Abby Lee's Malaysian Recipes

Malaysia is not known for its cold climate, but when the rainy season arrives in November and December, the temperature tends to drop - down to 25°C. During the colder months in Britain, meanwhile, I eat lots of peppery broths fortified with chilli and ginger, and often serve them with 'cooling' vegetables to balance out the heat, as well as sour curries- mild and slow-braised meats. These are dishes to warm the soul and keep you going until the sun returns.

Babi chin, or braised dark soy pork belly

A classic Nyonya dish that is often served at Lunar New Year, although a more everyday version would simply involve garlic and fermented soybeans. It is a combination of Chinese and Malay cultures, using soybeans from the former and coriander seeds from the latter. Two ingredients that will make a big difference here are good soybean paste and thick, dark soybeans. If you wish, add some soaked shiitake mushrooms to the braising, for a little more texture.

Preparation 10 minMarinating 1 hourCooking 1 hour 45 minutesFor 4

For the braise600g pork belly with skin on, cut into 4cm cubes80ml dark soy sauce15ml light soy sauce2½ tsp caster sugar1 tbsp vegetable oil or other neutral oil200 g round shallots, peeledSalt and sugar, to taste

For the rempah (paste)20g coriander root (or stems)35g d peeled garlic45g long red chilli2 tbsp coriander seeds40g soy paste (or red miso paste)

Put the pork in a bowl with half the soy sauce black, toss to coat well, then marinate at room temperature for an hour.

Meanwhile, make the rempah. Coarsely chop the coriander root, garlic and chilli, put them in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients for the paste and mix gently.

Combine the rest dark soybeans, light soybeans and sugar in a bowl. Put the oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat and when hot, add the paste and stir for five to 10 minutes, until you can really smell the aromas. Add pork belly and toss to coat each piece. Pour in the soy sauce mixture, swirl some water around in the bowl to pick up the last bits, and add to the pan with the peeled shallots. Fill with water to almost cover the pork belly, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a light simmer, cover and cook for 1.5 hours.

Season with salt and sugar to taste (different brands of soy sauce have different flavor profiles) and serve with rice.

Ikan assam pedas, or hot and sour fish stew

This classic Malay and Minangkabau dish is very aromatic and more indulgent, and looks more like a thin broth than a thick curry. It's traditionally laced with torch ginger flower, a particular flavor that's hard to get in the UK, but the easier-to-find Vietnamese coriander would finish it off nicely. Don't be afraid to fry the batter in lots of oil: it's the best way to bring out the flavor. Also, be rough with the tamarind – it's supposed to be very acidic.

Prep 15 minCook 1 hourServes 4

For the rempah90g red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped80g lemongrass, green tops discarded, remainder coarsely chopped90g long red chilli, coarsely chopped6g prawn paste (belacan, ideally; otherwise, Thai kapi is widely available)8 pieces of dried Kashmiri chili, soaked in lukewarm water for 15 minutes½ tsp ground turmeric

< p class="dcr-1b64dqh">For the fish100ml vegetable oil or other neutral oil 20g caster sugar 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 140g eggplant, cut into 6cm pieces (it will shrink as it cooking) 1 Italian tomato, halved 50g tamarind concentrate (ideally the light brown of the Southeast Asian type) 120g okra2 mackerel, cleaned, or 4 x fillets of about 140g Minced mint and cori andre, to finish

Put all the ingredients for the dough in a blender and blitz smooth.

Put the oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat, then sauté the batter, stirring regularly, for about 20 minutes, until the oil separates. Add the sugar and salt, let caramelize for a few minutes, then add the...