SSP: Pickled Pepper Spikes

PICKLED PEPPER SPIKES

Ingredients

1 kg young pepper spikes

100gm salt

100ml cooking oil

1 clove garlic sliced thinly

10cm ginger, sliced thinly

10 green chillies, slice thinly

5gm turmeric powder

2 litres vinegar

Method

1. Wash the pepper spikes and drain. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

2. Heat the cooking oil in a wok. Put in the sliced garlic, ginger and green chillies. Stir-fry for 5 minutes.

3. Add in the turmeric powder, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil. Pour into a container and leave to cool.

4. Put in the green pepper spikes and steep for at least 4 days before serving.

SSP: Pepper Oil

PEPPER OIL

Ingredients
1/4 litre cooking oil
250gm black peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf

Method
1. Roast the crushed peppercorns in a dry pan.
2. Add the cooking oil and the bay leaf.
3. Heat gently until fragrant.
4. Pour into a bottle.
5. Leave for 1-2 weeks
6. Strain and use as required.

Glossary

A

Asam paya

a thorny palm (eleodoxa conferta) found in tropical swamps. The fig-shaped fruit has reddish brown, scaly skin and is very sour.

B

Belacan

pungent dried shrimp paste, light grey to dark brown in colour, sold in the form of cakes or rolls

Beehoon

white rice noodles commercially available in dried form. It has to be boiled or soaked in hot water to soften before use.

C

Changkok Manis

small-leaf, dark green vegetable (sauropus androgynus merr)

Chilli padi

bird chillies, small and very hot

Choy Sam

a variety of Chinese cabbage. It has bright green leaves with pale green stems and sometimes sprigs of yellow flowers.

H

Hako

sticky black shrimp paste used in sauce for Malaysian salad.

K

Kangkong

Water Spinach (Ong Choy in Chinese)

It has arrowhead-shaped leaves and hollow stems and is rich in iron and vitamin A.

Kwayteow

flat white rice noodles

L

Lemon Grass (Serai)

This plant has a grass-like stem which fills out to a bulb-like base. It has a delicious, somewhat lemon-like fragrance. (cymbopogon citratus) Use only 10-12cm of the white bulbous base.

Lengkuas

greater galangal, also known as Siamese Ginger or aromatic ginger

This delicate flavoured rhizome has yellowish roots with pink fibrous looking knobs. (alpinia galangal) It must be pounded or pulverised.

Limau Kasturi

small round green lime (citrus mycrocapa), is not to be confused with the larger lime which the Malays call limau nipis.

M

Midin

edible wild fern (stenochlaena palustris)

P

Paku

edible wild fern (athyrium esculentum) which is thicker and darker green than midin

Pandan

Screwpine leaf

S

Santan

coconut milk, the creamy extract from the meat of mature coconuts

T

Tamarind paste (Asam Jawa)

It is a sour, brown, pulpy paste derived from the ripe pods of a tropical leguminous tree (tamarindus indica). This paste is usually mixed with water and strained to extract a sour juice for cooking.

Turmeric (Kunyit)

This is another one of the rhizome family and is yellow in colour with a slight fragrance. It is also available in powder form and can last if kept in an air tight container. If the recipe calls for fresh turmeric, do not substitute with the powdered form.

MS: Gado Gado

GADO GADO

This is an Indonesian salad of highly blanched vegetables with wedges of potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. It is served with tantalising peanut sauce which is laced with pepper. This could be a light meal for lunch or tea. Serves 4

Ingredients

100gm green beans

100gm kangkong

50gm bean sprouts

60gm white cabbage, sliced

2 pieces bean curd, fried and sliced

100gm potatoes, boiled and cut into wedges

2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges

6 spikes pickled pepper

Method

1. Blanch vegetables lightly.

2.Drain and arrange on a platter with bean curd slices and wedges of potatoes and eggs.

