Butterfly Pea Flower Nasi Lemak

It's been more than three months since my family relocated to Chonburi, Thailand. Although I mentioned that I would resume my blogging once we settle down, the truth is, I've been procrastinating. Yes, I have visited some interesting places, dined at some lovely cafes and restaurants and been cooking a lot, but simply couldn't find the mojo to write. I really have a lot of backlogs. Urgh.

So yes, I'm forcing myself to kickstart with this piece! Initially thought of starting with a Thai recipe since I've been cooking more Thai food, but on the other hand, I've also been cooking SG local dishes due to our cravings :p

Frankly this is my first time cooking a whole set of Nasi Lemak from scratch. In SG it's simply too convenient and relatively easy to find reasonably good Nasi Lemak; plus I'm lazy lah! But now that we are away and it's not readily available anymore, I start to miss it.

My Nasi Lemak set consists of Butterfly Pea Flower Coconut Rice, Tumeric Chicken Wings, Nyonya Achar, Tempe, Sweet Sambal Chilli, Ikan Bilis with Peanuts as well as hardboiled egg. I separated the process into different days so that it's not too rush. Spent a day making the Nyonya Achar, another making the Sweet Sambal Chilli and marinate for chicken wings and finally ready to cook the rice, fry the wings, assemble and eat!

How does my Nasi Lemak set look? Love the addition of butterfly pea flower tea to the coconut rice, it gives the rice a lovely bluish hue and somehow the whole set looks much more sexy, exotic,  appealing :p

Here are the recipes, with reference from several sources, such as Nasi Lemak Lover, Noob Cook, LadyHomeChef (hosted under Miss Tam Chiak).

Butterfly Pea Flower Coconut Rice
(1 cup of rice, serves 2A1C)

• 20 pcs dried butterfly pea flower
• 1/2 cup boiling water

1. Infuse the dried flowers in boiling water till the flowers are fully bloomed, around 30mins.
2. Set aside 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp infused butterfly pea flower water

• 1 cup Thai Jasmine rice, washed and drained
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 pcs lemon grass, lower portion, smashed
• 3 pcs pandan leaves, tied into a knot
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 pcs shallot, slightly smashed
• 2 slices galangal

1. Add coconut milk, sugar and salt to a small pot, bring to boil till sugar is dissolved.
2. Off heat, add lemongrass and pandan leaves to the coconut milk and let them infuse till mixture is cooled down.
3. Stir in the infused butterfly pea flower water.
4. Place rice into rice cooker, add the coconut-butterfly pea flower mixture (together with the lemongrass and pandan leaves) and stir to mix well.
5. Add shallot and galangal, and set the coconut rice to cook.
6. After rice is cooked, let it rest for 10 mins before fluffing the rice.

Tumeric Chicken Wings
(serves 3)

• 6 chicken wings
• 3 pcs shallot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp shallot oil
• Cooking oil for brushing

1. Pound shallot, garlic and coriander seeds in a mortal into a paste.
2. Add turmeric powder, curry powder, salt and shallot oil and stir till well-mixed.
3. Place chicken wings and marinate paste into a ziplock bag.
4. Seal and rub the marinate till each piece of chicken wing is well-coated.
5. Marinate for at least 4hrs or overnight in fridge.
6. Remove from fridge 30mins before cooking to bring the wings to room temperature.
7. Place the chicken wings in the basket of an air-fryer, brush cooking on both sides of the wings.
8. Air-fry for 15 mins at 180 degree celsius, turning over once after 8-9 mins.
9. Best serve hot. 

Nyonya Achar
(makes 5 jam bottles)

• 2 small cucumbers (about 450g)
• 1 small carrot (about 200g)
• 100g cabbage leaves
• 200g pineapple flesh, cut into small pieces
• 40g skinless peanuts, roasted and pounded
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
• 3 tsp sea salt

1. Cut the cucumbers into 3-4cm sections, cut each section into quarters and slice away the seed block. Next cut the cucumber into thin strips. Add 1 tsp of sea salt to the cucumber strips and toss to coat well. Set aside for 1hr. After 1hr, squeeze out the excess water from the cucumber strips, pat dry, spread them out on a flat tray and air-dry for 1hr.
2. Cut the carrot into 3-4cm sections, then cut the carrots into size of matchsticks. Add 1 tsp of sea salt to the carrot sticks and toss to coat well. Set aside for 1hr. After 1hr, squeeze out the excess water from the carrot sticks, pat dry, spread them out on a flat tray and air-dry for 1hr.
3. Cut the cabbage leaves into bite-size pieces. Add 1 tsp of sea salt to the cabbage pieces and toss to coat well. Set aside for 1hr. After 1hr, squeeze out the excess water from the cabbage pieces, pat dry, spread them out on a flat tray and air-dry for 1hr.
4. Place the cucumber strips, carrot sticks, cabbage leaves and pineapple pieces into a large glass bowl and set aside.

