On my last trip back to Devon, where I lived for close to a decade originally, a long time close friend gave me 2 huge lump of beef. A beef rump which I have portioned into steaks, cooked SousVide and a topside which I have been pondering what to cook with it. I have now decided it is going to be beef floss. Then I will surprise my friend by packing some and posting back to my friend so she can try and fill her breads with them as she is a very good baker, training and baking almost daily for the last few years!

Serunding daging – I will cook mine to how I like to taste. When we were young and the parents used to buy these in Malaysia I always tried to search hard for the nice strands and not the fine like ‘dust’ floss. They are more crispy and taste much nicer. I like to ‘chew’ food. Period. I love soft bones ribs and I will eat it all. I even chew 90% of a skate wing cartilage and enjoy them – kekekekeke

As I am cooking just over 3kg of beef I decided to do this in 2 days.

So the day before I cut my beef into smaller chunks and put them to boil in seasoned water till tender. Took me just over 3 hours. I let them cool before shredding them by hand while watching television. Stored them in containers till the next day.

The next day I peeled the stuff and blend the paste and started the frying process.

I like to boil my beef in seasoned water, not plain. I find this adds to the taste. Of course it is entirely up to you.

I also prefer to watch television and hand shred my beef. I do not want to use gadgets or pond them. Again it is entirely up to your choice. As for me I find the stages of cooking therapeutic.

TIP – If you want crispy Serunding daging be sure to add some oil at the end, to fry them a bit. Yummmmmmm…..crispy bits. Please refer to pics.

As in all my recipes please feel free to add or minus any of the ingredients to suits your taste. Tomorrow I will serve this in an innovative way (I hope) I just told a friend I have this idea knocking about and I am dangerous when I have an idea. I need guinea pigs – kekekekeke

Enjoy.

p/s I was just told this minute that this is very expensive to buy. Actually it is not hard to make. They longest time is the frying. However after the sauce have been all absorbed you can transfer to a paella pan to fry dry quicker. (I am just stubborn though I have good? ideas)

Insert a moan/complain (kekekeke) – The hub said it is all his because I do not eat pulled meat. What he said is true. I will never touch pulled meat of any kind that I am not able to SEE the chunk it has been pulled from! However this is different as I not only cooked it but I actually know the famer whose cow this belonged to.

Update – After packing I found 3kg of beef just gave me 2kg plus after cooking.

Those who know me well know that I do NOT like Katsu curry at all. However my boy loves it as he is not a spicy fan. He doesn’t mind Katsu styled curry though as the ‘heat’ is all right for him. Recently he has been buying Katsu ready meals as mummy has been poorly.

I actually do not like him to do that if I can help it because I know prepared food sold in supermarkets contain a lot of e-numbers. It is not hard to make Katsu sauce from scratch so today I cooked it for him with help from my daughter using chicken thighs.

I even went the extra mile of marinating and then frying the chicken skin to give that extra texture. I do not like soft curried chicken skin myself.

On the other hand my girl prefers my normal Malaysian version curries with added belacan. Hubby will eat both as he eats anything I serve him, no complains. All he asked is that I do not serve him fats and innards. Heck he even like petai, stinky beans that I do not eat or cook myself. Since lockdown he has not had any because we could not visit a friend who sometimes cooks it for him. Poor man, not really. kekekekekeke

Kiam Hue Bihun is a dish i cook a few times a year. The hubby and I both love it. Provided I have ready fried salt fish of course, it is an easy 30 minutes cook and perfect for a quick lunch. I always add extra beansprouts as I love the extra crunch and texture then give.

The last time I fried my salt fish from Kuching, I saved some in a glass container infused with the oil and placed into my fridge for the time when I want to use it like today. They would happily sits in the fridge for a long time, months.

My very British hubby is a weird Mat Salleh who loves salt fish He always wears a happy face when he opens the front door and smell salt fish, udang kering (dried shrimps) and belacan.

Back in the days of my youth my mother said kiam hue (salt fish) was once known to be a poor man’s food. Same goes for beansprouts too but nowadays salt fish is not cheap. Their prices seems to go up and up each year! Nice salt fish in UK is definitely not cheap at all.

