IF CIKYAH CAN COOK, SO CAN YOU

I Have Moved

2010-11-10T07:48:00.000+08:00

Morning peeps. Just to inform that I've moved my blog to :

cikyahcooking.com . To all readers, I dope hope that you'll continue to visit me, yea!

Another Trial and Error Story

2010-11-05T06:31:00.001+08:00

Good morning peeps. Finally, Blogger has returned to its normal self. I was trying very hard to update my entry yesterday but to no avail.

I want to share a recipe which was done some time last week. You see, I was invited to an engagement ceremony of a distant cousin. The story was, this relative of mine held a wedding reception for his son the week before. Due to my father's health condition, he couldn't make it to the ceremony. As a result, I was assigned to go to this uncle's house and of course, brought something to compensate for the absence. In other words, representing my father and in fact, the whole clan back in Melaka. The meeting was short but it ended up with another invitation. This time, the daughter was getting engaged.

I'm familiar with the host but what I found uneasy was, I haven't met his other relatives for a very, very long time. I was pretty sure that they won't really recognise me. You know, a kind of uneasy feeling being around people you don't really know. Due to this fact, I felt that I shouldn't be arriving empty handed. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the recipe below was attempted. I could simply say that it was just like killing two birds with one stone. Pleasing the relatives and finishing the Nutella stock. I beg your pardon? The taste? Soft and moist with a rich, nutty taste. Give it a try, will you?

Nutella Cupcakes

Ingredients :

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature

125 caster sugar

125 self-raising flour

2 eggs

1/2 tsp soda bicarbonate

2 tsp of vanilla essence

2 tbsp of milk

enough Nutella to use as filling

enough paper casings to line your muffin tin

Method :

Preheat the oven at 150C.
Sift the flour and soda bicarbonate and keep aside.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Gradually, add in the eggs and the the other ingredients and mix well.
Spoon the mixture into your paper casings. Top with some Nutella and spoon the remaining mixture on top.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or till golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Serve.

Looking On the 'Overlooked'

2010-10-31T10:04:00.002+08:00

Good morrow to all. I understand that I've been neglecting this blog but this morning, I decided to write something here, just to give some room to the brain after going through eight classes worth of essay papers!

Anyway, since I've become my daughter's official driver, I have lesser time to looking through my recipe books and what to cook for dinner. For the past months, the dishes prepared had been the usual ones. They were merely repetitions on the family's selection of 'had been approved' daily dishes.

However, sometime this week, as I went down to the kitchen, bearing in mind that I'd told Mr KHz that I would prepare his favourite steamed fish, I noticed that my MIL had prepared her fish curry. It was definitely the time to panic for I was sure that Mr KHz would choose the steamed fish over the fish curry. Coking two fish dishes at the same time was certainly not a very wise option, I suppose.

As usual, my recipe book to the rescue and I remembered that I had bought some prawns in the freezer. My problem was, all the ingredients had to be pounded coarsely and when time was not on your side, using the mortar and pestle felt like a burden. I took out the blender, put the chopped ingredients in and suddenly I noticed the word 'pulse' on the blender control panel. I know, I know. I shouldn't have felt so calm but I just couldn't resist the temptation on knowing what would happen if I press the pulse button. If you were in the kitchen with me at that time, you would rolled on the floor, laughing to see a person who was so overjoyed over what her blender had produced. I was filled with glee and gradually, felt very silly for I had overlooked the 'pulse' sign which would had saved a lot of my precious time. Mind you, I have been using the same blender for the past three years! From now on, I have to be more alert on everything and everyone. Call me lame but I hardly have any resolutions so I guess, this could be my first one.

The result of my 'overlooked' sign is in the photo below. Enjoy!

UDANG BERLADA

Ingredients:

1 kg of white prawns (the larger the better, peeled but keep the tails intact)
12 red chillies
5 shallots
4 pips of garlic
1 piece of 'asam keping'
2 pieces of kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp of turmeric powder
salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Coat the prawns with turmeric powder and salt.
Heat some oil in a wok and fry the prawns until slightly brown and keep aside.
Put in the red chillies, shallots and garlic into the blender. Put in little water and pulse. Your mixture should be coarse and not fine.
Using the same oil used to fry the prawns. Stir fry the pulsed ingredients till the oil separates from the gravy.
Put in the prawns, kaffir lime leaves, 'asam keping' and salt and sugar to taste. Stir until the gravy coats the prawns.
Enjoy!

What's your order for today sir?

2010-08-18T05:43:00.000+08:00

As part of my plan on not to overspend on raw ingredients for cooking or buying food for Iftar, I decided to try this simple recipe derived from my trusted site, MyResipi.com. I have always believed in preparing simple dishes for my family. My choices are always easy to cook, using easily available ingredients and should be able to cater for my two kiddos who are well-known to have the pickiest tastebud! As usual, Mr Khz (and sometimes, the kids) decide. If he likes it, I would categorise the dish as good. If he said NO, then, the recipe will remain untouched. My views could be biased for Mr KHz is easy to feed but still, any opinion deserves to be taken into consideration.

Today, I've prepared a simple dish using prawns. On weekdays, I cook using whatever is available in the fridge but on the weekends, I usually give Mr KHz the honour to choose what he feels like eating. Since he had mentioned prawns, I decided to try a recipe by dayang jack from the site that I had mentioned earlier. Give it a try, will you?

HONEY PRAWNS

Ingredients:

400g fresh medium-size prawns (marinade with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tbsp of cornflour for 10 minutes and deep fried till crispy and keep aside).

1 onion

1 red chilli

3 cloves of garlic

1 and 1/2 tbsp honey (mixed with 60ml of water)

2-3 bird's eye chillies (bruised)

1/2 tbsp chilli sauce

1/2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

2 stalks of coriander leaves (chopped coarsely)

Method :

Grind onion, chilli and garlic till fine.
Pour in about 3 tbsp of cooking oil ( I used the oil used for frying the prawns) in a wok and stir fry ground ingredients till fragrant.
Put in the honey mixture, soy sauce and chilli sauce and stir. Then, put in the bird's eye chillies and stir till the sauce thickens.
Next, put in the prawns, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well.
Serve hot.

Salam Ramadhan

2010-08-12T09:40:00.000+08:00

Salam Ramadhan untuk semua. Alhamdulillah, dengan limpah rahmat dan keizinanNya, sekali lagi kita telah diberi peluang untuk bersama-sama mendapatkan keberkatan bulan yang indah ini. Semoga ibadah puasa tahun ini lebih bermutu dan diredhai.

Ramadhan memang sentiasa dikaitkan dengan rezeki yang melimpah-ruah sepanjang ianya berlangsung. Pelbagai makanan ada dijual di mana-mana. Ibu-ibu juga sedia memasak juadah berbuka pilihan ahli keluarga, yang selalunya menjadi cara menghargai dan memberi semangat dan dorongan buat anak-anak yang pertama kali berpuasa. Sekadar peringatan untuk pembaca dan juga diri saya sendiri, di bulan yang mulia ini, marilah kita bersama-sama mengelakkan pembaziran. Mungkin juga boleh dijadikan permulaan menanam sikap berjimat di kalangan ahli keluarga.

Memandangkan blog ini berkaitan masakan dan penyediaan makanan, sukalah saya berkongsi satu lagi resepi tukang masak tersohor, Puan Rubiah Suparman. Kepada yang memang menyukai masakan kampung, saya yakin resepi di bawah ini tidak akan mengecewakan.

'Sambal Tempoyak Daun'

Bahan-bahan
1 ikat pucuk ubi ( saya gandakan kerana tiada pucuk labu dan daun kaduk)
1 ikat pucuk labu }
10 helai daun kaduk } (saya abaikan kerana tidak dapat dicari di pasar)
1 helai daun kunyit (saya gunakan 2 helai)
2 batang serai
10 biji cili api
1 labu bawang besar
1 ulas bawang putih
1 sudu kecil serbuk kunyit
2-3 cawan santan pekat (saya gunakan santan kotak Ayam Brand dan dicampur air mencukupkan 3 cawan)
1 papan petai (diambil bijinya) (saya hiris tipis)
3 sudu besar ikan bilis (saya tumbuk kasar-kasar)
3 sudu besar tempoyak
garam secukup rasa
1 sudu teh gula pasir (ini tiada dalam resepi asal)

Cara memasak:

Hiris halus pucuk ubi, daun kunyit dan serai. Rendam dalam air garam.
Sementara itu, cili api, bawang besar dan bawang putih dkisar halus. kemudian, toskan bahan-bahan yang telah direndam tadi dan keringkan airnya.
Masukkan ke dalam periuk dan letakkan bahan-bahan kisar tadi bersama ikan bilis, petai santan dan tempoyak. Masak hingga mendidih dan pekat.

What Mr KHz Brought Back From Masjid Bulat

2010-08-11T09:25:00.003+08:00

Section 14, PJ, is well-known for many reasons. Despite the fact that it's near to impossible to get a parking space at this place, it never ceases to attract people from near and far. Gadget die-hard fans cherish this place for its Digital Mall but those who frequent this place would simply but surely state their reasons why this place remain their top spot. I'm pretty sure that these reasons, would include the RM1 per packet nasi lemak (as well as the fried rice vermicelli) sold by the young mechanic side by side the newspaper uncle or the yummy lontong sold at one of the stalls above the wet market. Personally, I am also 'guilty' of frequenting this place. The wet market is a lot smaller, (compared to the one in Taman Tun), causing me to feel at ease because I am familiar with almost all the vendors at this place. I know that the makcik ( I call her 'kakak' and since I know she's from my hometown, I never have a second thought whenever I purchase the shrimp paste ('belacan') from her stall) selling vegetables recognises me, as well as the fishwife and not to forget the bubbly chap who would willingly chop my chicken into any size I want.

Mr KHz, on the other hand, is also a regular at Section 14. Nope, he rarely goes to the market and he does not really fancy the Digital Mall so, where does he go to that I label him a regular? If you may ask, he goes for his evening prayers at a mosque here, named Masjid Tun Abdul Aziz, or commonly known as Masjid Bulat - due to the shape of its dome. This entry is a product from a visit to this mosque. Talking about this mosque, the committee members had an open day on the 31st of July to find funding for the activities planned, and of course, for charity. They set up stalls, selling mainly cooked food and I joined the fun by sending my chicken puff and cinnamon rolls as part of the sale. Besides food stalls, there were also stalls selling materials for baju kurung, homemade crafts and religious books. The committee also organised quite a number of competitions, where 'ketupat weaving' was one that I could remember.

Among all the stalls, one particular stall did attract Mr KHz's attention. He had taken the trouble to drag me to the stall (the place was small and it was a bit crowded so it's kind of difficult to walk around) selling 'ikan keli!' Mr KHz and his food addiction. He pointed at the fish and he smiled at me - his witty smile. I agreed to fulfill his wish because the fish was already gutted and cleaned. To cut a long story short, the purchase led to the dish in the photo below.

DEEP FRIED CATFISH IN SPICY SAUCE

(IKAN KELI GORENG BERLADA)

The recipe is taken (again) from Rubiah Suparman's Lauk Pauk : Malaysia, Singapura dan Indonesia book and he said that he enjoyed it. Here's the recipe if you wish to try but the amount was halved from the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg catfish

5 red chillies

3 bird's eye chillies

1/2 onion

2 pips of garlic

a small piece of 'asam keping'

1/2 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of turmeric powder

salt to taste

Method:

Clean and gut the fish and soak for 10 minutes in a mixture of salt and tamarind juice. Wash thoroughly and drained well.
Coat the fish with salt and turmeric powder and deep fry till crispy. Keep aside.
Pound the other ingredients coarsely. Heat up a wok and stir fry until the oil separates from the gravy. Put in the 'asam keping', salt and sugar.
Arrange your fish on a serving platter and pour the sauce all over the fish.
Serve hot.

By the way, just to let you know that I didn't get a single cent at all from my puffs and rolls. Why? I was just doing my minute share as a member of the society and the best part was, I had fun.

Can I have this Mama?...and I want to help with the topping!

2010-07-19T10:21:00.001+08:00

Good morrow to all! Finally, an entry. To tell you the truth, this entry is done in between cooking my chicken curry and updating my status at Goodreads Malaysia. Yes, I've been bitten by the reading (cannot put the book down) bug so my cooking activities are limited to preparing usual dishes for the family. However......since I managed to finish one book yesterday afternoon, I decided to go for another therapy, which is undoubtedly baking.

As I flipped through my recipe folder, my darling Atush suggested Cinnamon Rolls. For a picky eater like her, I found it very surprising when she actually liked the rolls when I baked them for the first time. Enjoy the photo and I've included the recipe (owned by yani@MyResipi.com) if you plan to indulge in this sweet, tasty treat. Oh, for your information, I managed to get 12 rolls from this recipe.

CINNAMON ROLLS WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients:

(A)

300g high protein flour

50g unsalted butter

8g instant yeast

1 egg (well-beaten)

140ml fresh milk (at room temperature)

1tsp salt

(B) (Filling)

20g unsalted butter

3tsp cinnamon powder

50g brown sugar

(C) (Frosting)

20g unsalted butter

50g cream cheese

60g icing sugar

Method:

In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix flour and butter until they resemble breadcrumbs.
Next, put in the yeast and salt and keep on mixing.
Then,pour in the milk and beaten egg.
Keep mixing until the dough becomes pliable and does not stick to the edge of the mixing bowl.
Cover the dough with cling film / damp kitchen towel and proof till it doubles in size.This will take around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, mix all ingredients in (B) and divide into two portions. Keep aside.
Line your baking tray with paper cups.
Next, punch the dough and divide it into two portions and shape into balls. Let to rest for 10 minutes.
Take a portion and roll into 20cm x 25cm rectangle. Spread the filling evenly and roll the dough tightly. Cut into 6 portions and put into the paper cups. Repeat these steps with the remaining dough and filling and let to rise again. Mine took 45 minutes because the weather was a bit cool yesterday.
Then, preheat your oven at 170C and bake your rolls for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the ingredients in (C) until creamy. Spread this frosting once your rolls are out from the oven.

Enjoy!

Sisterhood

2010-05-26T07:29:00.008+08:00

Good morrow to all readers. This entry would be totally different from the previous ones. As I was flipping through my photo folder, I couldn't help noticing the photos of my younger sister's engagement day, which took place in December 2009. Talking about the photos, I have been wanting to share them with you folks but somehow, I just didn't know what happened to my initial plan.

Sincerely, I do have mixed feelings about her tying the knot. We have been together through thick and thin all these years. The thought that we might not be able to do things together, to have fun or even to share the pain, do make me feel a bit sad. As sisters, we laughed, we teased, we reprimanded, we shared, we scolded and eventually, we came back to our sanity and we forgave and forgot. True enough, blood is definitely thicker than water. In between the heartache, (jealousy at times) and painful experience, the sisterly bond surfaces and all is well once again.

Being the eldest, I have been given the responsibility to cater for her engagement and wedding ceremonies, in terms of preparing the 'hantaran'. In fact, I'm in the middle of completing the hantaran for her wedding, which will take place, Godwilling, next Friday, the 4th of June. Well, since I have never planned to be a wet blanket, dear sister, congratulations and many happy returns in years to come. My dua' is forever for you. Amin.