Rempah

• 7-8pcs shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 pcs candlenut
• 3 pcs dried chili, soak in hot water till soften, remove seeds and cut into small pieces
• 3 pcs big red chilli, remove seeds and cut into small pieces
• 1 stalk lemongrass, lower section only, sliced thinly
• 5 slices galangal
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp shallot oil
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 100g brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Place the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, dried chilli, red chilli, lemongrass, galangal and shallot oil into a blender, blend into a smooth paste.
2. Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan or wok, add the rempah paste and turmeric powder and stir-fry till paste is aromatic.
3. Add the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to the paste and bring to simmer.
4. Remove from heat, let the rempah paste cool slightly and add the rempah paste into the mixing bowl of vegetables. Add the pounded peanut and sesame seeds. Stir to mix everything well.
5. Let the achar cool down completely before bottling. Divide the achar into glass containers (prewash with boiling water) and store in fridge. Let the achar pickle overnight for flavours to develop before consumption. Bottled achar can be stored in fridge for up to 4 weeks, but best eaten within 2 weeks.

Sweet Sambal Chilli
(makes 1 jam bottle)

• 8 pcs shallot
• 5 cloves garlic
• 15 pcs dried chilli, soak in hot water till softened
• 4 pcs big red chilli
• 3 pcs chilli padi
• 1 tsp belachan, toasted
• 1 tsp shallot oil
• 1/4 cup cooking oil 
• 100g brown sugar/white sugar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Remove seeds from the dried chilli, red chilli and chilli padi and cut them into small pieces. Retain some seeds if wish to have a more spicy sambal.
2. Place the shallot, garlic, chilli, belachan and shallot oil into a blender and blend till a smooth paste.
3. Add cooking oil into a wok, then add the rempah and fry on medium low heat till the sambal is cooked and aromatic (turns from bright orangey red to dark red).
4. Add sugar and sea salt and mix till gula Melaka is melted.
5. Let the sambal cool completely before bottling.

Tempe - store-bought (I lugged back from SG) and freeze. Simply deep-fry or air-fry till golden brown (around 10 mins at 180 degree celsius).
Ikan Bilis and Peanut - store-bought. I air-fry them around 15 to 20 mins at 160 degree celsius, till golden brown.
Hardboil egg - place egg into water (fully covered) and boil for 10-12 mins.

To serve, simply assemble all the ingredients onto a serving plate.

I must say I super love my Nasi Lemak set, it's visually appealing with myriad of colours and tastes totally tantalising! So does my HB and kiddo. (The kiddo only ate the coconut rice, chicken wings and egg))

The coconut rice is fragrant but not too oily or overwhelming. I chose to air-fry the chicken wings as it's more convenient, less oily and cooks more evenly. This chicken wing has a kampung feel to it, like those sold at Malay stalls. Super love the sweet, spicy and tangy achar, so aromatic and flavourful with the spices. Homemade achar seems to taste "fresher". And the sweet sambal chilli, super like it as well, only thing is, I retained a bit of chilli seeds and the sambal is a tad too spicy for me. But the HB says it's just nice.

Very pleased with my first attempt, and this shall be on my regular menu probably once a month =D

Vietnamese-style Honey Pork & Rice Noodle Salad

Collaboration with Sasha's Fine Food
Dish 1 - Honey mustard rosemary roasted chicken
Dish 2 - Asian chicken skewers with peanut sauce
Dish 3 & 4 - Teriyaki salmon, Chirashi Sushi


The third product I'm showcasing from Sasha's Fine Food is the Wicks Manor English Pork Stir Fry which comes in 250g per pack (frozen); this pack of stir-fry pork uses a lean cut of chump meat - where the leg meets the loin.

The pork is sourced from Wick Manor a small, family-run pig farm in Essex, England. The pigs are fed a natural diet of wheat and barley that is grown and milled on the farm itself. Vitamins, minerals, vegetable oil, soya and biscuit meal are also added to their diet. The natural and clean environment along with healthy diet and lifestyle helps the pork develop a beautiful depth of flavour whilst remaining lean.

For stir-fry pork, I usually cook home-style dishes like stir-fry pork with kailan, potato or sze chuan vegetables and golden mushroom.

This time, I decided to go for something different, a Vietnamese-style Honey Pork and Rice Noodle Salad, which is sweet, tangy, spicy and salty, perfect for this hot and humid weather! 

