Thai-Style Couscous

Thai-Style Couscous

I'm not usually not a fan of fusion food. I find it hard to find good fusion food. Perhaps it's because I'm somewhat a traditionalist when it comes to tastes. However, I also believe in being adventurous when it comes to food! One of my best encounters with fusion food happened a couple years ago at a restaurant called Wagamama(http://www.wagamama.com/).

So it's a sunny day out and I decided to whip some awesome lunch, hence the dish you see above. Now, I believe that this food blog wouldn't be proper without me sharing a couple of recipes. This one is my own. I'm not sure if it's completely original but I made it up as I went along.

Thai-Style Couscous

Couscous:
3/4 cup couscous
Salt & Pepper to taste
Hot water

Frying:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil (or any other type of cooking oil that's not for deep-frying or have a strong flavour)
1 teaspoon dried anchovies(optional)
3-4 button mushrooms, chopped
1-2 handfuls of spinach
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1-2 teaspoons of Red Curry Paste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt, sugar and pepper according to personal taste
Mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, etc.)
Coriander or parsley leaves, chopped.

Instructions:
Season the dry couscous with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour into the cup just enough hot water to cover the couscous and cover. Leave for about 10 minutes to allow the couscous to absorb the water and rise.

In a hot wok/pan, pour the oil and fry the dried anchovies. Add the capsicum and mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, add the Red Curry paste for 1 minute and pour in the couscous, mixing well. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Keep in mind that you've put some salt in the couscous before and the dried anchovies that does give some saltiness as well. Add the lemon juice, suiting your own taste. Mix in the spinach last. Serve with mixed nuts and chopped up coriander or parsley.

Enjoy! ;)

Chawan's Nasi Lemak

I'm currently on holiday in Dublin, Ireland. Though it's summer, the climate is chilly and windy. Hence, hunger is felt even more greatly. My first post here shall be a tribute to one of my favourite Malaysian dishes i.e. Nasi Lemak.

Good memories of Nasi Lemak to me starts with waking up on weekends to find a bungkus(parcel) of Nasi Lemak waiting on the kitchen table, warm and fragrant from the banana leaf used to wrap the dish in. Here's what a good Nasi Lemak should look like...

Nasi Lemak @Chawan, Bangsar Baru

It should contain

1. a compact mountain of fragrant rice cooked with coconut milk,
2. half or whole boiled egg(though I do love it when the egg is fried, sunny side up),
3. crunchy peanuts
4. fried anchovies
5. crunchy cucumber slices (I hate it when they get soggy and limp), and last but not least
6. a big dollop of hot(as in pedas), properly seasoned sambal.

Of course, ask every Malaysian on what their ideal Nasi Lemak would be like and you will get a varied response. Some like the sambal to be super spicy, some like it to be sweet, and some love it when it contains plenty onions. I personally like to have it with some sweet and salty soysauce. I haven't met anybody else who does this apart from my family members. It used to be traditionally a breakfast meal but being Malaysians, we eat them anytime of the day. Heck, the only look you'll get if you have it at 3am is one of green, green, envy.