30 days is over...
Feels like yesterday when I received an email from Royal Selangor Pewter asking me to join this challenge.
When I decided to say yes to the challenge, I was very apprehensive. Juggling work and my crazy hours is already a roller coaster ride hence throwing in a daily challenge for such a long period seemed like a crazy idea.
But I stubbornly decided I'll do it. Part of the reason wasn't the prize but more because it was for a good cause since cancer has touched so many of our lives affecting friends and close family. Even in that 30-day period, I saw a friend pass away from lung cancer after a battle of two years.
The 30 days was a roller coaster ride, some ups when the ideas work and of course, the downs when the jelly plops out in a sunken mess...
No matter how emotional it has been, the best thing is I had lots of fun. It gathered friends around me who gave ideas. Friends and blog readers would often ask too what is next encouraging me with kind words. And of course, the other half would nag me to death about what I am making. He was the big time keeper pushing me to move my butt to make jellies.
The pressure kinda mounted for this last jelly...people asked me am I doing a big thing for this finale.
I decided to do a version of nasi lemak, Malaysia's favourite dish that they must eat every morning or night. When I meant a version, this wasn't just rice and sambal. Instead, this version held a few surprises. It is loosely based on a version I saw a certain famous chef make once for his television show. Once it airs, I will reveal more about him and the show.
Like everything in life, when I make the jelly things change. I had envisioned a smooth fluffy coconut base similar in texture like the one I had made for my root beer float. BUT when I combined hot gelatine liquid with the coconut gelato, it gelled up into small bits that strange enough looked like rice. I added sambal tumis to the tip just like how they do the real stuff.
After that it was chucked in the freezer and left for a few hours. The the truth came...the unveiling and it plopped out nicely. Next came the whole assembling, like how to wrap a nasi lemak bungkus (packet in Malay). Luckily there were youtube videos giving tips so that was tackled.
I had also made jelly eggs, as a play of the hard boiled eggs that usually go with it. But the peanuts and fried anchovies (ikan bilis) was kept true to the whole dish. Even cucumbers left over from yesterday's jelly was used, encased in a wobbly cucumber jelly.
The verdict...it was rather nice indeed and that was for dinner. A definitely unique way to eat nasi lemak cold instead of piping hot but the sambal had a mellow spicy taste that rounded up the sweet coconut flavours.
Do give it a try and experience it yourself. Even though the October is almost over, there's still time to hurry over and support the cause by buying a Royal Selangor Nick Munro pewter mould as all proceeds go to breast cancer welfare association atthe Royal Selangor website.For more pictures, seethe Flickr setfor all the whole Royal Selangor Jellyriffic challenge.
"Nasi Lemak Bungkus"
nasi lemak
4 1/2 teaspoons gelatine powder
2 tablespoons hot water
150g coconut gelato
4 tablespoons sambal tumis
jelly eggs
yolk
50ml coconut milk
50ml water
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons agar agar powder
drop of yellow colour
egg white
100ml coconut milk
100ml water
40g caster sugar
5 teaspoons agar agar powder
cucumber jelly
1/2 cucumber, cut into slices
50ml cucumber juice!
fried peanuts
fried ikan bilis (anchovies)
To make nasi lemak: Bloom gelatine powder. Melt with hot water. Mix hot gelatine powder with cold coconut gelato. It will fluff up and cause it to gell into small bits similar to cooked egg white. Take a few tablespoons out and mix with sambal. Line the moulds like cling film. Top with sambal mixture. Compress coconut mixture on top. Freeze to set.
To make jelly eggs: Make the yolk by combining coconut milk, sugar and agar agar powder together in a pot. Heat over low heat until it is combined and thick. Remove. Add food colouring to look like the yolk. Pour into round moulds. Leave to cool. Set in a fridge. For the egg shells, crack the top and remove the eggshells and pour out the egg. Wash and dry out. Make the egg white section by combining the coconut milk, sugar and agar agar powder together over a low heat. Once it thickens, remove and pour into a jug. Pour a little in the egg shell. Add egg yolk. Cover with remaining egg white mixture. Continue for rest of eggs. Chill in the fridge for few hours till set.
To make cucumber jelly: Bloom gelatine powder. Add 1 tablespoon hot water to melt. Combine with cucumber juice. Pour into a flat mould. Top with cucumber slices.
To assemble: Remove nasi lemak from mould. Place on banana leaf. Crack jelly eggs and cut a slice out. Cut out cucumber. Serve with fried peanuts and ikan bilis.
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