Brunei Veggies recipes

Brown Rice
& Sesame Fried Vegetables

Ingredients

• 30 g cumin seeds
• 6 cardamon pods
• 4 coriander seeds
• 30 g fennel seeds
• 1 clove
• 2 cm stick cinnamon

• 2 c Rice, brown
• 1 t Sea salt
• 2 Onions, green
• 1 c Radishes
• 1 Carrot
• 1 sl Cucumber (2-inch)
• 3 tb Cooking oil
• 1 t Garlic -- finely chopped
• 1 tb Sesame tahini
• Soy sauce
• Lemon juice

Directions

Wash the rice three times and boil in plenty of salted wter util tender. While the rice is cooking, wash and prepare the vegetables. Slice the green onions finely. Cut each radish in half. Cut the carrot diagonally, then cut each slice in strips. Slice the cucumber (not too thinly), and cut each slice in four. Heat the oil in a wok or plan and stir0fry the garlic for 39 seconds. Add the prepared vegetables and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the sesame seeds after 2 minutes. When the rice is tender, drain and stir in the fried vegetbles and sesame seeds. Stir in the sesame paste. Sprinkle with a little soy sauce and lemon juice and serve hot with sesame tahini to taste.

Noodles & Tofu

Ingredients

• 13 oz Tofu, dried -- sliced
• 9 oz Chinese dried wheat noodles
• 13 oz Firm tofu -- cubed 1/2"
• 3 tb Chinese semsaem oil
• 3 tb Fresh ginger -- minced
• 1/2 ts Yellow asafoetida powder*
• 1 bn Choy sum**, leaves and -stalk -- chopped in 1" -sections
• 3 tb Soy sauce
• 2 tb Plain sambal oelek***
• 3 tb Fresh lemon juice
• 2 c Mung bean shoots

Soak dried tofu slices in hot water for 15 mintues. When softened, cut into 1" squares, drain, and pat dry. Cook the wheat noodles in boiling water until al dente, a little firm. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Heat oil in wok over high heat, and deep-fry the tofu cubes until goldenbrown. Remove from pan and drain. Next deep-fry the squares of dried tofu until golden brown andslightly blistered; remove and drain. Heat sesame oil in another wok on full heat; saute the minced ginger for 1 minute. Add the asafoeitda and choy sum and stir fry until soft. Add the soy sauce, sambal oelek, lemon juice, tofu noodles. Stir fry for another 2 minutes or until the noodles are hot. Serve immediately.

*asafoetida powder: available at Indian grocers **choy sum: also known as rape ***sambal oelek: a hot condiment made from ground fresh red, hot chilies, popular in Brunei, Malay and Indonesian cuisine. Available at Asian grocery stores. To make your own, pound together 2 red hot chilies and 1/2 tsp salt, making 2 tsp.

Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

-----------------------FOR THE SALAD-----------------------

• 3 tb Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 lb Firm tofu; patted dry -- and cut into 1/4" cubes
• 2 sm Potatoes; boiled -- cut into bite-size wedges
• 1/2 lb Fresh spinach; cleaned -- steamed, and chopped
• 1/2 sm Head green cabbage; shredded -- and lightly steamed
• 1/2 lb Mung bean sprouts -- washed thoroughly

---------------------FOR THE DRESSING---------------------

• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1/4 c Roasted peanuts
• 5 ts Soy sauce or tamari
• 3 tb Lime or lemon juice
• 4 ts Brown sugar
• 1/4 ts Cayenne pepper
• 2 tb Water

Directions

Heat the oil and salt in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the tofu in small batches and saute until lightly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Arrange the bean curd, potatoes, spinach, and cabbage on individual plates.

Prepare the dressing by placing all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blending until smooth. If the dressing seems too thick, add another teaspoon of water.

Top the vegetables and bean curd with the bean sprouts and dressing, and serve immediately. Preparation time: 1 hour

Tofu & Ginger

Ingredients

• 2 Pkg 10.5 Oz. Firm Tofu
• 1/2 C Flour
• Vegetable Oil For Frying
• 1/2 C Water
• 2 Oz Soy Or Tamari Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sugar Or Honey
• 1/3 Tsp Vegetable Stock
• 2 Tsp Fresh Ginger Root -- grated
• 8 Fresh Scallions -- chopped

Directions

Wipe tofu dry with paper towels. Cut the tofu in each box in half, then cut each half into four equal portions. Flour each portion lightly. Heat vegetable oil to medium hot (350 to 375 degrees). Add the tofu, a few at a time. Fry until golden and remove to drain on paper towels. Prepare sauce by placing the water, soy or tamari sauce, sweetener and stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and mix well, making sure sugar ( if using) is dissolved.
To serve, place a small amount of the sauce on four warmed plates. Divide the tofu evenly among the plates, placing them on the sauce. Garnish with grated ginger and chopped scallions.

