A Simple Fare

Good morrow to all. In this entry, I would like to share a recipe on a very simple yet satisfying breakfast dish. When I went down to the kitchen yesterday morning, there was a bowl of fried and crispy anchovies. Instantaneously, I had a craving for a piping hot bowl of chicken porridge. I don't know about others but this porridge is a family favourite. Have a try!

CHICKEN PORRIDGE

Ingredients:
1/2 a chicken(deboned and cut into small cubes; keep the bones aside)
5 shallots
3 pips of garlic
3 cm piece of ginger
1 cup of rice ( soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained)
1 chicken cube
500ml water
salt and ground white pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of sesame seeds oil

For garnishing:
Fried anchovies
2 red chillies (deseeded and chopped finely; mixed with 2 tbsp of sweet soy sauce)
2 eggs (fried into an omelette and sliced thinly)
fried shallots (optional)
sliced spring onion and Chinese parsley (optional) (mine are all carnivorous so I've opted these out)

Method:

• Put in the bones and water into a pot and let to boil. Then strain to get the stock.
• Next, chop the shallots, garlic and ginger finely.Then, heat some oil in another pot and stir fried the chopped ingredients till fragrant.
• Put in the chicken and stir again. Put in the rice and stir so all grains are coated with oil.
• After that, put in the chicken stock and chicken cube and let to simmer on a low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from getting burnt and stick to the pot.
• When you are happy with the consistency, add salt and white pepper to taste. You may need to add more water if you want a thinner porridge.
• Scoop into a bowl and sprinkle with the garnishing.
• You can now enjoy your porridge.

From Kota Kinabalu With.......Fish!!

Ahoy there! My in-laws went back to Likas, Kota Kinabalu and they brought back interesting yet delicious seafood. Yes, people. Go to Sabah if you love seafood and you'll get it fresher (and cheaper) there! Anyway, here's the recipe that I prepared using Red Garoupa of 'Kerapu Bara'. This is another recipe originally done by Norzailina Nordin.The fish is steamed first and a separate sweet, sour and spicy sauce is poured over the fish. The verdict? Mak mentua I suka..hehehehehehe.

'KERAPU MASAK TIGA RASA'

Ingredients:
1 piece of medium size garoupa
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste

(A): (finely chopped)
5 pieces of shallots
3 pips of garlic
5 cm young ginger
2 fresh red chillies

(B): (finely sliced)
5 pieces of bird's eyes chillies
3 pieces of kaffir lime leaves

(C):(for the sauce)
2 tbsp chilli paste
2 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
100ml water

Method:

• Coat the fish with salt and keep aside for ten minutes.
• Put the fish on a greased heatproof dish. Steam the fish till cooked. Transfer the fish onto a serving dish and keep the juice aside.
• Next, heat some cooking oil in a wok and stir fry the chopped ingeredients till fragrant.
• Then, put in the all ingredients in (C) and stir well.
• After that, put in the sliced ingredients, the fish juice and salt. Cook till the sauce thickens and pour over the fish.
• Serve hot.

Mama Chops, Papa Eats....

Ahoy there! Any fun insights to share with me? Well, today's entry is going to be my Chicken Chop with Black Pepper Gravy. I was very satisfied with the outcome of this dish because the chicken turned out very juicy and the gravy just what I had wanted it to be. Just wanted to share my satisfaction to see how my Tukang Makan had two portions and the kiddos enjoyed it as well. Worth all my effort. Here's the photo and the chicken recipe (adapted from aeeda78's) as well if you wish to try. I cannot remember from whom did I take the gravy recipe from but I am very sure that it is one of the recipe contributors in Myresipi.com. However, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe with me.

CHICKEN CHOP WITH BLACK PEPPER GRAVY

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of chicken thighs (deboned)
• 1 tbsp 0f minced garlic
• 2cm ginger (pounded and juice extracted)
• 4 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 2 tbsp salty soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Maggi seasoning

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Put in the chicken thighs and mix again. Marinade for one hour in the frridge.
2. Next, heat a non-stick part with 1 tbsp of oil over a medium heat. Fry your chicken thighs covered until half cooked. Turn over and repeat the process. Do not overcook your chicken pieces or the meat will be dry.
3. Once cooked, put on a plate and keep aside.
4. Heat your gravy and pour over the cooked chicken thighs.
5. Serve hot with steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrot sticks and french fries.
6. Enjoy and don't forget to compliment the cook!

For the gravy:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/and 1/2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 yellow onion (finely diced)
• 1 medium size tomato (finely diced)
• 1 piece of chicken cube
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns (finely crushed)
• salt and sugar to taste

Method:

1. Melt the butter over a low heat. Once melted, pour in the flour and stir till brown.
2. Next, put in the onion and stir till fragrant. Put in the chicken cube and mix well.
3. Then, pour in the water and stir. Add in the chilli sauce and stir until well-mixed.
4. Pour in the dark soy sauce. Then, put in the chopped tomato, salt and sugar. Pour in the crushed black peppercorns gradually and stir until the mixture thickens. You may add more sugar and salt according to your preference.
5. Serve with your chicken.

