In The Kitchen With ME

Kam Heong

2010-05-27T01:39:00.000+08:00

I got the chance to taste my first Kam Heong in PD & had fallen in love with this stir fry. We had squid but I'd like to share this recipe with shrimps instead.

OK first of all is to get the shrimps ready. Cleaned & marinate with a tablespoon of turmeric powder & salt.

Stir fry for a while only for the shell to change colour.

Next is to saute 2 tbs of pounded shallot & garlic. Use the same oil.

Don't forget some curry leaves...

Once golden, join in 2 tbsp of ground dried shrimps , 2 tbsp of curry powder & 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce. Stir well for a couple of minutes.

After that pour in a tbsp of corn flour diluted in a half cup of water. Continue stirring. Add salt if necessary.

Join in the half cooked shrimps. Stir evenly.

Waaalaa... Kam Heong is ready. Serve hot with white rice. If you opt for squids, I like it better if the squids are deep fried in batter. Enjoy your Kam Heong :-)

Ikan Kukus

2010-01-02T10:55:00.008+08:00

I have been abandoning this blog I know. But I am aware of the traffic to this blog. Thank you my dear readers for keep dropping by. As for that it makes me drag myself to update this food blog :-)

The reason for my absence is due to my latest passion in sewing. Not only that, I have spent more time constructing another blog... Yes, another blog. I can't cope with 2 but now I have 3!! ;-)

My latest blog is my online shop. Do give a hop... Who knows you may like something there ;-) Here's the URL jabishahsews.blogspot.com

Now back to the food. I'm sharing a steam fish recipe I got from a book. If I'm not mistaken it was Chef Wan's. Tried & my girls attacked like vultures. Hehehe... Here we go.

Clean the fish & put aside. I normally purchase cut fish. Easy to store & most importantly my steamer cannot fit a whole fish.

Slice 1 piece of torch ginger (bunga kantan), 1 lemon grass, 5 red chillies, 2 pieces of kaffir lime leaves (daun limau purut), 1 cm ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 stalk of spring onion (daun bawang) & a stalk of coriander leaves (daun ketumbar).

Add in 1 1/2 tbs of sugar, 3 - 3 1/2 tbs of lime juice, half tsp of anchovies powder & 3/4 tsp of corn flour. Mix evenly.

Pour the sliced ingredients onto the fish (I used 2 types of fish)

Steam for an hour

The steam fish is ready

Happy New Year!

Ikan Cencaru Sumbat

2009-10-13T22:52:00.000+08:00

This is a recipe from my MIL. I love this fried unlike HB who prefers it grilled. What's important is the filling she makes that is simple yet appetizing.

First is to saute 2 tbs of pounded shallots & a tbsp pounded garlic.

Once it turns golden, add in 3 -4 tbsp of chilly paste

Stir evenly until the paste is cooked

Join in 3-4 tbsp of grounded dried shrimps. Continue stirring for a minute.

Put in 3 cups of grated coconut

Stir & add in salt to taste if necessary.

Fill up the fish (which should be earlier marinated with turmeric powder & salt) with the filling.

Deep fry the fish until almost crispy. You may also grill it as HB likes it.

Here you go the Ikan Cencaru Sumbat.

gkuj

Kek Batik Biskut Marie

2009-08-17T01:10:00.001+08:00

I realise that I seldom update this blog. My latest passion in sewing has taken a lot of my time. A newbie venturing in crafts... ;-)

In this entry, I'm sharing a Kek Batik Biskut Marie recipe. I fail to understand why is this lovely dessert called a cake. But again what shall I address it? Brownie?

I have always love to eat this sinful dessert. Never wanted to make it my own as none of my girls showed any interest. Now they begin to appreciate it & we can really attack this kek batik like vultures!

I've tasted many kek batik but so far, this is the recipe I like best. My sister's... I used to simply request for her to make some for me but now that I'm sharing the portion with my girls as well, I decided to ask her for the recipe. So, here we go...

First is to break 300g of biskut marie into smaller pieces. I normally ask my assistants to do this part ;-)

While they get busy with the biscuits, I prepare the chocolate coating. Melt a block of butter (250g).

Once melted pour in 505g of condensed milk. Continue stirring in slow fire.

I prefer this brand.

Next, add in half can (use the condensed milk can for measurement) of cocoa powder. This is the reason why I prefer this recipe as it uses cocoa powder instead of Milo.

Continue stirring & it will turn into this dark chocolate fudge.

Once evenly mixed, join in the biscuit pieces & turn off the gas.

Coat the biscuits with the fudge.

Transfer the coated biscuits onto a tray. I usually put a layer of plastic sheet first. It will come handy when you want to cut it afterward.

Let cool in the fridge.

My sister shared this tip though. She does not use a tray nor a casserole instead a plastic bag.

For this measurement, she will get up to 7 bags which really depend on the sizes. She rolls them neatly & transfer all to the fridge.

The idea is not merely less messy but when it is cut, each piece is coated with chocolate.

Kek Batik Biskut Marie

Roast Chicken

2009-06-03T00:45:00.005+08:00

I received emails & also phone calls requested me to update this blog. I know... It is going very slow. I do have a few other recipes to share with pictures in my document folder but you know sometimes, you just don't feel like it. Moreover, I spent rather too much time completing my travelogue which is taking almost forever!

Now the recipe I'm sharing is very simple. A friend is kind enough to share her secret. This Roast Chicken is simply out of the world. It is moist in the inside unlike other roast chicken which is dry & tasteless. The blended flavour tantalises your taste buds.

First is of course to clean a whole chicken & dry it with a paper towel. Marinate with butter, salt, chicken seasoning, rosemary, basil, thyme, white pepper & black pepper. Leave overnight in the fridge.

Next, add in some clean potatoes & carrots. Poke the potatoes & carrots with a fork. The chicken too especially on the thigh & breast.

Before this, I used the grill function in my conventional-microwave oven to roast a whole chicken. The tip given by friend is to use the whole chicken function. Set the weight & press start. I use the Panasonic brand. I'm sure other brands do have such function too.

I do not turn the chicken as instructed by the oven. Instead, use the same function again after turning the chicken. Once completed, I turn the chicken once more & put it back in the oven but using the grill function this time. This is merely to make the chicken looks brownish. 10 minutes will do. More or less it takes close to an hour of cooking time.

