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!