Nasi Lemak

Today is the first time I cooked nasi lemak. It was eaten with sambal ikan bilis, asam prawns, hard boiled eggs and cucumber. Not bad for a first attempt but not good enough as compared to those sold at the stalls. I am stuffed. I have not felt so full for a long time. The nasi lemak can also be eaten with sambal prawns, fried sardines, sambal belacan and pineapple wedges.

Nasi Lemak

Ingredients:
2 cups rice

1 cup santan
1 1/2 cup water

3 slices ginger, finely shredded
3 pandan leaves, knotted
1 tsp salt

Wash the rice several times until the water is clear. Drain. Put the rice into an automatic rice cooker together with santan, water, ginger, pandan leaves and salt, and cook. When rice is cooked, fluff it with a pair of chopsticks. Keep warm in the cooker until ready to serve.

Asam Prawns

Ingredients:
6 medium sized prawns

Marinate:
60g tamarind
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp thick soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

3 tbsp cooking oil

Devein prawns without removing the shell. Mix all the marinate ingredients. Add prawns and mix well. Leave to marinate for 1 hour. When ready, heat oil and fry prawns till cooked. Remove from oil and serve.

Sambal Ikan Bilis

Ingredients:
80g ikan bilis, washed
3 tbsp cooking oil

12 dried red chillies, seeds removed and soaked in water
10 shallots
5 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemon grass, finely sliced

3 tbsp cooking oil

30g tamarind pulp
5 tbsp water

1 tsp sugar

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

Heat oil and fry the ikan bilis until fragrant, drain and set aside. Soak tamarind pulp in water for half an hour. Grind dried red chillies, shallots, garlic and lemon grass into a paste. Heat oil and fry paste together with sugar, kaffir lime leaves and 2 tablespoons of tamarind juice until fragrant. Add ikan bilis and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Remove and serve.