Lastly, serve on the dining table. I usually put in some boiled beans on top. Besides adding more colour to the meal, the beans are amongst the favourite vegetable in my household.

Roast Chicken.

Siput Sedut Masak Lemak

2009-05-07T23:55:00.000+08:00

Siput Sedut never fails to bring me back down memory lane whenever served on my dining table. My first experience was during my childhood obviously. Curiousness over the swooshing sounds made by my parents encouraged me to taste or should I say experiment my first Siput Sedut.

I remembered my first try was a failure as I had to rush to the kitchen to spit out my mom's super hot masak lemak gravy. On my next attempt, my mom washed off the the yellow gravy with water & I succeeded sucking out the slimy thingy. I was about to do another spitting but hey... it tasted good ;-)

That was the history of my my siput sedut. OK, here you go. The recipe of Siput Sedut Masak Lemak.

The Snails. The back is cut almost a cm as to make the sucking process easier...

A close up of the snail. A tip - do not look at what you suck out of the shell. Let it remain in your mouth ;-)

First, join 5 cloves of sliced shallots, 3-4 pounded lemon grass & 3-4 tbsp of bird eyes chilly paste ( a cup of bird eye chillies & half inch of fresh turmeric blended together - store in the freezer for later use) into a cooking pan.

Dilute a small amount (about a quarter) of coconut milk from a box. Pour into the pan & start fire.

Add in the rest of the coconut milk with a little bit of water. Stir well until boil. Add salt to taste.

Join in a kg of washed & trimmed snails.

Never leave the gravy unstirred.

After slightly more than 5 minutes, the dish is ready to be served.

Banofee Pie

2009-04-02T14:41:00.010+08:00

I know, it has been quite a while... I do have some recipes to share. Just that I am too occupied with my homepage. Will make an appoint to update more frequent ;-)

OK, this is my good friend's signature treat especially whenever we have a pot luck do. Now, this has also become a favourite of mine for a simple yet scrumptiously sinful choice of a dessert. The recipe is from Nestle. Give it a try as you won't regret it except for the guilt of your calories building up ;-)

First, crush 250g digestive biscuits.

Stir in 100g of melted butter.

Press the mixture into a base. I simply used a casserole. It will be good to put a layer of paper on the base first before pressing. This will be handy to lift up when you want to serve it to the guests on a different serving dish.

Place the base in the fridge whilst preparing for the caramel.

In a saucepan, join in 175g butter, 85 g brown sugar & 85g caster sugar.

Under slow fire stir continuously until the butter melted & sugars resolved.

Next pour in 397g sweetened condensed milk & continue stirring.

The caramel is ready when you get this smooth, thick texture.

Spread the caramel over the earlier prepared base.

Let cool in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours.

Before serving, whip lightly 250ml whipping cream.

Arrange sliced bananas on the caramel.

Top with the cream.

Garnish with more sliced bananas & sprinkle cocoa powder.

Banofee Pie

Barbie Doll Cake

2009-01-24T23:33:00.000+08:00

I have baked & decorated a few Doll Cakes before but never had the chance to post for an entry here. Anyhow, on Balqis's 4th birthday last November, I had a camera in hand to snap some shots.

I love to use the Moist Choc Cake recipe as it's so simple & of course, my girls' favourite. For this doll cake, it was my first time using a whole Barbie doll instead of the half body doll meant for doll cakes. I bought myself a Wilton doll cake set which comes with the doll but there was an episode during the elder girls' birthday whereby the doll's hand caught fire from the lit candles.

The Wilton doll cake pan is not tall enough for the whole Barbie Doll. I needed to bake another cake for the bottom dress. Or else my doll cake might look funny as the doll & the dress are not proportionate.

The Wilton doll cake pan. Normally I add another half the recipe. You can also use a deep round bake pan.

Round cake pan for the base.

Ice the base.

Next, put the other cake onto the iced base.

Slowly poke in the Barbie Doll.

Ice the dress & put in the fridge. After a few minutes when the first layer has harden, ice another layer. The reason for this is to make the icing process easier & almost crumb free.

Ice the base with desired coloured icing & return cake back into the fridge. Continue with the dress.

I used nozzle tip no. 46 for the frills.

Draw ribbons with nozzle tip no. 3

The Barbie Doll cake is almost ready except for the bodice & accessories.

I chose to make the bodice as simple as possible with nozzle tip no. 102.

Use nozzle tip no. 4 for the dots as necklace & hair accessory. Silver edible beads are best as diamonds.

The Barbie Doll Cake

The Barbie with her little princess, the birthday girl.

I just realised that I had never shared my butter icing recipe. Here you go.

Whip together all the ingredients. A block of butter, a tsp of vanilla essence, 3-4 tbs of milk (any will do), icing sugar up to the sweetness you prefer. For this cake I used 3 blocks of butter.

Ikan Masak Kicap

2008-12-29T10:51:00.000+08:00

My Ikan Masak Kicap is very simple but this is how my girls love it. Even I begin to enjoy this dish as much as them ;-)

First is of course to fry the fish marinated with turmeric powder & salt. I love to cook mackerel (ikan kembung), scad (ikan selar) or red snapper(ikan merah) for this recipe. As for this one I used Golden Band Scad (ikan selar kuning). It is good not to fry it too crispy.

Sautee 1 cut onion together with half & inch of sliced ginger.

Once it turns almost golden add in 4-5 tbsp of soy sauce.

Next pour in a glass of water. Add in salt if necessary.

Join in the fish & let simmer for 5 minutes.

Ikan Masak Kicap

Cupcakes - Elmo, Big Bird & Cookie Monster

2008-12-01T22:59:00.007+08:00

Elmo

Cookie Monster

Big Bird

I love to use this simple vanilla cupcakes recipe I found in the net. Here is the link.

The deco, I used ring nozzle size 3 & 4 for the fur. Size 233 is better but I don't own one. Size 2 for the eyes & nose. The pupil, I pasted a chocolate chip to each eye ball. The mouth, I used biscuit crumbs.

Enjoy decorating.

Dalca Kambing

2008-11-15T16:36:00.000+08:00

I have a few recipes waiting to be posted but was caught up writing on my other blog. So here you go, a Chef Wan recipe I recently tried - Dalca Kambing.

First is to saute 10 shallots, 2 garlics & 1 cm of ginger (all pounded) together with 3 cardamons (biji pelaga), 5cm cinnamon stick (kayu manis), 2 star anise (bunga lawang), 3 cloves (bunga cengkih) & curry leaves.

