Rempah is one member of the family of basic seasoning pastes upon which many dishes in Southeast Asia — particularly those of Malay, Eurasian and Peranakan influences — are built. The ingredient list tends to be long, and usually includes aromatics such as shallots, herbs and spices, shrimp paste, chili peppers, and nuts. It is the first thing that hits the hot oil and is cooked until fragrant and the oil reappears, thereby permeating everything else that goes into the dish. Storebought curry powder will liven up a bland dish, but curry paste, especially if homemade …read more

Many a recipe in the Asian repertoire contains a secret ingredient — sometimes so subtle it may be hard to detect — in pandan. Used in cooking rice, wrapping meat, flavoring cakes, etc., pandan is an indispensable item in the kitchen, be it Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, or Malaysian.
More information from AsiaFood
From Wikipedia
And a recipe from Apple of My Eyes for Buko Pandan

A really easy way to add flavor and crunch to your Asian dishes. The oil itself can be used for stir-frying, or to drizzle over food right before serving. You can cook the shallots until they’re golden and crunchy and use it as topping for noodle dishes like mee rebus, or over your rice, or over Asian-marinated and grilled fish. So many things you can do with just two ingredients.
1 cup oil
1 cup shallots, sliced thin
Heat oil over medium heat in wok. Add shallots and cook. If planning to use oil for stir-fry, take …read more

If you’re like me, you will drool over Bee’s post. It’s next on my list. Haven’t done one in so long, and my family has been begging. Ai yi yi, look at those anchovies!!! Yum!
Right now, Simcook’s Bursting with Flavor Shrimp, Scallops and Gailan is waiting to be served. Gotta go eat!!

This is a simple pickle/salad that should be prepared immediately prior to serving. I am not sure about terminology as the first time my friend prepared this she called it “pachidi”, so I’ve always called it such, but cookbooks and websites seem to use pachadi and pachidi interchangeably. Pachidi is the Indian word for pickles but there are similar Malaysian and Indonesian pachidis as well. If anyone can provide clarification on this, I’d appreciate it!