Darina Allen: How to get started with Malay cuisine — with these exciting recipes

Nasi goreng is a Southeast Asian fried rice dish, usually cooked with pieces of meat and vegetables

For me, Nine Bean Rows company who publishes the Blasta book series is the most exciting cookbook publishing company in Ireland at present. 

Kristin Jensen came up with the genius idea of doing a series of single subject cookbooks (A5 in size) with approx. 30 recipes. 

The colourful illustrations are by Nicky Hooper in her inimitable style. Recipes are carefully chosen to showcase a range of exciting dishes using the initial topic, examples include Tacos, Hot Fish, Wok, Soup, Tapas, Wasted, Masarap, Funky, Whole Catch.

The latest book to arrive on my desk is entitled Agak-Agak (pronounced 'aga-aga'). The author is Sham Hanifa, an award-winning Malaysian chef, businessman and broadcaster who now lives in Carrick on Shannon, County Leitrim, lured there by the love of a lovely local school teacher.

He’s run and co-opened many restaurants including The Cottage Restaurant, My Kitchen by Sham Hanifa, Synergy Café, Buffalo Boy Steakhouse plus he also sells a range of Chef Sham’s sauces with a devoted customer base.

You may also have seen him on Virgin Media's Six O’Clock Show, where he demonstrates easy Asian-style dishes which has built up quite the enthusiastic following.

How things have changed. When I started the Ballymaloe Cookery Sch-ol in 1983, many folk were still wary of garlic and few would venture to a chilli. Fast forward and we have become super-adventurous, and simply can’t get enough chilli, gochujang, sumac, ketjap manis and all manner of spices. We totally love Asian flavours and are becoming more and more adventurous - Japanese, Turkish, Moroccan, Ethiopian, Caucasian… Bring it on.

Back to this little book, whose title in Malaysian, means, ‘guess–guess’ or ‘use your instincts’.

Sham rightly assumes less rather than more knowledge. Initial chapters feature essential basics like three key ingredients: Lime leaves, an essential ingredient in Malaysian food (use frozen if you can’t get fresh although they are becoming more widely available); Ketjap manis, an Indonesian sweet soy sauce and essential store cupboard ingredient; and Galangal, a cousin of fresh ginger.

The next chapter is entitled 'Start Here' and then there’s a chapter on 'How To Make' spice paste, satay sauce and an essential chicken broth.

Take a little time to study these pages to understand the basics of Malaysian food and then you’re ready to move on to the recipes.

Hainanese chicken rice, one of my favourite dishes in the whole world is first, then there’s nasi goreng, satay of course, tom yum, laksa, lamb rendang, nasi lemak, coconut rice and on and on.

I just didn’t know where to begin. One recipe more tempting than the next.

• All recipes from Blasta Books 11: Agak-Agak by Sham Hanifa, published by Blasta Books

Sham Hanifa's Mussels with Coconut, Lemongrass, Lime and Ginger

This masak lemak recipe uses clams, cockles or periwinkles but I decided to use mussels. Just fry the paste to bring up the aroma, then add the coconut milk and mussels and it’s ready in no time.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the spice paste:

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 2 lemongrass stalks, bottom halves only, thinly sliced (save the tops)

• 2 bird’s eye chillies, chopped

• 2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, roughly chopped

• juice of 1 lime

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• For the mussels:

• 1kg mussels

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 shallot, halved lengthways and thinly sliced

• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

• 1 bird’s eye chilli, halved lengthways

• 1 tbsp spice paste

• 50ml water

• 1 x 400ml tin of full-fat coconut milk

• juice of ½ lime

• 1 lime leaf

• 1 tbsp fish sauce, plus extra to taste

• 1 tsp light brown sugar

Method

1. To make the spice paste, blend all the ingredients until smooth in a high-speed blender or crush them together in a pestle and mortar. You need only 1 tablespoon of the paste for this dish, so save the rest for another time.

2. Rinse the mussels under cold running water and debeard them. If any are open, give them a gentle tap on the countertop. If they close, they’re safe to eat. If they stay open, throw them away.

