BUBUR KACANG HIJAU

Green Beans Sweet Porridge

Sweet... Delicious ... Healthy... that's how I described this wonderful dessert. Green Beans Sweet Porridge, this all time favorite dessert ... back in Manila, I learned how to cook Champorado ...Chocolate Rice Porridge, glutinous rice cooked in milk and chocolate powder... a good choice for breakfast. There is similarity in Asian's dishes, for example this Green Beans Porridge ...In Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam... Where in Bangkok, there are many varieties of sweet soup or sweet porridge which you can easily buy from the street. Ya, it is colorful, nice and cheap... my love for street food. All kind of sweet soups, Mung beans, Jackfruits, rice dumplings, yam and sweet corn. The sweet porridge and coconut milk are cooked separately, when ready to serve then only mix it together with thick coconut milk.
Our sweet porridge here usually cooked with coconut milk and add in sagu mata ikan (tapioca pearl drops), but mom prefer to cook with evaporated milk instead of coconut milk... less cholesterol and healthier. For me, I love the milky taste and it is non oily. Since everybody is still in holiday mood, which means food fiesta... Mom cooked one big pot of green beans sweet porridge, it's nice to have this dessert eaten with buns or add in durian for those who fancy richer and aromatic taste. Some love to have it cold or with ice cubes, and can even freeze it ... u can make traditional Malaysian ice cream, like those days... I used to make few flavors, green beans, sweet and sour asam boi, sarsi, soursoup, chocolate and lime. It was during my time in primary school, I brought those ice cream to school and sold for 50 cents each. Ermmm.... It was fun to work in the kitchen when you can make pocket money out of it especially for a 10 year old girl... But now, this traditional ice cream is less popular since there are more popular brand in the market. Anyway, it will be nice to have 'Aiskrim Malaysia' once awhile right...??

Sweet green beans porridge :

200 grams green beans

1 liter water

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 sugar

50 grams tapioca pearl drops

Screwpine leaf or pandanus leaf

• Boil green beans with water till soft.
• Add in sufficient water, pearl drops, pandanus leaf, sugar and milk.
• Bring to boil and ready to serve.

NASI BERIYANI EMAK

Nasi Beriyani Aidil Adha

Every holiday is just like Food Fiesta for us at home... Everybody is around everything that we want is on the table... Just name any each of us favorites... Mom shall fulfill everybody's demand and she shall cook all kind of dishes. Nasi Beriyani is one of our favorites, as usual she will cook extra for us to pack and bring back home to Kuala Lumpur. She will pack the rice complete with the side dishes for each of us, she always thought that we might be missing this good Nasi Beriyani but actually it is not about that Nasi Beriyani alone, we are missing her in person. It is great to spend time with mom and dad, and I am glad to have time for another family gathering. Seeing all these beautiful faces making me feel like the time has stopped ever since everybody is right here before my eyes. Ya... that is how I feel when I am with my loved ones, the time just stopped there...
How do we enjoy our holiday??? Ya, eat and eat and eat.... We love to eat...!!! Nasi Beriyani is a rice dish cooked with ghee, herbs and spices. It aromatic, fragrant and very tasty. Normally serve with few main dishes such as beef, chicken and vegetables. Mom, as usual will cook Beef Rendang, Ayam Masak Merah and Vegetable Dhall Curry. This rice dish is just perfect for any kind of celebrations and wedding reception, it's all time favorite I may say....

Nasi Beriyani :

2 cup Basmati
4 cup water
2 tablespoon ghee
1 onion
3 garlic
1 inch ginger
1 small size carrot
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon anise powder
Bay leaf
Cinnamon
Cardamon
Salt

• Blend onion, garlic and ginger.
• Heat ghee add in blended ingredients and other spices.
• Shred carrot add in.
• Wash rice and add in water.
• Add in salt and cook well in rice cooker.
  
• Add in rice and sauted ingredients together and cook well in rice cooker.
  

LONTONG EMAK

Nasi Impit and Kuah Lodeh

Special day with special dish, this is my favorite ...lontong or Nasi Impit with Kual Lodeh. Nasi Impit is rice cooked compressed in heat proof small sized plastic pillows, which can be bought easily in supermarket nowadays. Plastic pillows filled with rice cook in boiling water till the pillows become hard filled with cooked compressed rice. Let it cool and cut into cubes ready to serve with gravy and other dish.

