with 100ml of water can produce up to 10 tablespoons paste. In the UK you find it in the chiller cabinet of oriental grocery stores.

Cili Kering
Dried Chilli Paste

Dried chillies are used a lot in Malaysian cooking. The colour is a rich, gorgeous crimson compared to using fresh chillies, and the flavour sweeter and more intense than sharp. 2o dried chillies (the bigger the better) with 150ml of water can give up to 10 tablespoons of chilli paste. To prepare, bring to the boil 1 litre of water and boil the dried chillies for 10 minutes. Remove the chilli stalk beforehand if there is any. Drain the water and blend the chillies with 150ml cold water in a blender. You can always soak the chillies overnight to soften the chillies first.

Serai
Lemongrass

This is one of my favourite herbs. The refreshing fragrance makes recipes smell so fresh and aromatic. 4 stalks of lemongrass blended with 150ml water can give up to 10 tablespoons paste. Having cut off the tip, use the bottom half of a lemongrass stalk, chopping it into small pieces before blending it with the water. When frying it, it is best to extract the juice from the pulp so the oil will not spit.

Daun Kari
Curry Leaves

Curry leaves originate from India, and consequently are a typical ingredient in Indian style Malaysian dishes. Buying fresh ones is best. In the UK you can normally buy them in Asian grocery stores and markets. In Manchester, we have a so-called Curry Mile where you can pick them up. If you cannot get hold of them, you can use dried ones but soak them first in boiling water to soften them.

Kari Ayam dan Daging
Meat Curry Powder

The brand I use is Adabi, which is produced and widely available in Malaysia. However, in the UK this curry powder is only available in specialist oriental grocery stores. It comprises a mixture of ground herbs like cumin, coriander, fennel and chilli powder, among others. It is good quality, saving a lot of time with the pestle and mortar.

Kerisik
Roasted Coconut

The authentic way of making this is by frying desiccated coconut until brown and then blending it until the coconut turns into a paste. However, thanks to my best friend Yosrie, he taught me to do it a quicker way by putting the coconut block (creamed coconut) in a microwave oven for 3 minutes. Stir it immediately and microwave for a further minute to make it darker. Like magic, it turns to roasted coconut of the same quality as if it was done authentically. One block of creamed coconut block can produce up to 8 tablespoons of kerisik. I get so proud telling my students how they will save time preparing it this way.

Kari Ikan
Fish Curry Powder

Similar to the meat version, this is another type of Adabi brand but designed for fish curries. I also use this in Murtabak. It is less spicy compared to the meat curry powder.

Asam Jawa
Tamarind

Malaysians use a lot of tamarind juice in cooking, as an alternative to lime or lemon juice. It gives the same effect. Tamarind is like a sour plum, of which the pulp is edible (when ripened). Soak the tamarind pulp in boiled water for 5 minutes before using it. If the recipe only requires a few tablespoons of the juice, just soak a couple of pinches of tamarind pulp. The remaining can be kept for months in the fridge.