Add in a packet of curry paste. Stir until a thin film of oil rises to the top.

Join in a kg of lamb ribs

Stir well & combine in the earlier boiled dhal (200 gm).

Stir together with the paste & lamb.

Pour in a litre of coconut milk.

Join in carrots, potatoes & egg plants.

Once the potatoes are almost tender combine in long beans & okra.

Lastly the tomatoes.

Let simmer & add salt to taste.

Here you go, Dalca Kambing. Serve with Nasi Tomato or Nadi Dhal.

Nasi Dhal

2008-10-31T23:01:00.000+08:00

HB ventures with various types of foods in his nature of job. I am not sure where exactly did he have the chance to taste this Nasi Dhal but that was exactly what he requested to eat when asked what he wanted for lunch last week (my mistake for asking!;-D). So, this loyal wife browsed the net & somehow was attracted to the one posted by Gemini Girl (thanks!). Perhaps knowing that the recipe is one of our 4th Prime Minister's favourites caught my attention. Not that I am a big fan of him or anything but I am aware of his perfection character. Hence, his choice must have been a good one. Right?

OK here we go. First is of course to attend to the dhal. I was advised by a Paki descendant friend to use the Australian Dhal or also called as praphu dhal. This dhal does not need to be soaked overnight. Merely boil for 45 minutes or until tender.

Before

After

Soak 2 & a half cup of Basmathi Rice together with the dhal & 2 tsp of turmeric powder for 15 minutes.

In a pan heat ghee & cooking oil, a tbs of each.

Sautee the spices - a cinnamon stick, 2 cloves & 2 star anise together with 2-3 sliced shallots, 1-2 sliced garlic & an inch of ginger-sliced

Until fragrant & golden

Transfer the sauteed ingredients into a rice cooker. Add in the drained rice together with the dhal.

Don't forget pandan (screwpine) leaves for fragrant.

Pour in 5 & a half cup of water. Dilute 2 tbs spoon of coconut milk in any of the 5 cups. Add salt to taste & leave the rice to cook.

I present to you Nasi Dhal

Serve hot with Ayam Masak Merah or even Kari Ayam.

Udang Masak Lemak Cili Padi

2008-10-22T15:33:00.006+08:00

This is another of HB's favourite. Who can resist masak lemak? Not me... but don't serve this too often as it carries high cholesterol level ;-)

First, join 3 cloves of sliced shallots, 2 cloves of sliced garlic, 3-4 pounded lemon grass & 3-4 tbsp of bird eyes chilly paste ( a cup of bird eye chillies & half inch of fresh turmeric blended together - store in the freezer for later use) into a cooking pan.

Dilute a small amount (about a quarter) of coconut milk from a box. Pour into the pan & start fire.

In slow fire, keep stirring until almost boiling.

Add in the rest of the coconut milk with a little bit of water.

Do not leave the gravy unstirred.

Let simmer, add salt to taste. Next join in 300gm of prawns & also french beans.

Keep stirring. Lastly add in cut tomatoes.

Add more salt if needed.

Here you go, Udang Masak Lemak Cili Padi

Mee Rebus

2008-10-09T23:24:00.015+08:00

This Mee Rebus recipe, I originally jotted down from a cooking programme hosted by Chef Wan, long ago. I remember, the first time I gave it a try. It was a hit. Now, it remains as my regular Mee Rebus recipe & to those who frequent the makan-makan at my place, this is your favourite Mee Rebus.

It is indeed simple to cook. Perhaps the preparation takes longer time but I promise you it is worth every trouble you have to endure in your kitchen.. ;-)

First is to sautee 10 cloves of shallots, 8 cloves of garlic & an inch of ginger all blended together.

Once almost golden & fragrant, add in a packet of beef curry paste.

When the paste is cooked, add in a kg of sliced beef,an inch of galangal (lengkuas) lightly pounded & 2 tbsp of preserved soy bean(tauchu).

Preserved soybean (tauchu)

Stir for awhile & pour in 400 - 500ml water.

Let simmer until the beef tender. Once tender, join in mashed sweet potato (a kg of sweet potatoes, boil until tender & mash)

Stir & add in 2-3 tbsp of grind peanuts. (The peanuts are fried without fats until crispy, discard the skin & grind. But I chose to microwave the peanuts for a few minutes before grinding instead of frying). Add more water if necessary.

Add 2 tbsp of sugar & a tbsp of salt or to taste. Join in 4 cut tomatoes & it's ready.

Serve with yellow noodle. Run hot water over the noodle before serving.

The condiments that go together with my Mee Rebus.

Clockwise- boiled eggs, fresh chillies, fried tofu, sliced chinese coriander, cut calamansi & fried shallots

Mee Rebus

Masak Lemak Pucuk Paku

2008-09-16T12:20:00.007+08:00

I am aware of my various masak lemak recipe in this space. My parents are originated from Negeri Sembilan & masak lemak is kind of synonym to the family menu. This is another masak lemak that I love. Pucuk Paku is a type of fern. It goes the best with masak lemak.

Pucuk Paku

First, slice 3 cloves of shallots, 2 cloves of garlic, 2-3 tbs of Bird Eye Chilly paste (I nomally make in big portion. Chillies & fresh turmeric are blended together. Store in the freezer for later use) & a tablespoonful of dried anchovies.

Pour in a cup of diluted coconut milk from a 200ml packet. Heat fire.

Stir continuously on slow fire. After 5 minutes, pour in the rest of the coconut milk.

Keep stirring. Once it's about to boil, add in the Pucuk Paku.

Add salt to taste & it's ready. Very simple. The trick is never stop stirring under slow fire.

Masak Lemak Pucuk Paku. Serve with hot rice.

Rendang Daging

2008-09-10T15:21:00.012+08:00

No, I'm not in the raya mood yet. Just felt like cooking this Rendang Daging (beef rendang) for breaking fast last week knowing that it is HB's favourite & his first time breaking fast at home this Ramadhan. Thank to my mother-in-law for sharing her recipe.

First of all is to slice 7-8 shallots, 5-6 garlic & 1 1/2 inch ginger. Put everything in a pan (preferably a non-stick) together with 3-4 pounded ginger & 2-3 tbsp of chilly paste.

Start fire & add in a kg of cut beef.

Stir with 1-2 tbsp turmeric powder under slow fire for up to 5 minutes.

