Brunei - Vegetable Salad

Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

-       1 c Cubed, firm tofu (1/2-in. -cubes

-       2 Stalks celery, cut into -julienne strips

-       2 Carrots, shredded

-       2 Italian plum tomatoes, cut -into thin wedges

-       1/2 Cucumber, thinly sliced

-       1 c Fresh bean sprouts

-       1 c Broccoli florets

-       1/2 c Szechuwan Peanut Dressing Garnish: raisins, toasted -sesame seeds, fresh -watercress sprigs, or -unsalted peanuts, optional -----DRESSING-----

-       1/3 c Peanut butter, smooth or -crunchy

-       1/2 c Hot vegetable stock or hot -water

-       1 t Soy sauce

-       2 tb Rice vinegar

-       2 tb Safflower oil

-       2 Cloves garlic, minced

-       1/2 ts Dry crushed red pepper (1 -teaspoon if you prefer -spicy flavoring

Directions

-       In a large bowl, gently toss together salad ingredients.

-       In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss again.

-       Top with garnish.

-       Advance Preparation: Both salad ingredients and dressing may be prepared in advance and refrigerated. For best quality, toss together just before serving.

Hints:

-       To cook bean thread, immerse it in boiling water for about 10 minutes to soften. Drain, rinse with cool water, and cut into 3-inch strands.

-       For those concerned about complete protein, tofu, peanuts and sesame seeds complement one another to form a high-quality "complete" protein.

Brunei - Cooked Vegetables with Coconut (Urap)

Cooked Vegetables with Coconut (Urap)

Ingredients

-       8 oz fresh green beans

-       8 oz bean sprouts

-       4 carrots

-       1 can bamboo shoots

-       ½ small cabbage

-       1 cup fresh grated coconut

-       1 small onion, finely chopped

-       ½ tsp. chilli sauce (sambal ulek)

-       1 tsp. salt

-       2 Tbs. lime juice

Directions

-       Wash bean sprouts, pinching of any brown tail. Pour boiling water over bean sprouts, then rinse under cold water tap.

-       Drain well.

-       String beans and cut diagonally or bite-size lengths and cook in lightly salted water until just tender.

-       Beans should still be crisp to bite.

-       Scrub carrot and cut into thin strips, cook until tender.

-       Drain well.

-       Slice cabbage, discard the center stem.

-       Blanch in boiling salted water for a minute or two, until tender but not limp.

-       Drain and refresh with cold water.

-       Cut bamboo shoots into strips the same size as the beans.

-       Place fresh grated coconut into a bowl, add onion, chili sauce, salt, lime juice and the shrimp paste which has been grilled for a few minutes, or heated in a dry frying pan. Mix thoroughly together.

-       Sprinkle this grated coconut mixture over vegetables, reserving some to garnish the dish when served.

-       Put vegetables in a steamer and steam for 5-8 minutes.

-       Put the steamed vegetables to a serving dish/platter and sprinkle with reserved grated coconut mixture. Use as an accompaniment to a meal, or as a salad by itself.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Brunei - Brown Rice & Sesame Fried Vegetables

Brown Rice & Sesame Fried Vegetables

Ingredients

Sri Lanka Sinhalese Fragrant Masala Spice Powder

-       30 g cumin seeds

-       6 cardamon pods

-       4 coriander seeds

-       30 g fennel seeds

-       1 clove

-       2 cm stick cinnamon

-       2 c Rice, brown

-       1 t Sea salt

-       2 Onions, green

-       1 c Radishes

-       1 Carrot

-       1 sl Cucumber (2-inch)

-       3 tb Cooking oil

-       1 t Garlic -- finely chopped

-       1 tb Sesame tahini

-       Soy sauce

-       Lemon juice

Directions

-       Wash the rice three times and boil in plenty of salted water util tender.

-       While the rice is cooking, wash and prepare the vegetables.

-       Slice the green onions finely.

-       Cut each radish in half.

-       Cut the carrot diagonally, then cut each slice in strips.

-       Slice the cucumber (not too thinly), and cut each slice in four.

-       Heat the oil in a wok or plan and stir=fry the garlic for 39 seconds.

-       Add the prepared vegetables and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

-       Add the sesame seeds after 2 minutes.

-       When the rice is tender, drain and stir in the fried vegetables and sesame seeds.

-       Stir in the sesame paste.

-       Sprinkle with a little soy sauce and lemon juice and serve hot with sesame tahini to taste.