I Am An Addict

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'

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

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

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

(C) For the topping:

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!!

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

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

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