Sunday 16 September 2012

A recipe book from the past... the Revival

I wrote about an old Malay recipe book called Medan Selera belonging to my eldest sister-in-law, in a post published on 18.03.11. In the last paragraph of that post, I mentioned that someone I know is involved in the re-publication of the book in modern form.

I am pleased to announce that I'm now the owner of the latest revision of the classic reference for Malay recipes from Johor, now re-named Nostalgia Medan Selera. Gone are those archaic measurement units such as kati and tahil, replaced with familiar metric units. The text for the method of cooking has also been presented in simple point or bullet format, plus the language has been modernised to suit the times. No more ketumbar : 5 chamcha besar or kunyit kering : 2 inchi panjang. To substitute for certain hard to get spices mentioned in the original book, the new edition offers alternatives more commonly found today. The new book also contains quality photographs of some dishes from selected recipes.

The update of the classic book was the effort from seven grandchildren of the original author, Haji Ahmad Bin Yaakub. It is now available through online order via the publisher's website at Shakespot Sdn Bhd. It costs RM130 including postage. A beautifully bound hard-cover edition that makes a valuable addition to any food enthusiast's collection.

135 recipes that include some Arabic and Westerns dishes too
Mee Siam, a classic Johor favourite served with fermented bean sauce

10 comments:

DrSam said...

A revival like this will enrich the gastronomic experience of our modern society and keep the secret from fading in time. Good effort.

Fadhil said...

Doc, if I remember correctly, your other half is from Johor, isn't she? She could find this book useful, hehe...

Al-Manar said...

When I saw your visiting card I suddenly remembered the boy who used to study in Kuantan and rushed here. Writing with nostailgia is one thing but the effect on the readers is another. I am going to place an order for this as a present to my better half. There is a catchg here. I hope to get to taste the old dishes cooked in the traditional way! Thank you, young man.

Fadhil said...

Pakcik, one of the 7 grandchildren of the original author of this book was a teacher/librarian at my old school in Kuantan. In fact, she invited me for the book launch but I could not make it since it was held in KL on a weekday. I'm confident Makcik will find the book useful and that Pakcik will be spoilt for choice on which traditional dish to try first :-)

CS said...

Assalam Oldstock
Dah malam2 nih I merayap dari blog ke blog hingga terdampar disini, hehe..

Mak I pun ada buku masak yang sama tapi one of my sisters diberi mandat menyimpannya. I hope to purchase the latest version, insyaallah.

Kebetulan pulak, petang tadi I mamam mee siam hasil air tangan my sister; mee siam siap dgn kuahnya. Nanti I tampal gambar my mee siam eh?

Fadhil said...

Cik Som,

Jauhnya merayap sampai terdampar kat sini... keletihan la tu.. hehe..

Mee siam kuah ni hanya orang Johor je yang tahu. Kat kedai makan KL nak carik memang tak jumpa. Ok you upload gambo tu.. back-to-back gambo makanan, from your roti jala to mee siam.

JohorMali said...

Bro,
Glad to note that 4 of the grandaughters hailed from Pontian and the eldest sibling was with me from Std 1 to Form V .
Try to purchase the book but it seems that it is not available of the shelf.
My only concern is that with the present technolgy of scanning, PDF etc, everybody should restrain from uploading the book FOC because it would be unfair to them.

Fadhil said...

Sdra JohorMali,

If by the eldest sibling you mean Puan Faizah, then you and I have a mutual friend.

They are selling the book via online only at present. Not available in the bookstores. I received mine via Poslaju in 3 or 4 days after I banked in the money at Affin CDM.

Agree with you on that last part.

Fadhil said...

Sdra JohorMali,

Update : I have been informed that the eldest sibling you know of is Mariam Ashari. The 4 Ashari sisters went to school in Pontian.

JohorMali said...

Bro Oldstock,
Eureka