Here are some photos of her engagement day. Enjoy!

The star of the day!

Going back to roots - 'Sirih' is a must

Another 'hantaran '

and last but not least...........

'Makan Time'!!!!

Surprisingly, during the engagement ceremony, I was not asked to do any cooking at all. Perhaps, my Mak didn't have the heart to ask me to do so but who am I to be compared to all the experienced chefs who were around on that day! Anyway, the ceremony ended well and I was a very happy (and tired).

No dear, it does not fly. It zooms!

2010-05-25T07:37:00.006+08:00

Last night, as I was 'struggling' to decorate the cupcakes, the thought that my boy is already four years old suddenly triggered me! What? Does time really fly? No dear, it does not fly. It zooms!

My Daus has always been the funny one. Despite being clingy, (as boys usually are to their mothers) his actions do melt my heart most of the time. Aha, not to forget his 'ways' of stopping me from scolding him by saying "It's okay Mama. I'm sorry" and a few pecks on my cheek to compensate for the damages done. Kids and their wonderful ways- never fail to convince you that all the hardship that you go through to provide for them, is worthwhile after all.

Well, as I am not planning to be mushy very early in the morning, feast your eyes upon my amateurish creation for Daus to celebrate his 4th birthday with his friends in school. Really hope that that they would enjoy the cupcakes!

Daus' 4th Birthday Cuppies

This time, I decided to you a very simple butter cream recipe. All you need is:

120g butter (soften)
280g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

This recipe is simple and let you exercise your muscle at the same time! All you need to do is to beat the butter till pale and add in the sugar a spoonful at a time and keep on beating using a wooden spoon. keep on beating till you reach a soft consistency ans spread on your cupcakes. One more thing, for the letters, I just used ready made fondant and guess what? I finally had the chance to use my alphabet cutters which have been sitting in the kitchen drawer for years!

Simple yet Satisfying

2010-05-22T16:39:00.008+08:00

Good morrow peeps. What is your plan today? As for me, the usual activities - cooking, cleaning my messy room (the kids' stuff scattered continuously) and trying to finish marking my students' exercise books. After a tiring day at school yesterday, I couldn't stop thinking of what to cook for dinner as I was driving home. Thanks to Mr KHz who only requested for my home version of 'Prosperity Burger'. As usual, burgers are very simple but never fails to satisfy his hunger pang. Notice the burgers in the photo below? Yes, he gobbled up three!

PROSPERITY BURGER

I tried the recipe for the sauce after reading MamaFami's blog. I had my first try making the sauce when I went back to Melaka last month. The verdict? The recipe is definitely a keeper! Since the buns and meat patties were bought, I shall include the recipe for the sauce. Please have a try!

Ingredients:

2 cups of chicken stock ( I used 1 chicken cube and mixed with boiling water)

1/4 cup of fresh milk

2 tbsp black peppercorns (coarsely ground)

1/2 onion (diced)

1 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp sweet soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp butter (MamaFaMi used margarine)

3 tbsp of cornflour (mixed with 3 tbsp of water)

salt and sugar (if necessary)

Method:

Heat the oil and stir fry the onion till fragrant.
Then, pour in the chicken stock and let to boil.
Next, put all the ingredients except the cornflour mixture and let to boil again.
After that, lower the heat and pour the cornflour mixture until you have achieved the desired consistency.
Dip the meat patties into the sauce and enjoy your burger!

Promotion! Promotion! Promotion!

2010-04-11T20:18:00.006+08:00

Hiya peeps! Already planning for the weekend? Good for you! As for me, my Atush is having her Sports Day this Saturday so I guess, I have to 'be in school' for one more day! Anyway, moving on to cooking, the first reason I'm putting this entry is to share a recipe using one of Mr KHz's favourite ingredient-mutton. The second reason is, I am promoting a recipe (one of the 23) from 'Senangnya Memasak Kambing' by Hanieliza. To all who are reading, try to get her books in this series and you won't be disappointed. For RM5.50, it's a real bargain.

Here's the cover of the book I was talking about

The recipe that I've tried is....................

'KAMBING MASAK MERAH'

Ingredients:

(A)

500g mutton (cubed)

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 large onion (sliced)

(B)

2 cm cinnamon

3 star anise

3 sprigs of curry leaves

20 dried chillies (deseeded, blanched in hot water and finely ground)

5 shallots (finely ground)

3 pips of garlic (ground)

3 cm ginger (ground)

3 ripe tomatoes (ground)

1/4 cup of cooking oil

salt to taste

Method :

Marinade the mutton pieces with fennel seeds for 1 hour.
Heat the oil and stir fry the star anise, curry leaves and ground ingredients till fragrant.
Put in the marinated mutton and stir well. Cook till the mutton is tender.
Then, put in the onion slices and cook over low fire till the oil separates from the gravy.
Season with salt and stir again.
Serve with white rice or chappati.

Lagi lagi Hangus!

2010-04-06T06:04:00.005+08:00

Salam pagi Selasa. Jangan risau, paparan hari ini tentang hangus yang sedap! Betul, cikyah tak tipu! Ini, cerita Apam Gula Hangus! Resepi yang didapati daripada hazz@MyResipi.com itulah dan rasanya memang tidak mengecewakan. Pendek kata, memang jenis resepi yang cikyah suka. Ringkas bahannya, mudah membuatnya dan yang paling penting, sedap rasanya. Nak tahu kenapa cikyah mengesyorkan resepi ini? Mak cikyah kat kampung pun suka dan Mak cikyah ni, sangatlah teliti bila ada kena mengena dengan kuih muih ni. Bukan senang dia nak sebut sedap tau!

Apa kata kita tengok gambar dulu. Bak kata Mak cikyah, rupa tak cantik, tapi hati baik!

APAM GULA HANGUS

Bahan-bahan

1 cawan gula pasir

2 biji telur (cikyah guna telur Gred C)

1 cawan air

1/2 cawan minyak masak

2 sudu besar mentega (resepi asal guna marjerin)

2 sudu besar susu pekat manis

1 sudu teh soda bikarbonat

1 1/2 cawan tepung gandum

Kaedah

Gula dihanguskan kemudian dicampurkan dengan air dan disejukkan
Masukkan telur,susu,minyak dan mentega ke dalam mesin (mixer) dan pukul anggaran 3 minit
Masukkan gula yang telah disejukkan tadi bersama-sama soda bikarbonat dan dipukul lagi.
Akhir sekali masukkan tepung dan dipukul lagi sehingga sebati.
Kukus adunan tadi di dalam loyang yang telah disapu dengan minyak masak selama 45 minit.
Sekiranya adunan nampak cair bolehlah ditambah sedikit tepung agar apam tadi tidak mendap dan basah dibahagian bawahnya.

A long due reply

2010-03-13T15:53:00.006+08:00

First of all, very, very sorry to my dear Dikwi for such a long delay to complete this task. Anyway, here goes!

Here are the rules to accept the award :

1. Thank & link the person that gave you the award. THANK YOU DIKWI

2. Pass this award onto 15 bloggers you’ve recently discovered and think are fantastic.

All Around Ina
Cupcakes Dream
Nisza Beats & Peaces

3. Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won the award – I'm on the way!!!

4. State 7 things about yourself.

1) A kitchen addict - I resort to bread making to knead my anger away!

2) Caring

3) Love anything blue, green and brown but trying very hard to start accepting pink as also a nice shade of colour (err..sorry ya, Wi)

4) Love reading although hardly have the time to read

5) An avid recipe book collector

6) Love arts and craft

7) Adore nice wrapping papers - will buy them for no particular reason - love them to bits!

There! Finally it's done.

Cravings...

2010-03-12T21:17:00.013+08:00

The Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus defines craving as a strong desire or longing. Others would crave for new shoes, a new car or perhaps a new phone. Well, when it comes to cravings, mine would definitely be closely related to food and this usually involves giving more profit to the hypermarkets! It can be a can of condensed milk (although I only need to use a few tablespoonfuls) 'in case' my 'craving' to make my 'Apam Gula Hangus' arises or adding more ingredients to the already-stuffed larder so it is easier 'in case' my kids request for something special.

I'm a simple person when it comes to food. My cravings are usually very humble, easily and readily available. I will not deny that mood plays an important role in deciding what to eat and when is the best time to sample the food. For example, many would opt for sweet things just to get out of that annoying, depressive mood swing. Well, talking about sweet things, it is totally different with Mr KHz. He eats chocolates all the time and I can confirm that he's not depressed. Care to explain?

Have I told you that I hail from the kampung? As banana trees are in abundance and fresh bananas are always available, my Mak always serves this scrumptious treat at tea time. Piping-hot banana fritters or more deliciously known as 'pisang goreng' is never a failure to satisfy my need to have something sweet and crunchy. My preference would be to dip those oily chunks into a sweet and spicy soy sauce. With a cup of warm tea, life seems so blissful and all problems drift away.

"Goreng pisang panas! Goreng pisang panas!"

During both of my pregnancies, I craved for this sweet and cooling treat. I was very thankful that I did not suffer from diabetes or else, it would be a very tormenting period for me for I sampled this mostly every day! Yes, you read it right. Every day! Smooth, silky, cooling vanilla ice-cream. Nothing else but vanilla ice-cream. Just that.

Come the durian season, I will definitely go for this scrumptious fruit and I'll try my very best to go back to my hometown - just to satisfy another craving.

First, having a glorious time enjoying the fruit. Then, trying very hard to coax Mak (and my younger sister is very good at this as she always succeeded) to make the beauty in the photo below. Intoxicating, sweet, fragrant and chewy- all in one package.

The heavenly 'Kuih Koci Inti Durian'

And......to cut the long story short, I had another 'craving attack' yesterday. So...for lunch, I had a very satisfying meal. Cheap, simple and delicious!

Hot and Spicy Sardines

Well, dear readers, started to have cravings too? ;-)

After The Long Silence

2010-03-09T20:01:00.005+08:00

Ahoy there! It's me again. Although I don't blog, I still find the time to keep on reading entries from my favourite sites and by doing this, I do feel at ease after my long, tiring day at work. Anyway, since this blog is about food and cooking, I managed to squeeze some time last Sunday to prepare a dish for my Mr KHz. I do miss cooking for him on a regular basis. On the other hand, I do feel grateful that he understands my situation at the moment (although he does mention that I haven't cooked his favourite meals for quite some time) so, here goes! To Mr KHz and his cherished tummy!

'KUETIAU KUNGFU'

This simple but satisfying dish was inspired by Mat Gebu ( with alteration, of course). After all, he is a master in the kitchen, so there's nothing to worry in trying his recipes. Well, the ingredients needed are:

500g g flat rice noodles (kuetiau)

3 large eggs

100g prawns (shelled but leave the tails intact)
150g chicken fillet (cubed)
100g squids (cleaned and cut into rings)

150g cauliflower (cut into florets)

150g broccoli (cut into florets)
1 medium size carrot (julienne)
3 pips of garlic (finely chopped)

2 red chillies (sliced)
2 tbsp of cooking oil
2 tbsp of cornflour, to be mixed with 1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp of chicken granules, to be mixed with 1/2 cup of hot water
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of ground white pepper

Method:

For the gravy

Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the chopped garlic till fragrant.
Put in the prawns, chicken and squids. Pour in the chicken granules mixture, pepper, oyster sauce and carrot and let to boil over medium fire.
Next, put in the cauliflower and broccoli and the cornflour mixture and mix well.
Then, lower the heat and simmer till the vegetables are cooked and add salt to taste. Keep aside.

For the noodles:

First, beat the eggs in a bowl and keep aside.
Then, using a non-stick wok, heat the oil and put in the noodles. Stir fry for 2 minutes and pour in the beaten eggs over the noodles and keep stirring till the noodles are slightly brown and crisp.

To serve:

Put in the noodles into a bowl and spoon the gravy over the noodles.
Serve with sliced red chillies and fried shallots.

A Recipe To Keep

2009-12-21T23:53:00.005+08:00

Those who venture the eateries around Taman Tun area should be familiar with Restoran Puteri, owned by former actress, Rubiah Suparman. For your information, there are two branches of the aforementioned restaurant but the one I went to was on the hilltop. My verdict? A very nice and tasty spread of traditional Malay dishes, cooked to home-style perfection. For those with a sweet-tooth, not to worry for cooling desserts are readily available for you to sample . The dishes are served buffet style, at an affordable price, and to be honest, I was full( literally and figuratively) of glee. Satisfied and happy.

Some time this year (I really cannot remember when I bought the book and yes, age is definitely catching up!), I got hold of her second recipe book which features most of the dishes available at her restaurant. In this entry, I want to share with you a fish dish that looks like the usual 'sambal' but with a different taste. As I've always said, simple but satisfying.

TERUTUP IKAN TENGGIRI

Ingredients:
A:
4 medium slices of mackerel
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of salt

B:
1 large onion
2 pips of garlic
1/2 inch of ginger
10 dried chillies (deseeded and blanched in boliling water for 10 minutes and drained)
1/2 inch of shrimp paste

C:
1 lemongrass (bashed)
1 tbsp of tamarind (to be mixed with water to get 5 tbsp of juice)
1 and 1/2 tbsp of sugar
salt to taste

Method:

Rub the fish with salt and turmeric powder and deep fry till golden brown. Keep aside.
Ground the ingredients in (B) till fine. In a large wok, heat up 5 tbsp of cooking oil and stir fry the ground ingredients with the lemongrass till fragrant and the oil separates from the gravy.
Then, put in the sugar, tamarind juice and salt to taste. Put in the fried fish and stir gently.
Serve hot.

A Cook's FAQ

2009-12-18T06:44:00.008+08:00

Good morrow to all and Salam Maal Hijrah to all the Muslim readers. A new year, new hopes, new beginnings, and hopefully, with the Almighty's blessing, happy endings.

Since today is a non-working day, so............................ what's cooking in the kitchen? Nothing in mind? Planning to dine outside, I suppose? Well, when it comes to preparing food, usually mothers are the one deciding on what to prepare ( as well as experiencing headaches and mental block), just to state a fact. Hence, the most frequently asked question would be, "What should I cook today?"

Having picky eaters in the house, I do find preparing food for them to be quite tricky at times. Last Monday was one of the days where I had to prepare two dishes to suit Mr KHz's tastebuds as well as trying to succeed in making Atush and Daus eat! Want to know what they had on Monday? Here goes.....

For the two picky eaters, I had prepared "Fish and Chips" (minus the salad for it was meant for me). For your information, Atush was the one who decided to have this.

As for Mr KHz, I prepared this dish, using the recipe taken from one of my food magazines. Of course, me being me, some alteration had taken place. Below is the photo of "Udang Masak Wangi". The verdict? He liked it although I was skeptical at first for one of the ingredients used was finely sliced torch ginger. What a surprise, huh? Anyway, I'll include the recipe later for I have to look for the magazine first, tee hee hee........

'UDANG MASAK WANGI'

As for me, my idea of a satisfying meal is having something very simple. My kids only eat fish if it's "fish" and chips" while Mr KHz opted for less bony ones. I, on the other hand, like fish of any sorts possible. Want to know what I had for lunch on Monday? Well, look at the photo below.