Next, combine 200ml of diluted coconut milk & keep stirring .(700ml coconut milk is used in this recipe)

After 10 minutes, join in 2 pieces of turmeric leaves & the rest of the coconut milk.

Turmeric Leaves

Simmer until boil & do not forget to stir. Once boiling add in 100gm of kerisik (grated coconut pan-fried without oil)

Kerisik

Continue stirring. Add in salt & sugar (I prefer brown sugar) to taste. These pictures below show the cooking process of my rendang. It takes up to 2 1/2 hours.

Rendang Daging

Best served with rice or bread. Of course lemang & ketupat too. Give it a try!

Roti Jala

2008-09-05T12:59:00.002+08:00

This Roti Jala is a hit among my girls. Yasmin& Balqis simply eat it just like that but Wardah like me, loves it with chicken curry (I posted a recipe on my previous post). Jala, which means net refers to the netty feature of this unique delicacy which is very much like the French crepe but lacy.

It needs a little bit of patience to make this Roti Jala. The batter has to be very smooth for it to go through the holes of the Roti Jala mould. Sometimes it can go through but after awhile, there might be clumping in the holes. I normally use a clean toothpick to get rid of the clump.

Now, let's prepare the batter. Mix half a kg of wheat flour, an egg, 700ml water & a tsp of salt.

I use a mixer but my mom prefers her blender.

Add a pinch of turmeric powder for colour.

This is the Roti Jala mould.

Before cooking, you need to test the texture of your batter. If it can flow freely through the holes, the batter is ready. If not dilute the batter with more water.

Once it is ready, put a ladle of batter into the mould. Hold the handle & make a circular motion on a non-stick pan.

Brush with cooking oil using Pandan leave.

Flip it over

The Roti Jala

These are the steps to fold the Roti Jala (clockwise)

Serve the Roti Jala with curry. Some take it with durian sauce which is not to my liking.

Kari Ayam

2008-09-03T06:03:00.008+08:00

I love chicken. No matter how it is cooked, I will savour with delight. Curry however does not really agree to my tongue but when chicken is in the picture, I give in. This is my Kari Ayam recipe, exactly how my mother prepares. Hope you will enjoy this as much as I do.

These are the ingredients for sauteeing . 3-4 cloves of shallots (sliced), 2-3 cloves of garlic(sliced), an inch of ginger (sliced), 3 lightly pounded lemon grass, half - 1 cinnamon stick, 1-2 star anise & 2-3 cardamons.

Sautee all the ingredients above.

While waiting for the sauteed ingredients to turn golden, let's get the curry paste ready. A packet of chicken curry powder ( I prefer Adabi), water, chilly paste & curry leaves.

Stir to get this paste

Add in the curry paste together with the sauteed ingredients once it turns almost golden

Stir well for 2-3 minutes until the paste is cooked

Join in the chicken (3/4 of a whole chicken)

Stir the chicken together with the paste for 1-2 minutes

Pour in water as enough to almost cover the chicken

Combine cut potatoes

Let simmer until the potatoes tender

Add in 1-2 tablespoon of coconut milk. Stir well & put in salt to taste.

Kari Ayam

Lala Masak Tumis

2008-09-01T18:25:00.005+08:00

Lala (a type of clam) is not really my favourite but this recipe is an exceptional. Not only delicious, it is also very simple to prepare & is ready in a blink of eyes. Give it a try & I'm sure you will agree with me :-)

First is to sautee 4-5 cloves of sliced garlic together with 3-4 lemon grass lightly pounded.

Once almost golden add in the washed lala into the wok.

Stir well & the lala will slowly open & change colour.

Add in 2-3 tbsp of fish curry powder & salt to taste. Mix together with the lala & a very small amount of water.

Cover to simmer for 2 minutes.

Here you go Lala Masak Tumis.

Moist Chocolate cake

2008-08-10T12:43:00.007+08:00

This recipe was given to me by a dear aunt who is my mom's neighbour. It was her who really made me fell in love with baking. She taught me to bake this cake way when I was still a teenager. My mom was working then unlike her, who was by then a retired teacher. Thank you auntie from the bottom of my heart...

I have given this recipe to many of my friends. The reason it is a hit is definitely due to its real simple method to prepare. This is also the very recipe I use with all the birthday cakes that I bake & used to sell.

All the following ingredients are combined orderly into a mixing bowl.

6 1/2 oz wheat flour
2 1/2 oz cocoa powder
2 tsp soda bicarbonate
12 oz sugar (not necessarily fine sugar)
8 oz Ideal Milk (full cream evaporated milk)
8 oz corn oil
6 oz water
2 tsp of nescafe (or coffee) diluted in the water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 pinch of salt

Mix together

The batter is thinner than the usual cake batter

Transfer the batter to a baking pan & bake for 45 minutes at 180 degree C

The baked chocolate cake

Let the cake cool & once cool place the cake bottom up on a tray

While waiting for the cake to cool, heat a pan & add in cooking chocolate.

Add in about 2-3 tbsp of Ideal Milk & a bit butter to make the topping shine

Stir until all is mixed together & the chocolate melt

Scoop the topping onto the cake

Ice the topping thoroughly all over the cake

The cake complete with chocolate topping

Silver balls as decoration for my HB's 34th birthday

Nasi Lemak

2008-07-20T11:41:00.007+08:00

Nasi Lemak is a common breakfast meal served in Malaysia. It is not really my favourite though. I go for toast. Simpler & less the cholesterol. Anyhow, I will never in this world refuse my mom's nasi lemak. She makes the best both the rice & the sambal.

My mom loves to use basmathi rice for this recipe. Other types of rice should be OK, as long as the measurement of water or in this case coconut milk is ample.

First is to wash the rice & transfer to a rice cooker. Since I'm using basmathi the ratio is 1 : 1.5 which means 1 cup of rice needs 1 & a half cup of coconut milk.

Add in a little bit of salt & pandan leaves for aroma. Switch on the rice cooker.

Rice is almost ready.

Here is the Nasi Lemak.

What is nasi lemak without the sambal (spicy condiment). I prepare my sambal with lots of shallots.

Blended shallots.

Saute the blended shallots with ample cooking oil.

Once turning brownish, add in chilly paste.

Stir well & add in chopped onions.

Keep stirring until the paste is cooked. Add salt to taste & your sambal is ready.

This is how I like my nasi lemak served with my favourite condiments - cucumber, fried anchovies, fried egg & fried chicken.