During old days, Nasi Impit was cooked traditionally and it was complicated... believe me... Rice was cooked with excess water to make it softer. The cook rice will be placed in a box specially made by wooden planks, place the wooden cover and weigh with traditional pounder made by stone which is heavy enough to compress the rice. When the rice is cooled and hard enough, cut into cubes to serve. It's not easy right? But now practically convenient and time saving ... This is how it got the name 'Impit' ...means pressed, the cooked rice was 'Impit' .... Thanks to food technology research and development. This is why we have to appreciate those people before us, for their knowledge and their effort.. It's because of them for who we are now... Appreciate the history for the benefit of our technology .... This is how Japanese educate their young generations to produce more history lovers and advanced in technology development.

This is how I see them during my stay in Tokyo few years back. In the city itself buildings standing tall and hi-tech but they themselves standing proud with their pride and culture, there is the beauty of history through the years.

But you don't know how much I missed this Nasi Impit and Kuah Lodeh when I was in Tokyo, It was during Aidil Adha and I was so much craving for it....
Kuah Lodeh is a dish made from coconut milk with vegetables and beancurds. Cabbage, carrot and long beans shredded, beancurd and tempe cut into small pieces and deep fried. Mix those ingredients into the yellow coconut gravy. Served well with peanut sauce, a bit spicy but just nice with milky coconut gravy. Lovely !

Masak Lodeh :

Cabbage

Long beans

Carrots

Beancurds

Tempe (fermented soya beans cake)

250 grams Coconut milk

Turmeric powder

2 Chilies

2 onions

5 garlics

Tamarind peel

Sugar and salt

• Blend chili, onion and garlic.
• Coconut milk, turmeric powder and water bring to boil.
• Add in blended ingredients.
• Add in tamarind peel, salt and sugar to taste.
• Add in shredded vegetables and deep fried beancurds and tempe.
• Ready to serve.

HAPPY HOLIDAY

American Chocolate Cake

Still on holiday, everybody is here except for two of my brothers back in Kuala Lumpur working. Ya, when I woke up it's a beautiful morning and surely it's a beautiful day... I woke up with a sleepy smiley face being surrounded with beautiful smiles. Shara serenade me with a beautiful song 'Run to you' and keep on repeating the same song over and over again. I was caught between the lyrics, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.... a song by Lady Antebellum. It's true when the time passing by, what we see around is the world turned changing, sometimes life gets harder, people going crazy and problems getting ugly... so what you need is a someone to rely on, I can't be alone, you can't be alone too, nobody can be alone...!!!

Ya, everybody needs somebody to run to ... that's how we play by the rules here, it's written there... So, that tells why I run ... we run and you run too... YEAH ...for now I have all these beautiful faces right before my eyes... the loves of my life... even the world out there is going crazy ... I am still glad that I have another day to be embraced by hugs and kisses.

For this wonderful holiday and for the love of chocolates, I made this delicious American Chocolate Cake. Moist chocolate cake layered with smooth chocolate spread, the chocolate spread was prepared earlier. It was cooked with a double boiler and let cooled for half an hour till the sauce become a little thick and poured cover around the whole cake. Sprinkle some thousands on the cake and it is just beautiful for a beautiful day... May everybody around the world have a beautiful day as well, loving is believing ...

Chocolate spread :

100 grams chocolate compound

100 ml milk

1 teaspoon cornflour

1 teaspoon butter

ORANGE BUTTER CAKE

How to make orange butter cake ....

Ingredients preparation ahead from baking process or 'mise en place'. All ingredients weighted in the right amount and set aside. Sieve flour, baking powder and milk powder. Leavening agent or any kind of ingredients in powder form need to be sieved in order to get a smooth texture of flour and powder.

Place butter and castor sugar in mixing bowl and cream mixture with K beater in a medium speed for about 10 mins. The mixture will turn out white in color due to the mixing of milk and fat comes from butter.

Separate egg yolk from white and set aside separately, use hand gently to hold egg yolk and place in other bowl. Use another mixing bowl for egg white and during separation process avoid water, egg yolk or any alien ingredients from the mixture. Egg white meringue might not be fluffy and airy if mixed with other liquid. Mixing bowl need to be wiped clean before use.


Butter and sugar mixture turn a little pale in color, so add in egg yolk little at a time. This is to avoid cream and yolk to curdle and yolk will be separated from cream if not mixed properly. After a little mix of egg yolk let it beat for awhile till the mixture is well mixed then only continue pouring little more of egg yolk.

In another mixing bowl, place egg white and beat with whisker till fluffy and medium stiff . Beat with medium high speed till meringue become airy.


Add in cream mixture in egg white meringue a little at a time and let it well mixed.

