How to make Rempah, Understanding Malaysian Cuisine

 

A 'rempah' is a paste a bit like a curry paste mix you may buy from a supermarket to bring bang to your food. A rempah varies according to the dish and is used in Malaysian and Nonya dishes.

Once before, years ago in Tallinn, Estonia, I ate wild mushroom stuffed chicken, and the taste buds in my mouth illuminated, and that's the only word I can find, to explain the sensation, like three hundred of them switched on for the first time, lit up went to full beam, went bang and sparkled like an amazing firework all around me gob.

This is the second time.

You see, that's why I do this cooking blog, I'm searching for scran nirvana. 

Keith Floyd's, 'Far Flung Floyd' cookery book is the basis for the favourite South Asian dishes that I make and he's right and his recipes are great... But

I was viewing an episode of 'Far Flung Floyd' on You Tube, Dear Hector that I hadn't seen before (video below) and Floyd says,' We've been here three weeks in Malaysia and I've been grinding the spices, hands to the bone at midnight and here we are in this fab food market and they, on this stall make these lovely spice paste combinations depending on what you are to make, and give you a selection for that dish'.

He then mentions Nyonya and Peranakan Food.

Err research time.

 Nyonya and Peranakan cuisine mixes Chinese with Indian and Thai. But it's all about the paste, this is the secret to having food that will switch on your defunct taste buds, fragrances fabulous, pungent power, sensational spice. It's not hot and sour, or coconut sweet it's different to that. It's not Thai, Indian or Chinese..

But you'll love it

Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia use 'rampah', as shown (pic) above which consists of shallots, garlic, fresh turmeric (not the yellow powder, fresh turmeric looks like ginger root and is very good for you) galangal (a relative of ginger), ginger, Kashmiri dried chillies and fresh chillies. This is blended, oil added, and then fried for five minutes, then you add tamarind paste and sugar, lime leaves, water and salt and then simmer. Some ingredients like 'candlenuts' I couldn't find. I add lemon grass into the sauce as lemon grass in the UK is not fresh enough to be blended.

Rempah changes with other ingredients or is made hotter or cooler, saltier or sweeter or as someone likes it. 

I rarely see fresh galangal or fresh turmeric at our nearest Indian store so I implore you if passing a Thai or Chinese shop, (Barrow market has an excellent Thai store), buy the above (they go in the freezer) and dried Kashmir chillies, Kaffir lime leaves, candlenuts if available.

But also Shao Sing Whisky, Plum Sauce, Jimmy's satay sauce, rice wine vinegar and laksa paste. Just so you have them.

I will always raise a glass to you, my culinary hero, Keith Floyd.