Showing posts from August, 2009

Nasi Lemak..

August 31, 2009
Growing up in Kedah.... surrounded by padi fields, rice has become the most important diet in our daily life... we'll have rice for breakfast, rice for lunch and rice for dinner.... And in between meals, we'll have some ' kuih ' made from rice flour like tepung talam, buah melaka, kuih dangai etc.... Nasi lemak is one of the regular feature in my parents' house, easy to cook... to feed the army of hungry growing children!!! We'd have our Nasi Lemak with Sambal Tumis Sardine ... yummm... There were days .... my mom would buy from the ' Mamak Kuih' who would come round the kampung, early in the morning on his bicycle....A packet of Nasi Lemak was only 20cents back then... wrapped in banana leaves .....with ikan bilis or half an egg... Northern Nasi lemak has been compromised in taste and presentation..... sigh!!!! 300g of long grain rice (2 rice cooker cup) - washed 3 shallots - thinly sliced 2 inch ginger - julienne 1 cinnamon stick


White Choc Pannacotta

August 29, 2009
One of Miss E's yummy ( forget about diet ) dessert...... 300 ml thickened cream 3/4 cup (180ml) milk 150g white eating chocolate - chopped coarsely 1/3 cup caster sugar 2 teaspoon gelatine or agar powder 1 tablespoon water 1/2 cup passionfruit pulp 1 cup Canadian musket (non- alcoholic wine) or dessert wine Grease 6 half cup moulds. Stir cream, milk, white chocolate and 2 tablespoon of sugar in a small saucepan.. stir over medium heat until smooth(without boiling). Sprinkle gelatine over water in a small heatproof jug. Stand jug in a small saucepan of simmering water.... stir until gelatine dissolves. Add the gelatine into the cream mixture. Divide among moulds. Cover and refrigerate about 3 hours or until set. Combine dessert wine , passionfruit and remaining sugar in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat, uncovered, without stirring about 10 minutes or until passionfruit syrup reduced by a third. Cool. Turn the pannacotta onto a serving plate...a


Japanese tofu, brocolli and miso soup noodle

August 28, 2009
Looks so bland but trust me(?) .... it tasted so good... 400g udon noodles - cook noodles as per packet instruction 1/3 cup miso paste 6 cups of water 2 *200g teriyaki beancurd 1 small brocolli - florets (optional: pre-microwave) 100g button mushroom - sliced Combine miso paste and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook until paste dissolved. Add brocolli, and beancurd. Bring to boil. Divide Udon between bowls and ladle the miso soup over and serve. ~sfi


Simple Thai Fried Rice

August 26, 2009
A quick stir fry.... on a busy day... or on a lazy day.... cooked rice 200g thinly sliced beef 1 carrot - julienne 1 cup frozen peas 2 inch ginger - julienne 2 tablespoon fish sauce 1 onion - thinly sliced some fresh coriander for garnishing Heat up the wok with 2 tablespoon of canola oil. Saute the onion and ginger until soften. Add beef. Cook for few minutes. Add carrots and peas. Lastly add cooked rice and season with fish sauce, salt and pepper. Garnish with coriander. Serve with 'Sambal Tumis'....


Sicillian stew

August 17, 2009
Growing up in the 'Rice Bowl' State, did not make me, a 'rice eater' ....I do get asked by some.... 'So, what do you cook at home, Malay food?Eat rice everyday? '. Being married to a Chinese, some thought that I've even ' converted ' my husband's taste bud from Chinese food to Malay cuisine!! Well, to be honest and not boasting.. ehem !!.... I do cook Malay food, Chinese food, and sometimes Indian as well ...and not to mention some 'Other' food from round the globe too!!! Just purchased a Jewish Cookbook... What I love best is to cook a simple meal, preferably one pot meal... easy on the stomach and less mess in the kitchen.... This Sicilian Stew is one of them, simple and fast..... 1 tablespon of olive oil 1 medium onion - chopped 1 clove of garlic - crushed 1 x 400g can of diced tomatoes 400g can cannellini beans 1 cup of chicken stock 2 large ripe tomatoes 600 g white fish fillets 100g baby spinach 1/4 cup chopped p


bubur pulut hitam

August 15, 2009
Another winter warmer..... mmmm, have to keep an eye on that bathroom scale...... 1 1/2 cups of pulut hitam - soaked for about 1 hr 3 daun pandan enough water sugar coconut milk In a saucepan, place the pulut hitam with at least 3 cups of water. Add knotted daun pandan. Bring to boil and simmer until the pulut break-up (just like porridge). Add sugar. Serve with coconut milk.