Next, add in sieved flour and mix well too. In baking process, dry ingredients will be mixed with creamed ingredients before adding in liquid, procedure has to be in the proper steps to avoid mixture to curdle.

Add in squeezed orange juice, the taste will differ in the using of additive flavor such as emulco and essence. Natural flavor is more tasty and smells better.

Zest orange peel, avoid the white meat of the orange peel. It's bitter, zest the outer part which is orange in color only. Mix in orange zest into the batter slowly fold with spatula and don't over beat the batter.


Cut parchment paper in appropriate size to the mould of the baking tin. Place parchment paper at the bottom of the tin.

Weight the cake mixture in a good amount for each tin, divide into same quantity for each of the tins. Scoop mixture with spatula into the tins not more than 3 quarter metric of the tin to avoid mixture from over spill.

For loaf size butter cake, bake in 180 C for 30 mins and rotate the tins after 1st half to allow cake to bake evenly. Cake will turn less soggy after 1st half of baking, rotate the tins and bake till cake is well cooked. Use metal tester or wooden stick to check, no more batter or uncooked mixture sticked to the tester indicates that the cake is done.

Orange Butter Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 orange
• 3 eggs

Enjoying my Aidil Adha celebration with family back in Jitra, well my mom ordered for orange butter cakes. Ya... I I BOSS ...I love butter cake... we love butter cake ...mmmm... mmmm... who doesn't ????

So, I believed sharing is the way of describing the significant of Aidil Adha.. Today, I am happy to share the recipe and method of baking this tasty Orange Butter Cake ... To those pilgrimages in Mekah, May be granted with a 'mabruh hajj' and safe journey ... Happy holiday everybody and Good Luck...!!!

BALIK KAMPUNG TREAT

Sour Curry Fish

I am in Jitra for now, seems like I have left Kuala Lumpur yesterday with a full sack of sweet, sour and bitter taste of life from an extraordinary story ....the beautiful things is I am just an ordinary human being. Can you see how great the life is...??? WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD... OH YEAH... And another great thing is, I left Kuala Lumpur for the crave of mom's cooking... That's what I am looking forward.... 6 1/2 hours journey isn't a problem to me when it comes to mom's food. The first thing I will do after hopping off the car, run into the kitchen and start stuffing my mouth with mom's cooking... BELIEVE IT OR NOT...!
Ya... the 6 and 1/2 hours journey on the bus, really testing my patience and also made me thinking deeply into certain matters. It was making me headache actually plus my hungry tummy crying, I purposely made myself hungry so that I can eat more when I reach home... Greedy CT hahahaha....
And my waiting was so satisfying .... As I opened the lid, It was Ikan Masak Asam Pedas or Sour Curry Fish ...Warm rice with splash of sweet dark soya sauce and fresh cut cucumber. Nothing can compromise that...!!!!

Ikan Masak Asam Pedas

Ingredients :
1/2 kilo cut Mackerel
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Galangal
Turmeric powder
Lemongrass
Dried Chilies
Shrimp paste
Tamarind juice
Kafir lime leaves
Salt and sugar
Cooking oil

• Blend dried chillies, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, galangal and shrimp paste.
• Heat oil and add in blended ingredients and crushed lemongrass.
  
• Saute till brown and add in tamarind juice.
• Add in fish, salt and sugar to taste.
• Not too long and add in kafir leaves.
• Ready to serve.
  

THIRST QUENCHER PART II

Healthy Juice

It's examination week for Donut, need plenty of rest to avoid stress and not to forget a balance diet to remain being healthy. She is quite busy with some revision on her studies and last minute briefing by the teachers. Compare to my time before, the test wasn't that difficult ...Now, the questions are much advanced and the level of understanding among students is at the point that can be proud of... Wow, the questions are incredibly difficult ...I wonder how hard she has been focusing on the studies, anyway I know that she is giving her best shot and I always be by her side to give full support no matter what.
The weather is quite hot, rained late in the evening but the temperature ain't cool. I can't avoid headache because of the heat, I need to get some cold drink to quench the thirst. "Let's make healthy fruit juice, we have a lots of fruits in the refrigerator right? Jojo can you please get mami some lime from the back yard darling?" ..............

