I can feel the heat from the football fever now… For Malaysian food there always heat and hot everywhere. We love spicy and hot stuff, it’s just blend inside us.
Today, I’m going to share some of the spices commonly use in Malaysian cooking. So, just sit back and I will briefly describe the spices name .
Asam Skin (a.k.a Kulit Asam/Asam Keping)
Asam skin taste sour, Malaysians usually add water to it and then use the liquid as seasoning. Commonly use in sweet and sour dishes.
Cardamon (a.k.a Buah Pelaga)
Cardamon comes in many varieties. White, green and black ones are commonly available. White cardamom has a light flavor and I usually used in desserts while green and black ones are used as seasoning in cooking.
Chi Cha Lok or cencaluk (a.k.a Tapai Udang)
Chi Cha Lok is the second most important ingredient in Nyonya cuisine just after belacan. It is made by tinny shrimps, salt and cooked rice. It is widely used in deep fried fish or fried omelette. Chi Cha Lok also can be eating with fresh vegetable and eat with rice. The taste is good.
Ginger (a.k.a Halia)
Ginger always used in stir fried vegetables or sweet soups while old ginger is used as tonic supplement among the woman after giving birth. Ginger is one of must have ingredients. Old ginger can make sweet potato dessert and when you put more in the dessert, the taste become stronger and it’s really have magnificent smell and taste.
Lemongrass (a.k.a Serai)
Lemongrass has strong lemon flavor. Slicing or crushing it helps bring out and blend that lemon aroma into dish. I will put lemongrass in curry and dry curry (rendang) and the aroma will blend with other ingredients. And the taste is unbelievable tasty.
Lime (a.k.a Limau Nipis)
Lime taste sour and it whets the appetite. Both its pulp and juice are commonly used in all south-east Asian eating cultures. It makes great salad dressing and cold drinks.
In Malaysia, when we eat grill fish (Malays style), sometimes we will squeeze the lime juice on top of the fish. This can avoid any fishy smell from the fish. Or if we go to the market to buy fish, sometimes after touching the fish , your hand will smell. By only using water to wash is not enough, some people will squeeze the lime juice on their hand.
Belacan
Belacan is a key ingredient for most of Malaysian food. It is made with salted dried shrimps that have been chopped up and fermented.
Belacan is widely use in cooking, when you grill the belacan for 1 minute, the belacan aromatic smell will come out . It’s really one of its kind and who discover this such a genius!
All in 10minutescooking.com.