Gulai Nangka (Young Jackfruit Curry Stew)

Hi, everyone! It’s me again… today, I’m going to share with you my gulai nangka recipe. This is another favorite dish of mine and my family. I modify this dish to accommodate my 2.5 year old kid and for those of you who don’t like their food spicy. But don’t sweat, if you it spicy, you can add sambal into it. ;)

Prepping time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 - 35 minutes

Ingredients: 

1/3 big onions 

4 to 5 garlic 

A stalk of lemongrass (use the bottom only, about 3 inches from the root)

1/2 inch ginger (only if you decide to add chicken, beef or pork)

1 tsp tumeric

A can of coconut milk + a can of water

A can of young jack fruit (cut the jack fruit into half or third)

Vegetables (I use cabbage and few bamboo shoots) - you can also add in carrots

If you decided to add protein, you can add chicken enough to feed 3-4 people, or tofu

1. Blend onions, garlic, lemongrass and ginger (only if you are adding chicken, beef or pork) together. Stir fry the paste. I ran out of lemongrass, so there is no lemon grass in my cooking and it is still tasty. Now, if as you can see, I was too lazy to get my food processor out. Instead, I sliced the onions and garlic thinly. Fry it until you can smell the aroma. If you want your dish to be spicy, you can add two tablespoon of sambal or 3 or 4 bird's eye chili (Thai chili). 

2. Next, add a teaspoon of tumeric. Stir about a minute. If you decide to add chicken, beef or pork, add them now. Cook until your protein is 3/4 cooked. 

3. Then, add a can of coconut milk and a can of water to dilute. 

4. Add a can of jack fruit. Drain it before you add it to your stew. Again, I got lazy as well so I added them in big chunks but if you are sharing with many people, I suggest you cut the jack fruit to half or third of its size. 

5. Next, add your veggies. You can also add your tofu now. Stir well. Lower the heat to medium. 

6. Cover and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stir it 2-3 times to prevent the coconut milk from breaking apart. (breaking part means it'll cook and turn oily)

7. Serve warm on a bread of white or brown rice. This is a kid friendly dish so I added sambal as a condiment on the side instead of adding into the stew. 

8. Adrian says enjoy! 

Simple Malay Sambal

Hello everybody! Thanks to Meg's Omma for adding me into this tight, lovely and warm group. I'm honored. So... for my first post, I decided to share the most basic staple condiment in my household. It is called sambal. What is sambal? Sambal is a condiment made with chilies. You can add it to your rice or to a dish you’re preparing for lunch and dinner. Sambal is a staple to most Malaysians. It is so delicious and addictive; sometimes, I will eat my rice with a boiled egg, sambal and sliced cucumber (to combat spicy). There are many versions of sambal. Some people would add fried anchovies, fish paste, shrimp paste (the most popular one) or nothing. Since I’m an almost vegan, there will be no seafood ingredient added but feel free to add if you want an extra oomph.

The sambal recipe I would like to share came from a Minangkabau region. My mom’s side of family originally came from Minang, a region that is located in West Sumatera, Indonesia. It is the most original sambal.

Ingredients:

A packet of red chillies (be careful)

½ cut of big red onion or 7 or 8 shallots (I prefer shallots because it is sweeter)

3 or 4 garlic cloves

One medium size tomato (I prefer Roma coz it is less watery)

Salt, sugar and oil

Prep time: less than 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

1. Into the food processor: chilies (cut into half), medium cut onions, garlic, cubed tomatoes and two spoon of cooking oil. Blend. The purpose of oil is to smooth out the chili seeds.

2. Stir fry the blended paste. Stir it to prevent the paste from burning. Add oil as needed. Cook the sambal until the water evaporates. Add salt to taste. Add sugar to your taste. Some people likes to add a squeezed lime or a tablespoon of vinegar to give that a sweet and sour taste. If you decided to add fish or shrimp paste, add a teaspoon along with other ingredients and blend. But if you like an overpowering taste, you can add more paste.

Some people prefer using dried instead of fresh chilies. The steps are the same except you need to soak the dried chilies into hot water first before you blend with the rest of the ingredients. 

Serve warm with rice as a condiment or add sambal to your dish. Enjoy!