Singapore recipes - Sambal Blacan Cookbook

Start with Rempah
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Rempah, or bumbu in Indonesian, is a ground mixture of fresh herbs and dried spices, often consists of some five or more items. Cooking with rempah is an important technique employed by cooks in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and to a lesser extent Thailand, most likely an influence of the Indian. There are endless Southeast Asian dishes based on rempah, laksa, chicken curry and sambal sting ray are some of Singapore's favourites, just to name a few. Rempah making is thus the first thing anyone interested in Southeast Asian cooking should learn. While there are some great favourite mixtures, there is no standard quantity and as a result every cook has her favourite mix different from her neighbour's. Remember there is no need to follow any recipe to its last detail. Rempah making is not a scientific equation but an art for creative minds.

It may seem all too strange or difficult for anyone new to Southeast Asian cooking, but it is in fact rather simple once you know the basic. And the result will be an unending list of wonderful tropical dishes that are fast and easy to prepare.

Fresh and dried chillies, galangal, turmeric and lemon grass form the basis of most rempah. Garlics, ginger, coriander seeds, shrimp paste(blacan), candle nuts, dried shrimps, bean paste and many other herbs and spices are often added, depending on the dish you are preparing. Knowing the nature of each ingredients will help one create endless new mixtures according to one's liking. Let's get to know the basic ingredients a little better.

	Shallots - shallots contain a substantial amount of liquid, somewhat sweet and replaceable with onions in rempah making. It thickens a rempah and proportionately increase its quantity will decrease the spicyness of the rempah. Peel before use.
	Fresh and dried chillies - fresh and dried chillies taste different. Replaceing one with the other is possible but keep in mind the taste will not be quite the same. Usually only moderate hotness red chillies are used which turns the oil in a dish red and thus more appealing. Remove seeds from dried chillies and soak in hot water till soft before use. It is not necessary to remove the seeds from fresh chillies though removing them will make pounding easilier and the hotness reduced. Stalks should be removed. Avoid contact with sensitive skin!! Use gloves or wash your hand many times throughly after handling.
	Laos/Galangal - Young tender ones are preferred as older roots are fibrous. Clean, remove undesired bits and slice before pounding. It's not necessary to peel. Should the root be too fibrous, it maybe sliced and added while cooking instead. The flavour of old roots can be very intense, so take care not to exceed the required amount while younger roots are quite harmless.
	Lemon grass - Use only the tender parts. Remov dried up outer layers when necessary. Its taste is subtle and refreshing. More fibrous ones maybe crushed and added while cooking instead of pounding into a paste.
	Turmeric - this is what give curries and many other Southeast Asian dishes their yellow color. It stains as a natural dye, so do handle with gloves. Powdered form is a good replacement.
	Garlics - press and crush with the blade of a knife for easy peeling.
	Candle nuts - They have a subttle flavour and must be cooked. Replace with macademia nuts or leave them out altogether.
	Shrimp paste - Blacan is strong smelling, grill over fire till fragrant on both sides before use. This is an unique ingredient that gives many dishes their special flavour. Maybe omitted.
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