Fresh take: recipes from Norman Musa’s Bowlful cookbook

25 Feb, 2023 04:00 PM7 mins to read

The night market's baked chicken & slaw. Photo / Luke J Albert

Born in Malaysia, chef and author Norman Musa has spent much of his life exploring the cultures and cuisines of Southeast Asia. His latest cookbook, Bowlful, is the distillation of many years of travel and a celebration of the economical, vibrant and deliciously simple bowl food from these regions.

The night market's baked chicken & slaw

Serves 4

I have a vivid memory of saving my pocket money to buy this dish at the night market in my village when I was 11 years old. I waited all week for Friday night to come when the smoke from the stall carried with it the wonderful smell of grilled chicken that makes you instantly hungry. At the night market, a half chicken would be flattened and tied lengthways on to bamboo sticks so it could be turned easily to cook both sides; for my version, I use a whole spatchcocked chicken, marinated in the sauce and baked in the oven.

1 whole chicken, about 1.3kg/3lb, spatchcocked 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 Tbsp dark muscovado sugar 2 tsp fine sea salt For the marinade 2 banana shallots, peeled 3 garlic cloves, peeled 2.5cm ginger 5cm fresh turmeric, peeled, or 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp fine sea salt For the slaw ¼ cup white sugar 300g red cabbage, thinly sliced 1 carrot, julienned 10 red radishes, thinly sliced 1 red onion, thinly sliced 1 cucumber, deseeded and julienned 100ml rice vinegar For the sauce 3 banana shallots, peeled 3 cloves garlic, peeled 2.5cm ginger 5 Tbsp chilli paste (I recommend sambal badjak) 2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed 2 Tbsp coconut milk 1 Tbsp tamarind paste

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180ºC. Using a handheld stick blender or food processor, blitz together the marinade ingredients, apart from the salt, with 2 tablespoons of water until fine and smooth.

2. Rub the chicken with the 1 teaspoon of salt, then rub the chicken generously with the marinade and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight.

3. For the slaw: Dilute the sugar with 200ml of boiling water and then add all the other ingredients, give everything a good mix and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, blitz together the sauce ingredients with 2 tablespoons of water until fine and smooth. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and cook the sauce for 3 minutes, then add the sugar and salt. Stir in 300ml cups of water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

5. Lift the chicken out of the marinade, place on an oven tray and bake for 15 minutes. Discard the marinade. Take the chicken out of the oven, baste with the sauce and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Repeat the same process once more (basting then baking the chicken) so the chicken has cooked for 45 minutes in total.

6. Give the baked chicken another baste once it has been removed from the oven. Cut into four pieces and divide between four serving bowls with the slaw on the side. Serve immediately with any remaining sauce alongside.

The night market's baked chicken & slaw. Photo / Luke J Albert

Oven-baked fish curry

Makes 4 ramekins

This is my favourite Cambodian fish curry dish. The traditional way to cook this dish, known as Trey Amok, is by steaming in small baskets made of fresh banana leaves. For my baked version, I put the fish curry in ramekins, but you can use any ovenproof bowls. the egg in the mixture binds the ingredients and makes the curry set nicely.

100g baby spinach 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp palm sugar 2 Tbsp fish sauce 1 Tbsp tamarind paste 1 cup coconut milk, plus extra for the garnish 500g skinless white fish fillets, such as cod or monkfish, cut into bite-sized chunks 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 red chilli, deseeded and julienned 4 kaffir lime leaves, ribs removed and thinly sliced Rice, to serve For the paste 2 banana shallots, peeled 5 garlic cloves, peeled 2 stalks of lemongrass, trimmed 5cm fresh turmeric, peeled, or 1 tsp ground turmeric 3 red chillies, deseeded 5cm galangal, or ginger with 2 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C. Blitz together the paste ingredients with 2 tablespoons of water using a handheld stick blender or food processor until fine and smooth.

2. In a medium bowl, blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and pat dry with kitchen paper. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a wok or deep saucepan over a medium heat and fry the paste for 3 minutes until fragrant.

4. Stir in the sugar, fish sauce and tamarind, cook for 2 minutes and then stir in the coconut milk, together with 200ml of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.

5. Divide the fish and spinach between four medium ramekins or ovenproof bowls. Pour an equal amount of curry sauce into each bowl, stir well but gently, and make sure the spinach is visible in each ramekin or bowl.

6. Next, divide the beaten eggs between the bowls and mix gently. Put the bowls into a large, deep oven tray and pour in cold water so it reaches halfway up the bowls. Cover the tray with aluminium foil and seal around the edges to trap the steam.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and set aside for 2 minutes, then pour ½ tablespoon of extra coconut milk over each bowl and garnish with the chilli and kaffir lime leaves. Serve with rice.

Oven baked fish curry. Photo / Luke J Albert

Spicy minced beef & kaffir lime leaves

Serves 4

Thai food is known for its spiciness, especially the use of bird's eye chillies. I have omitted these fiery chillies for this recipe and used chilli paste instead, because when my Thai friend Kym introduced me to this dish, the heat was too much for me – and I was too embarrassed to admit it! As I come from Malaysia I should be used to the heat, but my taste buds have changed. I am sure Kym won't be pleased to discover I have left out the chillies. If you like it hot, add either bird's eye or red chillies by slicing them thinly and frying them at the beginning with the onion, garlic and Thai basil. Kym served this dish with rice, as it should be, but here I serve it with baguettes as a perfect sandwich filling.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 10 fresh Thai basil leaves 500g minced beef 6 kaffir lime leaves, ribs removed, rolled and thinly sliced 2 French baguettes Round lettuce, cut in half and leaves picked 10 cherry tomatoes, halved For the seasoning 2 Tbsp chilli paste (I recommend sambal badjak) 1 Tbsp light soy sauce, plus ½ tbsp extra for the salad dressing 2 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 Tbsp fish sauce ½ Tbsp palm sugar

1. Mix the seasoning ingredients together well with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the onion, garlic and Thai basil for 2 minutes, until fragrant and golden.

3. Add the beef and seasoning mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Add the kaffir lime leaves, stir well and turn off the heat.

4. Cut each baguette lengthways and scoop out some of the insides to fit the filling inside. Fill each baguette with the beef mixture, lettuce and tomatoes. Cut each baguette in half, transfer to serving bowls and serve.