Monday 11 February 2013

Pineapple Kerabu


Pineapple is my must have ingredient whenever I make Kerabu or Rojak. Somehow, without pineapple I feel that my Kerabu or Rojak is incomplete. The sweet and sour taste of the pineapple really lights everything up. Besides it is full of vitamins, minerals and lots of fibre. If I am eating pineapple just by itself, I like to rub it with some salt all over and it tastes really good.



I dislike the chore of peeling pineapples and cutting off the eyes. Ugh! Messy, messy, messy (OK, I admit - lazy, lazy, lazy!)! So I buy the ready peeled Crystal pineapple available from Aeon supermarket. It is quite small, weighing about 350g. I usually like making kerabu with an assortment of vegetables like cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, young papaya and of course pineapple. This time I decided why not make pineapple the star of the show. And since it is Chinese New Year, I have lots of Mandarin oranges in the house. So, in goes a few segments of the oranges too.



For the kerabu dressing, I am using my grandma's recipe. Pretty simple - fresh chillies, onions, dried prawns (heh bee) and belacan. Instead of calamansi lime (limau kasturi) my family has always used lime (limau nipis) instead. I prefer limau nipis as I find that it imparts a stronger taste and aroma compared to limau kasturi.

Blended fresh chillies, dried prawns, onions and belacan.

My grandma and my mum add sugar to the kerabu dressing for sweetness but I prefer to use plum sauce instead. I love plum sauce because it is sweet and sour and gives the dressing a thicker consistency.

Add lime juice and plum sauce. Yum!

For this pineapple kerabu, I did not add any of the usual herbs like mint (only used as a garnish), basil and bunga kantan as I wanted the taste of the pineapple to shine through by itself. The Mandarin oranges complemented the pineapple very well, it was a beautiful marriage of flavors.



Speaking of pineapples, this reminds me of a joke told by an ex-colleague at my previous workplace. Apparently, Lionel Richie was touring China and his last stop was at a province highly populated by Hokkiens. He wasn't sure if these people were familiar with his work and he decided to perform "All Night Long" since it was a very catchy number. This was how the master of ceremony introduced him. "Ladies and gentlemen, this evening we are very honored to have a very famous artiste from USA to entertain us. His name is Mr Longan Lychee and he will be singing his hit song Ong Lai Long (pineapple factory in Hokkien)". Ever since that joke, everytime I hear All Night Long, in my head it goes like this "Ong Lai Long! Ong Lai.......Ong Lai.......".









Pineapple Kerabu
Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :
- 1 small pineapple, sliced (350g)
- 1 Mandarin orange, segments with skin removed
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- Mint leaves for garnishing

Dressing :
- 3 tablespoons sambal belacan
- 1 tablespoon plum sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried prawns, soaked and pounded
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Juice from 2 limes (limau nipis)

Note : The dressing should taste sweet, sour and salty. Please adjust as necessary.

Method :
- Mix all the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust if necessary and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, put pineapple slices, mandarin orange segments and sliced onions. 
- Add dressing and toss to mix evenly.
- Garnish with mint leaves and serve.




I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.


This post is also linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY.

60 comments:

  1. Loving the sweet and sour flavor combo... Nice salad Phong

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    1. Thanks, Vimitha! We need more delicious vege dishes that is good for our health.

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  2. got my toppa head all sweated out oredi... tweak it and u will get a nice ngonyok... haaa... Happy New Year to you and all in the family!

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    1. Keong Hee Huat Chye! Hmmmm....add vinegar, flaked fish and young papaya and I get gonyok. How clever of you :)

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  3. keong hee huat chai....in lieu of angpow, I would gladly accept recipe for sambal belacan...hows that?

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    1. Keong Hee Huat Chye! Very easy - fresh chillies, some onions and belacan. Just agak-agak. After blending, you can store it in a jar and put in the fridge for 1 week to 10 days. When you want to eat, squeeze lime juice and add sugar.

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  4. Looks really very appetizing too. I loves pineapple in anything. I think I can eat a whole plate if it is not too hot and too spicy. Two thumbs up!

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    1. Mel, can put less chilies. This is also nice to eat with keropok.

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  5. Hi Phong Hong, ding dong, ding dong.....Gong Xi Fa Cai, I'm here. Your this kerabu look so tempting and refreshing. Got make extra for us? :)

    Have a wonderful day ahead,regards.

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    1. Amelia, Gong Xi Fa Cai! Come, come! Got keropok also for you :)

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    2. Hi Phong Hong, drop by to wish you Happy Valentine's day. May your day fill with joy and love.
      Keropok ada lagi tak? I bring chili sauce. LOL

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    3. Happy Valentine's day, Amelia! I can fry some more keropok for you, no problem!

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  6. tempting kerabu. lovely color, a very different one too

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    1. Swasthi, this is one of my favorite kerabus. Provides lots of fiber :)

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  7. Gosh, this looks real yummy! Perfect for any occasion, Phong Hong! Here's wishing a Happy CNY & don't forget to enter my latest Valentine’s Day Giveaway: Win Hawaa Natural Soy Lotion Candles By Flen!! I'm giving out 10 candles that melt into a nice scented moisturizer!!

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    1. Gong Xi Fa Cai, Shirley! I will check out your giveaway. It sound interesting!

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  8. nice color you got :) fingerlicking good..

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  9. I am the only one in the family who eats fresh pineapples with salt! I find it really delicious and refreshing! :D Of course the more popular pineapple dish is the tart...always a hit with everyone, young and old alike!

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    1. Jeanie, when I eat pineapple with salt it really make the pineapple so tasty that I keep on eating!

