Looks and smells delicious!

The Asam Pedas wasn’t difficult to prepare and was ready in just a few minutes. First, I added a little oil to the pan then mixed in the contents of the seasoning packet and heated the mixture up until the oil separated. Then I added 1 1/4 cup of water and let it come to a boil. Next, I added my fish, 3 lady fingers aka okra and 2 stalks of the duan kesum. Then I lowered the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. I served the Asam Pedas over steamed rice. Doesn’t it look yummy?

My first time preparing Asam Pedas. Doesn't it look yummy?

The basic ingredients I use for making Tom Yam Soup.

Tom Yam, anyway you prepare it, is a mixture of spicy and sour flavors that can be complimented with any or all of the following flavors: lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, shallots, lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, crushed chilies AND even coconut milk.

Peeking into the wok reveals a lovely broth and the most exquisite aroma on earth!

It’s rather simple to make. Just chop your choice of veggies and meat or fish then add these to a pot with — in my case — a tom yam soup cube and a few cups of water. Simmer until veggies and other ingredients are cooked. I like to make Tom Yam with chunks of chicken, a few chunks of cauliflower, sliced green and red chilies, sliced carrots, sliced onions, quartered tomatoes, 2 stalks of lemon grass and a few kaffir lime leaves. Sometimes, like today, I also prepare a bit of rice vermicilli (a dry noodle that needs to soak in water for 2-3) and put it in the bottom of my soup bowl. I tried adding the rice vermicilli directly to the pot of soup a few years back and OOPS my lovely broth disappeared! In my defense — it was my husband’s suggestion and frankly he was as surprised as me when we lifted the lid on the pot when it was time to eat. LOL
As you can see below … lunch is served!

Doesn't it look delish?

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸I’m off to watch the Wizard¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪
♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Took me a long time and lots of huffing and puffing to get that satin stitched nose to cooperate and stay in place. Leroy is much happier now that it has. LOL If you’d like to purchase Leroy ($40USD) please contact me at aisyahsplace@aol.com

Leroy the Lion

Popular Malaysian cartoon character Ipin from Upin and Ipin

My husband and I watch a lot of movies on the weekend so who better to invite to our Popcorn and a Movie Night than — a Couch Potato! If you’d like a Couch Potato ($15USD) for you OR your favorite TV addict contact me at @aisyahsplace@aol.com

Couch Potato Amigurumi

“Pretend” fried rice, prepared with sliced long beans, onions, garlic and ginger using a splash of soy sauce as suggested in step 3 below, is a perfect heart healthy companion to any fish, chicken and beef dish.

2010 ended with a big thud for me! While walking to the post office one afternoon I started having an achy feeling and numbness in my left arm at the elbow which slowly moved down towards my hand.  As women often do I ignored the discomfort and kept on walking smiling to those I passed by along the way.

This playing “ignorant” response was not exactly what I would call a bright idea given that a few hours later I was lying in the emergency room listening to the doctor tell me that the numbness and achy feeling I had experienced earlier in the day was the beginning of me having a heart attack.

I’m still confused about the “heart attack” diagnosis because the symptoms I had experienced were not exactly what I would have expected a heart attack to be like. In fact, I sort of giggled to myself when the doctor asked me to rate the chest pain on a scale from one to ten compared to the worst pain I have experienced. Well that “worse pain” would be childbirth and the pain in my chest was given a 7 by me. And therein lies my bewilderment when I hear myself say, “I had a heart attack.” I always thought a heart attack would be the most painful thing to feel. Granted it was no bowl of cherries but it didn’t seem life threatening either.

Since being discharged from the hospital I’ve been following a “cut back on the salt and cholesterol” meal plan, which honestly was out of control. Not only do I love sprinkling salt on food and eating eggs BUT also most of the Malaysian dishes I eat are in some way fried.

If you peek into a typical Malaysian kitchen its easy to understand why so many of their delicious foods are fried. Most kitchens are armed with a 2 or 4 burner stove that runs off a propane tank similar to what Americans would take on a camping trip although the tank in this case is much, much larger.

The spacious oven found in American households is practically non-existent.  My electric oven is about the size of a small microwave! In other words, it’s pretty much useless when it comes to preparing a family-size meal.

Over the years, I tired of the amount of effort I had to put into preparing foods as I did back in the US and shifted to the Malaysian way of cooking, which is a mistake I’ve been trying to rectify since my heart attack.

Rice is Malaysia’s staple food and is eaten at every meal more often than not. Nasi lemak, which is a coconut flavored rice served alongside a hard-boiled egg and sliced cucumbers topped with a spicy sambal sauce prepared from a chili paste simmered in a few tablespoons of oil to which is added dried ikan bilis or belacan, is a popular breakfast dish. Rice dishes like nasi goreng, nasi kerabu and nasi kampung, which all require simmering veggies, spices or chili paste in oil to start,  are frequently served at lunch and dinner. Plain steamed rice is often topped off with curry dishes, which are prepared with palm oil, salt and coconut milk, is another favorite amongst Malaysians for lunch or dinner.

Taking apart the anatomy of the rice dishes mentioned above I’ve been able to create my own versions of the traditional recipes without using as much oil, salt and coconut milk. Yes, I admit my adjustments do alter the flavor somewhat but for me staying alive is a bit more important than preparing the perfect Malay dish.

Below are a few suggestions for ways you can prepare Malay style foods without having to use the full amount of oil, salt and coconut milk, if these ingredients are a concern for you or someone in your family.

1. Fried rice dishes typically begin with simmering some chopped veggies, spices and/or a spice paste in a few tablespoons of oil. Instead, try using just 1 spoonful of oil to get the aroma kicking and then add a small amount of chicken broth. This way when you add your cooked cold rice there will be enough liquid present to prevent your rice from sticking. The rice will be a bit more fluffy then regular fried rice but its just as good.

2. When making curry either substitute the amount of coconut milk called for in the recipe with regular non-fat milk or replace a portion of the coconut milk with non-fat milk. I usually blend non-fat milk with coconut milk in a 2 to 1 ratio based on the total amount of coconut milk called for in the recipe.

3. Using a low-sodium soy sauce or diluting regular soy sauce with tap water or chicken broth for simmering the veggies, spices and seasoning pastes is an easy way to cut back on sodium when preparing fried rice dishes. here again the rice will be fluffier than normal fried rice but the flavors will be the same.

4. If you have leftover fried rice, which the Malay cook will typically reheat in the wok by stir frying it in a bit of oil, heat it up in your microwave or rice cooker!

Food Calendars Keep Ancient Festivals Alive in the Kitchen