PAN-FRIED STEAMED PAU 

The chilli sauce in the picture looks like a Chinese character, doesn't it? I just hope I haven't scribbled (more like dribbled) a bad word!

And the chopsticks? They're obviously a prop since I can't pick up anything as big as the steamed buns with chopsticks. 

I am no expert maker of pau or steamed buns, but if I'm feeding myself, these are good enough. I like these two-in-one pan-fried and steamed buns – they are placed in a little oil to brown the bottom and then water is poured into the pan so the pau are steamed until done.

Filling ingredients for pan-fried steamed pau

I use a mushroom filling with lots of different vegetables thrown into the mix for taste and texture.

What's important is the type of flour that is used. Water Lily or Hong Kong flour is a fine, low-protein flour which makes the pau fluffy. It's also bleached, however. With buns that are only steamed, apparently if you put a few drops of white vinegar in the steaming water, it keeps the buns white.

After the bottom is fried, water is added to the pan to steam the buns

Pan-fried Steamed Buns

Makes 6 medium buns

Filling

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

¼ cup julienned carrot

½ cup shredded cabbage

¼ cup thinly sliced snow peas

1 spring onion, white part, chopped

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Buns

150g pau flour (Water Lily or Hong Kong flour; low-protein flour)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp sugar

½ tbsp oil

A drop of alkaline water (air abu), optional

70ml water, approximate

Neutral-flavoured oil (like corn or vegetable), for brushing

Assembly and cooking

1½ tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional

1 tbsp all-purpose flour mixed with 1 cup water

1 spring onion, green part, chopped

Chilli sauce, to serve

To make the filling, heat oil and sesame oil in a frying pan. Sauté the garlic briefly and then add the other ingredients. Toss briefly and then remove to a plate to cool.

To make the buns, sift flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Stir in instant yeast, sugar, oil and alkaline water. Gradually add water and continue mixing to form a firm ball.

Transfer dough to a work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, five to eight minutes. Cover dough with a damp tea towel and allow to rise until twice its size.

Scale dough into six equal pieces and form into balls. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside for five minutes.

To assemble, roll out each ball into a circle about 8cm wide. Brush the centre of the circle with a little hoisin sauce and place a mound of filling on it. Gather up the edges and pleat neatly (or just press together and twist!). Press the bottoms of the buns in the sesame seeds, if using.

To cook, heat the oil and sesame oil in a large lidded pan. Place the buns in the pan and cook until the bottoms are crisp and a deep brown. Pour in the flour solution and cover the pan to steam the buns. Leave until puffed up and water has evaporated, six to eight minutes. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion and serve immediately with chilli sauce.

FRIED IKAN MASIN WITH ONION, CHILLI AND ASSAM

I was in the northeastern state of Terengganu last week. Besides a healthy tan, I brought back the not quite so healthy seafood snacks, crackers and salted whitebait.

My mother told me to prepare the salted fish or ikan masin by soaking and rinsing in water three times before using, which I did because I normally listen to my mother. I soaked the fish for about 15 minutes each time, but three dunkings in water seem to have rid the fish of all its salty flavour as well. Not quite what I look for in salted fish.

Ikan masin, soaked (left) and fried

Anyway, I went ahead and fried the little fish until crisp, then tossed them together with fried onion rings, red chillies, lemongrass and a tamarind sauce. 

Together with a quick cabbage stir-fry and rice, lunch was served. Simple, delicious kampung food.

Not quite so kampung food was what we had in the little riverside town of Chukai on our way to our destination – baked crabs at the famous Tong Juan restaurant.

They certainly weren't stingy with the filling in each crab – there was a lot of it and it was very fresh. We had two crab shells each, which was really filling, especially since we had the meal with rice.

Personally, I thought the crab meat needed a boost of something. Terengganu food leans towards the sweet side and I have chilli in my blood, so I added quite a lot of the accompanying chilli sauce to it.

STUFFED RED PEPPERS WITH PEARL COUSCOUS 

I could have simply stir-fried a chopped red pepper, tossed it with some cooked pearl couscous, added herbs and nuts and had a very nice dinner. 

But while flipping through the pages of Nigel Slater's Tender Volume 1, I came upon his recipe for "stuffed peppers for an autumn day". Well, I had no autumn day, but most of the ingredients were in the fridge or cupboard, so it was baked stuffed peppers with pearl couscous for me.

Pearl couscous (also known variously in the Middle East as mograbieh, Israeli couscous or fregola) is not the easiest ingredient to get here, but with more Middle Easterners coming to live here, grocers have started to have a small stock of it. It's still very expensive for the average Malaysian income though, but I like the texture and pleasant chewiness, and I don't begrudge a single sen I spend on good food. It can, of course, be replaced with a grain such as rice or bulgur, in this dish.

Ready for the oven: Bake the peppers in the same pan the stuffing was cooked in

Stuffed Peppers with Pearl Couscous

Serves 1. Adapted from Nigel Slater's Tender Vol. I

1 large red pepper (capsicum)

¼ cup pearl couscous*

Olive oil

2 stalks spring onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, diced

Large pinch of paprika

2 tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted

½ a lemon, zested

1 small handful fresh mint, chopped

Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 180°C.

Half the red pepper through the stalk, and remove the core.

Cook the pearl couscous in plenty of salted water (like pasta) until tender. Drain and toss lightly in olive oil.

Over moderate heat, soften the white part of the spring onion in a little oil. Add the garlic, paprika and lemon zest.

When fragrant, add the cooked pearl couscous and toss together. Take off the heat and add the sunflower seeds and mint. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Scoop the stuffing into the pepper halves, place them in an oven-proof dish (or use the same pan in which you cooked the stuffing) and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes until sizzling.

Serve, drizzled with the pan juices. Goes nicely with Greek yoghurt.

* Replace with ordinary couscous or a grain like rice or bulgur.