Mee Goreng Mamak

2008-07-18T09:33:00.000+08:00

This style of fried noodle was taught to me by a colleague. I was actually visiting & she was about to cook her signature fried noodle mamak style. So, there I was in her kitchen with hands-on lesson. For the record, mamak is Indian Muslim. This style of fried noodle is dry compared to Chinese style. OK, let's get to my kitchen...

First is to fry sliced tomatoes with cooking oil until softened. I normally use 3-4 depending on size for a packet of 450gm yellow noodle.

Next is to add in beef. I normally boil my beef first before the cooking process. I hate the long wait. But since not much water is used in this recipe, I boiled the beef in ample water. You can also add in chicken but the boiling process is not required. The amount of beef and/or chicken is really up to you.

Wait for the beef and/or chicken to tender. After that join in sliced shallots (2-3 cloves), sliced garlic (1-2 cloves) & chilly paste (2-3 tbs). Stir together.

Cook for 5 minutes & join in sawi (chinese mustard) stems.

Next, add in oyster sauce & soy sauce (1-2 tbs each)

Combine the sawi leaves in the wok.

Once the sawi is well stirred, add in 2-3 eggs. Mamak style fried noodle uses a lot amount of eggs but I choose to use only 3 for 1 cooking.

Add salt to taste.

Next is to put in cut fried tofu. If you have the mamak cake which is used for rojak, add that in
too.

Before joining in the yellow noodle, run hot water onto the noodle to get rid off the chalky taste. Stir well.

Add in another 1-2 eggs. If you like you may add some sweet soy sauce.

Join in sliced fresh chillies & continue stirring.

If it is less salty, you can add in salty soy sauce.

Mee Goreng Mamak . Serve while it's hot.

Garnish with coriander leaves or chinese celery & spring onions.

Masak Lemak Ikan & Petai

2008-07-10T11:10:00.000+08:00

I always prefer chicken to fish. Not really a fish lover... but married to one who is particular about a balanced diet, I am now slowly appreciating this source of protein. This recipe is one of the many signature dishes of my grandma & whenever she cooks this, I forget that fish is not my favourite ;-)

First is to combine, shallots (about 4 but the more the better) & bird eye chilly paste.

Bird Eye Chillies

This is the chilly paste. Fresh turmeric & bird eye chillies blended together.

My mom loves to use Ikan Parang (wolf herring) for this recipe. HB however does not fancy this fish though how tastier & sweeter it is. So, I normally opt for a less bone fish - Ikan Senangin (threadfin).

Ikan Senangin

On slow fire, add in the fish & small amount of diluted coconut milk.

Add in dried asam keping (dried slices of tamarind fruit).

Asam Keping

After like 5 minutes, join the rest of the diluted coconut milk & keep the thick one aside for later ( I use a box of coconut milk for this recipe) & do not stop stirring at all, still on slow fire. Add in petai (twisted cluster bean or stink bean). But the skin should be scraped out first.

Petai

Petai with skin scrapped

Next, pour in the remaining coconut milk. Keep on stirring.

I do not like my masak lemak to be too sourish. So, I normally take out the asam keping. Add salt to taste & ready to be served.

Enjoy your Masak Lemak Ikan Senangin & Petai

Ayam Goreng Bumbu

2008-06-28T11:01:00.012+08:00

Who don't love fried chicken? I'm a big fan ;-) How it is marinated, that's not really a problem... as long it is fried!. Hmm.. yummilicious! I normally marinate with turmeric powder & salt or with curry powder & turmeric powder to add the spiciness. Once in awhile I use the instant batter for frying or once in a blue moon, make my own batter. The fried chicken of this recipe is rather exotic. It is another Indonesian cuisine which I recently found out that my helper knew how to make. So, in this post, it was not me in the kitchen (well, I was... snapping photos!) but my helper Sri.

The main ingredients for this recipe besides the chicken itself is galangal (lengkuas). The more galangal used, the more bumbu you get. First is to grate galangal & a bit of fresh turmeric for colour.

Next is to pound, shallots, ginger & coriander. But if you have coriander powder that is even better. Use about 1-2 tbs.

Combine, the grated & pounded ingredients together with coriander onto the chicken.

Stir well

On slow fire, cook the marinated chicken for 5-10 minutes. Do not add in water. The juice of the chicken will help the process. Stir occasionally & add in salt to taste.

Deep fry the chicken

Ayam Goreng Bumbu

Laksa Johor

2008-06-20T17:11:00.001+08:00

HB loves to play host. Loves having friends & family over. I enjoy cooking. So that makes a splendid arrangement. Him hosting, me cooking... ;-) But there are times when the table turns. Whenever the theme is BBQ. His BBQ sauce is a signature among friends.

Laksa Johor is quite regular served on my dining cum buffet table apart me not a Johorean. As many know, this type of laksa uses spaghetti as the pasta. Normally, as to accommodate kids or perhaps even adults who do not or just not adventurous enough to try new food, I also prepare bolognaise sauce to eat with the spaghetti.

OK, let's get to business. I have come across a few recipes of Laksa Johor but I like this one best because it is very simple. The taste? Well... once I witnessed HB diligently helping his laksa in record time, I might as well stick to the simplest ;-)

First & foremost when it comes to laksa, the fish is very important. Since I like simplicity, I use the Spanish Mackerel (ikan tenggiri) which has lots of flesh but less bone. Spare me the time of deboning the fish.

In this recipe I use 1 normal size Spanich Mackerel. Cleaned, cut, boiled & blended. Do not throw away the broth.

Blended fish

The broth of the fish

While waiting for the fish, blend about an inch of ginger, & knobs, very much like ginger but milder), shallots & garlics.

The blended items

Now, the cooking begins. Sautee the blended ingredients.

Once golden, add in a packet of fish curry & some chilly paste. Sautee again until the paste is cooked.

After that, add in 2 tbsp of grinded dried shrimp. Stir well.

Next is to join in the broth & 1 inch & a half of lightly pounded galangal (lengkuas - pale yellow rootstalk with pink skin

And also the blended fish.

Next is to combine a packet of coconut paste (kerisik) into the pot.

Simmer until it boils & add in 5-6 tbsp of coconut milk.

Add salt to taste & it's ready

My Laksa Johor gravy is very thick as how HB loves it. As mentioned earlier, instead of normal lasksa pasta, Laksa Johor uses spaghetti. The spaghetti is served in shapes. I do not really know how the Johoreans shape their spaghetti but this is how I normally do mine.