A plate of piping hot, fried 'ikan selayang' eaten with a mixture of sliced onion, bird's eye chillies and sweet soy sauce, and not to forget, a decent portion of fragrant rice. Aaahhhh....what a bliss!

A Lesson on Economy?

2009-12-08T07:04:00.009+08:00

Good morrow and another new day has arrived, Alhamdulillah. What's your plan for today? Hope that it starts well and ends well. Anyway, I shall rather keep this entry short for the dish that I'm going to feature is very common and perhaps, everyone can cook it. However, I want to share my Mak's recipe of 'Hati Ayam Masak Kicap' or Chicken Liver in Soy Sauce . Economical yet satisfying. By the way, if you may ask, why chicken liver? It's Mr KHz's favourite and of course I couldn't stop him from buying, especially when he comes along for our grocery shopping.

"HATI AYAM MASAK KICAP"

The ingredients needed to cook this dish are:

400g chicken livers (trimmed, cleaned and drained)
5 pips of garlic }
2 inch of ginger } finely ground
1 tsp of fennel seeds (finely pounded)
2 tbsps ground chilli paste
1 large onion ( cut into rings)
1 fresh red chilli (sliced thinly)
5 tbsps of sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup of oil
salt to taste

Method:

Put the chicken livers in a bowl and add ground garlic, ginger and chilli paste. Mix well and marinate for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, heat the oil in a wok and fry the marinated livers till half cooked and keep aside.
Using the same oil, fry the onion, red chilli and ground fennel till fragrant. Put in the soy sauce and half-cooked chicken livers and stir gently.
Add salt to taste and serve hot once the livers are cooked.

From Kinokuniya to The Kitchen

2009-12-07T06:58:00.010+08:00

Mr KHz finds Kinokuniya in Suria KLCC to be the ultimate bookstore. His trips to this place are usually done alone. From my deduction, I can surely say that all he wants is to have personal moments with those books he loves so much. It is as similar as we, ladies, spending precious moments looking at and caressing those delicious new shoes!

His purchases do include books for our kids but rarely for me. However, some time this year, he brought home two cookbooks for me. Not being a cook himself, I was impressed because he managed to get two wonderful ones. Frankly, my collection of cookbooks and recipes has been a great help on those days when time is not on my side. This is what usually happens. I would try a new recipe and if Mr KHz loves it, the dish stays. If he doesn't, the trial would be the first and the last attempt. So, in this entry, I would like to share one recipe which has become one of my everyday dishes. Heartfelt thanks to original recipe owner, as well as the writer for this wonderful recipe, if they are reading this blog.

First, I want to show you the cover of the book which I find to be very nostalgic. I really like the tiffin carrier effect. Hailed from the kampung myself, I have vivid memories on glorious dishes that Mak had prepared with much love and care, using ingredients easily found around the house. In fact, she is my saviour whenever I'm having my 'cook's block' or when Mr KHz requests for extra special dish. Thank you so much, Mak.

The book cover

First the cover, now the photo of the dish

Prawn Sambal with Oyster Sauce

Next, the recipe if you wish to try it.

Prawn Sambal with Oyster Sauce (original recipe by Datin Norsiah Bakhari)

1 kg king prawns

1 large Bombay onions (cut into half and sliced thinly)

3 heaps tbsp of ground chilli paste ( I used 2 tbsp only)

2 tbsp oyster sauce

6 shallots

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of cooking oil

salt to taste

1/2 tsp of sugar ( the original recipe does not include sugar)

Method:

Trim the whiskers of the prawns but keep the shells intact. I peel mine but I leave the tails intact because Mr KHz finds peeling the shells a hassle.
In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and fry the onion until golden brown, then drain and keep aside.
Pound the shallots and garlic. Next, heat the remaining oil and fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant.
Add the ground chilli paste and stir until it is cooked before pouring over the oyster sauce. Add in the sugar and salt.
Put in the prawns and stir well until the sauce coats all the prawns.
Serve hot!

When Yong Pays A Visit

2009-12-05T19:07:00.006+08:00

My old friend Yong always tries her very best to pay me a visit whenever she's around KL and PJ area. Of course, I'm very grateful of her thoughtful act. This time, she decided to see me 'in action' in the kitchen when I told her that we could only go out after 1 pm for I had to cook for Mr KHz. Well, when two old girlfriends go out, one should be able to expect that the outing would be dragged till much later in the evening. For this reason, I opted to be safe than sorry. As long as there's food prepared, I wouldn't feel guilty to arrive home later than usual.

For your information, my daily routine includes checking the freezer to see what I have in store. Next would be the fridge and later, the stove. Other mums would do spring cleaning but I 'clean' the freezer instead. When I saw my frozen tomato sauce, I decided to prepare a snack for Yong. Preparing this snack would be 'killing two birds with one stone' as my kids (who happen to find rice rather unappealing unless there's chicken curry or squid 'sambal') enjoy it too! In other words, lesser time spent on cooking means longer outing hours! Yabadabedu!!! Furthermore, I want to try the plastic-lined paper casings (they should be non-stick) that I bought last week to see if the coating really does its work.

After thawing the sauce, I prepared the dough and the toppings. Since my kids are carnivores ( I don't blame them as their father is one too), I decided to use cooked, diced chicken and sliced Ayamas mini chicken with cheese sausages. To cut my story short, feast your eyes upon the photo below. Baked to perfection and still piping-hot when Yong entered the kitchen. Shhhh...this was my attempt to divert her attention from my whale-size body and witch-like appearance while I slaved over the hot stove! Clever, huh? You are asking me why I did this? Have you seen Yong? Try putting her in The Biggest Loser and I'm sure that the contestants would be more than motivated to be slim. Oh, one more thing, please try this recipe. I guarantee that you wouldn't be disappointed. On a different note, Kak Siti Rahamah, if you are reading, this recipe is specially dedicated to you.

MINI PIZZA BUN

Ingredients:

For the dough

200g high protein flour
2 tsp of instant yeast
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of olive oil
160ml warm water
vegetable shortening for greasing
8 large plastic-lined paper casings

For the sauce:

1 can chopped tomatoes
100ml water
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 yellow onion (finley chopped)
1 tsp dried oregano/ parsley
2 tbsp brown sugar
salt to tast

Toppings of your choice

Enough grated mozarella/ parmesan

Method:

Put all the ingredients except water and shortening into a mixer fixed with a dough hook. Process till it resembles bread crumbs texture. Put in the water and continue mixing till you get a soft but pliable dough. Leave in a container covered with cling plastic for 45 minutes till it doubles in size.

For the sauce, heat your pot and put in the olive oil. Stir fry the chopped onion till fragrant and translucent. Next, put in all the other ingredients and stir for 10 minutes. Take off from the heat and let to cool. Next, blend till fine. Bring over to the stove and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Keep aside to cool.Preheat your over at 160C for 15 minutes.

Next, punch your dough to let the air out. Divide into 8 equal portions and shape into balls. Then, lightly grease you paper casing using the shortening and flatten the balls and put into the paper casings. Using your fingers, make indentation on the flatten dough. Let to rest for 10 minutes.

Smear the tomato sauce over your dough and sprinkle the grated mozarella. Arrange your topping and bake your buns for 20-25 minutes till golden brown.Enjoy!

Misi Mustahil? Biar Betul!

2009-12-04T20:47:00.007+08:00

Tajuk : Catatan Pengalaman Memasak Resepi Hebat(konon) Untuk Encik KHz

Tarikh : 2 Disember 2009
Tempat : Paramount Garden

Objektif Misi

Mencari idea untuk menghasilkan resepi baru.

Menggantikan rancangan untuk memasak Daging Masak Hitam yang terpaksa dibatalkan kerana tiada stok rempah kurma. Memandu ke pasaraya 'Raksasa' untuk membeli sepeket rempah kurma berharga 60 sen dan hanya perlu menggunakan satu sudu teh sahaja memanglah tidak berbaloi!

Mahu mencuba resepi lain yang menggunakan daging kerana sepanjang minggu yang lepas, hampir setiap hari memasak kari. Aidiladha terasa seperti menyambut Deepavali!

Pelan taktikal

Menggeledah tempat menyimpan stok dapur. Sangat mendukacitakan kerana yang dijumpai hanyalah :

a) 2 peket rempah kari daging Faiza

b) 2 peket rempah kari ikan Adabi

b) 2 bungkus sup bunjut Adabi

c) 1 bungkus kulit kayu manis

c) 1 kotak santan Ayam Brand

Meneruskan usaha menggeledah sambil senyum-senyum sendiri kerana ada antara peket rempah/ perencah sudah sepatutnya dihapuskira setahun yang lalu! Tiba-tiba, mata terlihat satu peket berwarna HIJAU, berjenama ADABI. Adakah ini objek yang akan membantu misi kali ini ? Yaaaaaaa! Akhirnya, pencarian berhasil. Objek yang akan digunakan dalam misi kali ini ialah......................PERENCAH KERUTUK DAGING DAN AYAM ADABI!

Misi diteruskan dengan membaca resepi di belakang peket ini. Tuan punya blog sangat sukahati kerana bahan-bahan untuk menghasilkan hidangan ini memang ada dalam simpanan. Satu soalan yang penting, kerutuk tu apa ya? Tak mengapalah. Belum cuba, belum tahu kan?

Pelan Operasi

Menyediakan bahan-bahan:

500g daging batang pinang dihiris tipis
1 peket rempah kerutuk awam dan daging ADABI
10 ulas bawang merah
5 ulas bawang putih
2 batang serai (diketuk)
50g kerisik
300ml santan pekat
air secukupnya
garam dan gula secukup rasa

Bahan tumbuk(halus) :

5 ulas bawang putih
1/2 inci halia
1/2 inci lengkuas

Kaedah memasak:

Rempah kerutuk dicampur dengan sedikit air untuk dijadikan pes.
Tumbuk bawang merah dan bawang putih separa halus dan gaulkan dengan pes rempah tadi.
Gaulkan campuran ini dengan daging.
Panaskan minyak dan tumis bahan yang ditumbuk halus serta serai hingga wangi.
Masukkan campuran daging dan rempah tadi dan kacau rata.
Masukkan juga santan, kerisik dan air secukupnya. Kecilkan api dan kacau sekali sekala untuk mengelakkan ia hangus. Peringatan : Kuali 'non-stick' bukanlah bermakna ianya 'non-burnt' ya!
Masak hingga daging lembut dan kuahnya pekat. Perasakan dengan garam dan gula.
Hidangkan dengan ketupat atau nasi himpit (nasi kapit jika anda berada di Terengganu!)

Hasil di akhir misi :

KERUTUK DAGING

Keputusan juri :

Encik Khz menyatakan bahawa kerutuk ini rasanya ala-ala rendang. Disebabkan ianya tidak begitu kering maka hidangan ini disenaraikan sebagai "bolehlah'.
Pak Incik rumah No 1 Paramount Garden nampaknya suka dengan hidangan ini. Sambil makan, sambil bertanya, "Ini beli ke buat? " Macam mana rakan pembaca? Bolehkah saya memasak hidangan ini? Jangan lupa memberi komen ya!

How do you do?

2009-11-27T11:51:00.006+08:00

Salam and a very good day to all. Wondering where I have been all this while? I'm still here, doing the usual stuff. Well, to cut my blabbering short, let's see a dish that has been my family's special item which is served only on special occassions, specifically Aidilfitri and Aidiladha. Here it is!!!

'RENDANG PULAU BESAU'

Ingredients:
500g beef ('daging batang pinang') cut into small cubes
12 shallots (thinly sliced)
6 red chillies (thinly sliced)
3 pips of garlic
1 inch of ginger
1 lemongrass(thinly sliced)
200ml thick coconut milk
300ml thin coconut milk
salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Pound the garlic, ginger and lemongrass and keep aside.
In a large wok, heat some oil and fry the sliced shallots till wilted and keep aside.
Using the same oil used to fry the shallots, fry the sliced chillies till wilted and keep aside.
Next, leave about 2 tablespoonsful of oil in the wok and stir-fry the pounded ingredients toll fragrant.
Then, put the fried shallots and chillies. Pour in the cubed beef as well.
After that, pour in the thick coconut milk and stir.
Over medium heat, cook your beef and stir ocassionaly.
Pour the thin coconut milk gradually and cook your beef till it is tender and the gravy thickens.
Add sugar and salt to taste.
This dish is best served with 'ketupat' or compressed rice.

Yellow, Yellow, Make Me Mellow

2009-08-27T09:08:00.010+08:00

Hi all! It has been ages since I last blogged. Among my close friends, it is a known fact that I am without a helper so it is clear that this is a reason why this blog is left abandoned for quite some time. As time passes by, I can say that I am getting accustomed to the daily routines that I am now able to find the time to start blogging again.

As a start, here's a recipe for a dish that I've prepared before the month of Ramadhan, for everyone who ventures this blog. This dish is another outcome of my attempt to finish up whatever is available in the fridge. Perhaps, you can try cooking this dish as it is a very economical way to clean your fridge! Anyway, here goes.......

'MASAK LEMAK KUNING UDANG DENGAN PETAI DAN BUNGA KANTAN'

Ingredients:

400g of medium size prawns, shelled and cleaned but leave the tails intact

10 bird's eyes chillies

5 shallots

3 pips of garlic

2cm piece of ginger

1 stalk of lemongrass (bruised)

1 ginger torch (bunga kantan) quartered

1 piece of turmeric leaf (sliced thinly)

20 pieces of 'petai'

1/4 cup of thick coconut milk

1/2 cup of water

1 piece of 'asam keping'

salt to taste

Method:

Pound the shallots, garlic and ginger till fine and put into a pot.
Put in all the other ingredients and cook over a low fire, stirring at all time.
Season with salt.
Serve hot with plain boiled rice.
Savour the taste!

When Cikyah Turns Thirty-four

2009-08-19T20:00:00.008+08:00

Hiya peeps! As I've mentioned in one of my earlier entries, birthdays carry different meanings to different people. This year, I am officially thirty-four years old. As the saying goes( hopefully), one year older and one year wiser.Usually, my birthdays were celebrated with beautiful sms from siblings and relatives and much awaited calls from Mak. Since I'm married to one who claims that he is unromantic, I never expects anything from him. It was kind of sad during the early years but I've grown accustomed to it. After all, Mr K did have a point when he said, "Why must we wait for certain days to celebrate love? Shouldn't it be ongoing?" Well, coming from an unromantic, I have to say yes to that statement.

Although Mr K has never been enthusiastic with birthdays, this time, he managed to remember mine. He mentioned that my birthday gift would be chocolates (as he is a choc addict) and I just kept quiet. When I came on from school last Saturday, Mr K, being unromantic as always, simply pointed at the plastic bag near my sewing machine. "Hmm..that's your birthday gift", and he continued reading. Since he rarely gives present, I grabbed the plastic bag and there it was! My dream item! Want to to what Mr K got me? Here it is.........

Can you see the writings on the box?

Tadaaaa! My New York model GreenPan!

Note: Although this means that Mr K expects me to cook more for him, I would rather take this gift as his token of appreciation for what I've done in the kitchen all these years. Hehe...syok sendiri kan?

