Cooking for the In-Laws: Nasi Minyak (Ghee Rice) and Kalderetang Kambing (Filipino Lamb Stew)
that feeling when your MIL says ur food tastes like hers 🤩🤩🤩
To most, Nasi Minyak (fragrant ghee rice) is simply a rice dish. For Angie, a Filipino who recently married into a local Malay-Muslim family, this yellow rice dish, infused with ghee and spices is a beautiful reminder of her wedding day. Marrying into a family meant adapting and learning a different set of customs and practices. Can she win the hearts of her in-laws with her surprising them with a dish she has never prepared in her life?
As a gift of love and to introduce her rich cultural heritage to her in-laws, Angie also prepared a hearty Kalderetang Kambing (goat meat stew). A classic Filipino Kaldereta often uses beef, however, the use of lamb makes for a more unctuous and rich substitute which goes in tandem with Hari Raya Aidiladha celebrations where lambs and goats are often slaughtered as part of the festivals’ ritualistic sacrifice.
An interesting element of the Kaldereta which we learnt from Angie was the use of liver spread to thicken the tangy tomato-based stew. Her late mother’s recipe includes the use of Reno canned liver spread which contains pork liver but as a halal-friendly substitute, she makes a rich chicken liver spread from scratch.
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Nasi Minyak (Ghee Rice) - serves 4
600g basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
1/3 cup LEILA Ghee
250g raw cashews
150g golden raisins (sultanas)
3 pcs star anise
5 cardamom pods, slightly bruised
1 stick cinnamon / cassia bark
2 medium red onion, sliced thin
3 tbsp ginger puree
2 tbsp garlic puree
1 lemongrass, bruised
3 pandan leaves, knotted
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Small pinch of saffron (optional)
500ml water
2 tsp salt
directions:in a large pot, melt all the ghee on medium heat. add the cashews and raisins and stir constantly until cashews are evenly golden and toasted. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
add the star anise, cardamom and cinnamon into the ghee in the pot and temper for a few seconds to flavour the ghee. add the sliced onions and sauté until translucent and slightly golden. add in the lemongrass, pandan and the pureed ginger and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
incorporate the rice into the mixture tt and parch the rice for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to toast the rice until fragrant.
pour in water, evaporated milk and salt. bring the mixture to a boil before transferring in into a rice cooker.
OPTIONAL: grind the saffron in pestle and mortar until powdery. add in 2 ice cubes. once the ice has melted, give it a stir and sprinkle the saffron water over the rice to colour it yellow. if not using saffron, you can combine 1 tsp turmeric powder with 2 tbsp hot water and use it to colour the rice.
cook the rice using the rice cooker function. once cooked, use a fork to fluff the rice and to spread the yellow-tinted grains on the surface throughout. serve on a platter with a sprinkle of cashews and raisins. Serve with pacheri nenas as a side dish.
Simple Pacheri Nenas (Pineapple Chutney)
1 large pineapple (800g - 1kg), peeled and cut into large cubes
1 stick cinnamon / cassia bark
5 cloves
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup cane vinegar
2 large red chillies, sliced
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp oil
salt, to taste
directions:
heat oil on low-medium heat in a saucepan. add cloves, star anises and cinnamon and temper for 1 minute.
sautéed the onions and garlic until translucent. combine the pineapple cubes and red chilli and sauté for about 3 minutes or until the pineapples are slightly soft and stewy.
add the sugar, vinegar, water salt and bring it to a boil. let it simmer for 2 more minutes. remove from pan and let it cool before serving it alongside nasi minyak or steamed white rice.
Kalderetang Kambing (Filipino-style Lamb Cauldron Stew) - serves 4
1.5kg boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cubed
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
3 pieces dried bay leaves
2 x 400g canned tomatoes (diced/whole/chopped)
2 tbsp Filipino soy sauce / light soy sauce
1 cup water
2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubes
100g carrot, large cubes
2 medium red bell peppers, diced
1 medium green capsicum, diced
15 green pitted olives + 3 tbsp olive brine
1/3 cup chicken liver spread (*recipe below)
1 tbsp brown sugar
Salt, to taste
Dash of cracked black pepper
directions:
in a pot/casserole, heat 2 tbsp oil on medium high heat. when the pan is just starting to smoke, add layer of lamb cubes and sear until evenly brown on all sides. set the browned lamb aside.
in the same pan, add the 1/4 cup oil. sauté the onion, garlic and bay leaves until onions are lightly browned. add in the fresh tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes until tomatoes are slightly softened.
mix in the canned tomatoes, soy sauce and water and simmer for 10 minutes
fold in the lamb cubes and let it come to boil. turn down heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. simmer for at least 1 hour or until lamb is fork tender.
add the potatoes and simmer until halfway cooked. then, add in the carrots. cover and let the stew simmer until both vegetables are tender.
and the red bell pepper, green capsicum olives and brine. spoon in the chicken liver spread, stir to fully dissolve the liver into the gravy. simmer gently until the vegetables are soft and season with salt, sugar and pepper. adjust the consistency with water.
serve with rice or bread and enjoy!
Chicken liver spread
500g chicken liver, cleaned with veins removed
(to clean the livers, soak in 1 cup water, 2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp vinegar for 20 minutes. drain and rinse twice)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup full cream milk
1 tsp salt
Dash of cracked black pepper
directions
in a pan, melt the butter on medium heat. sauté the onions and garlic until slightly caramelised, stirring constantly.
add the chicken livers sauté until browned on all sides and the lovers are cooked. season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
combine the cooked liver mix with milk in a food processor / blender.
puree the livers until it resembles and smooth spread / paste. add more milk if needed, to aid in the blending. set aside for kaldereta or simply spread it on toast to enjoy!