This video comes to us from an awesome Philly-based project called #cookthatjawn. Cook That Jawn was conceived at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to help Philadelphians cook with the food provided in the free food boxes the city distributed each week. Local chefs and food activists shared how they would cook an ingredient from the food boxes in easy-to-follow recipes that are approachable to home cooks. Cook That Jawn asks viewers to chip in to help Philadelphia get through this crisis by donating to the PHL COVID-19 Fund.
With just a handful of spices and aromatics, some coconut milk and guidance from Saté Kampar‘s chef/owner, Ange Branca, you can learn how to make an incredible Malaysian pineapple curry, Nenas Masak Lemak. In this video, Branca walks us through each ingredient and gives helpful tips for substitutions. She also demonstrates a simple-but-powerful technique for building complex flavors in curries: pecah minyak. This is where the oils of the coconut cream separate from the liquids to create a “broken” sauce, which allows the aromatics, like chiles, shallots, and fresh turmeric and ginger to fry and brown to extract the most flavor possible.
The result is a heady, super-fragrant and creamy curry studded with sweet pineapple and plump shrimp (swap in tofu for a vegan version). Try the recipe out for an easy introduction to Malaysian cuisine!
- Video: Ange Branca for Cook That Jawn