Ahlan Ya Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

2009-08-17T08:04:00.007+08:00

Good morrow peeps! How's your Monday? I bet, most of us find it rather hard to accept that it's another Monday. Why must the weekend be so short? The usual claim of not having enough rest, I suppose.

Anyway, personally, I'm looking forward to this Saturday because the Muslims will be celebrating the blessed month of Ramadhan. The best month in the Islamic calendar. I sincerely wish that the Almighty grants me the chance and strength to sail smoothly throughout this much awaited month. I have actually planned to ask my Atush to have a try at fasting- just like how Mak trained the six of us. She believes that a child should learn how to fast when he or she is six! I started fasting for a half day and within a week, I was able to complete fasting for the whole day. Nurturing is always best done at a tender age.

Ramadhan, to me, is forever a month full of memories. I can stil picture out Mak preparing wonderful dishes for iftar (the breaking of fast). I'm not talking about elaborate preparation. The dishes were still ordinary, daily dishes but they tasted good. Perhaps, this is why Ramadahan is called 'the month of barakah'. You don't only taste the food but you are being thankful for what the Almighty has given at the same time.

Talking about food, I want to share this recipe from the talented Mat Gebu but I have reduced the amount of chillies. It's easy to prepare and I feel that it would make a good side dish.

KERABU TELUR NYONYA

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 red onions

2 ripe tomatoes (cut into quarters, deseed and chopped into small pieces)

2 ginger torch (bunga kantan)

a handful of 'laksa' leaves shoots (pucuk daun kesom)

juice from 5 calamansi lime

1 and 1/2 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

2 red chillies

5 bird's eye chillies

1 pip of garlic

1 inch shrimp paste (toasted)

Method:

Fry each egg as an omellette, roll and slice thinly.
In a pestle and mortar, pound the red chillies, bird's eye chillies, sugar, salt, garlic and shrimp paste till fine. Put into a mixing bowl and pour the lime juice and mix till fine.
Shred all the other ingredients thinly and put into the mixing bowl with the pounded ingedients.
Put in the sliced omellette and chopped tomatoes and toss well. You may add, salt, sugar and lime juice according to your taste. Serve with hot rice and fried salted fish on the side.

Do I have to do IT just because I ate a piece of cheesecake yesterday?

2009-08-14T08:30:00.013+08:00

Good evening peeps. Already looking forward to the weekends? Lucky you. Not me, though. Tomorrow, I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL! Yes! You read it right. Tomorrow, the world will see me exercising my whale-size body doing aerobics. Surprised? I was too! Actually, this programme is part of the school's campaign to collect funds to upgrade the existing facilities.

Just a question. Why aerobics? Why? What can exercise do to a whale? Ask my students. they will definitely agree that puan shah and exercise do not go hand in hand. Don't they know I have a COOKING BLOG? Don't they know that all excellent chefs are big-sized? Don't they watch the movie 'Ratatouille'? Is Gusteau the Chef thin? Why must it be aerobics? Why can't it be a canteen day? A day that I will enjoy tremendously. Tell me!

Well, so much of me being petty. In the name of preparing better facilities for the children, I will have to keep sane and Godwilling, drag my whale-body to school at such wee hour next morning. Wish me luck peeps. Anyway, moving to something so much better, let me share my cheesecake recipe that I have ammended from the recipe on the cream cheese packaging just because I want my vegetarian friend to enjoy it too! I was really glad that my other colleagues loved the outcome of my experiment. What about the taste? It was lip-smacking, baby!! And to think that I have to pay a dear price doing aerobics tomorrow just because I enjoyed it, certainly won't stop me from cooking and baking. Perhaps, the exercise would do me good. Should I pack my choc chip cupcakes for sale tomorrow? Good thinking, ay? What say you?

SIMPLE CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SWIRLS

Do you like what you see? You do? Then.......

Have a closer look!

To enjoy this scrumptious delight, you need:

For the base:

20 pieces digestive biscuits
4 oz butter (melted)
a 10 inch x10 inch square cake tin with loose base

For the topping:

2 x 250g packets of cream cheese ( I used Tatura Brand cream cheese- it's cheaper)
300ml condensed milk
100ml evaporated milk
2 tsp gelatine ( I used Halagel brand- easily available now at leading hypermarkets)
1/4 cup of boiling water
1/2 tsp of chocolate emulco

For the delectable palate:

Put the biscuits into a plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, crush till fine.
Pour in the melted butter and mix well and put into the cake tin. Use a potato masher, level the mixture.
Put your cake tin in the freezer.
Next, pour your gelatine powder into the cup of boiling water and stir till dissolve. Just a note. DO NOT pour liquid onto gelatine for it will never dissolve. It should always be gelatine into water and not the other way around. I learn it the hard way!
Next, cut your cream cheese blocks into small pieces and put into a mixer fixed with a pedal. Beat your cream cheese till light and fluffy.
Put in your gelatine mixture, both condense and evaporated milk and stir till smooth and well-mixed using a balloon whisk.
Save 2 tbsp of this mixture and mix with the chocolate emulco into a smooth paste. Put into a piping bag and keep aside.
Pour your cheese mixture onto the chilled based.
Pipe your chocolate paste across the cheese topping. The more lines you have, the finer your swirls will look.
To create the swirl/ feathery look, use a toothpick/ cake tester against the drawn lines.
Refrigerate overnight. Then

*This cake melts if it is left at room temperature so it is best to be kept refrigerated.

Another Puffn Muffin Recipe

2009-07-26T14:07:00.004+08:00

Hi folks! In this entry, I would like to share a simple muffin recipe, which I think, is taken from at MyResipi.com. but as usual, freely ammended by, yours truly. I made these muffins after realizing that there was a packet of fresh blueberries which I bought last week. Yup! That's me. Love to spend my money on numerous ingredients but always forget to figure out what to do with them. Luckily these blueberries were still okay. Why don't you try baking these babies. They will surely brighten up your morning!

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 Grade C egg

1/4 cup low-fat yoghurt

150g fresh blueberries

paper cups

Method:

Preheat your oven at 170C.
In a big mixing bowl, put the sugar, egg, oil and milk and stir till well-mixed.
Next, using a spatula, fold in the flour.
Put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into paper cups. I used 16 -20z-size paper cups.
Then, put in the blueberries into the cups.
Bake for 25 minutes till a skewer inserted into your muffins comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Note: These muffins keep well in an airtight container in the fridge. What I usually do is, reheating them in the microwave oven for a scrumptious breakfast served with tea.

Tried, Tested and Tasted

2009-07-19T17:38:00.008+08:00

Hiya peeps! Hope that all planned is running smoothly. In this entry, I am going to write about a product which has helped me a lot in the process of preparing yummy meals for the family. I discovered this after countless visits to MyResipi.com and finally decided to have a try. Want to know about it? Here it is.............................

Kawan Brand Puff Pastry

Sincerely, I feel really blessed for discovering this product because it is easy to use. Selling at RM4.69 for ten square pieces, it is really affordable. All you need to do is to prepare the filling of your choice(and the choice is limitless), put some onto a piece of pastry, fold and seal the edges using a fork. Brush it with some egg wash and bake for 15 minutes and walla! You would get a bakery-look-alike product. Hence, every mom should keep this handy product in the freezer, unless you are willing to make your puff pastry from scratch!

For your information, I have taken the trouble to introduce this product to those in my hometome. As a result, it has become an instant favourite. Ayah loves it so much and NekIbu had personally asked me to prepare some for her youngest son's wedding. Of course, a kitchen-addict like me won't turn down such favour. Felt glad that she enjoyed it.

The craze to experiment this product using different types of filling was heightened by the price of a piece of chicken puff at a local bakery I used to go to, which is similar to half a packet of the pastry itself! After my first trial, I'm hooked. Thanks to Mr K, who happens to enjoy the puffs' flaky and crispy layers, which adds more to the addiction. In fact, he actually reminded me a few days ago that I have not made his favourite meat puffs for quite some time. Perhaps, I should go down to the kitchen right now and start preparing the filling so I can prepare some for his supper later. Before that, here are the outcomes of my sessions with my dear puff pastry. Enjoy! You might be inspired to try too!

TUNA PUFFS

SAUSAGE ROLLS

CHICKEN PIE

An Inspired Dish

2009-07-13T05:59:00.005+08:00

Hi peeps! In this entry, I would feature a dish initially done by Mr K's aunt who resides in Singapore. It was some time last year when I had the chance to see her preparing this dish when she came for a visit. Of course, the ever nosy me had asked for the recipe and I mentioned that I would be putting it in my blog. She gave the recipe but she had told me not to share it with others since it's her family's. Since I respect her, I have decided to feature this dish inspired by her after my trial and error session in the kitchen yesterday morning without revealing her original recipe. I managed to come up with this dish using her cooking techniques but the ingredients were my own concoction. Hence, feast your eyes upon......................

ROAST CHICKEN AUNTIE KAK ONI'S STYLE

To cook this dish, you need:

1 chicken (cleaned and cut into two)
8 shallots
5 pips of garlic
2 cm piece of ginger
3 tbsp of oyster sauce
2 tbsp of sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp of freshly ground black peppercorns
salt to taste
2 tbsp of cooking oil
enough water to submerge the chicken

Method:

Preheat your oven at 200C for 15 minutes.
First, ground the shallots, garlic and ginger.
Heat the oil in a tall pot and strir fry ground ingredients till fragrant and pour in the water and let to boil.
Next, put in the rest of the ingredients and put in the chicken.
Over medium heat, let the chicken cook in the broth. By the time your chicken is cooked, you should have a thick gravy.
Line your roasting pan with an aluminium foil and place your chicken. Pour the remaining gravy on top of your chicken.
Reduce your oven temperature to 180C and bake till the skin is crispy. I bake the chicken for 10 minutes.
Once cooked, take out from the oven and let to rest for 10 minutes.
Transfer onto a serving dish and spoon the chicken juice in the roasting pan on top of your chicken to keep it moist.
Enjoy!

From Padang Jambu With Love

2009-07-11T18:28:00.010+08:00

Last Saturday, I finally managed to go back to my hometown. The journey was smooth and as usual, when I'm around, it is definitely the time for 'makan-makan' and I would be more than willing to prepare/ try dishes with my siblings and my nephew and nieces, as well as my cousins. Yup! We love food very, very much. Get-togethers mean food, lots of fun and more food!

When it comes to food, we prefer home-cooked meals. Why? It has been practised since I was a wee girl. Frankly,being born into a large family certainly has its advantages. Half of the period of my younger years were filled with a lot of trial and error sessions in my Mak's kitchen. Mak believes that any dishes are possible to be prepared at home. You just name any dish and she would try to get it done. Since my Ayah does not really favour eating out, except on certain special family ocassions, he is very lucky to have Mak who is willing to slave herself cooking all his favourite dishes. Having a father (who thinks that wives who do not cook are lazy wives-please pardon him), certainly motivated Mak to spend more time in the kitchen. I do not blame my Ayah because his late mom (my Nenek) was a superb cook. It was from her that Mak learned how to make salted duck eggs, salted fish, shrimp paste (yes, you read it right-we used homemade 'belacan' in our cooking when Nenek was around) and those wonderful mouth-watering 'kuih'. My Ayah also firmly believes that homemade dishes are certainly better in terms of freshness and taste. Have I told you that we got to enjoy fresh fish because he loves fishing? Unfortunately, his heart condition had forced him to forget his favourite activity.

Having parents who are very passionate in home-prepared food is one of the reasons why I am into cooking. Mak used to mention that cooking equals love. To instil love between family members, Mak believes that home-cooked meals should be prepared with love and care. When you cook for your family, you actually show that you love them. I believe that this is very true. We can venture any eateries, taste different types of food but there would always be one dish that we keep dear to our hearts. It can be a simple chicken curry or a very elaborate 'rendang' but the one, specially treasured dish, can only be prepared by mothers for they keep that special ingredient called 'a mother's touch'. I can prove this just by taking Mr K as an example. He enjoys the food I prepared but I can never match his mom's 'cucur udang'. No matter how hard I try ( and I had personally witnessed how my mom-in-law prepared hers step-by-step since we live under the same roof), my version could never reach that standard. Now I have understood what 'air tangan ibu' in cooking means. So, loving mothers, cook for your children.

Want to know how I spent my limited time in Padang Jambu? Just moments after arriving, I had this scrumptious fit-for-a king fruit . Of course, I did not stop at only one fruit. I do not know about other durian lovers but I find freshly-opened durian tastes better than its ready-packed cousins. It has what true durian lovers call as 'the kick'. That aromatic smell and sweet-custardy-slightly bitter heavenly taste!

Durian! Glorious Durian!

Later that evening, we had these. Specially plucked from its tree in front of the house. Mak had painstakingly taken the trouble to keep the fruits on the tree just to show to my children. Ahh.....a grandmother's love. Priceless!

Sweet home-grown rambutans

Savouring-the-durian episode just did not really end after the durian-eating session . My younger sister had mentioned her craving for 'kuih koci with sweet coconut and durian filling' using the durian flesh which Mak had graded as not good enough. My sister's request had produced this.

'Kuih Koci' with sweet coconut and durian filling

Last but not least, I had to do my share. I was asked to prepare this chicken dish.

Spicy Sticky Chicken

So...what do you think? Did I have a great time? It was superbly fantastic. By the way, have I told you that my Atush had actually asked if we could delay going back to PJ? I found this to be rather touching and I am looking forward to my next 'balik kampung' trip. Till then, have a fun Sunday!

When Life Gives You Chocolates......Celebrate!

2009-06-30T05:43:00.007+08:00

Good morrow. Wish that life can always be as sweet as chcocolates? Why not! Everyone is entitled to hope and dream. In fact, hopes and dreams actually get us going on . Believing that eventually things will get better, helps us in surviving through this unpredictable life.

It is well-known that sweet things always bring comfort(coming from a kitchen-addict's point-of-view), especially during teary times. For that, I want to share this sweet, rich chocolate pudding recipe (from Myresipi.com) with you, with hopes that life would be sweeter and those saddened days be put to a definite end.

Do you like what you see in the photo?

RICH CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Then, why don't you try making these. All you need are:

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

1/2 cup of powdered milk

1 cup of sugar

4 tbsps of cornflour

1/2 tsp of vanilla essence

10g of jelly powder

4 and 1/4 cups of water

1/2 tsp of salt

3 tbsps of butter

Method:

Put all ingredients except butter in a non-stick pot. Over a low heat, whisk the mixture till it is well-mixed.
When it starts to boil put in the butter and continue whisking until it thickens.
Pour into mould and let to cool.
Put into the refrigerator till set.
Serve and enjoy!

It's 'Makan-makan' Time!

2009-06-28T08:38:00.015+08:00

It's me again. Those who visit my blog know that I am a teacher (who spends more time cooking than marking books). When I attempted new recipes, my colleagues at school would be my official food testers and I really appreciate their willingness to taste the dishes I've prepared.

Besides that, like me, my colleagues in school happen to be food lovers and we'll try to have as many 'makan-makan' sessions as possible during that 20-minute students' recess time. Pot luck is the most favoured option when it comes to this 'ritual'. Of course, being teachers, the non-Muslims would bring bought, halal-certified dishes while the Muslims, would happily bring something home-cooked. Here are some photos I managed to snap(being the ever nosy me!) during our 'makan-makan' time on Friday.