Another Puffin Muffin Story

It's me again. Have something to share with those who do read this blog. Went down to the kitchen quite late this morning so had to cancel the initial plan to bake the potato bread for I was running late for school. Don't get me wrong. I'm not that dedicated, especially during school holidays. I was called to settle some matters (and to hand in the very long due prefectorial board file..hahaha). To replace the potato bread, I whipped up these blueberry muffins for it only took me half and hour to get them ready from the bowl to the table. I followed a recipe by Jacky@allrecipes.com but I had replaced some ingredients and ammended some of the measurements in the initial recipe. Here's the recipe if you wish to try.

BLUEBERRY YOGHURT MUFFINS

• 250g plain flour
• 175g caster sugar
• 1 tsp soda bicarbonate
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 250g blueberry flavoured yoghurt
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp corn oil ( the original recipe used melted butter)
• 125g fresh blueberries

Method:

1. Preheat your oven at 175C. If you are using an oven with a fan, lower the temperature to 160C.
2. Sieve together flour, soda bicarbonate and baking powder. Keep aside.
3. In another bowl, combine sugar, yoghurt, egg and oil and mix well. Pour in the sieved ingredients and blueberries. Using a spatula, fold in the mixture slowly. Your mixture should be lumpy.
4. Spoon the mixture into paper cups (I used 20 2 1/4 quart muffin cups) and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
5. You can now enjoy your muffin(s) with a nice cup of tea!
   
   

A Tale About Tails

Salam and hi to all. I hope the Hari Raya mood is still on because I can still 'feel' the fun I had back in my hometown during the recent Festival of Sacrifice. Indeed, being around your loved ones is trully a blessing.

I could still remember watching the whole 'qurban' process many years back and there was no deep feeling involved. However, this time, the feeling is different. I did not dare go near the spot where the cows were slaughtered. It wasn't sadness nor pity but I was rather touched witnessing the whole act, even from far. It's a feeling that I really couldn't describe. Perhaps, it's about time for me to be grateful for what I've received. More gratitude, less complaints. After all, life is too short to be wasted on unnecessary whining and grumbling.

We brought back some meat and of course, 'exotic' parts of the cow, namely the tongue and tripe. My Tukang Makan is very fond of organ meats so I had tried my very best to prepare the dishes featured below.

'PERUT MASAK LEMAK KUNING'

I'm sure that this is a very common dish so I don't think it is necessary for me to include the recipe here. However, since this is my first time cooking a cow's tongue, I do attach my so-called invention, which I think works well with meat. Here it goes!

'LIDAH LEMBU HITAM MANIS'

Ingredients:
1 piece of cow's tongue (boiled till tender, drained; skinned and cut into thin slices)
5 tbsp of ground onion
3 tbsp of ground garlic
2 tbsp of ground dried chillies
4 cm piece of ginger
2 stalks of lemongrass
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 large , ripe tomato ( chopped coarsely)
1/2 tsp of cummin seeds
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
5 tbsp of sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp of tomato sauce
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 cup of water
salt and sugar to taste
1/2 cup of cooking oil

Method:

• Pound the ginger, lemongrass, cummin seeds and fennel seeds and keep aside.
• Heat the oil and fry the ground ingredients. Then, put in the pounded ingredients, curry leaves and tomato and keep stirring until fragrant.
• When the oil separates from the gravy, put in slices of tongue, dark soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, tomato sauce, and water and let to simmer until the tongue slices are tender.
• Next, put in the coconut milk, sugar and salt. Keep stirring until the gravy thickens.
• Serve with plain, white rice.

Bila Silap Muat Turun Resepi......

Salam dan apa khabar? Hari ini tiba-tiba terasa nak menulis dalam bahasa Melayu. Lagipun, saya kan orang Melayu jadi rasanya, tidak salah menulis di dalam bahasa ibunda saya, bukan?

Di kalangan kawan-kawan rapat saya, mereka sedia maklum yang saya suka mengumpul resepi. Setakat ini, sudah hampir tiga buah buku resepi yang saya ada. Mana-mana resepi yang saya cuba dan menjadi, saya akan muatkan dalam blog ini.

Bercakap mengenai resepi, topik hari ini adalah mengenai resepi Kuih Tat Nenas yang menjadi kuih kegemaran saya sejak dulu, kini dan selamanya. Tiap-tiap kali Aidilfitri, mesti kuih ini yang saya cari. Kalau rajin, saya buat sendiri. Selalunya, saya minta adik tolong buatkan. Lagipun, adik perempuan saya itu memang menjual kuih Raya. Kiranya, saya tolong dia cari duit Raya lebihlah! Tidak mengapa. Pada saya tidak salah jika saya pun tumpang seronok ada adik yang pandai membuat kuih kan?