The Vietnamese call it Bún Thịt Nướng. Bún means noodles, Thịt nướng means baked or barbecued meat and the meat used is always pork. So basically the dish consists of grilled pork, rice vermicelli or noodle, pickles, vegetables, aromatic herbs, all displayed in a colourful arrangement, and finally served with a tangy, spicy, salty fish sauce dressing called nước chấm.


Vietnamese-style Honey Pork & Rice Noodle Salad
(reference from Hungry Huy and Danang Cuisine)

(serves 1-2)


Honey pork

• 250g sliced/stir-fry pork
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 clove shallot
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hua tiao cooking wine
• 1 tsp fish sauce
•  1/4 tsp sesame oil

1. Combine all the ingredients except pork into a food processor or electric chopper, blend into a paste.
2. Marinate the pork slices using the paste at least 4hrs or overnight.
3. Before cooking, remove from fridge and let the pork return to room temperature.
4. Set a grill pan or frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of cooking oil and grill/pan-fry the marinated pork till fully cooked and slightly charred. Set aside.

Pickles

• 2 cups water
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 4 shallots, peeled
• 1 chili padi, cut into 2-3 pieces
• 1 cucumber, sliced thinly
• 1 carrot, sliced thinly

1. Combine water, sugar and vinegar in a small pot, bring to boil till sugar is dissolved.
2. Add shallots and chilli padi into the pickling liquid and let the liquid cool completely.
3. Add the sliced cucumber and carrot into the pickling liquid and store overnight in fridge.

Fish Sauce Dressing

• 5 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 lime
• 1/2pc chili padi, cut into tiny pieces
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced

1. Mix water, fish sauce and sugar, stir till sugar is dissolved.
2. Add lime juice, chili padi and garlic, mix well.

Assemble

• 200g rice noodle
• Honey pork
• Pickled cucumber, carrot and shallot
• Lettuce, basil, parsley, mint leaves, chili padi

1. Blanch rice noodle in boiling water for 30s. Drain thoroughly and arrange in serving bowl/plate.
2. Arrange pickles, lettuce, basil, parsley, mint leaves and chili padi in serving bowl/plate.
3. Add honey pork.
4. Drizzle with some fish sauce dressing before serving.

This is definitely my kind of salad! Totally appetising and aromatic as well!

By just looking at the photo, I'm already salivating over the pretty colours and presentation, not to mention the various tastes and textures that come together. The highlight of this dish is certainly the pork which is sweet and succulent and tasted great with a tinge of smoky flavour from the charred bits.

This dish is certainly a keeper for me :)

Stay tune as I present the last dish using cod fillet from Sasha's Fine Food.

Sasha's Fine Food is an online F&B company that sourced ethically produced goods with preference to free-range, organic and/or fair trade food and drinks, and at the same time avoiding foods with unacceptable or unhealthy addictive. There's a wide variety of produce available in the webstore, from meat and fish to dry goods and groceries, dairy to beverages.

Pan-fried Lemongrass Pure South Lamb Chop

I used to prefer beef over lamb, but recent years started to take a liking to lamb after eating an unforgettable spit roast lamb in a Farmer's Market in Australia as well as some home-grilled lamb cutlets.

That said, my knowledge of lamb is still very little and I only eat lamb at home once in a blue moon. And times when I do cook it, I'll get lamb cutlets with just salt and pepper on grill pan and eaten with mint sauce.

When I was approached by Singapore Home Cooks to participate in the Pure South Campaign to come up with a dish for their lamb rack, I was hesitant because I'm unsure of how to handle a whole lamb rack. I'm so glad that I accepted the challenge, otherwise I might never have the courage to buy a lamb rack on my own and lose the opportunity to taste such excellent quality lamb!

So I learnt that Pure South lamb is from New Zealand, 100% grass-fed and free range, hence leaner and juicier. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6 and beta-carotene and as little as 140 calories per serving. Woohoo, bring on more lamb please!

The lamb rack is the most tender part of the lamb and Pure South's lamb rack is already frenched meaning the meat at the rib part is removed exposing the rib bones. Personally I feel that this makes it easier to cut and cook, and definitely more presentable (yep, I'm kind of intimated by a whole rack of lamb if it weren't frenched).

Since I've always done Western-style lamb chops on grill, decided to go for Asian-style this time using one of my favourite ingredient, lemongrass to create a marinate paste along with garlic, shallot and seasonings like Gula Melaka, fish sauce, light soy sauce and sesame oil.

As for cooking method, I opted for a simple method which is quick and easy for home cooks, that is to cut the lamb rack into individual lamb chops, marinate and then pan-fried.

Each pack of Pure South Frenched Lamb Rack comes frozen and in twos, weighing between 800g-1.1kg, meaning each rack is about 400-550g.

