mum's home-cooked meals

Apologies, for I'll be a bit slack with posts this month and quite possibly the next too. December and January are traditionally very busy times of the year at the company where I work - no annual leave is to be taken these several weeks, and I've been working late quite often, which means not having much time to do a lot of cooking.

I have to say though, I'm a lucky girl because my parents are here visiting from Malaysia and they have been good company and so fantastic and understanding. Not only that, but they've been adding a cosy domestic touch to my apartment, and in the evenings I often arrive home to a lovely dinner waiting for me. So here, I want to share with you a few of the highlights from the past two weeks.

This seafood dish had generous lashings of fish, prawns, and asian greens with a mix of somen and soba noodles. Pretty luxurious for something that was just hurriedly thrown together at a whim!

seafood noodles

This is a simple minced pork congee with a sprinkling of spring onions on top. My mum makes a distinctive style of congee - thick and gooey, instead of the usual delicate and watery ones. It's incredibly comforting, and I adore it.

minced pork congee with spring onions

And of course, the infamous bak kut teh. I grew up in Klang, after all, which is well-known for this rich-tasting herbal pork soup. This one was made with the help of pre-mixed spices, but it's good quality stuff and of course personal touches are added. Plus, the pork was carefully selected and prepared. Needless to say, pork leg made an appearance. You want some skin and fat in this dish - they're the best. Look at all that glistening, gelatinous goodness!

bak kut teh

That's all for now but there will be plenty more where this came from, because my parents are pretty awesome. I hope everyone is having a good December so far, and coping well with any of the madness that comes with the silly season!

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spicy dried shrimp relish + congee

I have a lovely bag of dried shrimp sitting in my fridge which I don't use nearly as often as I should.
I remember how enamoured my parents were with the quality of these dried shrimps when we stumbled upon them in a small fishing village in Malaysia last year - I was promptly advised to bring some back to Australia and I didn't need a lot of encouragement; these were definitely dried shrimps of outstanding calibre.

dried shrimp, after toasting

So I decided to rescue them from neglect and make a Malaysian-style spicy dried shrimp relish, using a recipe from my mum which I think is both simple and sensational...

The following made just one small serving for my breakfast, so multiply if you wish:

2 tablespoons dried shrimp (you should be able to find this at Asian grocery stores)
1 shallot, chopped
1 hot red chilli, chopped
1/2 a small lime

- Soak dried shrimps in warm water, rinse well, then lightly toast in a pan. (Soaking time is dependent on the traits of the dried shrimp you have - mine were so light and flaky that they didn't require much soaking at all.)
- Remove and place in a bowl, mix in shallots, chilli and squeezes of half a lime to taste. Toss everything together thoroughly. Leave to sit a little for flavours to develop further, if desired.

served on congee - a well-balanced mix of dried shrimps, chillies, shallots, and lime juice

This also makes a great little salad or side dish and I love it on plain rice porridge - perhaps better known to some as congee. Soothing and easy to digest, congee is a common comfort food in many parts of Asia. Remember to prepare it in advance if you plan to eat it with the relish!

To make congee, simply bring rice and water to boil in a pot, then simmer, partly covered and stirring occasionally, until it reaches your ideal texture and consistency. I usually have mine with still a bit of a bite to them, while others simmer it till it almost resembles a thick soup. This can take awhile - make sure that there is always enough water so it doesn’t dry out. Traditionally congee is made with white rice, but I used brown rice on this occasion.

As far as I'm concerned, the softness and blandness of plain congee provides the perfect foil for this spicy, flavoursome dried shrimp, shallot, chilli and lime relish. And here it is, ready to tuck in and enjoy...

spicy dried shrimp relish on congee

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