呐喊: April 2013

Vegetable Curry

A lot of chopping works to do, and a very economical local cuisine. Whole family meal and breakfast, lunch and dinner are settled with a big pot of white rice.

Tauhu sumbat, local tofu filled with fishmeat bought at Chinese market in Kuala Terengganu

Curry leaves, I have a pot of curry leaves planted in front of my house. The aroma of the curry leaves is lingering around my fingers after I pluck them and remember, if possible ,instead of plucking the curry leaves with fingers, cutting the matured curry leaves with scissors is being encouraged to do so, for not hurting the precious tree.

Fish balls from supermarket. Kids like them.

Taufopok, the local fried dried spongy taufu, easily available in any Chinese Sundry shop.

Ready with taufupok and carrots.

Bendi, ladies' fingers. Make sure the young 'bendi'es are selected, the old bendies are hard to eat because of the aged texture.

Cut the taufupok into half , to let the curry gravy penetrate into it and the juicy sense of feeling makes this item great for any curry dishes.

Frozen fish balls.

Chop the peeled carrots into the shape of wedges'

Cabbage.

Long beans, kacang panjang.

Wash, peel

Bendi, young and crunchy with 'lendir',

I like it, Aha, aha.

long beans, hands-break or cut them into 1-inch length.

Serai, Lemon-grass, beautiful and with tangy fragrant. It makes my day.

Tumbuk dengan penumbuk lesung, to make sure the best part of serai is ready to be cooked perfectly.

bendi

Soak the chopped kacang panjang in water to clean .

Cabbages.

Potatoes.

Peel.

Ready with ready-cook curry-paste.

Ha, this is the package of fish balls which my kids like to eat.

Fry the curry paste, no oil is added as it comes together with the packaging.

Must add it our own blended chilli, tamarind, ginger ...etc paste. To make sure the flavour is hot and spicy .

Self-made chilli-paste. The local people here call it as cilibo, can be blended and frozen and be used when needed.

Fry in slow fire...

together with curry leaves, nice smell.

All the chopped stuffs are waiting to be put inside the wok, in orderly manner.

Then, serai is in...

Potato needs longer time to cook in wok, so these potatoes are waiting eagerly to be cooked in the next line-up.

Add some water to wok, to make sure the paste is not over-cooked.

Then , add in potatoes.

Stir.. and long beans...

carrots...

The coconut milk, the last 'hero' into the wok. Over-cooked coconut milk with turn into oil. So make sure , coconut milk is being put into the wok at the very last minute of cooking.

The line-up of my heroes in the waiting list.

Stir...

Add in cabbages

Stir...

Add in water...

Cook in 'big' fire.

Add in taufu sumbat and taufupok.

Fish balls..

Masak sehingga mendidih, menggelodak.

Cover-up with wok-cover, for cooking evenly and thoroughly.

Bendi, still waiting...

Coconut milk, still waiting...make sure it is always frozen at all time when not cooking. It spoils easily when expose to air, Defrost and cook promptly.