Oriental sunrise :

Star fruit
Cucumber
Dragon fruit
Limes
Pineapple cordial
Sugar syrup

• Blend all ingredients together and add ice cubes
• Ready to serve
  

CELEBRATE RAYA WITH CHOCOLATE

Moist Chocolate Cake

It's Hari Raya again ...10th Sept 2010, I wonder why am I so excited to meet Hari Raya again after last year. But I guess this year is better than last year and few years back, and this year is so meaningful to me as I am being a free person ...Last 31th August was the 53rd anniversary of Malaysia's independence, it's my independence day as well... i am free again, can feel my feet back on the ground...!!!! YAY... It shows how excited am I this 2010 raya... as excited as I was 8 or 9 years old??!!! I haven't gone back to hometown since last May, really missing everybody ...spending 6 to 7 hours drive wasn't a problem to me, the happiness is in the air... I can't wait to be home again...
Cakes and cookies will always be a popular demand during Raya celebrations, we used to bake using an old fashioned oven which uses gas and I can assure you it was not an easy task ...i had the chance to see how my mom used the 14 inch tv sized oven ....It took hours to baked only few jars of cookies ...Can we imagine how patience our moms were??? Compare to us now???!!! I wonder.... :p Anyway ...It was Shara who baked cakes and mom was in charged in baking cookies with the assistance of Mr Jojo and Ms Donut. I baked back in Kuala Lumpur and I have made some side income with cookies business besides working everyday ...but very unfortunately all cookies were sold out and nothing left for me ...But it's OK, because i missed mom's ...YEAH....
Shara made Moist Chocolate Cake, our all time favourite ...Fluffy moist chocolaty cake with semi sweet chocolate fudge. Back in KL, this type of chocolate cake is sold RM55 per kilo ...It ain't cheap especially home made, even what we can get from the bakery shop priced around RM50-RM60 per kilo ....nowadays people don't mind paying as long as it is worth buying ...Quality over quantity....Some like fudge but some like ganache as the topping, I like both because they are both chocolate and it is just irresistible right? Fudge is more suitable for decoration purpose but ganache look so delicious, chocolate sauce on cake is just so tempting ....YUMMYY
Selamat Hari Raya for all Muslim around the world and a very happy holiday everybody ....May we enjoy the joy of sharing and forgiving .... from Jitra with love and lots of love

Chocolate Ganache :

1000 ml cream
750 grams dark chocolate compound
750 grams milk chocolate compound
200 grams glucose

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
  

SZECHUAN CUISINE

Gung Po Beef

Do you know that this Szechuan dish, Kung Pao or Gung Po derived from a name of an official from a late Chinese dynasty....?? .... Lord Bao or Gong Bao.... I was mistaken between Gong Baozhen and Gong Bao Zheng.. Well, Gong Bao Zheng was once an official in the Chinese history, a judge well known in the name in justice. There are films capturing Gong Bao during his life, and he is portrayed with a crescent on his forehead... I still remember, my mom loved to watch 'Justice Bao' drama series... Couldn't miss every 6 pm from monday to friday.... She really loves watching Cantonese drama series and that was her routine everyday when she got back from work.
While Gong Baozhen, which Gung Po dish being named after was also an official in the Chinese history, he was from Sichuan province. The names sound similar but with different pronunciation... mmmm..... quite confusing ya.... Same as what happened when I was looking through internet for some information of a dessert , it's either Pheerni or Ferni...??? Sound similar but they are two different type of desserts...

Ingredients :
1/2 kilograms of beef
Garlic, chili, oyster sauce, dark soya sauce and light soya sauce
Onion, dried chili and roasted cashew nuts
Spring onion
Cooking oil

• Marinade beef with garlic, chili, oyster sauce and soya sauce
• Heat oil and saute onion, dried chili and cashew nuts
• Add in marinated beef
  
• Add in spring onion ad ready to serve

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Pao_chicken

SPICY STIR FRY VEGETABLES

Stir Fry Turmeric And Mixed Vege

I cooked vegetables with turmeric powder, MMMM.... nice to be eaten with Briyani which I cooked earlier... Both of my brothers were at home, so I think the food is good enough for the three of us. I have prepared Chicken Briyani earlier, it's nice to be eaten on it's own even with out anything else. I have zucchini and cauliflower in the fridge, some tomatoes and onions.... perfect for a stir fry vegetables dish. With a dash of turmeric powder and mustard seeds.....

