Malaysia cookbook: Recipes from a family kitchen

Celebrating the exquisite food and flavours of Malaysia, Ping Coombes, MasterChef 2014 champion, was inspired by the cooking of her mother and grandmother, who migrated from China, taking with them the influences of Hakka cooking – a cuisine that features preserved pork and vegetables.

As an ode to her mother’s attempt at cooking western food, Ping has included a chapter on “English food” – a catchment term used in Malaysia for anything vaguely western – with classic European dishes with a Malaysian twist.

The first chapter “My Pantry” breaks down anything that might initially be challenging to a cook unfamiliar with Malaysian essentials from pandan leaves to Malaysian curry powder and rice wine vinegar – and most importantly what they look like.

It is mesmerising to watch how street vendors make this dish as it takes multi-tasking to a whole new level. They have 10–12 charcoal stoves on the go at the same time, placing the clay pots with rice on top of the hob as the orders come in. As the rice and chicken are cooked, the rice forms an almost burnt crust, which gives the dish smokiness. The clay pot will need to be soaked if you’re using it for the first time. Alternatively, you can use a lidded casserole dish.

Serves 2

3 dried shiitake mushrooms
150g/50z boneless chicken thighs, sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
10g/½oz fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), sliced
4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp water
200g/7oz jasmine rice
steamed bok choi, to serve (optional)
Bird’s-eye Chilli and Soy Dip and Stir-fried Lettuce, to serve (optional)

For the marinade

½ tsp light soy sauce
large pinch of caster sugar
½ tbsp cornflour

Put the dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl, cover with cold water and set aside to rehydrate for 2 hours. You can speed up the rehydration by covering them with just-boiled water, if you prefer. Drain the mushrooms, squeeze them to discard excess water and cut off and discard the stalks. Quarter the mushrooms and set them aside.

Meanwhile, put the chicken in a bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Stir and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, or 2 hours (covered) in the fridge. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant, then add the sliced sausage and fry for a further minute. Add the marinated chicken and the mushrooms to the pan and continue to fry until the chicken turns opaque. Add half the sweet soy sauce and all the water. Continue to fry for a further 2 minutes (the chicken needs to be nearly cooked through). Set aside.

Wash the rice in cold water and drain, then repeat twice with fresh cold water. This will get rid of excess starch. Transfer the drained rice to the clay pot, then fill it with water, until the water sits about 2.5cm/1in above the rice. Bring it to the boil over a medium heat then turn the heat down to a low simmer. After about 10 minutes, once the rice has absorbed nearly all the water, put the chicken mixture on top of the rice and cover the clay pot. Continue to cook on the hob over a low heat for a further 10–13 minutes. The rice will form a crust at the bottom of the pot. Serve with Bird’s-eye Chilli and Soy Dip and the lettuce on the side.

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I discovered these little beauties on a visit home to Ipoh. They were so tender and tasty, I vowed to recreate them at home.

Serves 4

500g/1lb rindless pork belly, cut into 5cm/2in strips, then 1.5cm-thick chunks
300ml/10fl oz vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the marinade

2 x 4cm/1½in cubes of red fermented bean curd, crushed with a fork to form a paste
1 small egg
1 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp five-spice powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
½ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
4 tbsp tapioca flour or cornflour

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the pork belly chunks and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or longer (covered) in the fridge. If you’re chilling the pork, let it come back to room temperature before you fry it. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan. To test if the oil is hot enough, carefully drop a little piece of the belly in the oil and if it sizzles vigorously and floats to the top, the oil is ready. Deep-fry a small batch of the marinated pork belly over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until golden and crispy. Remove with a metal slotted spoon and leave to drain on kitchen paper. Make sure the oil is hot enough before you start cooking the next batch. Repeat until all the pork is cooked, then serve immediately.

TIP: If you are not eating the nuggets immediately, you can re-fry them in oil or place them in the oven at 180°c/160°c fan/350°f/Gas 4 for 4 minutes.

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Panna cotta is a classic Italian dessert, and I’ve infused it with classic Malaysian fruit flavours. I serve it in kilner jars but you can of course use bowls or dariole moulds. I don’t like turning out panna cotta as it can be messy and I want to minimise the risk of it sliding off the plate! Adding the cream and coconut milk in stages makes the panna cotta lighter and fresher.

Serves 4

3 fresh pandan leaves, knotted
500ml/17fl oz coconut milk
500ml/17fl oz single cream
80g/3oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
40g/1½oz desiccated coconut
4 sheets of platinum grade leaf gelatine
½ ripe mango, peeled, stoned and diced
¼ small ripe pineapple, peeled and diced

Put the pandan leaves, half the coconut milk, half the single cream, the sugar, vanilla paste and desiccated coconut in a saucepan and bring to just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and set aside for 5 minutes to soften. Place the coconut and cream mixture back on the hob and heat through until warm. Squeeze the gelatine to get rid of excess water then stir it into the warm mixture until it has dissolved. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing the leaves with a wooden spoon to extract all the flavour and liquid. Stir in the remaining cream and coconut milk and mix well. Divide the mixture between 4 × 500ml/17fl oz kilner jars or bowls. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours to set. Serve topped with diced mango and pineapple.

TIP: You can also serve this with Lychee and Kaffir Lime Granita or Coconut Shortbread

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A couple of years ago, we had a wonderful holiday in Polignano a Mare, a beautiful town in southern Italy. We went out for a pre-dinner drink one evening and the waiter brought me a rosé wine topped with soda made with local lemons. When I got back home, I tried replicating it with leftover Kaffir lime leaves and lemonade, and this reviving summer drink was born.

Serves 2

8 fresh Kaffir lime leaves
8 fresh mint leaves
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
ice cubes, to serve
200ml/7fl oz rosé wine
lemonade, for topping up (I like Schweppes or San Pellegrino Limonata)

Divide the Kaffir lime and mint leaves and the lime wedges between 2 tall glasses, and crush them together. Leave for 5 minutes to infuse. Half-fill the glasses with ice, then add 100ml/8fl oz of wine to each glass and top up with lemonade.

TIP: If it is too sweet, add more lime. Some limes are juicier than others.

I always have loads of lemongrass tops left over after making curry pastes, and this is a fantastic way of using them up. You can also keep Kaffir lime leaves in the freezer.

Makes about 750ml/1½ pints

10 fresh Kaffir lime leaves
750ml bottle of gin
10 lemongrass tops or 5 whole lemongrass stalks, cut in half widthways and bashed
lime wedges, fresh Kaffir limeleaves (optional) and tonic water, to serve
ice cubes, to serve

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Scrunch up the kaffir lime leaves to encourage them to release their flavours. Pour yourself 50ml of gin and make a G&T! This makes room in the bottle for the aromatics. Place the bruised Kaffir leaves and lemongrass into the bottle of gin, replace the lid and leave to infuse for 24 hours. You can strain the liquid and decant it into another clean bottle if you wish – the gin will keep well in the freezer – but it never lasts that long in my house so I don’t bother. Serve the gin with a squeeze of lime, 2 fresh Kaffir lime leaves (optional), tonic water and loads of ice in a large tumbler.

Mayalsia: Recipes from a Family Kitchen, by Ping Coombes. Published by Orion, £25