unknown malay ingredients
Unknown Malay Ingredients will be discussed in this page. They may seem rare but they are interesting nonetheless.
Unknown malay ingredients
Many Malay food would not taste the same if you tried to cook it without proper ingredients.
Some ingredients maybe strange or hard to get. Ever heard of "buah keras"? It's not to be confused with "buah keluak"
What is one herb that would qualify your beef rendang to be authentic? Which flower bud do you use to make laksa? Read on to find out the facts about these unknown Malay ingredients.
Do you know that candlenut can be used as a poison?
On this page, I would reveal to you some of the most elusive Malay ingredients which normally are not well known but decidedly essential to cook authentic Malay dishes.
category : HERBS
1. Turmeric leaf
When I started my cooking class way back in June 2009, I was cautioned against teaching foreigners how to make beef rendang because "turmeric leaf" was impossible to find outside of Malaysia.
Cut the story short, after all these years, I had educated and inspired my students that turmeric can indeed be groomed in pots and bear leaves and roots for their kitchen, even in the coldest climate provided their kitchen is warm and there is enough natural light. They also have to remember to bring the pot indoors to avoid being killed by a sudden frost, for example. Having said that, turmeric leaves can be successfully frozen and also dehydrated for the purpose of making beef rendang or other recipes that call for them.
2. Daun kaduk (wild pepper leaf)
So many people confuse this earthy herb with betel leaf! I am annoyed because a little knowledge is very dangerous especially now that most people simply look things up on the Internet without checking that the information is accurate. I roll my eyes each time people said that daun kaduk is daun sireh. No, my friends, no.
Betel leaves have different aroma, the shape is also different and betel leaf can climb over a trellis, whereby daun kaduk plant is not able to do that. Hence the idiom: "bagai kaduk naik junjung" to imply an individual who is a social climber.
3. Bunga Kantan (torch ginger)
This beautiful flower bud is an essential ingredient for making many types of laksa. Hailing from Penang, I am mighty proud of them because they grow wild in our island and our bunga kantan is the most interesting herb there is.
category: nuts
4. Candlenut
As mentioned earlier, buah keras (candlenut) is not buah keluak. the latter is more elusive than the later. Candlenuts are used as a thickening agent while my butcher said it could be used to tenderise meat especially beef. I used them in place of cashew nuts for my korma recipe. It worked well and more economical too,
5. Kerisik
It's actually grated, toasted coconut that could be ground finely into a paste or simply used in its toasted form.
The person who created kerisik definitely had way too much time in her hands to invent such a complicated ingredient. It is 100% Malay ingredient which has its root from Indonesia. I put it under the category of NUTS because kerisik is made from cocoNUT.
All these ingredients will find their way in many Malay recipes. If you were in my class I would teach you some hacks how to find or make or keep these ingredients.