Brunei - Spicy Eggplant (Terong Belado)

Spicy Eggplant (Terong Belado)

Ingredients

-       1 lb. purple eggplants

-       1 Tbs. lime juice

-       15 Tbs. vegetable oil

-       Spice Paste Ingredients:

-       100 gram red chilies

-       ½ tsp. salt

-       1 tomato

-       7 small-sized shallots

Directions

-       Cut each eggplant in half and cut again in 2 or 4 pieces.

-       Heat 10 Tbs. oil and deep fry the eggplant pieces.

-       Cover the wok and let it stand for a while.

-       Open cover and turn the eggplants side to side until soft and well cooked.

-       Put eggplant pieces onto a serving platter.

-       Combine all spice paste ingredients and grind coarsely.

-       Heat 5 Tbs. oil over medium high heat and sauté the spice paste for about 2 minutes.

-       Pour the lime juice over the spice paste.

-       Then, lastly pour the sauted spice paste onto the eggplant pieces and ready to serve.

Makes 5-6 servings.

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 - Fried Noodles

Fried Noodles

Ingredients

-       1 lb Uncooked soba noodles

-       3 tb Low-sodium soy sauce

-       1 tb Brown sugar

-       2 ts Crushed red pepper flakes

-       1 c Finely chopped onions

-       1 tb Minced garlic

-       1 tb Peeled & grated gingerroot

-       1 c Snow peas

-       6 ea Scallions, chopped

-       1 t Grated lime peel

-       1 c Mung bean sprouts

-       8 oz Firm tofu -- cut into 1/2-inch cubes

-       1 tb Fresh lime juice

-       1/4 c Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

-       Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.

-       In a large, nonstick saute pan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.

-       Stir to dissolve sugar.

-       Add onions, garlic and gingerroot.

-       Cook for 2 minutes.

-       Add snow peas, scallions and lime peel.

-       Toss and cook until peas are tender and bright colored, about 1 to 2 minutes.

-       Add bean sprouts and tofu.

-       Continue cooking and toss just until bean sprouts are slightly wilted.

-       Add noodles and toss to mix.

-       Add lime juice to taste and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Brunei - Tofu & Ginger

Tofu & Ginger

Ingredients

-       2 Pkg 10.5 Oz. Firm Tofu

-       1/2 C Flour

-       Vegetable Oil For Frying

-       1/2 C Water

-       2 Oz Soy Or Tamari Sauce

-       1 Tbsp Sugar Or Honey

-       1/3 Tsp Vegetable Stock

-       2 Tsp Fresh Ginger Root -- grated

-       8 Fresh Scallions -- chopped

Directions

-       Wipe tofu dry with paper towels.

-       Cut the tofu in each box in half, then cut each half into four equal portions.

-       Flour each portion lightly.

-       Heat vegetable oil to medium hot (350 to 375 degrees).

-       Add the tofu, a few at a time.

-       Fry until golden and remove to drain on paper towels.

-       Prepare sauce by placing the water, soy or tamari sauce, sweetener and stock in a saucepan.

-       Bring to a boil and mix well, making sure sugar ( if using) is dissolved.

-       To serve, place a small amount of the sauce on four warmed plates.

-       Divide the tofu evenly among the plates, placing them on the sauce.

-       Garnish with grated ginger and chopped scallions.

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 - Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

FOR THE SALAD

-       3 tb Vegetable oil

-       Salt to taste

-       1 lb Firm tofu; patted dry -- and cut into 1/4" cubes

-       2 sm Potatoes; boiled -- cut into bite-size wedges

-       1/2 lb Fresh spinach; cleaned -- steamed, and chopped

-       1/2 sm Head green cabbage; shredded -- and lightly steamed

-       1/2 lb Mung bean sprouts -- washed thoroughly

FOR THE DRESSING

-       4 Garlic cloves

-       1/4 c Roasted peanuts

-       5 ts Soy sauce or tamari

-       3 tb Lime or lemon juice

-       4 ts Brown sugar

-       1/4 ts Cayenne pepper

-       2 tb Water

Directions (Preparation time: 1 hour)

-       Heat the oil and salt in a medium frying pan over medium heat.

-       Add the tofu in small batches and saute until lightly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes.

-       Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

-       Arrange the bean curd, potatoes, spinach, and cabbage on individual plates.

-       Prepare the dressing by placing all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blending until smooth. If the dressing seems too thick, add another teaspoon of water.

-       Top the vegetables and bean curd with the bean sprouts and dressing, and serve immediately. 

Brunei - Noodles & Tofu

Noodles & Tofu

Ingredients

-       13 oz Tofu, dried -- sliced

-       9 oz Chinese dried wheat noodles

-       13 oz Firm tofu -- cubed 1/2"

-       3 tb Chinese semsaem oil

-       3 tb Fresh ginger -- minced

-       1/2 ts Yellow asafoetida powder*

-       1 bn Choy sum**, leaves and -stalk -- chopped in 1" -sections

-       3 tb Soy sauce

-       2 tb Plain sambal oelek***

-       3 tb Fresh lemon juice

-       2 c Mung bean shoots

Direction

-       Soak dried tofu slices in hot water for 15 mintues.

-       When softened, cut into 1" squares, drain, and pat dry.

-       Cook the wheat noodles in boiling water until al dente, a little firm.

-       Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again.

-       Heat oil in wok over high heat, and deep-fry the tofu cubes until goldenbrown.

-       Remove from pan and drain.

-       Next deep-fry the squares of dried tofu until golden brown andslightly blistered; remove and drain.

-       Heat sesame oil in another wok on full heat; saute the minced ginger for 1 minute.

-       Add the asafoeitda and choy sum and stir fry until soft.

-       Add the soy sauce, sambal oelek, lemon juice, tofu noodles.

-       Stir fry for another 2 minutes or until the noodles are hot. Serve immediately.

*asafoetida powder: available at Indian grocers **choy sum: also known as rape ***sambal oelek: a hot condiment made from ground fresh red, hot chilies, popular in Brunei, Malay and Indonesian cuisine. Available at Asian grocery stores. To make your own, pound together 2 red hot chilies and 1/2 tsp salt, making 2 tsp.

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.