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  10. Hi Phong Hong, I would prefer this lovely kerabu to all the meaty stuff prepared for CNY meals.

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    1. Kimmy, yah it is nice to take a break from meats. Too much meat and I feel very "jelak".

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  11. Replies
    1. Thank you! Hope you like pineapples :)

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  12. Hi my Phong Hong Keong Hee Huat Chai sorry kee nee boh hor lu ang pow boh sin chia ti KL.Your kerabu looks yummy Emily could love it in fact I was suppose to make kerabu for her on Sunday but forgot to buy lime.Add a few lada burong to the belachan it will give it a kick .Now I lau nyiour ti tek ti tek

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    1. EE, Keong Hee Huat Chye! If Emily likes pineapple, she might like this kerabu too :)

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  13. Hi Phong Hong,

    I start to appreciate traditional Asian food lately and misses eating rojak and traditional style kerabu. Your pineapple kerabu look wonderful... and I'm salivating (a lot!) looking at these juicy and spicy pineapple.

    Before going, I need to do this... Happy CNY to you and your family. Gong Xi Fa Cai. May best of luck and happiness be with you for the year of snake :D

    Zoe

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    1. Thank you, Zoe! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Asian food is very tasty and intricate in it's blend of spices and flavors. We should be proud of our culinary heritage. And the western chefs have been paying a lot of attention too!

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  14. Gong Xi Faa Chai, Phong Hong! This is indeed very mouthwatering kerabu & very refreshing ! Drooling at all the yummy photos! My mom eat pineapple with salt too! LOL

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    1. Gong Xi Fa Cai, Kit! I love pineapple a lot and with salt, I can eat a few slices at one go :)

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  15. Between looking at your post and Zoe's, I'm dying to eat some pineapple! Your kerabu sounds flavorful and delicious :)

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    1. Thank you, Lizzy! Pineapple is a wonderful fruit and it's great in bakes too.

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  16. Slurps! Hmmmm....I could have had that for my CNY spread as well.

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    1. Arthur, it is a good accompaniment to meaty dishes. Helps with digestion and guaranteed no constipation!

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  17. Hehe PH, I'm the same as you. Always look for peeled pineapples cos too lazy to peel :P Looks great this kerabu :)

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    1. Thanks, Baby Sumo! Hee..hee..I like your name :)

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  18. Replies
    1. Thanks, Maha! It's fiery, sweet and sour!

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  19. this sounds and looks great. I am going to pin it to my Recipes to Try board. Hope you are having a good wee.

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    1. That's great, Carole! Have a good week ahead yourself :)

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  20. I also hate cutting pineapples LOL this salad is making me drool!

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    1. Mich, glad to hear I am not the only one hah! hah!

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  21. Hi PH! Happy Lunar New Year!

    This sweet and spicy dish must be very appetizing!

    BTW, the mint leaves are from your garden? They look so green and fresh!

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    1. Alvin, yes, the mint was from my garden. Farm fresh!

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  22. What a flavorful dish. I love pineapple and can't wait to try this. Great call in using plum sauce to replace sugar. I think that adds another dimension of sweetness and flavor. :)

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    1. Amy, this kerabu is very addictive. All the sweet, sour and salty flavours creates havoc with the appetite!

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  23. I have never cut a pineapple by myself...it is hard. And very, very messy.
    This dish looks very interesting...never heard of kerabu before.

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    1. Hi Joyti! Oh tell me about it! No more struggling for me, I look for the ready cut ones. Will visit you soon!

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  24. Interesting recipes, good photos, very tasty resemble the Mediterranean cuisine which we do in Spain. We invite you to visit my blog from Spain, with traditional recipes from the State of Valencia. In my blog you can find a translator to your language

    This week “The Giraboix” in http://valenciagastronomic.blogspot.com.es
    Going to lose?

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    1. Hi Chef Gonin! I love Mediterranean cuisine and will come over to your blog soon. Thanks for visiting!

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  25. This must have all the tangy, sweet, sour and spicy taste ..... hahahaha ..... all in :) It must be really yummy! Here, I'm wishing you and your family a happy and prosperous new year :)

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    1. Gong Xi Fa Cai, DG and all at home! Oh yes, this kerabu has fantastic flavours all in one. I love it with keropok and I can eat and eat and eat!

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  26. Hello, Phong Hong, your fried rice looks so delicious there! I've brought my own bowl & pair of chopstick, anymore rice left?

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    1. Jessie, I made extra just in case you were coming over hah! hah!

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  27. Phong Hong,
    I love your kerabu pineapple.
    I actually wanted to tell you I love all the kerabu-kerabu and salad-salad from PH Bakes. Sedap!

    I am glad that you link your post to our Little Thimbs Up event. Thank you :)
    mui

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    1. mui mui, I have lots more kerabu and salad recipes to share. I am happy to link with Little Thumbs Up!

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  28. hi phong hong, i've never tried peeling the eyes of a pineapple before! not sure if i know how to do it...but always seem easy to look at the sellers doing that! talk of pineapples and the way you described them and the salt, my mouth is watering...i ate quite a lot of fresh pineapples during cny. my uncle cut and peeled them for us..since when lionel richie becomes a fruit?? LOL!

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    1. Lena, pineapples are good for us. Eat already, next day go toilet very smooth leh! I love pineapples but always buy the ready cut one.

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  29. Hahaha, I can't stop laughing on the Ong Lai Long. I will remember this joke when I listen this song again .
    Oh ya, this pineapple salad sound so refreshing !

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    1. Sonia, now I can't enjoy the song because keep thinking is Ong Lai Long!

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