Credit: Kara-coconut.com
P.S. Coconut milk (or santan) plays a huge part in many dishes eaten during Raya, and Kara makes it easy to whip up a tantalising feast! This coconut specialist has long been a trusted source for coconut products in the kitchen, from its rich Kara UHT Coconut Cream to its Coconut Cream Powder and more. Kara products are conveniently available in all leading supermarkets in Singapore ? For more cool recipe ideas using Kara products, check this out!
1. Sayur lodeh
Lodeh (also known as lontong) is a must-have for many people on the first day of Raya! This dish of stewed vegetables and other ingredients in a gravy made with coconut cream or milk is the perfect Raya breakfast dish as far as we’re concerned ? Serve it on top of ketupat (compressed rice cubes) and sambal on the side.
Ingredients (serves 5 - 6)
For the spice blend:
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges (alternatively, you could also use 5 - 6 shallots)
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp
- 1 tablespoon dried anchovies (alternatively, use 1 tablespoon anchovy seasoning powder or an anchovy stock cube)
- 1-inch fresh turmeric, cut into small pieces (alternatively, use 1 tbsp turmeric powder)
- 1 tablespoon chilli paste (optional, for a spicier lodeh. You can also use 3 bird’s eye chillies or fresh red chillies too)
- Some water for blending
- 3 sticks of lemongrass (the white part only), bruised
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small cabbage (or half of a large cabbage), chopped
- 10 - 15 long beans, cut into 3-inch pieces
- Handful of beancurd skin (also known as fuchuk), soaked and softened.
- Handful of glass noodles/vermicelli, soaked and softened.
- 1 piece tempeh, cut into cubes and fried beforehand.
- 500ml of Kara UHT Coconut Cream
- 250ml of water
- Oil for frying
- Blend all the spice blend ingredients together until it becomes a rough paste.
- Heat oil in a large pot or pan (use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan) over medium heat, add the blended spice paste and lemongrass and stir-fry until fragrant and the mixture has darkened in colour.
- Add the water and Kara UHT Coconut Cream to the pan and mix. Bring to a boil.
- Add in the carrot, cabbage, long beans, tempeh, beancurd skin and vermicelli.
- Return to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.
- Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and sugar.
- Serve with white rice or ketupat.
2. Chicken rendang
What’s Raya without some rendang? And while this scrumptious dish is often seen as a complicated one to make using a lot of ingredients, it’s actually pretty easy to whip nowadays, thanks to the use of the blender to make your spice paste ? Add more dried or fresh chillies to the spice blend if you prefer your rendang spicier!
Ingredients (serves 5 - 6)
For the spice blend:
- 8 - 10 shallots
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1-inch ginger, cut into small pieces
- ¾ inch fresh turmeric (or use ½ tablespoon turmeric powder), cut into small pieces
- ¾ inch galangal (lengkuas), cut into small pieces
- 3 sticks of lemongrass (white part only), cut into small pieces
- 15 pieces dried chillies, cut into rough pieces, de-seeded, soaked in hot water until softened and drained.
- Some water for blending
- One whole chicken cut into pieces
- 3 sticks of lemongrass (white part only), bruised
- 250ml Kara UHT Coconut Cream
- 3 turmeric leaves (daun kunyit), finely shredded
- 200g toasted coconut paste (kerisik)
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar (gula melaka) (or alternatively, use regular sugar)
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Oil for frying
- Blend all the spice blend ingredients together until it becomes a rough paste.
- Heat oil in a large wok or pan over medium heat (use enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan). Add the blended spice paste and stir-fry until fragrant and the colour darkens.
- Add the 3 bruised sticks of lemongrass and chicken pieces. Mix well and let the chicken cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add Kara UHT Coconut Cream and mix well.
- Add the palm sugar, sugar and salt. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Bring to a boil, lower heat slightly and let simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure that everything cooks evenly and the bottom doesn’t stick.
- Add the toasted coconut and mix well.
- Add the finely shredded turmeric leaves.
- Cook for about 10 minutes or more over low heat until the gravy has thickened.
3. Yellow Glutinous Rice (Pulut kuning)
Lemang or ketupat palas are both dishes made with glutinous rice that are popular accompaniments to rendang or kuah kacang. They’re definitely delicious, but quite ambitious to make at home as they require special ingredients like palm leaves or even bamboo ? For a much easier option, why not make some pulut kuning instead? This dish is also made with glutinous rice and is steamed before being mixed with coconut milk for that same rich taste ? Turmeric gives the dish that lovely bright yellow colour!
Ingredients (serves 5 - 6)
- 300g glutinous rice
- Water to soak
- ¾ inch fresh turmeric blended with a bit of water (or use ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder)
- 2 pandan (screwpine) leaves, shredded and knotted
- 200ml Kara UHT Coconut Cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon of sugar
- Wash and drain the glutinous rice.
- Place the rice in a bowl along with the blended turmeric (or turmeric powder) and mix well. Add enough water to cover. Let soak for a few hours or overnight.