Ingredients :
Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower and onion
Garlic and mustard seeds
Water
Salt
Turmeric powder
Cooking oil

• Cut zucchini, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower and onion
• Heat oil and saute garlic
• Add in mustard seeds
  
• Add in vegetables
• Add in water and ready to serve
  
• Add in turmeric powder and salt
  

I LOVE THAI'S FOOD

Tom Yam

I love mom's Tom Yam, she has given some twist to her Tom Yam, to the original recipe. It's still taste very nice. Mom add in some crispy fried shallots and instead of using coriander leaves, she uses Chinese Parsley which is aromatic and very sweet in smell. Her Tom Yam taste more like a sour soup, perfect with chicken and fish.... I have few Thai friends, they taught me how to cook Tom Yam. It's simple and very nutritious, a good choice for a diet meal. And I really like it, using only fresh ingredients and herbs. I prefer not to use Tom Yam paste or Tom Yam cubes for flavoring, it doesn't tastes as nice as using fresh herbs... For the more, the ingredients can be bought any where in Malaysia, you can go to wet market and even in hyper market... So, don't be too lazy to try out for a better cooked food....

Tom Yam

Ingredients :
Beef/ chicken/ fish/ prawn/ squid
Galangal
Chili
Onions
Garlic
Lemon grass
Carrot, tomato, mushroom, baby corn
Lime juice
Fish sauce
Kafir lime leaves and coriander leaves
Salt and sugar
Water

• Boil water with meat till tender
• Crush galangal, chili, lemon grass and garlic
• Cut vegetables and onions to favorable size and shape
• Add in vegetables
• Add in other ingredients
• Add in leaves and ready to serve
  

LONGED FOR HOME COOKING PART II

Red Chickindoori

The day was quiet, last night I didn't sleep well.. but I am not feeling sleepy either so I did some housework... fold clothes, a lots of them.... which are my brothers'.... guys are very not good in keeping tidy a house... I wonder every time I left mom house cleaned, on the next day it will be messy....??... and these guys will point at each other to put on blame....! child trapped in a guy's body and I am the big sister being a momma taking care of them... Well, I am very happy to do anything for my brothers and sisters... and I loving it.... Sham is requesting chicken for our menu today, ya.. why not? It has been a while I didn't use my oven for roasting. Me and Sham went out to shop some groceries, not that far, convenient and takes only 15 minutes in journey. My menu today has some similarity with Chicken Tandoori... just chicken and some vegetables .... no rice for today....

Ingredients for chicken:
Quarter chicken
Garlic
Plain yogurt
Tomato puree
Cumin, black pepper, chili powder and cardamon
Salt and honey
Cooking oil

• Grind cumin, black pepper, chili powder, garlic and cardamon
• Clean chicken and marinate with yogurt, tomato puree, salt, honey and cooking oil
• Add in grounded ingredients
• Roast on high temperature for 45 minutes

Stir Fry Zucchini and cherry tomato :

• Saute onion, zucchini and cherry tomato
• Add in salt
  

LONGED FOR HOME COOKING

Bendi Goreng

Telur Masak Kicap

This is the reason for my disappearance, house renovations. Mom took an opportunity on her holiday in Kuala Lumpur doing some maintenance to our old house. The house aged 28 years now, as same age as my sister, Jubet. We moved here after she was born. Jubet has two beautiful children now.. Afiq, my favorite nephew and Sofea, a cat's lover.
You know, being in a place which is ful of memories, makes you feel trapped in the past. The house captures so much of the good old days. Good beautiful moments, sadness and also disappointments. Well, I don't deny there are few black incidents happened in this old house besides the sweet and the unforgettable. Ironically to say, that I still cherish my good old days even though the bad old days are so terribly disappointing.. The sweet one is invulnerable to vanish and blacken by the tears and losses
I have spent one week in cleaning, rearranging and sorting stuff in the house. It's time consuming, I have no time for my leisure and my blog is left not updated ....! My brother bought take-away dinner for me on his way back home everyday. It shows how much the renovations has taken the priority over my cooking and baking...!
But today I am really tired of eating regular and monotonous outside food. I cooked simple dishes as long as it can treat my urge, longing for home cooking, Especialy home cooking cooked by me and myself....
Simple Dishes as Telur Masak Kicap and Bendi Goreng serve with warm plain rice...Nice....!

Telur Masak Kicap (Fried Egg In Soya Sauce)
Ingredients :
2 eggs
Onion
Chili
Soya sauce
Salt and pepper
Cooking Oil

• Fry eggs and put a side
  
• Heat oil and saute onion and chili
• Add in soya sauce, salt and pepper
• Pour on eggs and ready to serve
  

Bendi Goreng (Stir Fry Lady's Finger)
Ingredients :
Lady's finger
Garlic
Chili
Salt
Water
Cooking oil

• Heat oil saute garlic and chili
• Add in lady's finger
• Add in water and salt