And this is how I prepare the cucumber which is to be eaten with the laksa.

I do not put the leftover cucumber seeds to waste. Check out Wardah & Balqis enjoying their home spa... ;-)

These are some of the condiments that also go with my Laksa Johor.

I am aware that other condiments like bean sprouts, salted reddish, Vietnamese coriander(daun kesum) are quite common. Anyhow, mine are simply - clockwise onions, long beans, torch ginger (bunga kantan), calamansi.

Also the Sambal Belacan which I have made some changes to it. HB does not take belacan, hence my sambal is merely fresh chillies & onions pounded together with a bit of salt.

This is how the laksa is served. First, put the spaghetti in a bowl followed by the condiments & lastly the gravy. Here is how I like mine.

And the girls like theirs.

Kuih Keria

2008-06-07T16:23:00.015+08:00

Kuih Keria or some calls it Kuih Gelang, is my girls' favourite especially Wardah. To them this Malay delicacy is another version of doughnuts. It is very simple to make & my little assistants always have fun helping me.

The main ingredient to make Kuih Keria is sweet potatoes. There are various types. Look for the ones with white colour.

Sweet potatoes are peeled & cut into small pieces. Boil until they tender. Some boil the sweet potatoes with the skin. They are easier to peel off once tender. But I always choose to peel first.

The tender sweet potatoes

Yasmin helping me to mash the sweet potatoes

Mashed sweet potatoes

Add in ample wheat flour to get a firm dough.

Roll the dough into small balls about the size of golf ball. Flatten it lightly & make a hole in the centre. I've never tried using a doughnut cutter. It should work just fine.

Deep fry until golden

Traditionally, the fried rings are coated with syrup. 100ml water & 120gm sugar cooked together in slow fire until sugar dissolved.

Once it thickens, add in the rings.

But I do not prepare mine as such. Improvised to make it simpler. I coat the fried rings in icing sugar. The girls love their "doughnuts" like this.

My mom, however served us sugarless outside. She adds sugar together with the dough. No need sugar coating. Hence, less messy.

Kerabu

2008-05-22T10:04:00.006+08:00

Kerabu I must say is not my cup of tea. What is Kerabu? Basically, it is salad with a unique dressing. There are various ways serving kerabu just like salad. Since I don't really eat kerabu, this menu was never served on my dining table until recently. My mom had lunch with us & she brought along all the ingredients to prepare her kerabu.

Observing her in my kitchen, making kerabu is merely a blink of an eye. Perhaps the fact that she had prepared all the ingredients beforehand made it so simple.

This is the key to her superb kerabu. According to mom, sauteed dried chillies, dried shrimp & grated coconut are all ground together. Add salt to taste.

The vegetables she used for her kerabu are...

Pennywort Leaves (daun pegaga)

Four-angled Beans (kacang botol)

Long Beans

Onions

She normally uses Torched Ginger (bunga kantan) too but could not find fresh ones. Stir all ingredients together.

Last touch is juice from a kalamansi (limau kasturi) & salt.

My mom's special Kerabu.

Tomyam Campur

2008-05-05T23:49:00.008+08:00

I am not really a Tomyam lover. But having tried this tomyam paste I began to appreciate this Thai Cuisine. I did not prepare this meal from scratch though. I used instant tomyam paste. Ever since I discovered this instant paste, never have I tried others.

First of all is to sautee pounded lemon grass & cut onions.

Once fragrant, pour in enough water. That is 2 glasses of water for a packet of the paste.

This is the tomyam paste I always opt for.

Add in the paste once the water has boiled.

Next is to join in kaffir lime leaves.

Add in sliced beef. Let simmer for awhile to make the beef tender

After that, the chicken.

Some squids.

And of course the vegetables. Carrots, cauliflowers & baby corns.

Add salt to taste & finally, lightly pounded bird's eye chillies

Tomyam Campur

Sambal Tempe Ikan Bilis

2008-04-30T15:27:00.000+08:00

Tempe is soy bean cake & Ikan Bilis is anchovies. This is another Indonesian cuisine I look forward to eat. My mom makes the best Sambal Tempe Ikan Bilis despite her not an Indonesian. I never like my sambal sweet. It must be spicy, slightly salty & crisp.

Before preparing the sambal, tempe & dry ikan bilis need to be fried until crispy.

Next is to saute pounded shallots. The more shallots the better. I normally about a dozen or more.

As usual, once the shallots turn almost golden, add in chilly paste. The amount is really up to you.

Keep stirring, add in salt to taste(not too much as the anchovies are already salty).

Once you see the cooking oil starts to rise to the surface (in other words pecah minyak), join in the tempe, anchovies & cut onion.

Stir well as to mix together the ingredients. Keep on stirring in slow fire until the paste is almost crisp.

There you go, Sambal Tempe Ikan Bilis

Dry Fried Bee Hoon

2008-04-29T15:17:00.011+08:00

My friend Kat, who is now staying in Abu Dhabi, UAE is craving for this simple fried beehoon. Staying so far from home, I assume she has to cook all the local foods she wishes to eat. Since I am not really a fan to this style of cooking, never did I bother to find out how it was made. But for Kat, I asked my MIL for the recipe. So, this one is for you girl ;-)

I find that the preparation for this recipe is slightly tedious compared to how I normally fry my bee hoon (rice vermicelli). First is of course to soak the bee hoon.

Next is to fry 2-3 eggs & cut in strips.

Fry tofu & cut into small cubes.

Another is to grind dry some dried shrimps.

Now the cooking process starts. Saute 4-5 pounded shallots & 3 cloves of pounded garlic.

Once almost golden, add in chilly paste.

Keep stirring for a few minutes. Join in about 2-3 tbls of grinded dried shrimps. Also salt to taste.

Next is to add in sawi(chinese mustard) stems. After a short while the leaves.

Join in the tofu & the bee hoon.

Stir in slow fire.

Add in bean sprout & continue stirring.

Fried Bee Hoon as you requested...

Mashed Potato

2008-04-24T18:04:00.005+08:00

How I prepare my mashed potato is very simple. First is of course to boil the potatoes with salt.

Peel of the boiled potatoes & start mashing them.

Add in melted butter.

Also fresh milk & salt if needed.

Stir vigorously & your mashed potato is ready.