Yummylicious 'Laksa Kedah' specially prepared by .......

Pn Rosniza
(Notice how jolly Puan Tan GS was in the background? Food DOES make people happy)

'MEE GORENG BODO'-according to Cik Ahni who prepared it but sincerely, the taste is very far from 'bodo'

Below are more photos of my official food testers!

Two Gentlemen of Verona? Just kidding! En Azwie and En Aziz

(Did I tell you that we love food? Can you see that bottle of choc chip cookies?)

Teachers are forever young at heart. Don't believe me? Notice those "Peace' signs?

Madame Shama- Le Food Critique

Cik Ahni-slurping the laksa gravy

(Told you the laksa was good. See Cik Ahni's expression?)

With a Moo, Moo here and a Moo, Moo there...

2009-06-27T18:54:00.007+08:00

Hiya peeps! What's up? This week has been very hectic for me for there was also school on Saturday! So much of being dedicated huh? Anyway, in this entry, I would like to post something which is very much related to the title.

I believe that everyone is very familiar with the Moos. I like to describe them as very interesting, especially those from the Freesian bred. With that black and white patterns on the skin, they appear very cute-looking to me. Call me a Moo-freak but they are just cute. End of discussion. However, Mr KHz tends to view the Moos differently. Just by looking at them, he can give you a long list of dishes possibly done using parts of the Moos family. To him, the Moos are superbly delicious! Hence this entry on a dish that I have prepared for his supper last night and he gave it 8/10 rating. What? You like the Moos as steak too? I don't blame you. They actually taste superb( and this entry has actually made me craving for my Mak's 'Rendang Pulau Besar').

To share Mr KHz's passion on dishes involving parts of the Moo family, here's the recipe, originally taken from Kimball Recipe Booklet-Vol.1., if you wish to try.

OXTAIL STEW

Ingredients:
1.2 kg ox tail (blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes and drained)
200g tomato puree
1 can of whole tomatoes (chopped)
2 onions (finely chopped)
4 pips of garlic (finely chopped)
2 carrots (sliced into rings)
3 potatoes (cut into wedges)
2 pieces of dried bay leaves
1.5 litre water
2 beef stock cubes
2 tbsps of cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat the oil and saute the onion pieces till fragrant. Put in water and bring to a boil.
Add in the ox tail pieces and bring to a boil again. Add in bay leaves, lower the heat and put on the lid. Simmer for 1 hour.
Then, add in the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, carrots, potatoes and beef stock cubes. Put the lid and continue too cook until the oxtail is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with slices of french loaf.

Healthy Eating? Cikyah? What?

2009-06-24T09:28:00.005+08:00

Good morrow peeps! Do you like(or rather surprised by) the title? Anyway, what do people really mean with healthy eating? Well, I do take the skin off the chicken before cooking. I have ommitted coconut milk in my curry and use chopped tomatoes to thicken the gravy. I try not to put any MSG in cooking and I always insist on fresh ingredients. Am I on the right track to healthy eating? Tell me....

Well, as an attempt to start eating healthily, I prepared this recipe for my lunch yesterday. I have ammended Amy Beh's Healthy Pasta Salad recipe and surprisingly, my colleagues at school enjoyed it. What about me? I enjoyed it too!

Here's the recipe if you plan to have something simple yet filling for your lunch and it serves four.

HEALTHY PASTA SALAD

You need:
400g of tricolour fussili (spiral pasta)
3 pieces of Ayamas chicken ham (or you can put steamed chicken breast cut into small pieces)
1 medium size red capsicum
1 medium size yellow capsicum

For the dressing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly cracked black peppercorns

Method:

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet (till al dente) and drain.
Meanwhile, put the capsicums on your stove top and cook till black and charred. Next, put into a bowl and cover with a cling film. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
Then, slice the chicken ham into small, thin slices and put into a mixing bowl.
After that, peel the skin of the capsicums and deseed. Slice into thin strips and put into the mixing bowl. Then, put in your pasta.
For the dressing, put everything in a glass jar. Put the lid on and shake till well-mixed. Pour into the mixing bowl and toss well.
Serve.

When Cikyah Goes Fusion

2009-06-14T20:24:00.004+08:00

Yesterday evening, I went down to the kitchen and realised that I had to whip up another dish for the ones prepared earlier had been gobbled up for lunch. How fortunate I was to notice a bowl of cold rice on the kitchen counter. Well, since Mr KHz had mentioned his craving for fried rice, I finally came up with this idea. Since I have to finish my button mushrooms, let's go fusion and here is the end product:

THAI-STYLE FRIED RICE WITH SALTED FISH WITH MUSHROOM OMELETTE

By the way, do they match? What do you think? Anyway, if you're feeling under the weather, just whip up this simple fried rice recipe(owned by cheiza@Myresipi.com) as I'm very confident that it can definitely beat the blues.

You need:
3 cups of cooled, cooked rice
3cm piece of salted fish( I used salted mackerel )
1 onion(halved and thinly diced)
3 pips of garlic(bashed)
5 bird's eye chillies (bashed)
2 long beans (cut into small pieces)
1/2 a carrot (diced)
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of fish sauce ('nampla')
2 tbsp of cooking oil
salt (if necessary)

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok. Then, put the salted fish. Using the back of your spatula, mash the salted fish and fry till fragrant and slightly crispy.
Next, put in the onion, garlic and chillies and stir well. Put in the vegetables, oyster sauce and fish sauce and keep on stirring.
Put in your rice and mix well. Have a taste in case you need to add more salt.
Serve hot.

Apa Tengok-tengok? Nak Gaduh Ke?

2009-06-14T19:38:00.006+08:00

Ooooooppppp! Nanti! Nanti! Jangan gaduh-gaduh. Makan gado-gado tak apa. Resepi ni cikyah dapat dari KualiOnline. Bahan-bahannya dan resepi kuah kacangnya pun cikyah dah ubah sedikit. Berselera ke tengok gambar kat bawah ni? Apa? Nampak sedap? Cuba la......

GADO-GADO

Bahan-bahan:

5 batang kacang panjang (dipotong-potong sepanjang 2 inci dan dicelur sebentar)
1 batang timun ( buang empulurnya dan dipotong-potong sepanjang 2 inci)
3 keping tempe (potong nipis dan digoreng garing)
3 keping tauhu ( potong dua setiap satu, digoreng garing dan dihiris-hiris 1/4 inci tebal)

Untuk kuah kacang:
1 cawan kacang tanah ( digoreng tanpa minyak, buang kulit dan ditumbuk halus)
8 batang cili kering(dipotong2,buang biji dan direndam dengan air panas dan ditoskan)
2 batang cili merah
5 ulas bawang merah (dihiris nipis)
2 sudu besar gula
2 sudu besar kicap manis
1 sudu besar asam jawa (diramas dengan 1 cawan air dan ditapis)
2 sudu besar minyak masak
garam

Cara-cara:
Susun sayur-sayuran, tempe dan tahu di dalam sebuah pinggan hidang.
Dalam kuali, panaskan minyak dan goreng cili kering, cili merah dan bawang merah hingga garing.
Kemudian, masukkan ke dalam lesung batu dan ditumbuk hingga lumat dan masukkan semula ke dalam kuali bekas menggoreng tadi.
Masukkan kacang tumbuk dan bahan-bahan lain.
Masak menggunakan api sederhana hingga mendidih dan masukkan garam secukup rasa.
Bila pekat, padamkan api dan hidang bersama sayur-sayuran, tempe dan tahu tadi.
Untuk merasa gado-gado, gaulkan kuah dengan bahan-bahan tadi dan biarkan mereka 'bergaduh'.
Nah......sekarang boleh makan.

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets....'Larder-Ransacking'!

2009-06-13T08:23:00.006+08:00

On Thursday morning, I cannot really figure out what to cook for lunch. On weekdays, only the kids have lunch at home so usually, I just have to figure out what's for dinner. At certain times, I really cannot think of what kind of dish to prepare. It feels as if I have cooked everything. If there's 'a writer's block', I wonder, "Is there is 'a cook's block' too?" When I am in this condition, I will go 'larder-ransacking' and here is another dish that I would recommend if ever you are having 'a cook's block'.

SIMPLE SPAGHETTI WITH CHEESE AND HERBS SAUCE

To save you from a hard time figuring out what to prepare, you just need:

250g spaghetti (ccoked according to instructions on the package and drained but save 1 and 1/ cans of the water used for boiling)
1 can of Prego Cheese and Herbs sauce
150g chicken fillet (cut into small pieces)
1 medium size yellow onion (chopped)
2 pips of garlic (chopped)
1 can of button mushroom (sliced)
a handful of parsley (chopped)
1 1/2 cans of water used to boil the spaghetti ( I used the sauce can to measure)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and ground white pepper to taste
parmesan cheese

Method:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil and put in the chopped onion and stir till translucent but do not brown the onion pieces.
Next, put in the chicken pieces and stir till cooked.
Then, put in the sauce. Stir and put in the water. Keep on stirring till the sauce is bubbling.
When the sauce thickens, put in your spaghetti.
Put the chopped parsley and add salt and white pepper to taste.
Stir till the spaghetti is well-coated and pile onto a warm serving platter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bon apetit!

Another Successful Request

2009-06-10T08:04:00.006+08:00

Good morrow! In this entry, I would include the recipe for my Potato Bread, together with the recipe for the custard topping that I manage to bake as Atush requested for one yesterday afternoon. This bread is very easy to make and it tastes very fluffy. Feeling annoyed? Go for bread making and knead the anger away!

POTATO BREAD WITH CUSTARD TOPPING

I've included the recipe for the bread dough in my previous entry but I shall put it again.

Ingredients :

For the dough

300g high protein flour

50g caster sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tbsp powdered milk

2 tsp instant yeast

1 Grade C egg

135ml cold water

60 g mashed potato

30g butter

For the custard topping

1 tbsp of plain flour

1 tb custard flour/cornflour

4 tbsp of caster sugar

1 Grade C egg

1 cup of fresh milk (I used low-fat, as usual)

30g butter

Method:

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, powdered milk and yeast and mix well.
Then, put in the egg and cold water and mix until the mixture forms a dough.
Put in the mashed potato and butter and knead well until dough becomes soft and elastic.
Cover dough and let rise for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the custard topping. In a sauce pan, mix both plain flour and cornflour and sugar with 2 tbsp of milk. Stir well.
Next, put in the egg and keep stirring. Then, pour in the reamining milk and keep on stirring. Using a double-boiler method, bring the pot over another pot of boiling water and keep stirring till the mixture thickens. Once thickened, put in the butter and stir well and turn off the heat. Cover cour custard cream using a cling film to avoid 'skin' from forming on the top. Let to cool.
Next, punch the dough to let out the air. Leave covered for another 15 minutes.
Shape dough into small balls and arrange them in a greased baking tray. Leave to rise for another 45 minutes. Pipe the custrad cream across the dough.
Bake at 180C for 25 minutes. You may need to adjust the temperature depending on your oven.
Serve with a nice cup of tea.

Now That I've Remembered......

2009-06-08T09:06:00.004+08:00

Hi all! After browsing my photos in one of the folders, I suddenly realised that I've promised this recipe to a friend for quite some time. Now that I've remembered, i should straight away put the recipe here. I do hope that she'll try and let me know the verdict. I tried the recipe originally done by skyblue@Myresipi.com. The sauce recipe featured here is half the amount of the original recipe. Since I don't really favour salmon, I guess the sauce tasted good because Mr KHz left me an empty plate!

PANFRIED SALMON WITH WHITE SAUCE

Ingredients:
2 pieces of salmon steak
1 tbsp olive oil
a pinch of salt
a pinch of freshly grated black peppercorns

For the sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1/4 onion (chopped)
1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 cup of fresh milk( I used low-fat milk)
a pinch of salt
a pinch of freshly grated black peppercorns

Method:

Coat the fish with salt and pepper and fry in olive oil till brown. Transfer onto a serving platter.
For the sauce, heat the butter in a sauce pan and fry the onion till translucent.
Put in the flour and stir till all the onion pieces are coated with flour. Put in the other ingredients and keep on stirring till boils.
Turn off the heat and pour your sauce over your fish.
Enjoy!

Looking Back : If Only Nenek Was Here...

2009-06-06T02:13:00.006+08:00

This entry is very long due. It should have been featured somewhere in March but the usual claim would be, "I don't even have time for myself!" Is life really that bad? What happen to my time? When these questions pop up, I would definitely take the easy way out. How? Looking through recipe books and surfing recipe sites, of course. Worse come to worse, I'll be in the kitchen, making bread and later, savour the therapeutic moments watching it rises and getting brown in the oven! Call me weird, freaky or whatsoever but this is how I calm myself.

I have never imagined that cooking can be the antibiotics during those chaotic times in my life. However, being brought up in a family who believes that food is the best tool to strengthen family ties, I can't agree more. Showing love through food has been long practised. Have you ever experienced the warmth when the dish you prepared is well-appreciated? That kind of fuzzy feeling when there's nothing left on the plate? I bet you have! That's why moms would go the extra length to prepare their children's favourite dishes when the long-awaited ones come home for the long school break. It's simply about showing love!

My late Nenek was a very good example to show how love is expressed through food. Due to her expertise, I have grown up to be a very picky person when it comes to choosing 'kuih genggang'(layered kuih), 'kuih kaswi', 'kuih koci' and 'pulut tetal'. So far, only my Mak is able to produce the kuih of such standard. Why? She was my late Nenek right-handed person in the kitchen! Nenek was also noted for her skills in preparing the 'lauk pengantin' for the 'orang sebelah' (the bride's or bridegroom's relatives -depending on which side you are organising the feast for). As my lame attempt to bring back those fond memories, here are the photos of the 'lauk pengantin' that we (me, Mak, Mak Teh and a few others) made for my cousin's wedding.

'UDANG PANJAT POKOK'
(Simply fried prawns skewered onto a pineapple using toothpicks. The fringy bits are made from carved and thinly sliced carrots, while the green bits are spring onions)

'DAGING MASAK KICAP'

(Notice the vegetables used as decorations? It took me quite some time to carve those chillies and that pineapple piece!)

Don't you think that it is about time for us to celebrate what is still left for us before it's taken away? Celebrate life with love and the easiest is through food. Believe me!

Another Kampung Dish

2009-06-06T01:15:00.006+08:00

I used to be puzzled why Mak had refused to take certain kinds of food. To me, her 'ikan pari masak asam pedas' and fried chicken are forever yummy while her seafood dishes are 'heaven on earth'. I wondered why she would choose a vege dish over a sinfully good helping of her delicious 'ikan pari' dish. She was not that old either. She was only in her thirties at that time. Finally, everything turns to be very clear for me. Being thirty-four, now I fully understand my mom's choice. Time has proven that your choice of food changes with age. Lately, I prefer vegetables and fish dishes compared to poultry, meats and seafood dishes. Could age be the factor?

In this entry, I am very glad to share my Mak's recipe using the ingredients found around the house. It is very common to find a papaya tree around a kampung house so the dish features raw papaya as the main ingredient.

'MASAK ASAM REBUS KEPAYA MENGKAL'

* The word 'mengkal' actually means the papaya is raw and going to the ripe stage. Since I'm from Padang Jambu, Melaka, I'm used to refer to the fruit as 'kepaya', not betik or papaya.