- Prepare your steamer.
- Drain the glutinous rice and place in the bowl or container that will be used for steaming, along with the knotted pandan leaves. Place in the steamer, cover and steam for around 20 minutes until cooked.
- In the meantime, in a jug or bowl, mix your Kara UHT Coconut Cream with the salt and sugar.
- Once the rice is cooked, take out the steaming container and place it onto the counter. Pour in the coconut milk mixture little by little, letting it absorb into the rice. Then, mix the rice thoroughly, ensuring there are no large clumps and everything is well combined.
- Return the container to the steamer and steam for another 10 minutes, until everything is cooked through.
4. Beef rendang
Beef rendang is a much-loved Raya dish and quite distinct from chicken rendang, with many households making both for Eid. This dish needs a much longer cooking time to ensure the meat gets tender (cooking it low and slow is key!). It can take 3 - 4 hours to complete the dish, but the wait will be so worth it ?
Ingredients (for 1kg of beef, serves 6 - 8)
For the wet spice blend:
- 1 large red onion, roughly chopped
- 8 - 10 shallots
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1-inch fresh turmeric, cut into small pieces
- 2 inches ginger, cut into small pieces
- 5 pieces lemongrass (white part only), cut into pieces
- 2 inches galangal
- Some water for blending
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (also known as anise seeds)
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- ¼ cup chilli paste
- 1 kg beef tenderloin, cut into 3cm cubes
- 1 litre Kara UHT Coconut Cream
- 1 piece asam gelugor (also known as asam keping. Do note that some supermarkets label is as dried tamarind slice)
- 60g palm sugar (or you can also use 1 tablespoon of white sugar)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 100g toasted coconut paste (kerisik)
- 3 turmeric leaves, shredded
- Oil for frying
- If using the dry spice blend, fry the spices in a dry pan (no oil required) until fragrant. Transfer spices to a blender and blend until fine.
- Add the wet spice blend ingredients to the blender and blend to a paste.
- Heat a generous amount of oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the wet and dry spice blends and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli paste and continue to stir-fry until fragrant and the mixture has darkened in colour.
- Add the cubed beef and cook in the mixture for a few minutes, stirring well.
- Add Kara UHT Coconut Cream and mix until well combined.
- Add the asam gelugor , palm sugar, salt, and kaffir lime leaves. Mix well to combine. Bring the mixture back to a boil then turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer uncovered, until the mixture dries and thickens slightly (about 1 - 2 hours). Be sure to stir regularly to ensure the beef cooks evenly and the bottom doesn’t burn.
- Add the toasted coconut paste and half the shredded turmeric leaves. Mix well and adjust seasonings to taste. Continue to simmer on low until the mixture dries almost completely and the beef is tender (about another 1 - 2 hours). Make sure to stir regularly - if the mixture dries too much before the beef is cooked tender, add some water and mix well before letting it continue to simmer.
- When the beef is tender and the mixture has dried, turn off the heat and stir in the remaining shredded turmeric leaves before serving (you can save some shredded leaves for decorative sprinkling on top when serving too!).
Credit: Kara-coconut.com
P.S. With all the rich and spicy foods we enjoy for Raya (like beef rendang!), it’s always nice to have a refreshing drink alongside, and what could be better than some coconut water? ? For a convenient option that you can easily buy and keep in your fridge, get Kara’s 100% Coconut Water that’s free from flavourings or preservatives!
5. Peanut sauce (kuah kacang)
Kuah kacang is normally eaten throughout the year with satay, but during Eid it makes for a delicious combination with ketupat and the rest of your Raya spread. Once again, the blender makes it a lot easier to make nowadays as you can use it to grind your peanuts as well as your spice mixture. The secret to a great kuah kacang getting the right balance of sweet, salty, sour and a hint of spiciness ?
Ingredients
- 500gm Ground Nuts
- 1 Cup Cooking Oil
- 6 - 7 shallots
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 2-inch ginger
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp
- Some water for blending
- ¼ cup chilli paste (or more if you prefer it spicier)
- 100g palm sugar (gula melaka)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt (add more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
- 2 tsp tamarind paste
- 1 litre water
- Oil for cooking
- Heat the cooking oil in a large pan, then fry the peanuts over low heat until golden brown. Remove and drain.
- In a blender, grind the peanuts to a coarse grain (do it in batches if need be, depending on the size of your blender). Don’t over-blend until it becomes a paste, as you want to retain a nice grainy texture for your kuah kacang. Set aside.
- In the blender, combine all the spice blend ingredients and blend to a paste.
- Heat the cooking oil in the pan over medium heat (use enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan), add the spice blend and stir-fry for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the chilli paste and stir-fry the entire mixture until it has darkened in colour.
- Add the water and mix well. Then add the ground peanuts and stir to combine.
- Add the palm sugar, sugar, salt, sweet soy sauce and tamarind paste. Mix well and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let simmer, stirring regularly until the sauce has thickened, darkened in colour and oil floats to the top.
