MY CRAVE FOR NASI BIRYANI

Acar

Beef Curry

Nasi Biryani with Beef Curry and Acar for Friday's lunch

I haven't been cooking for the past 1 week, since we were too busy with catering jobs. I spent most of the time at Sera's, and everyday with out fail... Masak Lemak Cili Padi is compulsory. So my diet at Sera's can say was too much...!! I had gained weight 1 kg in 1 week....!! Coconut milk isn't just to add flavor but also to add fat...!! But I tried to control my eating anyway, not too much like before. I was really in love with my eating habit, I eat 5 times a day with a large portion for every meal. Be living with cooks, you tend to eat more than you should... Believe me.. I have experienced it...! Everyday is a lovely day, when the food is so good and at the end of the day, you will be heavier than normal with out you realizing it.... :)
So, enough of Masak Lemak Cili Padi because now I am craving for something which is rich with herbs and spices. Curry and Nasi Biryani...! That would be perfect for my Friday this week, Since last two days I went to a Pakistani's restaurant and had a mutton curry. The curry taste a bit different than curries that we can get in mamak's restaurant. It was so delicious, for that I have changed a few ingredients in my cooking to suits my eating mood today... And WALLLAAA....!!
The taste isn't bad at all... I like to go for some changes once a while... It challenges your taste buds!
Not forgetting, I made Acar which is based on Pakistani's recipe... Our Malay Acar is sweet and sour with a tropical touch of pineapple but my menu today uses a lot of spices. My acar is a mix of vegetables and black pepper.... Everything is just about spices...!!
YAY...!! Spices make you HOT...!!! Inside and Outside...!!!

Beef And potato Curry

Ingredients :
300 grams of sliced beef
2 medium potato (cubed)
2 onions
3 garlic
Ginger and green chillies
Spices and chili powder
Salt
Water
Cooking oil

• Heat oil and saute onion with salt
• Blend garlic and ginger
• Add in blended ingredients
• Add in spices and chili powder
• Add in beef and water
• Add in potato
  
• Simmer till tender
• Add in green chili and ready to serve
  

OKRA MASALA

Bhindi Masala

Last week, I had chapati with Aloo Gobhi... Potato and cauliflower dish, a perfect vegetarian menu. Today I cooked Bhindi Masala for the dinner... Masala is a term used in South Asian cuisines, a combination of ingredients which is mainly used in cooking.... Spices mixed with onion, garlic and ginger to enhance taste and flavor. Saute Masala till golden brown before adding in other ingredients.
Masala dishes are well done in cooking... Very likely for today's menu, Lady's Fingers are well cooked till mushy .... excellent with chapati.... It takes time to cook unlike Chinese cuisines takes a while to be cooked.... A short cooking time on very high flame...
I have never tried any Punjabi cuisine before.... I find it very tasty and well accepted by our locals here. Indian cuisines, besides Roti Canai, Tosai and varies type of curries.... not much we can get from the the stalls nor regular restaurants... Thanks to my darling Monkey Man... for your kindness to share these beautiful cuisines ...

HEALTHY CHAPATI

Chapati And Aloo Gobhi

I have learned another new thing... Chapati, a healthy lifestyle... Made of Atta flour, a kind of wheat grown on Indian subcontinent region. I like Chapati compare to Roti Canai or also known as Roti Prata, less oily and very easy to prepare. Unlike Roti Canai, skills needed in preparation process... Only expert can twirl the dough beautifully, you might need to attend some intensive training at Mamak's restaurant or stall.... :p
It is a new thing for me, making chapati... from preparing the dough till cooking it on skillet. The ingredients in making the dough is very simple... A sufficient amount of water and Atta flour, and knead well. Margarine or butter can be added to the dough, the chapati will be more tender. Dough shaped and rounded, pinwheel is used to flatten it... and straight on pre-heated skillet. Not to long, it takes only 5-7 minutes to be cooked on medium heat... Easy rite????
Menu for dinner tonight is Chapati and Aloo Gobhi, a vegetables dish which I find it very tasty and great to be eaten with chapati. 'Aloo' means potato and 'Gobhi' is cauliflower in Urdu language. It's potato and cauliflower dish cooked with some spices, a healthy and very tasty lifestyle..... YUMMY....

Aloo Gobhi

Ingredients :
Potato and cauliflower
Tomato
Chili
Onion
Garlic and ginger
Water
Chili powder
Curry powder
Salt
Cooking oil

• Cut cauliflower and potato into small pieces
• Heat oil and saute onion, garlic, chili and ginger
• Add in potato and cauliflower
• Add in tomato, chili powder and curry powder
  
• Add in water and simmer till tender
  
• Add in salt and ready to serve
  

CHICKEN BIRYANI ALA PAKISTANI

Chicken Biryani

I used to cook Nasi Biryani my style.... Almost as same as what we can get from any Mamak's restaurant, but maybe there is some different in taste due to ingredients used and the quantity of ingredients used. But today Abbas taught me how to cook Briyani his style... MMMM...nice and easy, the National Biryani mix can be bought in packet..which is good for 1 kilograms of rice. You need onions, garlic, chili, tomato, salt and yogurt to add in the rice. And one thing which is very obvious.... Cardamon smell.... aromatic, sweet and tangy..... Ms Cardamon meets Mr Briyani... I love it...! Served with my Stir Fry Turmeric And Mixed Vegetables .... YUMMY....YAY....
It does taste different than what we usually can get in regular Mamak's restaurant....and it's really nice to be served with our Ayam Masak Merah and Rendang....

MALAYSIA TRULY ASIA

SWEET VERMICELLI

Ferni

Another new recipe which is very popular in the north of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ferni is very easy to prepare and the method is similar to preparation of Kheer from my earlier post. I have noticed that most desserts from this region are milk base ..... raisins and almond best to be served with this milk based desserts.
A Bee Hoon look like, thin and made of semolina flour is cook together with milk and sugar, cardamon powder for some spicy dash. Later on, add in butter or ghee and serve with roasted almond and raisins. It's looks like Bee Hoon Soup, but sweet and milky tasty...
This vermicelli can be bought in a shop selling imported goods from Pakistan, located in Jalan Masjid India in City One Plaza. This shop merchandising National brand, spices powder, Biryani mixes and a lot more....
I have noticed one thing.... Most recipes that originates from north India and Pakistan, uses cardamon powder even in the dessert. When I was younger, I used to go to a grocery shop owned by an Indian Muslim gentleman, known him as 'Uncle'. I used to smell a kind of aroma every time I entered the shop, but I didn't know what was that. Only now I can recognized the smell after cooking few of this regional dishes...It's cardamon....! Sweet, spicy and tangy....Ms Cardamon

SWEET RICE PORRIDGE

Kheer

I have learned some thing new today, a dessert. Kheer, a sweet rice porridge with a mix of milk, almond, pistachios and cardamons. For today instead of coking it traditionally, I am using an instant mix. It's a product of Pakistan, where you can buy it from special grocery shop selling imported goods. It is so easy to prepare, bring milk to boil and add in the mix. Simmer for 15 minutes and stir gradually to avoid burning at the bottom. Serve cold and good with roasted almond and dried fruits such as raisin and apricot. This dessert is very similar to Bubur Merah Putih in Malaysia, rice porridge cooked with coconut milk and red palm sugar. Same as Champorado, Philippines origin... glutinous rice porridge in chocolate flavor. For a modern twist, I think Kheer would be very nice to be served with fresh fruits... strawberry, kiwi and peach..... This attribute to monkey man...

Abbas....