To cut the long story short, all that you need are:

A medium size raw papaya
3 shallots
2 pips of garlic
8 pieces of dried chillies(deseeded, blanched in hot water and finely ground)
a handful of dried anchovies('ikan bilis') (Mind you, I have big hands!)
1/2 inch piece of fresh turmeric root
1 inch piece of shrimp paste (alah, belacanlah!)
1 tbsp black peppercorns (freshly ground)
1 piece of turmeric leaf (shredded)
sufficient water
tamarind juice
salt and sugar to taste

To cook this dish you need to:

Skin the papaya and cut into halves. Deseed and divide into portions. Wash and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Put into a medium size pot.
Pound the shallots, garlic, turmeric root, shrimp paste and dried anchovies in a pestle and mortar. Since I find this dish to be rustic, I do not pound the ingredients till fine.
Put in the pounded ingredients as well as the ground chillies into the pot containing the papaya slices. Pour in sufficient water till it barely covers the papaya slices.
Simmer over medium heat till the papaya soften and pour in the tamarind juice.
Add in salt, sugar, shredded turmeric leaf and black peppercorns. Let to boil for another 5-8 minutes.
Serve with a plate of piping hot rice with a piece of salted fish at the side.

Bila Teringat Emak di Kampung......

2009-06-04T08:25:00.005+08:00

Salam. Semoga hari ini bermula dengan baik untuk sesiapa yang membaca blog ini (er..ada ke orang baca?). Saya baru saja pulang dari Trengganu-pergi bercuti dengan Mr KHz dan anak-anak di The Aryani. Kepada sesiapa yang perlukan rehat dan suasana yang tenang, saya mengesyorkan anda ke tempat ini. Walaupun harga biliknya agak tinggi, pulangannya memang berbaloi! Disebabkan suasana di tempat ini yang penuh nilai2 tradisional (dalam erti kata lain, gaya kampunglah!), saya tiba-tiba teringat Emak. Selalunya, bila saya teringat Emak, saya pasti teringin mahu makan masakan dia dan saya akan terus sahaja ke kedai mencari bahan-bahan untuk memenuhi tuntutan tekak saya! Kali ini, saya sertakan satu resepi yang kalau Emak masak, hanya saya dan dia sahaja akan makan. Adik-adik? Hmm...tak nak lah, sebab pahit! Tidak mengapa, semuanya untuk saya dan Emak. Baru puas hati!

Mahu tahu apakah masakan itu? Inilah dia.........

PERIA GORENG DENGAN TELUR

Bahan-bahan:
1 biji peria saiz sederhana
3 ulas bawang merah
2 ulas bawang putih
2 biji cili merah
3 biji cili padi
segenggam ikan bilis (lagi banyak lagi sedap)
sebiji telur
garam

Cara:

Belah dua peria, buang empulurnya dan dihiris nipis. Gaul dengan 2 sudu kecil garam dan biarkan selama 10 minit. Kemudian, perahkan peria dan cuci bersih. Toskan.
Tumbuk halus bahan-bahan lain kecuali telur dan garam.
Panaskan sedikit minyak dan tumis bahan-bahan tumbuk hingga wangi dan garing.
Masukkan peria dan gaul rata. Masukkan garam secukup rasa.
Pecahkan telur dan kacau sehigga telur masak.
Hidang panas bersama sepinggan nasi putih. (kalau nak tambah nasi pun boleh.....)

When Cikyah Cleans The Larder

2009-05-28T09:22:00.006+08:00

Hi peeps! It's been quite long since my last entry. Like the month of April, May has seen me dashing to school earlier and earlier. In fact, my Saturdays have been taken by some 'mind-opening' (if you can put it in such a way) sessions in school. This is the time when I would feel very guilty leaving the kiddos at home. The weekends have always been my slaving-in-the-kitchen time where I would be very obliged to cook any dishes requested. As I was not able to keep to this routine, I managed to find an alternative in order to put my mind at ease as well as making sure the kiddos(and Mr KHz, especially), are feeling happy due to their full tummies.

Inspired by Nigella's belief that 'Simplicity is the best'(as it was already 9.30pm!), I began to 'ransack' the larder (and the freezer) to look for available ingredients. You want to know what I found? Here they are:

And using all the ingredients in the photo above, I managed to come up with this:

SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO CHICKEN SAUCE

What? The sauce looks like the usual bolognaise? Nay, I would not yes because this is my own concoction. The bolognaise of course, is of a class of its own! As I've mentioned beforehand, cooking to me is partly experiment but fully joyful. Although at times, my experiments do not produce satisfactory results, cooking has always manged to comfort me. Frankly, from the bottom of my heart and tummy as well, you should try cooking this simple sauce.

To cook this sauce, you need:

1 can(400g) of peeled tomatoes
1 can of button mushrooms (thinly sliced)
1 medium size onion (finely diced)
200g of diced chicken
3 tsbps of olive oil
2 tbsp of tomato puree
2 and 1/2 tbsps soft brown sugar
2 tsps of dried parsley
salt to taste
2 cans of water ( I used the tomato can to measure)

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pot and sautee the onion till translucent and put in the tomatoes. Stir well. Let to cool for 10 minutes.
Put in the tomato mixture into a blender and pour in 1 can of water and blend till fine.
In the same pot, put in another tablesoonful of olive oil and fry the diced chicken. Stir till well-cooked and pour in the tomato mixture and another can of water.
Put in the tomato puree, sugar and add salt to taste. Do not forget the parsley!
Over medium heat, stir occassionally till you arrrive at your desired consistency.
Spoon over your spaghetti and sprinkle some grated parmesan and voila!

I Am An Addict

2009-04-02T20:14:00.004+08:00

Wondering what I'm addicted to? Don't worry. This addiction is as healthy as it can be. I am addicted to 'Colek Ike Tenggiri' or in simpler words, Fried Mackerel topped with Spicy Onion and Tomato Salsa. This dish is very simple yet satisfying. That's my idea of a good meal. As usual, I have ammended the recipe by zaliana@MyResipi.com. to suit my tastebuds. Thanks you so much for this wonderful recipe.

Let's look at the photo first. So...what do you think? Tasty, innit?

'COLEK IKE TENGGIRI'

To cook this wonderful dish, you need:

2 medium pieces of mackerel
some salt and turmeric powder
1/2 cup of warm water
1 and 1/2 tbsp sugar*
1 tsp salt*
3 bird's eye chillies*
1 inch 'belacan' (toasted)*
juice from a lime (add more if you like it to be more sour)
1 ripe tomato (diced finely)
1 medium size onion (diced finely)
2 sprigs of spring onion (diced finely)

Method:

Coat the fish with some salt and turmeric powder.
Heat a non-stick pan and and heat up in some cooking oil.
Put in the fish and fry till cook. Keep aside.
Meanwhile, using a pestle and mortar, pound all the ingredients marked *.
In a bowl, put in the pounded ingredients, chopped tomato, onion and spring onion.
Pour in the water and stir well.
Spoon this mixture over the fish and enjoy!

'Fish-Eating'

2009-03-18T19:13:00.009+08:00

As I've mentioned beforehand, my Tukang Makan is very fond of seafood, specifically huge prawns and squids. I am not very sure of his reason for asking me to stop cooking prawns and squids but personally, I am happy with his decision. All that he said was, "Dah banyak sangat makan udang dengan sotong ni. Takut-takut kena gout la pulak." Hmm....I guess, it's about time for him to take care of his health.

Hence, I have prepared all fish dishes for the past five days! However, he opted for chicken chop yesterday but today, it's back to fish again! Since it is the school holiday, I'm happy to fulfill his wish to start eating healthily (and although I found it to be a bit costly, in the name of wholesome, healthy goodness, a little sacrifice wouldn't hurt, I guess..). Here are the photos of the fish dishes I've prepared for him. Let's 'cuci mata' first. Who knows, the photos might inspire you to join the fish-eating diet too!

PANFRIED SALMON WITH LEMON BUTTER

(My first attempt to cook salmon just because it is Tukang Makan's favourite)

STEAMED BLACK GAROUPA IN SOUR AND SPICY SAUCE

SALMON WITH WHITE SAUCE

STEAMED BLACK GAROUPA IN SWEET, SOUR AND SPICY SAUCE

STEAMED SOUR AND SPICY WHITE POMFRET

So, what do you reckon? Want to join the fish-eating group too? Think about it!

A Fond Taste of The Yesteryears

2009-03-09T21:12:00.004+08:00

Birthdays can carry different meanings to different people. As for kids, birthdays are undoubtedly the much cherished time of the year where special treatment and special present(s) await on that one special day. As for me, birthdays are forever special. Being born into a not-well-to do(but blessed with excessive happiness) family and raised in a kampung, a big birthday bash was very rare. It's good enough if your family members remember your birth date.

However, one might get lucky at times. I did have birthday celebrations during my childhood years. One person whom I hold very dear to heart upon this matter was my late Mak Long. She was the one who was able to remember everybody's birthday and she would try her very best to celebrate. Unfortunately, she was taken way too early from us. May peace be upon her.

Talking about birthday celebrations, there are certain types of food associated with the occassion. It can be a big family lunch or a simple treat at the ice-cream shop. Reflecting my younger years, the Malays commonly serve fried rice vermicelli('bihun'), curry puffs, sardines sandwiches, water-melon (or home-grown bananas), jelly, 'air sirap' and not to forget, a bakery-bought birthday cake with colourful buttercream icing for the celebrated persona. The highlight of the event would be the singing of the birthday song and the birthday person would proudly cut the heavily-guarded cake(a smeared cake wouldn't be nice for the photography purposes) into sections to be served to the guests. Of course, those invited would be the kampung folks within your house perimetre. If the budget permits, you would be able to see Wall's ice-cream (a much praised brand at that time), fried chicken wings, party packs and the whole living hall adorned with balloons and streamers.

The presents were also an interesting fact to be commented. Usually, the parents or close relatives would give the biggest(and could be the one and only) gift. Guests would bring wrapped items but do not expect to get Barbie dolls or Transformers action figures. Gifts came in the form of story books, stationery ('magic pen' was among the top chosen ones) and simple toys. The most common gift in my kampung was a packet of wafer, wrapped tightly and neatly ( I couldn't really remember the brand). One should try his or her very best to 'keep face' .Of course you wouldn't want to be seen arriving empty-handed and assumed as only coming for the food! However, the fun was all in the get together and the gifts did not really matter.

Mentioning the birthday cake, there is one that I hold dear to my heart(and tastebuds as well) for it does bring back those fond memories. My mum was the one usually assigned to bake cakes for birthdays then. Her choice would depend on the availability of ingredients at that time concerned. It would be a banana cake or orange cake. Mind you that we did not have any fancy electric oven. All the baking took place in a heavy pot called 'a multi-purpose pot' and we would wait patiently in the kitchen for the yummy taste of freshly baked cakes. The extra thing that made everything scrumptious was that motherly love. My childhood memories were sprung to life when my youngest uncle(whose birthday fell on the 8th of March) personally requested for the orange cake. I had fulfilled his wish by baking the cake last night and bringing it along as we celebrated my cousin's wedding earlier this morning. It's true what they say about sweet memories. They are keepsakes and always to be treasured.Indeed!

Here's the recipe if you wish to try.

ORANGE CAKE

Ingredients:

300g butter (at room temperature)

300g caster sugar

300g plain flour

1 tsp soda bicarbonate

6 eggs

grated rind and juice of 1 orange

Method:

Preheat your oven at 150C.
Grease and line a ring cake tin.
Sift the flour with the soda bicarbonate and keep aside.
In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar till pale and creamy.
Put in the eggs, one at a time and stir well.
Next, put in the orange rind and juice and mix well.
Fold in the flour and pour the mixture into the cake tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack and cut into slices.
Enjoy!

An Evening with Atush

2009-03-02T00:21:00.014+08:00

Last Saturday, before I went for the PTA meeting in school, Tukang Makan told me that we would be going for our fortnightly grocery shopping at Jaya 33 once I reached home. This time, he had decided upon fish. He told me that he had too much prawns and squids for the week.

My daughter, as usual, loves to tag along whenever we have this ritual. As I went along the frozen food section, looking for my puff pastry, she saw a box of frozen pizza. This young lady has a 'unique' way of telling me what she craves for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Casually, she mentioned that she had not eaten pizza for quite a long time. I pointed at the box and she said,"Nevermindlah mama. Nanti petang mama buat sendiri dengan Atush ya?" Hmmmm....gone was the plan to rest and had some doses of TV viewing that evening.

After lunch, I browsed through my recipe collection to look for the simplest concoction. I felt really blessed to find a simple one in my Resipi Sihat, Pilihan Bijak Vol.1 recipe book. Halimatus was with me in the kitchen from the dough making process till the pizza was baked. I could almost see the glow of excitement in her eyes. Deep down in my heart, I was praying. Please God, make this lame effort of mine produce a great outcome.

Do you want to know the verdict? It was a worthwhile effort because that picky young lady gobbled up two large pieces and her brother munched away the same amount too! The most touching remark came from my maid, "Ibu, memang bener sedap. Bagus lagi dari PizzaHut" and I was smiling from ear to ear! What about my Tukang Makan? He finished four pieces and that was more than enough for me! I was not tired after all!

Let's check the photos out before looking at the recipe ya!

Rolled out the dough as thin as possible.(Pssst..I didn't bother to roll. I just used my hands and 'tepek-tepek' the dough..haha)

Next, smear the tomato sauce onto the dough

Arrange the topping (Halimatus' work of art)

Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese

Bake in a preheated oven for 25 mins. Meanwhile, enjoy the heavenly cheesy smell.

Tadaa!!! The fruit of my labour

SIMPLE PIZZA

(A) For the dough:

300g high protein flour

3 tsp of instant yeast

3/4 tsp salt

1 and 1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil/cooking oil

200ml of warm water

vegetable shortening/butter/margarine for greasing

(B) For the sauce:

1 can peeled tomatoes(finely chopped

100ml water

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tbsp tomato puree

1 yellow onion(finely chopped)

1 tsp dried oregano/basil

salt to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

sliced fresh button mushrooms

sliced chicken sausages

diced, cooked chicken breast

(add any possible topping you can think of-the more the merrier!)

mozarella cheese ( I used parmesan to finish my stock and it still tastes good)

Method:

Put all the ingredients except water and shortening into a mixer fixed with a dough hook. Process till it resembles bread crumbs texture. Put in the water and continue mixing till you geta soft but pliable dough. Leave in a container covered with cling plastic for 1 hour till it doubles in size.
For the sauce, heat your pot and put in the olive oil. Stir fry the chopped onion till fragrant and translucent. Next, put in all the other ingredients and stir until the sauce thickens. For your information, I let the sauce to cool off and I blended it to 'cover' the trail of the onion pieces- all in the name of getting some vege goodness! Mind you, mine are all carnivorous!
Next, take out the dough and punch it to let the air out.
Grease your baking tray/pizza mould with vegetable shortening/butter/margarine and roll your dough as thinly as possible. Let to rest for 10 minutes.
Smear your dough with the sauce and arrange the topping of your choice.
Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese.
Bake at 170C for 25 minutes of till golden brown.
Cut into squares and enjoy!

