I haven’t been posting as regularly as I used to, as I’m currently going through an uncomfortable transitionary phase in my life. My emotions are all over the place, but I’m learning a lot about myself and that’s always a good thing.

The one thing I’ve been trying to stay consistent with is eating healthy and keeping as local as possible to support local farmers. I had a huge bouquet of Fiddlehead Fern, lovingly known in Malaysia as Paku Pakis. A delightfully crunchy, slightly mucilaginous texture, and a fresh, light grassy taste, ferns are typically foraged from the wild and are now a viral sensation on Tiktok. I’m sure all the Malaysians are going, “Eh! Pucuk Paku jerrr.”

I’ve seen Western content creators cook ferns with lemon juice. In Malaysia, they are normally cooked with fermented shrimp paste (belacan). Influenced by my heritage, here’s another easy way for you to enjoy these delicious greens. Swipe for close-up... It’s like eating a mini forest!

🌿NYONYA-STYLE FIDDLEHEAD FERN SALAD🌿

Serves 3-4
🌱250g edible fern (Paku Pakis)
🌱1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
🌱1/4 large onion
🌱1-2 bird’s eye chilis (Cili Padi) (optional)
🌱2 kaffir lime leaves
🌱1cm torch ginger flower
🌱2 tbsp peeled roasted groundnuts
🌱2 tsp lime juice
🌱2 tsp soy sauce
🌱2 tsp shaven Gula Melaka (Malaysian Palm Sugar)

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to the boil.

Chop fibrous part of stems off ferns, then chop ferns roughly into 2-inch pieces.

Place ferns into pot and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove and strain water. Rinse ferns under cool running water to stop the cooking process. Keep aside.

Finely slice onion and optional chili. Finely julienne lime leaves and ginger flower.

Roughly pound groundnuts with a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, use a spice grinder and pulse to break up nuts into smaller pieces.

In a small bowl, mix together lime juice, soy sauce and palm sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together all ingredients, including sauce and and ending with sprinkling pounded nuts on top.

You are welcome to add other ingredients like more chopped nuts and salad vegetables.

Serve immediately. It can also be served cold after storing for an hour in the fridge.