Disebabkan Aidiladha bakal menjelma, maka saya dengan semangat yang berkobar-kobar telah mencuba resepi Tat Nenas oleh Puan Norzailina Nordin. Beliau ini memang terkenal dengan kehebatannya memasak dan menghasilkan novel2. Saya timbang semua bahan ikut resepi yang saya ambil dari laman web beliau. Saya ubah sedikit resepi itu sebab saya kehabisan stok tepung jagung dan saya gantikan dengan tepung kastad. Saya rasa sangat teruja sebab dohnya nampak kuning dan cantik tapi bila mahu mula menerap, melekat-lekat pula di acuan. Saya mula paniklah. Dalam hati," Eish..takkanlah tukang masak tersohor bagi resepi salah kot?". Saya tambahkan tepung gandum pada doh hingga boleh diterap. Saya letak jem nenas, lepas tu, bakar. Tunggu sejuk dan cuba rasa. Emmm, sedap la pulak. Sambil masukkan tat dalam botol, sempat jugaklah tiga, empat keping masuk ke dalam mulut saya!

Pagi-pagi ni, saya terus ke laman web beliau. Semak punya semak, laaaa....saya yang silap. Saya telah gunakan resepi Tat Gulung untuk buat Tat Nenas yg tradisional tu. Patutlah doh tu lembik! Jadi, saya senyum pada diri sendiri sebab tidak baca resepi betul2! Walauapapun, saya letakkan resepi Tat Nenas tukang masak pujaan saya itu. Manalah tahu, mungkin anda ingin mencuba! Saya ucapkan Salam Aidiladha kepada semua yang menyambutnya. Saya akan berhari raya di kampung saya maka saya akan kembali menulis di blog ini sekembalinya saya dari kampung. Jumpa lagi!

TAT NENAS

Bahan untuk jem:

• 2 biji nanas, diparut kasar
• 300 g gula pasir
• 2 helai daun pandan, disimpulkan
• 4 cm kulit kayu manis
• jus dari 1 biji limau nipis

Cara:

• Jerang semua bahan di dalam kuali. Kacau selalu hingga agak kering airnya.
• Angkat dan ketepikan daun pandan serta kulit kayu manis. Biar sejuk sebelum digunakan. Selalunya, ia mengambil masa 1-1 1/2 jam.

Bahan untuk 'glis':

• 2 biji kuning telur

Bahan untuk pastri:

• 300 g tepung gandum
• secubit garam
• 150 g mentega
• 50 g minyak jagung
• 1-2 camb susu segar, jika perlu
• 1 biji kuning telur

Cara membuatnya:

• Gaul tepung dan mentega hingga sebati. Masukkan telur dan minyak jagung, uli menjadi rata. Jika masih peroi, masukkan sedikit susu.
• Isikan doh ke dalam mangkuk dan tutup dengan tuala lembap. Biar selama 90 minit.
• Canaikan doh antara 2 lapisan plastik nipis, terap dengan acuan.
• Atur atas tin pembakar berlengser marjerin dan isikan dengan jem.
• Glis tepinya dengan kuning telur. Bakar dengan suhu 160 C selama 15-20 min.
• Sejukkan atas redai sebelum menyimpan di dalam bekas kedap udara.

Jalan-jalan Cari Makan

Hi! It's me again. This entry would be slightly different from my usual writing on recipes, cooking and baking. I went out with my old friend Yong, to One-Utama. We were among the first customers to arrive so we took our own sweet time venturing almost all the outlets available both in the old and new wings of the mall.

Yong introduced me to a Japanese snack called "Tako". Talk about someone from Ipoh introducing food to her friend who has been staying near the place for the past seven years! How ironic! Any way, the snack is made of a mixture of diced cabbage and batter, cooked in a mould until it turned into crispy balls! Then, a soy sauce mixture is ladled onto these balls and "Bonito" flakes (a type of fish from Japan) are sprinkled on. The verdict? It tasted good and although there were only three balls, they were rather satisfying. Too bad I did not manage to snap the photo( I was rather excited, I guess). Actually, I was rather hungry for I did not take any breakfast earlier!

After the light snack, we continued our "Jalan-jalan Habiskan Duit" mission. I got a T-shirt for Daus, a T-shirt and pair of long pants for Atush, and also a trousers for mine truly. Yong was very happy with her purchase-a T-shirt in a nice shade of green. She wears a size M now people!( a sign for me to work harder, and harder, and harder!!! arggghhhhhh!!!)

After the long and tiring mission, we rewarded ourselves with a nice buffet lunch at Seoul Garden, an eatery that serves Korean Bulgogi. I like the place for its nice spread of varieties of marinated chicken, beef and seafood. The price is inclusive of salad, noodles, a selection of vegetables, ABC, fruit juices, carbonated drinks and ice-cream! I had a fun time eating and chatting with Yong. She did suggest that this place would be a nice place for a get-together. Only two hours later that we finally realized that that we had consumed more than we should! Do I feel guilty? A bit, but I'm happy so let's forget about the guilty feeling ya!

Before Yong headed home, I gave her the long-delayed present. Here's it is :

It might appear nothing but I'm very proud of it because it's my creation- and Yong was very happy to receive it. That's all I need to know. Anyway, Happy Belated Birthday Yong! Will always look forward to our next outing together!