3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, chilli, lemongrass tops and 1 tablespoon of the spice paste. Cook for 1 minute, then add the water and cook for 30 seconds before stirring in the coconut milk. Bring up to a simmer, then add the lime juice, lime leaf, fish sauce and brown sugar.

4. Add the mussels, cover the pan and give it a quick shake. Cook for 3 minutes, until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that are still closed. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce if needed.

5. To serve, divide among four wide, deep bowls.

Sham Hanifa's Nasi Goreng

Every Malaysian grows up eating nasi goreng. The only difference is that we all have our own style of cooking it. The best way to make it is to use leftover rice.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 50 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 shallot, sliced

• 1 garlic clove, sliced

• 1 batch of spice paste

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced very small

• 2 tbsp ketjap manis

• 1 egg

• 600g leftover cooked basmati rice (or 200g dried rice, cooked as usual), not jasmine rice – it’s too sticky

• 100g green beans, finely

• chopped

• For the spice paste:

• 3 dried red chillies

• 3 shallots, roughly chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• To serve:

• fried eggs, sunny side up

• To garnish:

• thinly sliced spring onions

• thinly sliced fresh red chilli

Method

1. To make the spice paste, soak the dried red chillies in a small bowl of water for one hour, until soft, then drain and roughly chop. Put the chillies in a pestle and mortar with the rest of the spice paste ingredients and crush to a paste. A blender won’t work here – there are so few ingredients, they won’t catch and blend properly.

2. Heat the sesame and vegetable oils in a large wok or frying pan on a medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for one minute, until fragrant, then add the spice paste. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, then add the turmeric and cook for one minute.

3. Add the chicken, stirring to coat it all with the paste. Cook for a few minutes, then add the ketjap manis. Stir-fry for another minute or two, then crack in the egg and quickly scramble it, stirring constantly.

4. Add the cooked rice and green beans and cook for five minutes to thoroughly heat the rice until it’s piping hot and has absorbed all the flavours. Spread it out evenly in the wok or pan so that it dries out evenly – this makes it less stodgy. Taste and season with salt.

5. Divide among bowls, serve with a fried egg, sunny side up, and garnish with thinly sliced spring onion and chilli.

Sham Hanifa's Som Tam

When we were kids, my mother used to bring us to visit our family on the Malaysian border of Thailand during Wesak Day (Buddha Day) or Songkran (Thai New Year). We’d always have som tam with our dinner, using the unripe mango and papaya from the garden.

Servings

4

Cooking Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 5 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 1 green (unripe) papaya or Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks

• 1 large, ripe mango, peeled and cut into matchsticks

• 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks

• 10 raw green beans, chopped

• 2 fresh red chillies, cut into matchsticks

• a handful of fresh coriander, chopped

• 1 lime leaf, shredded

• 40g dry roasted peanuts, chopped

• juice of 3 limes

• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce

• 1-2 tbsp light brown sugar

• 1 tsp grated garlic

• 1 head of Baby Gem lettuce, broken into individual leaves, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Put all the ingredients except the Baby Gem (if using) in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Toss everything together with your hands, then taste and add more fish sauce and/or sugar if needed.

2. Line a serving bowl with the Baby Gem leaves (if using), then pile the slaw into the middle. That’s it! This is best eaten straight away, when it’s fresh. If you want to get ahead, prep all the ingredients but mix them together just before serving.

Seasonal Journal

fEast Cork 2024

fEast Cork – East Cork Food and Drink Festival takes place on Sunday, September 8 based in the market town of Midleton. 

A blend of conversations, dinners, markets, foraging, mixology, produce, producers, landscape, heritage and storytelling.

• For more information, see feastcork.com

Dingle Food Festival (October 4-6)

A date for your diaries…Dingle Food Festival, set in the charming fishing town on the Dingle Peninsula will take place from the 4-6 October 2024. 

The festival features the popular Taste Trail, Market Stalls, Masterclasses, Workshops, Children's Events, Street Entertainment, a Farmers Forum…

• For more information, see dinglefood.com