Cikyah, Nak Mee Udang Satu!!

2009-02-15T16:41:00.006+08:00

Hi peeps! It's been quite long since I last blogged. This week has been very hectic for me. I spent most of my mornings in school. Then, went home to do the cooking and rushed back in the afternoons for the teaching part. When I reached home, I really felt like a big lump of jelly. Tell me about wobbly limbs and heavy eyelids and zero percent of energy. I really hate to arrive at home in such condition for I won't be able to spend that much needed(I'm talking about my needs here) precious time for my kiddos. Why? I'll doze off to slumberland much earlier then them! I do pity my kids. I sincerely hope that those extra-curricular activities would finish soon. For the time being, I believe I just have to drag myself and keep telling my tired brain that I can still hang in tough.

Well, enough of me lamenting about my work in school. Let's share something more interesting-like my Prawn Noodles. Hearty and yummy! If you plan to have a 'makan-makan', this dish is also quite economical because the recipe for the gravy can serve between 6 to 8 people. However, make sure that your guests are not allergic to prawns!

Prawn Noodles

Ingredients:

500g yellow/flat noodles

1/2 a chicken

10 cups of water

1/2 kg of prawns (peeled and clean but keep the shells(washed thoroughly) aside)

15 shallots ]

5 cloves of garlic ] (to be ground finely)

1 inch of ginger ]

10 pieces of dried chillies ]

salt and sugar to taste

1/2 tsp of MSG

1/2 cup of cooking oil

For the 'sambal':

1 cup ground dried chillies

1 onion (ground)

1/2 inch shrimp paste

salt and sugar to taste

For the garnish:

200g 'kangkung' @ water convulvulous (blanched)

5 hard boiled eggs (halved)

chopped spring onions

fried shallots

deep fried tofu (thinly sliced)

Method:

First, boil the chicken using 10 cups of water for 30 minutes. Take out the chicken, tear the flesh into shreds and keep aside. Put the bones back into the pot containing the chicken stock and keep on boiling.
Heat the oil in a high pot and stir fry the prawn shells till caramelised. Take out the shells and put into the blender. Pour in 1 cup of the chicken stock and blend till fine. Sieve the juice and pour into the pot containing the chicken stock.
Using the oil used to fry the prawn shells, stir fry the ground ingredients till fragrant and the oil separates from the gravy. Pour this into the boiling stock.
Keep on boiling until you get a clear, orangy broth. Take out the bones and put in the MSG.
Add salt and sugar to taste.
For the 'sambal', stir fry the ingredients till fragrant and the oil separates from the gravy. Put in the salt and sugar to taste. Keep aside.
To serve, put in your yellow/flat noodles in a bowl. Pour the gravy and garnish with 'kangkung', sliced fried tofu, hard boiled eggs and fried shallots. Top with the 'sambal'.
Enjoy!

Few Ingredients, Superb Outcome Part 2

2009-02-02T05:51:00.003+08:00

This is another dish which I find quite economical (the ingredients used are very few) and not very time consuming to be prepared. The key is to slice the beef a thin as possible, as to shorten cooking time and to make sure that it's tender. Anyway, have a try!

SPICY BEEF

Ingredients:
400g lean beef (sliced thinly, boiled till tender and keep the juice)
10 shallots
5 garlic
10 dried chillies (cut and soaked in hot water)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
cooking oil

Method:

Ground the shallots, garlic and dried chillies finely.
Heat the wok and fry the ground ingredients till fragrant and the oil separates from the gravy.
Put in the beef and its juice and Let to simmer.Stir occasionally over medium heat.
Put in the oyster sauce and sugar. *You may add more salt if you like it salty.
Cook till the gravy thickens.
Serve with a smile.

Few Ingredients, Superb Outcome

2009-02-01T09:26:00.003+08:00

Hi! In this entry, I would feature a dish that uses very few ingredients but promises a superb outcome(at my level of course..hahaha). I went down to the kitchen on friday evening and as usual, I 'went through' the fridge and couldn't really decide on what to prepare for lunch. I saw some eggs and half a bottle of fermented soy beans(taucu). Aha! Let's have 'Tumis Telur Taucu' for a change. The verdict? Tukang Makan said, "Okay. I like everything with eggs." Yipee!

'TUMIS TELUR TAUCU'

To cook this simple dish, you only need:

5 hard boiled eggs ( peeled and fried)

1 onion (sliced into rings)

3 cloves of garlic (sliced thinly)

2 cm pieve of ginger(sliced thinly)

2 chillies (sliced thinly)

2 tbsp of 'taucu'

1 tbsp of sugar

1/4 cup of tamarind juice

3 tbsp of cooking oil

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the onion, ginger, garlic and chillies till fragrant.
Put in the 'taucu' and keep stirring.
Next, put in the tamarind juice and sugar and let to boil. Add more water if you want it a bit soupy.
Then, put in the eggs and let to simmer.
Serve with hot rice.
Put in the eggs

When The Teacher Is Not Teaching.....

2009-01-29T23:31:00.004+08:00

Hi peeps! How's life? Hope that everything is flowing smoothly as planned. My Tukang Makan has this habit of getting 'very excited' when I'm on school holidays. You want to know the reason for his 'excitement'? What else? He can simply mention what he plans to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Of course, he subtly means that the dishes would be extra special. For the CNY break, he had requested for these dishes, namely 'MEE GORENG BASAH' for his brunch and 'NASI GORENG IKAN MASIN HEAVEN N HELL' for dinner. What do you think of the photos? Nampak sedap ke?

'MEE GORENG BASAH'

'NASI GORENG IKAN MASIN HEAVEN N HELL'

Mmmmmmmeekkkk..

2009-01-24T20:30:00.006+08:00

Hi! It's me again. In this entry would be my own concoction of mutton curry. Selalunya, 'smelly' meat like mutton and lamb, cikyahlah yg kena masak-sebab Mummy tak tahan bau dia. Personally, I prefer meat to mutton or lamb but since my Tukang Makan really enjoys these two meats, I masakkanlah jugak. Takpe, cikyah suka je...hehehehehehe. Nak resepi ke? Rasanya semua dah tau macam mana masak kari kambing kan? Takpe, tengok gambar dulu eh!

KARI KAMBING

"Mama, it's not spicy enough!"

2009-01-14T06:11:00.006+08:00

Good morning all. This entry features a dish that I have featured earlier but I have ammended the recipe because Atush mentioned that the original concoction was not spicy enough for her. Why don't you try and let me know ya!

SPICY STICKY CHICKEN WINGS

To cook this dish, you only need:

12 pieces of chicken wings ( cut the tips off and each piece is cut into two)

3 pips of garlic(crushed)

1 tbsp of chopped ginger

2 tbsp of salty soy sauce

1 tbsp of fish sauce

2 tbsp of chilli powder
4tbsp of honey

2tbsp of cooking oil

Method:

In a wok, heat the oil and fry the ginger and garlic till fragrant. Put in the chicken wings and stir for 5 minutes.
Then, put in the other ingredients and stir for another 5 minutes and cover your wok.
Stir occasionally till tender and the sauce has thicken and coated your chicken wings.
Serve hot.

Going Green

2009-01-09T22:02:00.004+08:00

Hi! I'm back and as part of my new year's resolution is eating more vegetables, here's a simple recipe(adapted from Mat Gebu's) that you can prepare. I've mentioned beforehand that I really enjoy broccoli, so I've used it as the main ingredient for this dish. So peeps, go green and enjoy!

SWEET AND SOUR EGG TOFU WITH BROCCOLI Ingredients:

3 small tubes of egg tofu (each sliced into eight pieces)

1 piece of chicken breast (cut into bit-size pieces)

2 medium size tomatoes (quartered)

1 medium size head of broccoli (cut into florets)

1 onion (thinly sliced)

2 pips of garlic (thinly sliced)

2 tbsp chilli paste

1/2 cup Thai chilli sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1/4 cup of water

salt to taste

Method:

Deep fry the tofu slices until golden brown and keep aside.
In the same wok, using 3 tbsp of oil used to fry the tofu pieces, fry the oinion and garlic till fragrant. Next, put in the chilli paste and stir till the oil separates.
Then, put in the chicken pieces and stir well. Pour in the Thai chilli sauce, oyster sauce and tomato sauce water and let to boil.
Put in your broccoli and salt. Then, put in your tofu pieces and wix well.
Pour into a serving dish and serve immediately.

It's Cheesy but I Like It!

2009-01-04T20:54:00.004+08:00

Hi! It's me again! Since school starts on Monday the 5th of January(which is TODAY!), it will take some time till I can find the extra time to get back to this blog. Anyway, let's share my joy of success in making a cheesecake. The recipe is simple (obviously amended from yani@MyResipi), with easily-available ingredients and there is NO baking needed at all! If you are having guests, prepare this cake a day ahead for it needs refrigeration and you will end up with a store-bought lookalike (and taste-wise as well). Do try making this and you won't regret it. After all, it's a brand new year and don't you think that we deserve something very rewarding to start the new year? What say you? Till the next entry, have a jolly good, blessed and blissful year ahead! TTFN!

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

15 pieces of digestive biscuits

75g butter

200g cream cheese

30g caster sugar

4 tsp honey

60g strawberry yoghurt

70g fresh milk

15g/1 tbsp gelatin (I used HALALGEL brand)

3 tbsp lukewarm water

125ml whipping cream

3 tbsp lemon juice

250g strawberry filling

Method:

Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them finely. Put in the butter and mix well.
In a small bowl, pour the lukewarm water and put in the gelatin and stir till dissolve.
Next, using a springform cake tin, put in the biscuit mixture and press it so it is levelled. Then, put into the refrigerator.
In a bowl, beat the whipping cream into a soft peak consistency and keep aside.
Using a double-boiler, melt the cream cheese, sugar and honey and stir till well-mixed over a medium heat. Next, put in the yoghurt and milk and mix again. Pour in the gelatin mixture and stir well.
After that, put in the beaten whipping cream and lemon juice and mix again.
Put in the strawberry filling and fold the mixture until everything is well-mixed.
Pour this mixture onto the biscuit base and refrigerate overnight.
Cut into wedges and enjoy!

A Sisterly Request

2009-01-04T16:04:00.004+08:00

Do you like chocolate? Or should I rephrase that sentence to be 'Do you like cocholate cake with chocolate icing?" You do? Then, you should try this recipe. The cake is moist and not too sweet and the icing compliments the texture of the cake. I have not baked this cake for a very, very long time until my sister who paid me a visit last week mentioned her craving for this cake. The recipe is taken from the back of Tately's sugar packet that I usually bought when I was in the Queen's Land- many years ago. The recipe for the cake is as original as it is but I have ammended the recipe for the icing(Norzailina Nordin's Ganache Recipe). Since I found it to be very satisfying to see how my sister really enjoyed her piece so I guess, you should try baking it!

CHOCOLATE CAKE

To enjoy this cake, you need:
175g unsalted butter
275g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
175g low-fat natural yoghurt
3 eggs
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the icing:
250g cooking chocolate
250ml whipping cream
25g butter
25g honey

Method:

Preheat the oven at 175C.
Sift the flour with baking powder and cocoa powder and keep aside.
In the mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Next, add in the eggs gradually.
Then, put in the vanilla essence and yoghurt and mix gently.
Fold in the flour gradually and mix well.
Pour the mixture into a greased and lined baking tin and bake for 50mins-1 hour or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let to cool on a wire rack.
For the icing, put all ingredients into a heatproof bowl over a pot of water(double boiler method) over medium fire. Stir till melted and well-blended. Remove and let to cool in the fridge for one our before pouring over the cake.
Cut your cake and enjoy!

An All -Time Favourite

2009-01-02T07:05:00.008+08:00

Hi! I know it's a bit too late for me to say the New Year's wish but I do hope that 2009 will be a blessed year for everyone. In this entry would be one of my favourite desserts- 'dadih'. As I've mentioned before, my Firdaus has refused to take any formula at all. Fortunately, to my surprise, he has a liking for the homemade 'dadih'. Since then, the 'dadih' is always stored in the fridge. Here's the recipe that I've taken from my trusted site-MyResipi.com.

'Strawberry, Corn and Chocolate-flavoured 'Dadih'

Corn-flavoured 'Dadih'-my favourite

HOMEMADE DADIH

Ingredients:

(A)

10g of jelly powder

1800ml water

(B)

200g powdered milk

100g coffee-mate

500ml boiling water

(C)

a piece of 'asam keping'/'asam gelugor'

3/4 cup of sugar (add more if you like it sweeter)

food colouring and food flavouring of your choice

Method:

Put ingredents (A) in a pot and keep stirring until it boils rapidly and all the jelly dissolved. Keep aside.
Mix all ingredients in (B) and stir well. Put in the 'asam keping'.
Next, pour mixture (B) into (A), sugar and mix again. Strain the mixture.
Put in your favourite flavouring and stir again.
Pour into plastic cups and let to set in the refrigerator.
Serve chilled.

A Simple Fare

2008-12-26T08:43:00.003+08:00

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!!

2008-12-14T21:45:00.004+08:00

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....

2008-12-13T17:22:00.008+08:00

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:

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.
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.
Once cooked, put on a plate and keep aside.
Heat your gravy and pour over the cooked chicken thighs.
Serve hot with steamed broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrot sticks and french fries.
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:

Melt the butter over a low heat. Once melted, pour in the flour and stir till brown.
Next, put in the onion and stir till fragrant. Put in the chicken cube and mix well.
Then, pour in the water and stir. Add in the chilli sauce and stir until well-mixed.
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.
Serve with your chicken.

Another Puffin Muffin Story

2008-12-12T22:27:00.006+08:00

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:

Preheat your oven at 175C. If you are using an oven with a fan, lower the temperature to 160C.
Sieve together flour, soda bicarbonate and baking powder. Keep aside.
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.
Spoon the mixture into paper cups (I used 20 2 1/4 quart muffin cups) and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
You can now enjoy your muffin(s) with a nice cup of tea!

A Tale About Tails

2008-12-11T20:26:00.007+08:00

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......

2008-12-05T06:56:00.006+08:00

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

2008-12-02T18:11:00.006+08:00

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!

Lord of The Rings

2008-11-30T21:55:00.004+08:00

Surprise? Well folks, this entry has nothing to do with the famous Tolkien's trilogy. Just want to share my Onion Rings recipe -courtesy of http://videojug.com/ (which I came across while looking for recipes for dishes asked by my Tukang Makan. I prepared the rings this morning and they turned out well. Here's the recipe if you feel like trying. And one more thing, I've also used the batter to coat my mushroom and they tasted yummy!

Ingredients:

2 large yellow onion (peeled and kept in the fridge for 1-2 hours)
75g flour
2tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
a pinch of paprika
pepper to taste
1 egg (well-beaten)
125ml fresh milk
oil for deep frying

Method:

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Allow it to heat up hot enough to fry, but not to smoke.
Slice the onions into 1cm -thick rings. Separate them and place them on a tray.
Combine the flour, corn starch, baking powder, paprika, sugar, salt and the pepper in a bowl and with a whisk, stir it together briefly.
Add the egg to the milk and whisk together.Then pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and combine it together with your whisk until you are left a smooth batter.
Gently dip some of the onions into the batter and coat well. Then place them into the hot oil using a fork. Let them cook in small batches, so they won't stick together. When they are fried on one side, turn them over to fry and brown on the other side. When are they are lightly golden, place onto a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain.
Serve hot!