To maintain the quality of the meat, it's highly recommended to thaw the frozen meat in the fridge. After thawing the meat (overnight for me), I cut the rack into 7 lamb chops using a sharp knife. It's 8 portions actually, the last rib was too thick so I sliced off a small portion and used it to do "test-cook" before pan-frying the rest :p Thereafter, just marinate the lamb chops with the blended marinate paste for 2-3hrs, then pan-fry for less than a minute each side :)

Pan-fried Lemongrass Lamb Chop

Ingredients

• 1 Pure South lamb rack (about 450g)
• 4 stalks lemongrass, chopped (bottom 1/3 of the stalk, remove root and outer 2-3 layers)
• 5 tbsp Gula Melaka
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp water
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 cloves garlic
• 5 cloves shallot

Steps

1. Cut rack of lamb into individual lamb chops (7 pieces).
2. Place chopped lemongrass, gula melaka, fish sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, water, salt, garlic and shallot into a food processor or electric chopper and blend the ingredients into a wet paste.
3. Marinate the lamb chops with the lemongrass paste for 2-3 hrs.
4. Scrap off most of the lemongrass paste from the lamb chops, reserve the paste.
5. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to frying pan, heat the pan till smoking hot, and pan fry the lamb chops for 45s to 1 min each side (depends on desired doneness), until the chops get a slight char.
6. Transfer the chops to a plate and let them sit for about 5 mins.
7. Using the same frying pan, add the lemongrass paste and any meat juice from the lamb chops and bring the sauce to boil.
8. Transfer lamb chops to serving plate and drizzle with some lemongrass sauce. Enjoy!

Typically lamb chops are served with salads or grilled vegetables and baked or mashed potato.

But to echo the Asian-flavours, I served the dish with lemongrass-pandan-ginger infused jasmine rice and lemongrass-infused pickled vegetables.

Lemongrass-Pandan-Ginger-infused Rice

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Jasmine white rice
• ¼ cup Jasmine brown rice
• 300ml bone broth/chicken stock
• 2 stalks lemongrass, smashed (bottom 1/3 of the stalk, remove root and outer 2-3 layers)
• 1 thumb young ginger, grated
• 2 small pandan leaves, knotted (trim bottom whitish part)

Steps

1. In a pot, add broth, lemongrass and grated ginger (with juice). Bring the broth to boil.
2. Let the mixture cool down and sieve. Reserve the lemongrass. (Not necessary to sieve if wish to have stronger ginger taste).
3. Rinse and drain the rice. Add rice, broth, lemongrass and pandan leaves to rice cooker.
4. After rice is cooked, let it sit for 5 mins, remove lemongrass and pandan leaves and fluff up the rice.
5. Best serve hot.

Lemongrass-infused Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients

• 500ml water
• 5 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 stalks lemongrass, smashed (remaining 2/3 from the lamb chops and rice, remove root and outer 2-3 layers)
• 3 shallots
• 2 chili padi
• 1 carrot, cubed and julienned
• 1 cucumber, cubed and julienned

Steps

1. In a pot, add water, honey, vinegar and salt. Bring to boil till honey is fully melted.
2. Add lemongrass, shallots and chili padi and let the liquid cool down completely.
3. Add the carrot and cucumber to the pickling liquid and let the vegetables infuse for at least 1 hour.
4. Transfer to glass jar and store the pickles in fridge, for up to 1 week.

I love love love how the lamb chops turned out! Thanks to the superb quality of Pure South's lamb, the meat was so juicy and tender! This was by far the most tender lamb meat I've ever eaten; and there wasn't even any gamey smell at all (unlike the lamb I've eaten in the past). Oh, what have I been missing out!
 
The lemongrass sauce went really well with the tender, juicy meat. Besides the amazing aroma, I can taste the part citrus, part minty, part gingery flavours, along with sweetness from gula melaka, as well as the umami savoury hint from fish sauce.

The jasmine rice which was cooked with a lemongrass-pandan-ginger infusion together with bone broth tasted so fragrant and yummy too! Perfect with the lamb chops as well as the lemongrass sauce!

The lemongrass-infused pickled vegetables provided a tinge of sweet, salty, sourish, spiciness as well as crunchy texture, and helped to refresh the palate, definitely an essential accompaniment to the dish! 

Once again, I felt so blessed to be able to enjoy such great quality lamb from Pure South. Really appreciate Singapore Home Cooks and Pure South for the opportunity.

Pure South Asia has recently launched their website and open for orders. From now till 31 July, use promo code FARMFRESH2U to get 10% off your first purchase!

Website: https://puresouth.asia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PureSouthAsia/

I've already bought more lamb racks to share with friends. Go try too!

#puresouth #newzealand #grassfed #freerange #singaporehomecooks