Grilled BBQ Lamb

2008-04-21T21:14:00.013+08:00

I'm blessed with a husband who cooks. Not sure though whether he is naturally a good cook or he is just plain lucky. But what he cooks is not only edible but delicious. One of the few things that he cooks is this BBQ sauce. I really have to compliment him on this one. Even friends are aware of his signature BBQ sauce. The truth, this is the first time I volunteered to be together in the kitchen with him. Merely to snap photos, of course. I don't have the patient seeing him messing my office... you know what I mean.

Ok, let's start with the sauce. Onions, cadlenut & half a lemon blended together.

Next is to saute the blended items with olive oil.

I normally wait for my onions to turn slightly golden, then only I go to the next step. But here, once the sauted ingredients produce the inviting aroma, dried ground peeper is added.

Stir for awhile

After that, put in a bottle of mustard,honey, herb marinade.

Next is the spices. Mixed spice, basil leaves, thyme leaves & rosemary leaves.

Keep stirring.

Next is 2 bottles of black pepper sauce.

Join in honey.

Add in butter.

Next is 2 bottles of BBQ sauce.

Finally is salt & sugar to taste.

The BBQ sauce. We love to prepare this in a big portion. Extra we keep in the freezer.

Marinate the lamb overnight. This sauce is also great for chicken.

The grilling process. If HB is away, I simply grill the lamb in the oven.

Serve with your desired side dishes.

Fettuccine Alfredo

2008-04-20T13:53:00.000+08:00

This is what I prepare when HB is not home. The girls love it plus, it is so simple to make.

First is to melt butter on a pan.

Add in sliced garlic. Stir until almost golden.

Next is the cut sausages.

After awhile join the mushrooms. Here I use white button mushroom.

Once the mushroom has softened, pour in double cream.In slow fire, stir well.

Next is Parmesan Cheese. Preferably, freshly grated. Keep stirring.

Turn off the stove & toss the pasta together with the alfredo sauce.

Fettucinne Alfredo, serve immediately.

Cendawan Masak Lemak Rempah

2008-04-16T17:49:00.000+08:00

This is a special mushroom dish I got from my mom, which she got from hers & hers got from hers... What special about this dish is the rempah (spice) used. Ketumbar (Coriander), JintanPutih (Cumin Seeds) & Jintan Manis (Aniseeds) all fried together without fat until almost crisp. Let cool & grind. This is also the special spices my grandmother uses to prepare her rendang. Another authentic Malay dish.

For this recipe, get sliced shallots, garlics, pounded lemon grass & chilly paste ready in a cooking pan.

Start slow fire & add in about a glass of diluted coconut milk. Keep stirring.

Let simmer & once almost boiled add in the remaining a box of coconut milk. Do not stop stirring.

Put two tablespoon of the spice prepared earlier.

Add a pinch or two of turmeric powder.

Next is the fresh oyster mushroom in the pan.

Keep stirring for a minute or two. Add salt to taste & your mushroom is ready.

Give it a try.

Baked New York Cheesecake

2008-04-15T09:38:00.000+08:00

Who won't go crazy over cheesecake? I know one person in particular. HB can't take any food that consumes cheese. Even pizza is not his favourite! My partner in crime over cakes is of course Yasmin. Cheesecake... that's the top in our list!

There are various ways to prepare cheesecake. In this entry I chose Baked New York Cheesecake. It is a recipe from a local baking book I own. Give it a try. It won't disappoint you.

First, with a mixer whip 500 grams of cream cheese until smooth.

Add in 125 grams fine sugar & whisk until it gets fluffy.

Now, join in 150ml of double cream into the batter.

Next, put in 4 egg yolks & continue whisking.

Once the batter is fluffy add in lemon rind of a half lemon & 90 grams of sifted, super fine flour. Whip until everything is well mixed & put aside.

In another bowl, whisk the remaining 4 egg whites, 75 grams fine sugar & half a tablespoon of lemon juice. Whisk until stiff.

Add 30 grams of cornflour into the egg whites.

Next combine the batter into the egg whites. Whip until it is mixed together.

Scoop out the batter & put it into a baking pan.

To prevent the cake from cracking, the batter is steam-baked or using the bain marie method. That is the baking pan is put into another baking pan filled with water.

Steam-bake at 150 degree C for 1 1/2 hours.

Put in the fridge for the cake to cool.

Baked New York Cheesecake. Best to be served chilled.

Yasmin at her best trying to tempt with her piece of cheesecake!

Fried Noodle

2008-04-11T01:45:00.000+08:00

Noodle, the pasta loved by everyone in my family except for Yasmin. She prefers western pasta to eastern. The only eastern pasta she enjoys is the Japanese Soba.

The local pasta that I usually cook is this yellow noodle and bee hoon (rice vermicelli). There are a lot of styles to cook this pasta. One of our favourites is Fried Noodle.

First is to boil pieces of beef or chicken. This is to produce beef stock & also to make the beef tender. Moreover the process of cooking is shorter. While waiting, you can prepare the other ingredients.

Pound or slice shallots & garlic. Saute in a wok.

Join in chilly paste once the sauted ingredients turn slightly golden with aromatic smell.

Keep stirring until the paste is cooked & add in the beef stock together with beef.

I use dark soy sauce & oyster sauce for seasoning.

Put in dried tofu with fish cake & sawi (chinese mustard) stem.

I happened to have prawns in the fridge & decided to cook that with my noodle. Normally, I don't.

Next in the wok is the chinese mustard leaves.

The yellow noodle I use. Whenever I cook this noodle I always run hot water onto it. This is to get rid off the chalky taste.

Before putting in the noodle, taste the sauce. It should be salty a bit. If not add in salt. Stir well.

Best to serve immediately. I usually use chinese celery & homemade crispy fried shallots for garnishing. Enjoy your Fried Noodle.

Coleslaw

2008-04-07T19:35:00.000+08:00

I bet anyone can prepare coleslaw. It's not that you have to prepare the mayonnaise yourself... Well do you?? I don't... that's why making my coleslaw is like a blink of eyes.

First is to slice up cabbage, carrots & a bit of shallots.

Add the mayonnaise & stir.

Chilly sauce for a slight of spiciness & about a pinch of salt.

Stir again & you have your coleslaw. Try it!

Dendeng Berlado

2008-04-02T19:35:00.001+08:00

My favourite Indonesian cuisine, Dendeng Berlado. It is basically fried beef with chilly. The secret is of course the spices. I used to be the only one drooling over this dish but now HB seems to like it too. I got this recipe from a TV cooking programme. Indeed a very simple meal to prepare & I am pretty sure you will agree with me.

