More than just a collection of delicious recipes, Ranie Saidi’s The Malay Cook is the result of many years of skilled detective work. The London-based writer and supper club host was largely raised by his grandmother and grandfather in the north of Malaysia, after his parents married young and had him while still at medical school. Che Aminah, his grandmother, was a much-loved Malay village cook who ran a wedding catering business and Ranie grew up in her kitchen and accompanying her to the market. “I was not just her grandchild,” he writes in the book: “I was her chosen companion, her little shadow.”
Then, in 2011, Ranie’s grandmother died and, to add to the family’s heartbreak, her treasured recipe book was stolen. Ranie had never planned to follow in her footsteps but after moving to the UK to study, and still deep in grief, he found shelter in his kitchen. “I began gathering my grandmother’s recipes through my memories of her,” he says, “piecing them together with help from my aunts and my father. Recreating her dishes became a private ritual of mourning.” He spent over a decade visiting every Malaysian restaurant he could find in the UK, training his palate.
Today his grandmother lives on through his sold-out supper clubs, the Malay sauces he makes and sells, and now his debut cookbook featuring more than 70 recipes, from her “matrimonal chicken” (her version of Malay ayam masak merah, which was always requested when she catered weddings) and buttered tofu to the super-simple but mouthwatering lime steamed sea bass Ranie shares with us today. As Yotam Ottolenghi says of this beautiful book: “Ranie Saidi went on a journey of unearthing his lost flavours and this book celebrates them with incredible generosity.”
Words by Imogen Carter
Photography by Mowie Kay
Ranie’s ikan siakap stim (lime steamed sea bass)
I’ve always found something comforting about steamed fish. Traditionally in Malay cooking, we use banana leaves when steaming or grilling; the leaves lend their subtle scent to the food. Using foil may be easier, but it misses that depth of flavour, which is why I keep banana leaves tucked away in my freezer. What makes this steamed sea bass so special is the spices tempered in hot oil, poured over at the end – it wakes up the flavours and gives the fish a glossy, aromatic, spiced finish.
Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are!)
Ingredients
4 sea bass fillets
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
5 spring onions, chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 lime leaf, thinly sliced
2 tbsps sweet soy sauce (kicap manis)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
juice of 3 limes or 2 calamansi
½ tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
80ml vegetable oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6.
Tear off a large piece of foil and lay the banana leaves on top, if using. Place the fish fillets in the centre, then arrange the garlic, chilli, spring onions, tomato and lime leaves on top. Drizzle with the sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce and lime juice, then season with salt and pepper.
Fold the foil over the fish and tightly seal all three edges to create a secure parcel. Place the foil parcel on a baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for 15 mins.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the fennel and fenugreek seeds for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Remove the fish from the oven. Open the parcel and carefully pour the tempered spices over the fish, then leave it for 2-3 mins to rest and infuse before serving it with rice.
The Malay Cook: Everyday Malaysian Recipes from Grandma’s Kitchen to Mine is published by Ryland Peters & Small (£25)