Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine [Paperback]

Christina Sjahir Hwang (Author), Wei-Chuan Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

The dishes of Singapore combine spices and cuisine from all over Asia. Hainan Chicken and Rice (Nasi Ayam), Noodles in Spicy Coconut Milk Soup (Laksa Lemak), and Spiced Sparerib Soup (Bak Kut Teh) are Singapore s most popular dishes. Malaysian cuisine combines the delicacy of Chinese food with Indian spices and regional herbs; famous dishes include Penang Noodle Soup (Penang Laksa), Lacy Pancakes (Roti Jala) and Beef Sate (Sate Daging). Indonesian food is known for its unique and exceptional spicy aromas and flavoured dishes such as Sticky Yellow Rice (Nasi Kunjit) with Spicy Chicken Braised in Coconut Milk (Rendang Ayam), Batavia Beef Soup with Glass Noodles (Soto Betawi) and Balinese Fried Fish (Ikan Bumbu Bali). Rarely indeed, has a cookbook come along that combines within one cookbook cover, the tantalising cuisine from these three cultures so well.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine, Wei-Chuan¡¦s latest title in International Cuisine series, includes 68 authentic and delicious recipes from Southeast Asia. All the procedures and steps for cooking are presented in a clear and concise manner. The bilingual translation provides for a broad community of interest. Following popularity of ¡§Chinese Cooking Made Easy¡¨, ¡§Thai Cooking Made Easy¡¨, ¡§Mexican Cooking Made Easy¡¨, ¡§Vietnamese Cuisine¡¨, ¡§Korean Cuisine¡¨, ¡§Japanese Cuisine¡¨ and ¡§Indian Cuisine¡¨, this is another exciting trustworthy addition to Wei-Chuan ¡¥s International Cuisine series. It is sure to become another ¡§must-have¡¨ for those who¡¦s palate demands the intoxicating hot and spicy flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine.

About the Author

A third generation Chinese Born in Sumatra, Indonesia, Christina grew up surrounded by the fabulously exotic aromas and tastes of the Southeast Asian dishes prepared by her mother. From her mother, she developed a lifelong passion for cooking and the exploration of the many diverse and subtle flavors of the cuisine of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Wei-Chuan Publishing; Bilingual edition (September 2002)
• Language: Chinese
• ISBN-10: 094167682X
• ISBN-13: 978-0941676823
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #681,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Pacific Rim

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Authentic Cookbook!, July 10, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine (Paperback)

Being a native Indonesian far away from home, I crave for the rich and savory flavor of the cuisine from these three countries. Unlike Thai cuisine, Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine is still not well known here in United States. Therefore there are limited restaurants that offer this cuisine. You can imagine my agony of having to suppress my craving until I make a trip to these restaurants in NYC or Toronto. It all changed after I bought this cookbook. This cookbook is amazing! It contains 68 recipes that are divided into Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian recipe sections. A one-page spread picture accompanies each recipe, which is very helpful for people who are not familiar with this cuisine. The author starts by introducing the countries and their cuisine followed by glossary of ingredients, seasonings, spices and herbs. It then continues with recipes for stocks, condiments, pickled salads, sambal chilli sauces (used like chutneys in Indian cuisine), and assorted spice pastes. These spice pastes are used in a lot of the recipes and they are what give this cuisine its fragrant, rich and savory flavors. This book offers specialties from Singapore (Hainan chicken rice, spiced sparerib soup, spring roll, laksa, spicy crabs, sweet coconut rice balls, etc), Malaysia (fried noodle, coconut rice, sate, beef curry,vegetable with grated coconut, etc) and Indonesia (beef rendang, eggs in spicy red sauce, java salad or gado gado, turmeric fried chicken, etc). I have tried more than a dozen of the recipes and they all taste fantastic! Most of all they taste authentic. They are a huge hit with my American boyfriend and roomate. There are some ingredients that are hard to find, even in Asian markets (especially in small towns). I had to shop online at an Indonesian grocery store to find most of the hard to find ingredients like candlenut, dried galangal, pandan leaves, palm sugar, kaffir leaves and shrimp paste. However, they are worth it. I use dried galangal because I don't have access to fresh ones. I substitute fresh red chilli with bottled ground chilli paste called Sambal Oelek. It works just as wonderful! I think this is the most authentic and remarkable cookbook I have. It is simple, clear, precise and a gem. I would recommend this cookbook if you want to bring authentic new flavors to your table. It helps ease my homesickness. Nowadays, I call my mom up to say "I made beef rendang today!"... something I had never said before this cookbook.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My best cookbook find yet!!, September 18, 2003

By 

"lameizi" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine (Paperback)

Finally, a cookbook that satisfies my frequent cravings for foods like padang spicy beef, sate, and hainan chicken!! After living in Southeast Asia for a number of years, I fell in love with the cuisine of this region and since then, I've been searching long and hard for a cookbook like this one to come out. It's easy enough to find decent cookbooks for Thai food or Vietnamese food these days, as a single search will turn up thousands of results, but it's truly a rare find to come across a cookbook on the foods of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore - especially one of this quality! The recipes, each of which is accompanied by a large, beautiful picture, are concise and easy to follow, and the food itself is simply amazing. Now that I have this book, I no longer have to suppress my cravings or fight the urge to fly back to the islands to get my fix of Gado Gado (Java styled salad), Kari Sapi (Malaysian beef curry), or Kangkung Tumis (spicy, Singaporean water spinach). Funny thing is, I never thought I would ever be able to make these foods myself! But what surprised me most was the fact that these dishes tasted even better than I remembered, coming out of my own kitchen no less! (now *that* is truly incredible). So do yourself a favor and buy this book - you'll not only save tons of money you'd otherwise spend at mediocre Malaysian/Indonesian/Singaporean restaurants in the area (if there even are such restaurants available to you), but you'll also be able to impress everyone with your newfound ability to cook dishes as delicious and as hard to come by as the ones shared in this cookbook. Definitely worth every penny and more!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a treasure!, July 13, 2003

By 

Jia (Ann Arbor , MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine (Paperback)

This cookbook is a 'must have' for those who want a taste of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The instruction is easy to follow, and the result is amazing! My first attempt on some of the dishes featured was already a hit with friends. Among the favorites are Spicy Crab (pg 37), Grilled Fish with Sweet Soy Sauce (pg 87) and Mixed Vegetables with Grated Coconut (pg 53). Creative presentation of the dishes captured in the full color photographs is another plus factor of this book.

Authentic taste! Great for entertaining or home dining!