In this feature, Khir and other local food personalities outline the culinary know-how and steps that define and underscore some of their favourite Malay meals.
According to Khir, bahulu made in brass moulds and baked over charcoal fire has a superior taste and crust to any other iteration of this sweet treat. — LAW SOO PHYE/The Food of Singapore Malays by Khir Johari
“I have always been a curious kid, so this has been a result of figuring out things that I wanted to put together,” says Khir. “My late grandmother was into natural remedies, so in our household, we always had asam pedas with sambal belacan and ulam. For the ulam, we had ulam raja, pegaga, petai, pucuk manga, pucuk gajus and curry leaf stalks.
Ulam is often eaten raw and can either be eaten as whole leaves or julienned and absorbed into nasi ulam. — Filepic “When we talk about cooking techniques, what is really big in the Malay world is menumis – because sautéing is a short period but menumis can be for a prolonged period. To top this off, the meats, seafood or vegetables are often marinated in tropical spices and herbs like turmeric and lemongrass, which give it distinctly Nusantara flavours.Nurliyana Rusli, the chef-owner of Bangsar eatery Arang, which pays homage to the charcoal grilled food of her Javanese heritage, says charcoal grilled meals have formed the foundation of her fondest food memories.
“As a kid, the whole idea of baking used what I call the micro oven that is the brass mould with the top lid where at the bottom you have charcoal or wood. “My mum is famous for her bingka ubi kayu, hers is absolutely delicious – she makes it out of flour, eggs, gula Melaka, shredded tapioca and her secret ingredient is lots and lots of butter!” says Anis.Khir examines the ins and outs of cooking techniques and processes that define Malay food in his seminal book on Malay gastronomy. — KHIR JOHARI
“They have told me that the type of rice I am using cannot be too perfect, there has to be some broken rice. And when boiling the rice, apparently you need to keep topping up the water level to dilute the starch so the ketupat stays fresh after being hung up to dry.Common Malay food preservation techniquesIn Ili's family home in Kampung Baru, making ketupat for Hari Raya is a family tradition.
“And after becoming a chef and travelling to different states, I have learnt about a lot of dishes that utilise tempoyak like sambal kayu tempoyak, which has seven to 12 different julienned herbs cooked with tempoyak, cili padi and ikan bilis,” says food personality Anis Nabilah.
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