Mouthwatering Malaysian Meal, On A Budget

When it comes to world cuisine, Zak Pelaccio is definitely well-seasoned: He's delighted palates in many nations.

He's a classically-trained chef who graduated first in his class from the French Culinary Institute.

When he worked as a cook in Malaysia, Zak fell in love with the food, and hit upon what would become his specialty.

Now, he brings that love to New York as part-owner and executive chef of one of the city's hottest eateries, Fatty Crab. The menu at Fatty Crab draws on Southeast Asian influences Zak picked up while living in Malaysia.

Zak accepted The Early Show Saturday Edition's "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge of seeking to make an exotic, three-course, Malaysian-inspired meal for four that you could make at home on our recession-busting budget of only $35.

And he was automatically entered in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition. The "Shoestring" chef whose ingredients cost is lowest will be invited back to prepare our mega-meal for the holidays at the end of the year!

MENU:
Mango Salad & Papaya Salad
Grilled Pork with Palm Sugar, Red Onion, Scallion & Red Chilies
Chinatown Sponge Cake with Rhubarb & Fresh Cream

FOOD FACTS

Papaya: The fruit is ripe when it feels soft (like a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an amber to orange hue. The fruit's taste is vaguely similar to pineapple and peach, although much milder without the tartness. The ripe fruit is usually eaten raw, without the skin or seeds. The unripe green fruit of papaya can be eaten cooked, usually in curries, salads and stews. It also has a relatively high amount of pectin, which can be used to make jellies.

Chinese Long Bean: A long, thin Asian bean that can measure from one to three feet in length, but are best eaten when they are 12 to 20 inches long. It is a bean with a mild taste, similar to a Western string bean, that is grown in varieties identified by color as either light (pale) green or dark green beans. Unlike the shorter string bean, this bean has a soft texture that is flexible and not as crisp or moist as the Western variety. The lighter green bean has a limp texture that is sweeter tasting than the darker variety when cooked.

Fish Sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, Cambodian, and Filipino cuisine and is used in other Southeast Asian countries. In addition to being added to dishes during the cooking process, fish sauce can also be used in mixed form as a dipping condiment, and it is done in many different ways by each country mentioned for fish, shrimp, pork, and chicken.

Palm Sugar is made from tapping the sap from sugar palm trees. The sap comes from the flowering stalks, which are at the base of the long leafs. The liquid is then cooked down to a caramel-like consistency, then let harden into blocks or poured into containers for future use.

Rhubarb can be eaten raw with a little sugar sprinkled over it but it is generally cooked with other ingredients to produce a fruit dish of some type. Rhubarb can be used nicely to enhance the flavor of other fruits, such as pairing it with strawberries in baked sauces or beverages. Rhubarb stalks vary from red to pink and they may also appear speckled or green. This color variation has little or no impact on the ripeness of the rhubarb. When selecting, choose stalks that are fresh looking, crisp and blemish free.

RECIPES:

Papaya & Mango Salad

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups green, unripe papaya julienne
2 cups cucumber julienne
1 cup green mango julienne
1 cup ripe mango julienne
1 cup long charred Chinese long bean
3/4 cup lightly crushed roasted peanut
3/4 cup long red chili, julienne
basil
mint

Dressing:
1 Bird's Chili
1 tablespoon minced Ginger
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon coriander roots
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons palm sugar

Method: for dressing

Blend until smooth. Mix sliced ingredients in a mixing bowl, season with salt and dressing to coat ingredients.

Place salad in a bowl with crushed peanuts on top.

For more delicious recipes, go to Page 2

Flash Grilled Pork Loin

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless pork loin
1 cup palm sugar
1 cup fish sauce
2 Thai bird chilies, sliced thin (substitute jalapeno peppers)

PREP:

Place fish sauce, chili and palm sugar in pan, heat gently and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

Pound the pork with a mallet to tenderize and flatten slightly
Cool and let pork sit in marinade a couple hours prior to cooking.

Garnish:
4 long red chilies (or substitute Jalapenos) cut into fine julienne
2 medium red onions, sliced into very thin half moons
1 bunch cilantro, picked into small sprigs
8 pickled breakfast radishes, cut in half (see recipe below)
4 cloves garlic, halved and charred on hot griddle
1 2 inch piece of ginger cut into very fine matchsticks
1 lime
salt
pepper
2 eggs
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

Pickling Radishes:

Heat 1 cup of rice vinegar with ½ cup of water and 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Pour over radishes and refrigerate. Let sit at least 24 hours.

Cooking Eggs:

Heat a 7- to 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Blend eggs, Put a little oil in skillet and pour egg into skillet just to cover the bottom. Cook over medium heat until just set and roll out of pan. Repeat 1 or 2 times until all the egg is cooked. When the thin crepes have cooled, roll them up and cut into thin julienne. Reserve.

Cooking the Pork:

On a hot grill, cook the pork for 1 minute on the first side and 30 seconds on the second side while constantly brushing with the marinade. Toss all salad ingredients together, including egg, and dress with a little bit of grapeseed oil, salt and lime juice … squeeze extra lime over pork.

Plate 2 pieces of pork per plate, place salad on the side.

Chinatown Sponge Cake

INGREDIENTS:
4 slices store bought Chinatown sponge cake (substitute angel food cake)
1 cup rhubarb, cut up
1/2 cup dark palm sugar (Indonesian Gula Jawa)
1 tablespoon Sichuan Peppercorn (Wrapped in cheese cloth)
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

METHOD:

Combine all ingredients in a pot and slowly cook until rhubarb has broken down and is nice and soft. Let sit and when cool, remove sachet, squeezing all the goodness out of it before discarding.

Place cake and a spoonful of compote on a plate. Spoon cream on top.

So, how did Zak do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?:

Papaya & Mango Salad
papaya $1.49
cucumber $.66
mango $.99
chinese long bean $.87
peanuts $.99
red chilies $.50
basil $1.50
mint $.99
bird chilies $.87
ginger $.79
fish sauce $1.79
limes $.99
coriander $.79
garlic $.39
shallot $.16
palm sugar $1.50
total $15.27

Grilled Pork Loin
pork loin $6.58
red onions $1.02
cilantro $.69
radishes $1.99
grapeseed oil $1.99
total $12.27

Chinatown Sponge Cake
sponge cake $1.99
rhubarb $1.79
palm sugar $1.50
Sichuan Peppercorn $.99
heavy cream $1.19
total $7.46

Zak's grand total: $35.00

Where does that put him on our leader's board?:

1. Paul Liebrandt $32.35
Corton

2. Scott Peacock $32.60
Watershed Restaurant

3. Joey Campanaro $33.27
The Little Owl