Fried Noodles

Ingredients

• 1 lb Uncooked soba noodles
• 3 tb Low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tb Brown sugar
• 2 ts Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 c Finely chopped onions
• 1 tb Minced garlic
• 1 tb Peeled & grated gingerroot
• 1 c Snow peas
• 6 ea Scallions, chopped
• 1 t Grated lime peel
• 1 c Mung bean sprouts
• 8 oz Firm tofu -- cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 
  
• 1 tb Fresh lime juice
• 1/4 c Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a large, nonstick saute pan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add onions, garlic and gingerroot. Cook for 2 minutes. Add snow peas, scallions and lime peel. Toss and cook until peas are tender and bright colored, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add bean sprouts and tofu. Continue cooking and toss just until bean sprouts are slightly wilted. Add noodles and toss to mix. Add lime juice to taste and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

• 1 c Cubed, firm tofu (1/2-in. -cubes
• 2 Stalks celery, cut into -julienne strips
• 2 Carrots, shredded
• 2 Italian plum tomatoes, cut -into thin wedges
• 1/2 Cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 c Fresh bean sprouts
• 1 c Broccoli florets
• 1/2 c Szechuwan Peanut Dressing Garnish: raisins, toasted -sesame seeds, fresh -watercress sprigs, or -unsalted peanuts, optional -----DRESSING-----
• 1/3 c Peanut butter, smooth or -crunchy
• 1/2 c Hot vegetable stock or hot -water
• 1 t Soy sauce
• 2 tb Rice vinegar
• 2 tb Safflower oil
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 ts Dry crushed red pepper (1 -teaspoon if you prefer -spicy flavoring

Directions

In a large bowl, gently toss together salad ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and toss again. Top with garnish.

Advance Preparation: Both salad ingredients and dressing may be prepared in advance and refrigerated. For best quality, toss together just before serving.

Hints:

To cook bean thread, immerse it in boiling water for about 10 minutes to soften. Drain, rinse with cool water, and cut into 3-inch strands.

For those concerned about complete protein, tofu, peanuts and sesame seeds complement one another to form a high-quality "complete" protein.

Cooked Vegetables with Coconut
(Urap)

Ingredients

• 8 oz fresh green beans
• 8 oz bean sprouts
• 4 carrots
• 1 can bamboo shoots
• ½ small cabbage
• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ tsp. chilli sauce (sambal ulek)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. lime juice

Directions

Wash bean sprouts, pinching of any brown tail. Pour boiling water over bean sprouts, then rinse under cold water tap. Drain well.

String beans and cut diagonally or bite-size lengths and cook in lightly salted water until just tender. Beans should still be crisp to bite.

Scrub carrot and cut into thin strips, cook until tender. Drain well. Slice cabbage, discard the center stem. Blanch in boiling salted water for a minute or two, until tender but not limp. Drain and refresh with cold water.

Cut bamboo shoots into strips the same size as the beans.

Place fresh grated coconut into a bowl, add onion, chili sauce, salt, lime juice and the shrimp paste which has been grilled for a few minutes, or heated in a dry frying pan. Mix thoroughly together.

Sprinkle this grated coconut mixture over vegetables, reserving some to garnish the dish when served.

Put vegetables in a steamer and steam for 5-8 minutes.

Put the steamed vegetables to a serving dish/platter and sprinkle with reserved grated coconut mixture. Use as an accompaniment to a meal, or as a salad by itself.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Spicy Eggplant
(Terong Belado)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. purple eggplants
• 1 Tbs. lime juice
• 15 Tbs. vegetable oil Spice Paste Ingredients:
• 100 gram red chilies
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tomato
• 7 small-sized shallots

Directions

Cut each eggplant in half and cut again in 2 or 4 pieces.

Heat 10 Tbs. oil and deep fry the eggplant pieces. Cover the wok and let it stand for a while.

Open cover and turn the eggplants side to side until soft and well cooked.

Put eggplant pieces onto a serving platter.

Combine all spice paste ingredients and grind coarsely. Heat 5 Tbs. oil over medium high heat and sauté the spice paste for about 2 minutes. Pour the lime juice over the spice paste.

Then, lastly pour the sauted spice paste onto the eggplant pieces and ready to serve.

Makes 5-6 servings.