A Recipe To Keep

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

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?

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:

1. Put the chicken livers in a bowl and add ground garlic, ginger and chilli paste. Mix well and marinate for 1 hour.
2. After 1 hour, heat the oil in a wok and fry the marinated livers till half cooked and keep aside.
3. 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.
4. Add salt to taste and serve hot once the livers are cooked.

From Kinokuniya to The Kitchen

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

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!

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

Tarikh : 2 Disember 2009
Tempat : Paramount Garden

Objektif Misi

1. Mencari idea untuk menghasilkan resepi baru.


2. 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!


3. 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?

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

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

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

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:

1. Fry each egg as an omellette, roll and slice thinly.
2. 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.
3. Shred all the other ingredients thinly and put into the mixing bowl with the pounded ingedients.
4. 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?

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:

1. Put the biscuits into a plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, crush till fine.
2. Pour in the melted butter and mix well and put into the cake tin. Use a potato masher, level the mixture.
3. Put your cake tin in the freezer.
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. Put in your gelatine mixture, both condense and evaporated milk and stir till smooth and well-mixed using a balloon whisk.
7. Save 2 tbsp of this mixture and mix with the chocolate emulco into a smooth paste. Put into a piping bag and keep aside.
8. Pour your cheese mixture onto the chilled based.
9. Pipe your chocolate paste across the cheese topping. The more lines you have, the finer your swirls will look.
10. To create the swirl/ feathery look, use a toothpick/ cake tester against the drawn lines.
11. 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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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...

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?

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

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?

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'!

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

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......

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!