3. Garnish with spikes of pepper.

4. Serve with gado gado sauce.

GADO GADO SAUCE

Ingredients

200gm peanuts, roasted

50gm tamarind paste

4 teaspoons cooking oil

1 teaspoon pepper oil

3 shallots, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 stalks lemon grass, crushed

15gm lengkuas, pounded

50gm chilli paste

10gm belacan

2 teaspoons green peppercorns

50gm sugar

Method

1. Grind roasted peanuts finely.

2. Soak tamarind paste in warm water and strain the juice.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the chopped shallots and garlic gently.

4. Add the lemon grass, lengkuas, chilli paste, belacan and green peppercorns and fry until fragrant.

5. Then, add the tamarind juice, sugar and finally the peanuts.

MS: Serian Pepper Rice

Serian

Serian town, located about 40 miles (65km) from Kuching is an important pepper producing district. It is also famous for its durians which are widely touted to be the best in Sarawak. This prompted the Serian District Council to erect a giant monument to this 'King of Fruit' right in the middle of the market square. The town is well connected to the rich hinterland by road and by water. Thus, one can find and sample a wide variety of jungle produce in the native market which is a must place to visit. There are also many waterfalls in Serian, the most popular being the Ranchan Waterfall, located about 5 km from Serian town and is easily accessible by road. The dominant ethnic group living here is the Bidayuhs otherwise known as the Land Dayaks.

SERIAN PEPPER RICE

It is an exotic fragrant dish cooked with spices and herbs. The rice can be eaten with light curry. Serves 8

Ingredients

4 cups long grain rice

2 tablespoons cooking oil

A 3 cm cinnamon stick

5 cardamons

4 cloves

1 star anise

B 3 teaspoons ripe peppercorns

2 cm ginger, cut into thin strips

2 shallots, pounded

5 cloves garlic, pounded

C 5 cups water

1 cup fresh milk

1 pandan leaf

1 stalk lemon grass, crushed

D 30gm green peas

30gm carrot cubes

15gm fried cashew nuts

10gm raisins

Method

1. Wash rice until water is clear. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat cooking oil in a pot. Put in ingredients A and stir for two minutes.

3. Add in ingredients B, stir until fragrant and then pour in ingredients C.

4. When the liquid starts to boil, add the rice and ingredients D. Cover and simmer on low heat until the liquid has evaporated and rice is cooked.

5. Serve hot.

My 'love affair' with Pepper

Pepper is one of the spices that I have always taken for granted. It has featured prominently in my family's cooking for generations so much so that its distinctive and spirited flavour has delicately blended with the family's taste buds that it has hardly become noticeable. The pepper shaker is a permanent fixture on the dinner table and enjoys equal status with the light or thick soya sauce. Commands, 'pass me the pepper shaker', often made impatiently, would reverberate around the dinner table. I remembered vividly one occasion; I had a really stubborn cold which plagued me for months and nothing seemed to cure it, not even the doctor's medicine. I was at my wit's end until dear Aunt Elsie paid me an unexpected visit. She had got wind of my malady and was adamant that she would use me as her guinea pig to try out her newly concocted 'antidote' for the common cold. She boiled white radish, carrots and meat with countless peppercorns for hours over a slow fire. The soup took absolutely ages to cook! Finally it was ready. My ordeal wasn't over. She forced me to gulp it down. Wow, what a torture! It was like hot lava coursing through my gut. But, it was worth it. I could feel almost instant relief and I wasn't kidding! I salute the 'King of Spice!' And thank you, Aunt Elsie!

Lately, I have been moaning and groaning about how much blubber I have accumulated over the years. Someone out there must have found my whining pretty amusing. Out of the blue, a friend whom I haven't heard from for ages sprang me a 'peppery surprise'. She sent me a cookbook titled 'Sarawak Pepper flavours the World' together with a cheeky note that read ' You might be keen to persuade Aunt Elsie to try these recipes and if you do, please invite me for dinner!' I leafed through the pages hoping to find recipes that would pique Aunt Elsie's interest and I did!. Thank goodness! She was fascinated and loved just about everything that was in the cookbook. I made a deal with her that for every recipe she tried, I would give my two cents worth and would share it with food lovers around the globe. Sigh...there goes my diet and waistline!

Her first attempt was the Serian Pepper Rice.