ETHNIC COOK : Coconut Rice for Breakfast

Nothing beats the tastes of home. That’s why Rozie Tahar recreates the foods of her native Malaysia every day.

Sometimes she gets up early to prepare nasi lemak , a typical Malaysian breakfast dish that contains a pandanus leaf. ( Nasi means rice in Malay, and lemak indicates the creamy taste of coconut milk.)

With an eye on her 4 1/2-year-old romping around the house, she then spoons on tastes of other dishes, perhaps a bit of spicy beef, shrimp or chicken curry, hard-cooked egg, a highly seasoned vegetable, a refreshing slice of cucumber, a sweet-spicy condiment of dried anchovies cooked with tamarind and red chiles. The variety of textures and flavors makes for delicious eating.

In Malaysia, hawker stalls dispense nasi lemak in the mornings. Working people whiz up on motorcycles, order packets wrapped in banana leaf and newspaper, then whiz off to eat breakfast on the job.

Here in Southern California, Rozie can get pandanus leaves, coconuts, kangkong (water convolvulus) and other fresh ingredients at Asian markets near her home in San Marino. Her family is Muslim, so she buys halal meat from a butcher whose product meets Muslim dietary standards.

When business takes Rozie’s husband, Noor Ahmad Hamid, back to Malaysia (he’s the assistant director of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board in Los Angeles), he shops for ingredients that Rozie can’t find here, such as certain special curry powders and mild dried chiles that add vibrant red color without too much heat.

For special occasions, Rozie’s nasi lemak might be accompanied by beef rendang, intensely flavored with spices and coconut. She might also make chile prawns--shrimp cooked with tamarind liquid and a paste of chiles pounded with garlic and onions. There could be chicken too, and kangkong seasoned with garlic and anchovies, cucumber slices and keropok , which are shrimp chips that puff up when deep-fried. Sometimes, Rozie just eats fried salted fish with the rice, touching it up with a bit of sambal belacan , a condiment that she makes by pounding fresh red chiles with roasted shrimp paste.

Beef rendang is popular throughout Malaysia. The flavor depends on the region--and the cook. Rozie’s rendang employs lots of curry powder and lots of coconut. That’s the style of Perak, the Malaysian state where Noor was born. The grated fresh coconut must be pounded in a mortar until oily and then fried until browned, making a seasoning called kerisik. Noor does the pounding, which can take as long as 25 minutes. He also grates the coconut, using a pronged metal grater so sharp that one slip can be agonizing.

Breakfast would include coffee and perhaps an iced rambutan drink. The rambutan is a small, white-fleshed fruit with a bristly red skin that is responsible for its name-- rambut means hair. The fresh fruit is not available here, so Rozie uses canned rambutans , adding water and sugar to the syrup.

Although Rozie pounds her seasoning pastes in a stone mortar from Malaysia, she cooks in expensive pots from a local cookware shop; she’ll take the pots back to Malaysia when Noor ends his tour of duty here.

Asian markets sometimes have fresh pandanus leaves, but packets of frozen leaves are usually available in Thai markets.

NASI LEMAK (Rice Cooked in Coconut Milk) 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice 1 cup coconut milk 3/4 cup water 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 pandanus leaf

Wash rice, rinse and drain. Place in large pot. Add coconut milk, water, salt and pandanus leaf. Cook, covered, over medium heat until all liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir, then simmer over low heat 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 390 calories; 897 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 1.77 grams fiber.

In Malaysia, one can buy curry powders formulated for meat, fish or chicken. These are difficult to find in Los Angeles, but we did locate Malaysian meat curry powder at the 99 Ranch Market in Chinatown.

ROZIE’S BEEF RENDANG 8 shallots 4 cloves garlic 1 (2-inch) piece ginger root 5 tablespoons curry powder for meat Water 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp 1/4 cup oil 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick 2 whole cardamom pods 5 whole cloves 1/2 of whole star anise 1 pound lean beef, cut in thin slices 3 cups coconut milk, preferably made from fresh coconut Salt 1 teaspoon sugar Kerisik

Combine 5 shallots, 3 cloves garlic and ginger root in mortar or food processor and grind as fine as possible. Finely slice remaining 3 shallots and remaining clove garlic and set aside.

Blend curry powder with ground mixture and 1/4 cup water and set aside.

Combine tamarind pulp with 1 cup hot water and squeeze to extract color and flavor. Strain, pushing through as much pulp as possible but leaving behind seeds. Set aside.

Heat oil in pot. Add sliced shallots, sliced garlic, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and star anise and fry until onion and garlic are golden brown. Stir in curry powder mixture and tamarind liquid. Add beef, coconut milk, salt to taste and sugar. Cover and cook over moderate heat until meat is tender and mixture is fragrant, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir frequently to keep from sticking to pot.

When sauce is thick, add Kerisik and heat until rendang is almost dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Note: To make coconut milk, finely grind meat of 1 coconut. Combine with 3 cups water. Squeeze thoroughly by hand and strain. Or substitute 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk combined with 1 cup water.

Each serving contains about: 810 calories; 166 mg sodium; 52 mg cholesterol; 71 grams fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 6.51 grams fiber.

Kerisik 1/2 fresh coconut, peeled and grated

Pound coconut in mortar until oily. Heat skillet and add coconut. Fry coconut, without adding oil, until brown. Do not allow to burn. Cool, then place in mortar and pound until oil appears.