SERA BESTARI CATERING PART II

Catering in Tabung Haji Complex 29 Jan 2010

Today, me and Sera were having a separate jobs at two different venue.. Sera went to Jupem and me went to Tabung Haji Complex in Kelana Jaya. It was an evening reception started at 4pm and finished bout 5pm. A very simple reception, the place is very convenient where it was held in an open air pantry located in the center the building. We cater for 50 pax which is quite easy for me to handle the reception alone, thanks for the experience i had when I was in hotel industry... I love working in hotel environment, lively and busy...! Missed those days....

Menu

Popiah Goreng Kuih Talam Seri Muka Bubur Jagung Bubur Pulut Hitam Minuman Panas

SERA BESTARI CATERING

Catering in Finas 27 Jan 2010

We had a job in Finas, National Film Development department which is located in Jalan Hulu Kelang on Wednesday 27 Jan 2010. It was a lunch reception for 100pax, we were need to be at the venue by 11.30 am... the job was running smoothly and organized, thanks to Willy and Kumar for their efficiency in handling the reception with good compliments from us. Really love working together with Willy, he has a very good and pleasant character .... very handy and efficient. He works with sincerity and passions, a person who can count on... Thanks again Willy...!

Menu

Nasi Putih Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi Sambal Udang Petai Tauhu Jepun Hong Kong Sayur Campur Telur Asin Dan Ikan Kering Ulam-Ulaman Dan Sambal Belacan Puding Mangga Buah-Buahan Potong Minuman Sejuk

A friendship of 20 years... Me and Sera, working hand in hand to make it successful in this catering industry... A one year old business, developing and we are in the process of making a strong base by catering events and joining exhibitions... I love what I am doing and really glad to have a friend and so called sister like Sera.. Thanks for the friendship... may Lord pull us through... Amin

CHICKEN LOVERS PART II

Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi

This is one of the famous Malay dishes.... Chicken In Spicy Yellow Coconut Milk. Negeri Sembilan origins, one of the fourteen states in Malaysia located about 1 hour journey from Kuala Lumpur... Negeri Sembilan cuisines are well known with pungent and chili hot tongue biting... A lot of chilies, but i really like it...
Thanks to Aunt Hamidah, Sera's mom... My childhood friend and a very good friend. They have taught me this very delicious chicken dish. Very simple and absolutely finger liking good! Not necessary with chicken only, it goes well with fish, beef and even prawn... the smell of fresh turmeric and lemongrass gives a lot of authentic taste and tangy aroma. And It is just irresistible.. YAYY..... I can't help myself from eating double as much as than usual.... Dealing with it, I am lacking of self control.... YAY....
Traditionally adding in coconut milk, nowadays will be more convenient with packed and pasteurized coconut milk... 250 ml in a packet is equivalent to 1 thick coconut milk... In my cooking, if I am using ready-to-use coconut milk, I love to mix in evaporated milk to add more milky taste into the dish...

Ingredients :
1/2 bird of chicken
1 packet of coconut milk
Evaporated milk
Potato
Lemongrass
Chilies
Fresh turmeric
Turmeric leaves
Garcinia rind
Salt

• Blend turmeric and chilies
  
• Pound lemongrass
• Add in with chicken and coconut milk
• Add in potato and evaporated milk
• Simmer till tender
  
• Add in garcinia rind and turmeric leaves
• Add in salt and ready to serve
  

FOR CHICKEN LOVERS.....

Chicken Karahi

My Jackel is being too much baby... She always want to be pampered, she loves me to baby talk her... Jackel eats a lot and plays a lot too, the weather isn't that hot.. otherwise she will be making noise.... maybe feeling uncomfortable.... My sweet little Jackel... She has been living with me for the past 4 months.... ever since I found her by the road side... Petite with naive looks in the eyes.... but smart and sweet....
MEOOOWWW..... she comes with a greeting every time I got to mom's house.... a loyal friend and a very good listener. A fun traveler as well, she was with me up and down from Kuala Lumpur to Jitra and from Jitra back to Kuala Lumpur again...
Today, my Jackel got very excited with something that i brought from home.... I packed some of my Chicken Karahi which I cooked last night to mom's house... Some food for my brothers to try..... the smell from the chicken was driving Jackel crazy.... she couldn't stop making noise... I guess she can sense how good the cook is.... the smell tells everything.... :p YUMMMY....
This dish is nice with chapati and even with rice, make it a little soupy by adding more liquid... add in shredded cooked chicken breast instead of whole chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley, then it will be very nice with French toast...! Even me will start MEOOOWING too.... MEOWWW....
Chicken Karahi is very similar to Chicken Caldareta from the Philippines... Chicken Caldareta has more ingredients such as potato, carrot and bell pepper... but the taste is almost the same, except for Chicken Karahi is slightly pungent with chili powder and green chili..... Asian Fusion....

Ingredients :
1/2 bird of chicken
2 onions
5 garlic
1 inch of ginger
Tomato and green chili
Chili powder
Salt
Cooking oil

• Heat oil and saute onion
• Add in salt, garlic and ginger
• Add in chicken and simmer
• Add in tomato and green chili
  
• Simmer till tender 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 ...

MY LAZY DAY

Ikan Asam

My brothers doesn't really eat much, and they are a bit fussy and particular about food.... One, can't eat chicken and seafood... Another one, doesn't like some vegetables.... he only eats selected vegetables.... MMMM..... It's not easy to be a 'momma' or I could say a 'cook' for these two guys... For something simple and to make my job easier, I cooked fish and vegetables in one dish... Easy...! 'Ikan Asam' Fried Fish In Tamarind Juice And Vegetables.. Saute onion, garlic and ginger... Tamarind juice, salt and sugar... Some vegetables, for my recipe today.... I love to use zucchini and cherry tomato..... Welcome to the simplicity of Malay cuisine....

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

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

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
  

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....