TIP – Please add in any other protein you like. Pork belly, chicken etc.

TIP – Do not attempt to overly season the noodles as the taste should come from the salt fish, the omelette and the sambal that is served with it.

TIP – The beansprouts gives it that extra crunchy texture and adding kangkong would be very good idea too. Just make sure you do not overcooked them. They must stay fresh.

TIP – Calamansi lime is is a must too to balance the dish.

Enjoy

Asam Laksa can happen in Hertfordshire, England.

A couple of decades ago I I was missing Asam Laksa so much but it was near impossible to find all the ingredients here. I was ‘importing’ my stash every time I balik kampung

My stash included torch ginger (bunga kantan), polygonum odoratum (daun kesum) and calamansi lime (limau kesturi) but nowadays they are able to be gotten here but still not easy.

Today I have decided to use some of my stash from Malaysia to cook Asam Laksa as I am going to replenish my stash soon.

For my paste I like to add a small bit of turmeric and galangal (blue ginger) Both these ingredients are easy to find here in Chinatown.

TIP 1 – To get a clear fish broth sieve it once with a normal sieve then sieve it a second time by placing a sheet of kitchen roll on your sieve as an extra lining for a much clearer fish broth.

TIP 2 – Blend your spices till fine. I like to blend some of my lemon grass and torch ginger besides adding some to boil with the broth.

TIP 3 – Remove the big bits from your broth before adding in your fish meat.

Updated 8/08/2021

Actually Asam Laksa is very easy to cook. Years of working and cooking for a family you learn to organise yourself.

I like to boil and picked my fish the night before and the next day just blend and fry the paste. Mush easier and less stress.

Note – I have tried ordering asam laksa outside and I have yet to find one I am willing to part my ££ for! A famous restaurant in Chinatown which I once took a Japanese friend to try (after singing the virtue of how cool and different asam laksa is) was a HUGE let down.

When I queried, the waitress told me it just tin sardines + chilli + asam jawa water and the people working there don’t even eat it! Till this day I am still shocked!

When I read some good reviews recently I think I have to go and try again to see if they have ‘updated’ their asam laksa OR maybe I am just fussy? – kekekekekeke

A good asam laksa (my opinion)

1 – The broth should not be a murky dark brown or look like curry. It should be a clear fish broth with hint of red chilli oil.

2 – The mackerels if you have picked yourself should be in chunks not in bits.

3 – The taste should be sour, spicy, taste of lemongrass, galangal and most important of all the combo of torch ginger and laksa leaves!

Note – Remember the heh ko/prawn paste is sweet. Use as much or as little as you like.

The weather have been absolutely glorious and I have decided to fry chicken for my boy lollipop as I have not make my double dipped twice fried crispy chicken for him for a long time.

He always insisted that he preferred my fried chicken to the well known chain ones but I only fry for him a handful of times a year.

After the wet and cold of winter the weather have been almost spring like the last few days so today it is my special Double dipped twice fried crispy chicken day.

I much preferred to buy whole chicken and chop it myself. The chicken has been thoroughly massaged with salts and rinsed clean before chopping ready for marinating.

I did not have any buttermilk but I have lemons, milk and double cream so I decided to make my own buttermilk for my chicken marinate.

It is better to marinate your chicken overnight but if you do not have the chance then a good 3 to 4 hours would be preferred.

Frying time is given based on the fact that my chicken pieces are at room temperature.

Double dipping and twice fried makes the chicken really crispy. Remember the whole trick is to shake the seasoned flour away after each coating.

Enjoy!

Torch Ginger Flower Chicken cooked with belacan aka shrimp paste – Sambal Belacan Ayam Bunga Kantan. For reason unknown I love torch ginger, the smell, the taste, it’s fragrance, I just love them. When I got 2 huge jars from a friend who came back to UK from Malaysia I happily spent days thinking how to make good use of them. My friend spent time going to the markets in Ipoh, (Perak, Malaysia) and bought all the bunga kantan he could find, sliced them and semi fried them in oil. Then he packed them into jars and brought them all the way to UK for me with love.

Hence this dish – Torch Ginger Flower Chicken cooked with shrimp paste