Zaleha Kadir Olpin - My Rendang Isn’t Crispy and Other Favourite Malaysian Dishes

My
Rendang
Isnt
Crispy and Other Favourite
Malaysian Dishes Zaleha Kadir Olpin MasterChef UK Season 14 Contestant Cover shots and food photography by Mireya Gonzlez
Street photography by David Olpin Copyright 2019 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited First published 2019
This paperback edition 2022
eISBN 978 981 5066 79 1 Published By Marshall Cavendish Cuisine
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this book have used their best efforts in preparing this book. The parties
make no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this
book and are not responsible for the outcome of any recipe in this book.
While the parties have reviewed each recipe carefully, the reader may not
always achieve the results desired due to variations in ingredients, cooking
temperatures and individual cooking abilities. The parties shall in no event
be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including
but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages. Getting to Know
Malaysia and Her Cuisine Dried Chilli Paste
Cili Boh 16 Toasted Grated Coconut
Kerisik 16 Nasi Lemak
Coconut Rice 20 Pulut Kuning
Festive Sticky Rice 22 Nasi Minyak
Ghee Rice 24 Nasi Tomato
Tomato Rice 26 Nasi Goreng Kampung
Kampung-style Fried Rice 28 Nasi Goreng Udang
Prawn Fried Rice 30 Mee Hoon Goreng Mak
Mums Fried Rice Vermicelli 32 Mee Goreng Mamak
Mamak-style Fried Noodles 34 Mee Calong
Fish Ball Noodles 36 Mee Hoon Sup Berempah
Spiced Rice Noodle Soup 38 Laksam
Rolled Noodles in
Black Pepper Gravy 40 Roti Jala
Lace Crepes 42 Ikan Masak Asam
Fish in Tamarind Sauce 46 Ikan Singgang
East Coast Fish Broth 48 Kari Ikan Mak
Mums Fish Curry 50 Sambal Udang
Prawn Sambal 52 Sambal Ikan Hijau
Fish in Green Sambal 54 Sotong Sos Tiram
Squid in Oyster Sauce 56 Ketupat Sotong
Malaysian-style Stuffed Squid 58 Ikan Masak Masam Manis
Sweet and Sour Fish 60 Lemak Cili Padi Udang
Prawn and Pineapple Curry 62 Rendang Ayam MasterChef UK
My Non Crispy MasterChef UK
Chicken Rendang 66 Ayam Golek
Malaysian-style Roast Chicken 68 Gulai Pahang
Pahang-style Curry 70 Ayam Masak Hitam
Zen Chicken 72 Ayam Masak Merah
Chicken Sambal 74 Ayam Goreng, The Olpins
Olpins Fried Chicken 76 Kari Ayam
Chicken Curry 78 Rendang Daging Mudah
Basic Beef Rendang 80 Rendang Opor Pahang
Rendang from My Home Town 82 Rendang Tok Kak Uteh
Grandmas Rendang 84 Sup Kambing Mamak
Spicy Mamak-style Lamb Soup 86 Vegetables, Salads
and Pickles Acar Timun dan Lobak
Cucumber and Carrot Pickle 90 Acar Nenas Saffron
Saffron and Pineapple Pickle 92 Jelatah Mangga dengan
Lada Benggala MasterChef UK
My MasterChef UK Mango and
Pepper Salad 92 Kacang Panjang Goreng Berlada
Stir-fried Spicy Long Beans 94 Kobis Goreng dengan Telur
Stir-fried Cabbage with Egg 94 Kacang Buncis Goreng dengan
Sos Tiram
Stir-fried French Beans with
Oyster Sauce 96 Solok Lada
Stuffed Green Chillies 96 Satay Ayam
Chicken Satay 100 Katlet Ikan MasterChef UK
My MasterChef UK Fish Cutlets 102 Kerabu Daging
Beef Salad 104 Tauhu Sumbat
Stuffed Tofu 106 Popiah Sayur
Vegetable Spring Rolls 108 Karipap Pusing
Spiral Curry Puffs 110 Tembosa
Fish and Coconut Curry Puffs 112 Keropok Lekor
Malaysian Fish Sausage 114 Otak-Otak
Grilled Fish Cakes in Banana Leaf 116 Cucur Udang
Prawn Fritters 118 Pulut Sambal
Sticky Rice Bon Bon 120 Lempeng Kelapa
Coconut Pancakes 122 Kek Pisang Kampung
Kampung-style Banana Cake 126 Kuih Bom
Deep-fried Glutinous Rice Flour Balls
with Sweet Coconut Filling 128 Kuih Ketayap
Pandan Crepes with Sweet
Coconut Filling 130 Onde-Onde
Glutinous Rice Flour Balls with
Palm Sugar Filling 132 Sagu Gula Melaka
Sago with Palm Sugar
and Coconut Cream 134 Keropok Chilli Sauce
Sos Keropok 138 Sweet Chilli Sauce
Sos Cili Manis 138 Sweet Soy Sauce Dip
Sambal Kicap 139 Tomato Sambal
Sambal Tomato 139 Peanut Sauce
Kuah Kacang 140 Nasi Lemak Sambal Bawang
Sambal Nasi Lemak 141 Above: Cooking rendang with Vicki Treadell, British High Commissioner
to Australia (formerly to Malaysia), outside my home in Kuantan. Zaleha and I first connected in April 2018 in the
Twittersphere over #RendangGate. Zaleha and I first connected in April 2018 in the
Twittersphere over #RendangGate.

I was the British
High Commissioner to Malaysia at the time. I, like
many Malaysians who know and take pride in great
Malaysian cuisine, felt I had to come to Zalehas
defence over accusations that her chicken rendang
was not crispy enough. There had also been some
ill-judged comments about the origins of the dish
not being Malaysian. I therefore tweeted that
Rendang is an iconic Malaysian national dish not
to be confused with Indonesian options. It can be
chicken, lamb or beef. It is never crispy and should
not be confused with the fried chicken sometimes
served with nasi lemak .

I personally love nasi
lemak for breakfast! We then met in May 2018 in London and talked
food. In this conversation, we shared experiences
of finding ourselves in foreign countries and
missing our favourite foods. When my family
migrated from Malaysia to the UK in 1968, this was
the case. My mother had to learn to recreate our
favourite family dishes and she struggled to find
the ingredients in British supermarkets. She, like
Zaleha, had to write to her sisters and friends to
get recipes and tips. This resonated with Zalehas
own experiences and we found much in common.