Back to Baking.....

2008-11-30T19:08:00.007+08:00

Hello all! Thousand apologies for keeping silent. Even Mr.Boss aka Tukang Makan has noticed that I've not updated my blog for a long, long time. He even suggested me to include reviews on food from the eating places that we always venture for a change( perhaps he thought that I've run out of ideas..hehehehe). Well, frankly, it's not that I've lost interest in cooking and baking and blogging after all. It's just the case of looking for the right mood to start blogging again.

For a start, here's a bread recipe. It's called "Roti Nasi" by Onigiri@MyResipi.com. Why such name? It's because, one of the ingredients used is cooked rice and as usual, I've adapted the steps in preparing it.The outcome is soft and fluffy. Do give it a try ya!

To make this bread, you will need :
(A)

4 g dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp warm water

(B)

80g cooked, white rice
100ml water
60ml fresh milk (I used low fat UHT milk)

(C)

250g high protein flour ( I used 'Cap Sauh' brand)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

(D)

4 tsp butter

METHOD:

Put all ingredients in (A) in a bowl and mix well. Let the mixture turns frothy.
Put all ingredients (B) in a blender and soak for 10 minutes. Then, blend till fine.
In a mixing bowl, mix well all the ingredients in (C). Then, put mixture (A), (B) and (D) into the bowl. Mix well.
Knead until the dough becomes elastic and does not stick to your hand.
Leave covered for one hour.
Then, punch the dough to let all the air out. Grease a square baking tin with butter/margarine.
Shape ito 16 balls and arrange in the baking tin.
Let to rest until the dough doubles its size.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20-25 minutes.
Once baked, let to cool. Slice your bread and top with jam of your choice. (I love marmalade!)
Serve with warm tea. Enjoy!

Atush's Favourite Request

2008-10-21T08:03:00.005+08:00

Hi! In this entry would be the dish that my Atush frequently asks, especially for lunch. The recipe is as follows :

ATUSH'S FISH AND CHIPS

Ingredients:
2 pieces of dory fillets (pat dry and set aside)
(A)
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of white pepper
1 tsp pf sweet soy sauce
1/2 tsp of paprika

(B)
3 tbsp of plain flour
1 tbsp of water
1 egg

1 cup of breadcrumbs

oil for deep frying

fried potato chips
selection of lettuce leaves (iceberg/butterhead)
thousand island sauce / mayonaisse

METHOD:

1. Mix all the ingredients in (A) and coat the dory fillets. Marinade for 10 minutes.

2. Mix all the ingredients in (B). Coat the fillets with (B).

3. Next, coat the fillets in the breadcrumbs and shake the excess breadcrumbs.

4. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.

5. Serve hot with fried potato chips, selection of lettuce leaves and sauce of your choice.

Raya Delights

2008-09-27T06:59:00.005+08:00

Hi! In this entry, I would attach the outcome of my amateurish effort in baking Raya cookies. I'm really not in the mood of writing at the moment so I guess, the photos will do. Have a blessed and blissful Syawal. I do seek forgiveness for all mistakes done. Till then, take care.

BISKUT DAHLIA

CORNFLAKES MADU WARNA- WARNI

Hunny Bunny

2008-09-07T06:55:00.005+08:00

Hi all! It's me again. Today's entry is not related to any bunny at all. It's about my Raisin and Date Buns. The recipe was given to me by a colleague at school. A simple recipe with a filling outcome. Since my mixer is still under repair, I had to knead it using my hands. It's kind of tiring but it's worth the effort when you taste the fluffy texture. I brought some to the recipe owner and felt very glad when she told me that she enjoyed it.

RAISINS AND DATES BUNS

To make this bread, you will need:

400g high protein flour
4 tbsp caster sugar
2 and 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 egg plus water : 275ml
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk powder
50g raisin
3 pieces of dates (chopped)
1 tbsp butter

Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients until well-mixed.
Pour in the egg-water mixture gradually and mix well.
Knead until the mixtures becomes a dough. Put in the raisins and dates and knead again.
When the mixture becomes elastic, put in the butter and knead again.
Let to rise in a covered conatiner for one hour.
Then, punch the dough to let the air out.
Grease a square bakingtin. Shape dough into 16 equal balls.
Place the balls next to each other in the baking tin.
Let rise for another hour.
Bake at 175C for 20-25 minutes.

Marhaban Ya Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

2008-09-04T23:31:00.004+08:00

Salam and hi to all! The fasting month is back again and it means more cooking for me! Please don't get it wrong. Mr Boss aka Tukang Makan is never fussy with food. He simply eats what I have prepared. So, what do I really mean with more cooking during the fasting month when Mr Boss aka Tukang Makan is not placing orders? Actually, when I'm fasting, the person with the most cravings is ME!hahaha..

The entry for the time is my APAM ENO. Since I love 'tapai pulut' I like the 'zingy' taste of this kuih. It's easy to prepare and steaming only takes 10 minutes. If 'tapai pulut' is not your cup of tea, you might find this kuih to taste a bit peculiar! Anyway, here's the recipe.

APAM ENO

You will need :
150g rice flour
5 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp dry yeast
150ml water
1/2 tsp Eno (original flavour)

Method:

In a bowl, mix the flour with yeast and sugar.
Pour in the water gradually and mix well.
Keep aside for 6-8 hours.
Put your moulds in the steamer and let the water in the steamer boils rapidly.
Next, put into the Eno and stir well. Keep aside so the mixture turns frothy.
Divide mixture into two portions. You can use any of your favourite food colourings.
When the water is boiling, spoon the mixture into the moulds.
Steam for 10 minutes.
Serve with grated coconut.

Going Bananas

2008-08-31T13:39:00.004+08:00

Ahoy there! Just want to share a recipe adapted from newbie123 Super Banana Cake. If you enjoy eating bananas, this recipe is worth a try. Simple, soft and moist.

BANANA LOAF

4 medium size ripe bananas (you can use pisang Montel)
1/2 cup corn oil
1 1/2 cup plain flour1 tsp soda bicarbonate
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder (I have ommitted it because the kids don't like the smell)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup plain yoghurt drink/plain kassi (I used plain yoghurt)
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease the cake tin with some butter.

2. Sieve the flour,soda bicarbonate, baking powder,cinnamon and salt.Keep aside.

3.In a bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until well-mixed.Pour in the oil,the flour mixture and mashed bananas gradually and mix again.Put in the vanilla essence.

4.Then, pour in the yoghurt drink/lassi/ plain yoghurt and mix again.

5. Pour the mixture into a cake it and bake for 35-40 mins.

6. Cool and enjoy!

It's Chicky, Chicky Time!

2008-08-24T09:29:00.005+08:00

The entry today is Cornflakes Chicken. I got the recipe from yani at MyResipi.com but as usual, I have adapted her recipe. This recipe is easy and the outcome tastes like KFC Popcorn Chicken (well, at least to me it is..hahaha). It is crunchy and the meat is still moist although it is deep fried. Those mommies with little time but really want to see their kids enjoy eating, do try this recipe. Why did I say so? My darling princess Atush is quite picky and my hero Firdaus is one of the most fussy eaters I have ever met and they love the chicken. In conclusion, it must have tasted good. What do you think?

CORNFLAKES CHICKEN

Ingredients:
2 pieces of chicken breast ( cut into long strips)
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of paprika (the original recipe uses chilli powder)
1/2 tsp of ground white pepper ( can be replaced with ground black pepper if u like it spicy)
1/2 tsp of meat curry powder
2 1/2 tbsp of plain flour
2 tbsp of water
1 egg
2 cups of cornflakes(coarsely crushed)

Method:

Mix well the chicken pieces with salt, paprika. white pepper and curry power. Marinate for 10 minutes.
Next, mix the flour, egg and water to a batter consistency.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Dip the chicken pieces in the batter. Then, coat each piece with the crushed cornflakes.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Serve!

Hey Fishy, Fishy

2008-08-20T22:46:00.005+08:00

Hi all! It has been very, very long since I last blogged. Since the school break is on, I guess, I better make full use of the time to update this blog. Today's entry would be a simple dish using white pomfret. The actual recipe is by Mat Gebu from MyResipi but as usual, I've adapted it.

This recipe uses simple, every day ingredients. The fish is steamed so you know that it is healthy! Since hubby really enjoys fish cooked this way, it has become one of my common dishes. For those in a hurry, this recipe is good. It takes 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients and 10 more minutes to steam the fish! Give it a try!

'BAWAL PUTIH KUKUS MASAM PEDAS'

For this recipe, you will need :

(A)

2 medium-size white pomfret (gutted and cleaned)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp white pepper

(B)

2 1/2tbsp calamansi/lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5-10 birds eyes chillies (thinly sliced)
2 lemongrass (thinly sliced)
1 kaffir limeleaf (thinly sliced)
1/2 inch young ginger (thinly sliced)
2 pips of garlic (thinly sliced)
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp Maggi 'ikan bilis' granules

Method:

Heat up your steamer until the water boils rapidly.
Rub the fish with the ingredients in (A). Keep aside.
In a bolw, mix well all ingredients in (B).
Put the fish on a heatproof dish or a metal container. Pour the sauce on top as well as the cavity.
Steam for 10 minutes or until the eyes and flesh turn white.
Serve piping hot with plain, white rice!

I Want Cookie!

2008-07-29T22:52:00.006+08:00

Hi! This time, the entry will be my Choco Chip Spotties aka Choc Chip Cookies. I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks and if I'm not mistaken, it's from Nestle. My girl simply loves these cookies. When I first tried baking these cookies, I found it to be a bit too sweet to my liking. Since I enjoy the light and crispy texture I have tried ommitting the white chocolate listed in the original recipe and to my delight, it worked! Now, I can have more cookies!!! Do try to bake these, especially those choc chip cookie lovers, because they are fun in every bite!

CHOCO CHIPS SPOTTIES

Ingredients:

(A)

1 and 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt

(B)

150g unsalted butter
125g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence

(C)

200g chocolate chips

2 cups cornflakes(crushed)

Method:

Sift together ingredients in (A) and keep aside.
Cream butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add in the remaining ingredients in (B) and mix gently.
Fold in the sifted ingredients gradually.
Mix all ingredients in (C) to form a dough.
Using a teaspoon, scoop the dough and roll into small balls.
Place the balls onto a greased baking tin.
Bake in a preheated oven at 175C for 10-12 minutes. (*Adjust the temperature depending on the type of oven you use. Mine has a fan so I bake these cookies at 150C for 12 mins)
Let to cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

For A Friend Abroad......

2008-07-16T22:52:00.001+08:00

The recipe for the dish called 'Paprik' in this entry is requested by a friend. She's in the middle-east at the moment so, when she saw my photos at facebook, she asked me for the recipe. This dish is one of my regular dishes during the weekends. If you like vegetables, you should try this recipe.

'PAPRIK'

To cook this dish, you will need:

1/2 a chicken (cut into bite-size pieces)
4 red onions (pound coarsely)
2 pips of garlic(pound coarsely)
1 yellow onion (slice thinly)
5 birds eye chilles (crushed)
2 stalks of lemongrass(bruised)
3 pieces of kaffir lime leaves
2 ripe tomatoes (cut into
1/2 a carrot ( slice thinly
4 baby corn (slice thinly)
5-6 long beans (cut into 1 inch-length pieces)
4-5 florets of cauliflower
4-5 florets of broccoli
1 tbsp of tomato sauce
2 tbsp of chilli sauce
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
2-3 tbsp of water
2-3 limes
salt to taste

Method:

Heat some oit in the wok and fry the chicken pieces until cooked. Do not brown the chicken.
Put in the pounded ingredients and birds eye chilles and fry until fragrant.
Put in all the sauces, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and water. Stir and let to simmer.
Next, put in the vegetables and stir well until all the vegetables are cooked.
Then, put in the tomato wedges and sliced yellow onion and stir again.
Add salt to taste.
Before serving, squeeze the lime on top of the dish.
Serve hot with plain, white rice.

Under The Sea

2008-07-13T16:13:00.000+08:00

How should I start? Yesterday, both hubby and I went for grocery shopping at Jaya 33. The place might look a bit high on the price side but believe me, you will get a good bargain here. The fruits are fresh and the prices are okay. I find that the vegetables are cheaper here compared to the wet market opposite this place. I also find that this place provides quite an array of selection of goods. If you happened to prefer imported products, this is the place that you should go. In simple words, it's another Cold Storage. I've compared the prices with the small Giant near the place and there is not much difference. At least, the products in Jaya 33 are fresher and in good condition.

Okay, enough of my babbling. Being a seafood lover and a not-so-often-going-for-grocery-shopping person, hubby just cannot resist to grab the seafood. Yes! They were fresh and some were still alive. You should see how mesmerised he was with the prawns, 'lala', squids and fish. As a result, we bought large- size prawns, some squids, 2 kg of 'lala' and 2 medium-size garoupa. You should see the 'glow' on his face. He certainly enjoys eating and he can survive on seafood alone!

I prepared my 'Lala Tumis Campak-campak' for lunch yesterday and for today's brunch appetizer, I have prepared fried squid rings with sauce. Very simple recipe with few ingredients. It's good as an appetizer or simply turn it as a snack for the kiddies.

FRIED SQUID RINGS WITH SAUCE

2-3 large squids, cleaned and cut into rings

1 tsp of paprika/ chilli powder

1 tsp of ground white pepper

salt to taste

3 tbsp plain flour

3 tbsp cornflour

For the sauce:

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp chilli sauce

2 tbsp tomato sauce

Method:

First, mix all ingredients in A and marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix to gether ingredients in B in a bowl.

Coat the marinated squid rings in the flour mixture and fry until crispy. Drain excess oil. Be reminded that when frying squid, it is very normal for them to cause the oil to splutter due to their high water content.

As for the sauce, mix all ingredients and serve with your squid rings.

Enjoy!

A Cupcake A Day, Keeps All Worries At Bay...

2008-07-10T21:56:00.001+08:00

Hi! In this entry would be my Orange Chiffon Cupcakes, recipe courtesy of Mat Gebu from MyResipi.com. I always thought that making anything 'chiffon' would be tremendously difficult until I tried his recipe last week. It's surprisingly easy. Here's the recipe if you feel like trying.

ORANGE CHIFFON CUPCAKES

A :-

4 egg yolks
100 g self-raising flour
30 ml fresh milk
30 g corn oil
a pinch of salt
1 tsp orange flavouring
a few drops of yellow food colouring
50g caster sugar

B:-
4 egg whites
60g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Method:

Preheat oven at 175C.
In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients in A until well-mixed and creamy using a hand whisk. Keep aside.
In the mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until foamy. Then, put in the cream of tartar.
After that, put in the sugar gradually. Keep on beating until the mixture is stiff.
Then, fold in this mixture into A until well-mixed.
Spoon mixture into muffin cups until half-full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
When muffins are cooked, they will shrink a little but don't panic. It's their nature.
Cool and serve!