Cajun Chicken with Orange Pilaf

August 14, 2009
I was brought up with having gravy with rice almost everyday....my mom would cook fish curry, chicken curry, beef curry or masak lemak this or that, asam pedas etc ...to go with every meal. This flavoured rice cooking...takes the hassle out of preparing 'gravy' for the rice... my taste bud has changed quite tremendously over the years... coupled with finding an easier way to cook (I rephrase... lazy cooking but still edible !!!) Cajun Chicken with Orange Pilaf 3 chicken breast - marinate wih cajun spice 2 cup of long grain rice 2 oranges - 2 tablespoon of orange rind and juiced (1 cup) 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock or water 1 cup frozen peas 1 brown onion - chopped 2 garlic - crushed Salt and pepper Rub the cajun spice on the chicken.. and marinate for at least 1 hr in the fridge. Marinate overnight will enhance the flavour...Heat up a skillet or frying pan. Spray oil onto the chicken. Cook until it is golden brown on both sides. Place the chicken on a plate and


Chinese Braised Chicken

August 10, 2009
This is a simple meal enjoyed by all..... chicken pieces - drumsticks or thighs (or if you can get chicken's feet... the best) 3 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 2 inch ginger - bruised chinese mushroom - washed and soaked (do not discard the soaking water) 2 firm beancurd 4 hard boiled egg seasoning - agak-agak.... thick soy sauce (kicap manis), light soy sauce, sugar and a little bit oyster sauce. Saute star anise, cinnamon and ginger for a few minutes. Add in chicken. Stir for a few minutes. Add the seasoning and 1 cup of water. Bring to boil and add chinese mushroom, hard boil eggs then lower the heat and leave to simmer for 1/2 hour.....Finally add the firm beancurd. Season with salt and sugar.. The final taste should have a tinge sweetness.


Cucumber salad

August 07, 2009
The easiest of them all..... the simple kerabu timun to go with the Nasi Tomato and Kurma. 2 lebanese cucumber or any other cucumber. I used the lebanese as it has that crunchy crisp texture 1 red onion salt sugar optional: sliced red chilli option: a little bit of white vinegar Thinly sliced the cucumber and onion. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Add a little bit of salt and sugar and vinegar. Mix them well....


Nasi Tomato Part 2

August 05, 2009
This is the easy part....Chicken Kurma 6 pieces of chicken thigh - marinate with tumeric and salt 1 onion 2 garlic 2 inch of ginger 4tablespoon of kurma powder - mix with water into a paste 4 hard boiled eggs 4 potatoes - quartered (pre-microwave) coconut milk - depending on the desired consistency. 1 cinnamon 2 star anise Blend the onion, garlic and ginger into a paste. Heat up the wok and deep fry the chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken into a plate. Drain some of the oil and leave about 2 tablespoon in the wok. Saute the blended onion, garlic and ginger with cinnamon and star anise until fragrant. Add the kurma paste. Stir and cook for few minutes ot until oil 'separates' or as my mom would say " pecah minyak' . Add the chicken, eggs and potatoes. Lastly add coconut milk and season with salt.


Nasi Tomato Part 1

August 03, 2009
Ramadan will soon be here.... this is the time where the tastebud will long for spicy food...there'll be lesser of 'ang moh' cooking for me. Miss the pasar Ramadan in Bangi, where I could get almost anything .... popia, all the kuihs, and the variety of food.....yum..... 2 cups of rice... note 1 cup = 250ml. 200ml of canned tomato soup 200 ml of evaporate milk 200 ml water - adjust acordingly 1/2 inch ginger - thinly sliced 1 inch cinnamon stick 2 cardamon 5 shallots - thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced 2 teaspoon of fennel seeds - ground 2 tablespoon of ghee or butter 2 pandan leaves few sprigs of mint Saute the onion, garlic, ginger, grounded fennel seeds, cinnamon and cardamon in ghee or butter until fragrant. Add salt, tomato soup, milk and water. Transfer the mixture into a rice cooker. Add rice grain and pandan. Once the rice is cooked, fluff it up and add the sprigs of mint... the 'works'


Almond Biscotti

August 01, 2009
I tried to make this when we were back in OUG, KL... instead of nice crunchy biscotti... mine - tak jadi and hard like batu ... I sort of gave up the idea of making it again...until recently Miss E decided to give it a go...and her biscotti was... far much better than mine. 220g caster sugar 2 eggs finely grated rind of 1 lemon 300g plain flour - sifted 1/2 tsp baking powder 150g whole almond - skin on Preheat oven to 170C. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Place sugar, eggs and grated lemon rind in a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters until pale and thick. Fold the sifted flour, baking powder and almonds, then use hand to lightly knead the dough on a floured work surface until the dough is smooth. Divide the mixture into half. Form 2 long logs about 25cm x 5 cm wide and place on the prepared baking tray, leaving space between logs. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is firm to touch and slightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to