Spicy Plantain Fry

Unlike the regular banana, which is sweeter and eaten raw when ripe, the plantain has to be cooked before serving. Plantains are native to India and it is commonly prepared as a vegetable (like potatoes) in the Indian cuisine as a savory dish. In Malaysia, plantain chips (sweet and savory) are very popular snack and are even exported to overseas.

In the South Indian cuisine, the other parts of the plantain tree, namely its flowers and shoots, are also widely used. At my home in Malaysia, my mom made sure she gets hold of the plantain shoots every time she came across them in the market mainly because it happens to be my dad’s favorite.

These plantain shoots (vazhai thandu) are not available all the time because the plantain tree will only fruit once and only after the fruit is harvested, the plant is cut and the layers of the thick stem are peeled till the cylinder-shaped soft shoot is found. The shoots are not only delicious when fried with spices, they are also high in fiber and so, good for the digestive system.

Also special, but something I have never eaten in such a long time and something that is also not that easily available, are the plantain flowers. Mom has cooked this too but not in recent times. All I remember is that the cleaning and preparing of the flowers and shoots before the actually cooking process is a little lengthy. Being someone who loves to cook without having to spend too much time in the kitchen, I don’t think I’d be attempting those!

 

The more easily available and easier to prepare part of the plant is of course, the fruit itself – the plantain. In the U.S market, the plantain is sometimes referred to as the green banana. At the grocery store where I get my plantains, this sticker is on each of the plantains and serves as a convenient guide.

For my dish here, I used the plantain while still green. The first time I attempted this in my kitchen, I called mom to get some help: peel off the thick skin and then cube the plantains, boil them in salted water with a little turmeric for a couple of minutes (don’t let them overcook). This process actually helps to eliminate the excess starch. Then, after you drain them, you may use them to fry how you would potatoes.

I add a heaping teaspoon of chili powder, a dash of cumin and turmeric powder and the most special part of it all: add a handful of grated coconut towards the end. Yummy!

Ayam Masak Merah: Red Chili Gravy Chicken

This dish is so popular in Malaysia that I have never failed to find it being served at all the Malay weddings I have attended.

Having tasted the dish served by Malay chefs (at homes or restaurants), I realized that the Malay version of this is sometimes sweet as well as spicy. My mom, the expert chef when it comes to making ayam masak merah at home, usually makes the version that she has mentioned to me as my grandma’s version (her mother-in-law).

Cut chicken pieces are marinated in a spicy paste made of dried red chili paste (boiled to soften and then blended), onions, ginger and garlic. I think the best part of the marinade is the roughly chopped tomatoes that are just squished in to bring out the juices. This really adds a little zing to the dish and just a hint of sweetness from the tomatoes are infused into the dish. To the marinade also, a little turmeric for bringing out the bright color and some crushed black pepper is added for more kick. After about 30 minutes or so, the marinated chicken is cooked in oil infused with cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom and curry leaves for a wonderful aroma.

Fish Puttu: Shredded Fish Fry

Well, I really don’t know how else I could describe the Tamil/Malayalam word “puttu”. The end product is as shown in the picture here and the meat of the fish does seem like it has been shredded, so I guess it is acceptable here :)

My memory is rather faint here but I think the first time I ate this was when I was a little girl and the dish was prepared by my uncle in Melaka. I cannot recall having this dish prepared at home by my mom as well. However, in a more recent period, I remember having this dish at an Indian restaurant in Brickfields, Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur’s Little India. Most commonly, milk shark is the fish used in the dish. I guess the reason they call this particular species of shark the milk shark because in India, it is believed that eating its meat will improve the milk production of a nursing mother.

I have tried making this recipe with some shark fillets and the result was pretty amazing. I must say though that the dish tastes kind of the same even when I used different varieties of fish fillets such as tilapia, orange roughy or even dover sole.

I used ½ pound of tilapia fillets (around three medium-sized fillets) and fried them till they flake up really well in a sautéed combination of cumin seeds, onions, green chilies, finely chopped curry leaves. Then I added some grated coconut and chopped cilantro to add more pizzazz to the dish towards the end.

It’s so quick and simple to prepare this dish and the best thing about it is that it’s versatile. You can have it as a side dish for your lunch (with rice and vegetables) or roll it up in tortillas for a light and satisfying dinner, like I did!

'Maggi' Goreng: Fried Instant Ramen Noodles

‘Maggi’ is actually the brand name of instant noodles that is popular in Malaysia. In the U.S, one may find ‘Maggi’ brand instant noodles only in Indian stores. In regular American grocery stores, ‘Maruchan’ or 'Nissin' are the more popular instant noodles’ brand. Although now we have cut back a lot on the consumption of instant noodles, 'Maggi' instant noodles were a staple food during our varsity years.

'Maggi' goreng has got to be one of the famous fares of a Malaysian mamak stall (sidewalk food vendors)– it was mine for sure! It is basically taking the regular packets of instant noodles to a different level by frying it with eggs and chicken and sauces other than the one included in the original packets themselves.

What I have done here with my instant ramen noodles packets is to take it to a more gourmet level. I wanted to have a simple yet complete dinner and so I cooked my instant noodles in boiling water, tossed them out of the water and then fried the noodles with some onions, boneless chicken pieces, mushrooms, mixed vegetables and added a couple of dashes of oyster sauce, mushroom sauce on top of the provided sauce packets (for every two packets of instant noodles, I usually just use one of the provided sauce packets) and some chili powder for extra spice.

Avial: Vegetable Stew

Avial is a very popular dish in Kerala, India where it is certainly served during all festivals and even at weddings. It is basically the definite dish in Kerala vegetarian cuisine. My mom has made her own version of this dish several times in Malaysia. She probably got the idea from my grandpa (paternal) who hailed from Kerala :)

This vegetable stew is made of a combination of julienned vegetables (any kind that your heart desires) stir-fried with a spice mixture that primarily includes turmeric, cumin powder and green chilies. The stir-fry is then thickened with coconut milk and towards the end, some creamy yogurt is added. This dish goes well with steaming hot rice or even with chapattis, like how we had it this time around.

The selection of vegetables in my avial dish includes chickpeas (garbanzo beans), green beans, broccoli, carrots, red and green peppers, onions and also a handful of lima beans.