First is to prepare the marinated ingredients. Pound shallots, garlics, lemon grass, ginger & turmeric. I love to use extra shallots than garlics in most of my cooking.

Slice beef tenderloin thin & marinate with coriander powder & the earlier pounded ingredients. Put aside.

Next is to pound fresh chillies together with onions.

Fry the marinated beef.

Next is to saute the pounded chillies. Saute in the same cooking oil used for frying the beef but only about 3-4 tablespoon of oil is needed.

Saute just for a short while. Add salt & sugar to taste & put out the fire.

To give more flavour, add in a few drops of lime juice.

Combine the fried beef together & your Dendeng Berlado is ready.

Time for Pizza!

2008-03-26T17:17:00.000+08:00

I'm enrolling a blog competition on happy moments & I decided to post this entry as my happy moment in the kitchen. This time it was not only ME, in the kitchen. My 3 girls helped me out with our Pizza Project or should I rephrase... I gave a helping hand to their project (exactly what I heard over a phone conversation between Yasmin & her Grandma).

I prepared the pizza base (well... I delegated it to my breadmaker) & set the oven. The rests were done by my girls. Yasmin & Wardah were in charged of cutting. Balqis helped with the dough & toppings. The end result... superlicious!

Yasmin chopping meat of a patty.

Wardah helping out with the sausages.

Are these too thick?

Another task from Wardah, juicy pineapple.

Balqis using her weight to flatten the base.

Ready with the sauce & let's have fun with the toppings!

Three little chefs at work!

Little Chef Balqis's hand putting the last touch of her pizza.. CHEESE!

Before & After

Their best pizza ever!

If you envy our happy moment, spare a minute to vote for us HERE. Thank you!

Ayam Masak Merah

2008-03-23T15:32:00.000+08:00

I'm sharing with you HB's favourite dish. If this is served on the dining table, he won't even eye the other dishes. His love for this "Ayam Masak Merah" started way from his childhood years. A recipe from his grandmother passed to his mother & I, of course learned to cook this from my mother in-law. It is not complicated at all & I'm pretty sure this simple recipe will be a regular on your dining table too. First of all is to marinate the chicken with turmeric powder & salt. Deep fry until half cooked & put aside.

Blend shallot & garlic together. The more the shallots the better. Not too much garlic. Just half the amount of shallots.

Saute the blended ingredients together with pounded lemon grass. Use like 4 to 5. Unfortunately, I only have 3 in the fridge.

Once it turns slightly golden add about 2 tbsp of chilly paste.

Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir continuously unless you use a non-stick pan. Add about 5-6 tbsp of ketchup.

Next, pour about 2 glasses of water. Let simmer for 8 minutes.

Add in sugar & salt to taste plus the fried chicken & chopped onions.

Keep stirring until the gravy becomes slightly thick & your dish ready.

Before serving, I take out all the chicken from the pan to a serving dish.

Next is to separate the oil from the gravy.

Pour the gravy onto the chicken.

"Ayam Masak Merah"

Bread

2008-03-18T19:05:00.000+08:00

Bread. Never did cross my mind that I would one day bake my own bread... The thought of kneading & proofing sounds like forever. Might as well I grab a loaf of bread from the supermarket which can last a couple of days.

It's different now. I'm proudly telling you that the bread served on my dining table daily is baked by ME. Edible bread! The girls love it especially Yasmin. Even hubby looked contented with his first slice of bread!

My first loaf of white bread

Now, the girls experience a different aroma in mama's kitchen.... fresh baked bread. Here is Wardah with mama's bread.

Check out the texture!

Well... I do have an assistant. Very reliable & smart too. Let me introduce you to my Breadmaker!! Hahaha!!

Even with a breadmaker, the measurement must be very precise. I experienced once a mushroom shape bread & short loaf bread. After all, we learn from mistakes.

Ikan Bakar

2008-03-05T23:47:00.001+08:00

I love "ikan bakar", especially "ikan pari " (stingray). This recipe was given to me by HB's aunt & since then I never did try other "ikan bakar" recipe besides hers. Normally, "ikan bakar" is grilled & the condiment is prepared separately. The most basic condiment for "ikan bakar" is merely soy sauce, pounded garlic, fresh chillies & lime juice combined together. This recipe is however different. The sauce is prepared in a form of a paste & grilled together with the fish. The savoury taste of the sauce blended with the delicate flesh of the fish will definitely make you salivating. Enough said! Let's start cooking...

First of all is to blend together shallots, garlics, ginger, lemon grass, turmeric leaves, bird eye chillies and fresh red chillies.

Saute the blended ingredients with cooking oil.

Next is to add in a little bit of tamarind juice for a sour taste & also to make the texture of the paste thicker.

Add sugar & salt to taste. Here is the sauce that will play condiment to my fish.

The next step to do is to marinate the fish. I prefer stingray to any other fish when it comes to "ikan bakar".

I choose to use banana leaves to wrap the marinated fish. However, aluminium foil is also okay but make sure that it is suitable for grilling.

As it is rather tedious to prepare a grill, I simply use a pan. But better opt for an old pan as the so called grilling process might stain your pan.

Now you have your "ikan bakar" ready to be eaten...

Cupcakes - The pond

2008-03-03T09:48:00.001+08:00

I made these cupcakes for Yasmin's 9th birthday party. She wanted a theme of a pond. I used mostly butter icing. Only the letterings, frogs' eyes & lips, I experimented with sugar paste icing.

Castle Cake

2008-02-23T18:28:00.001+08:00

This is my first attempt making a castle cake. It was more like a request from Wardah. She asked for a castle with a garden. The minute I heard that request, it did give me a jitter. But I took it as a challenge. Browsed the net for ideas & I came out with this castle cake.

I used 3 square shaped cakes. The 1st 2 cakes I baked a day before the icing process. The 3rd cake I baked on the morning of the following day.

I do not own a rectangular baking pan. As to make my cake a rectangle, I cut out an edge of the 1st cake. Next is to cut the 2nd cake to half. Join the 1st & 2nd cake together. Now you have a rectangular shape cake.

Now from the 3rd cake & the leftover cakes cut out 1 big square, 2 smaller squares & 1 tiny cube. Make sure the cube can fit the size of an ice cream cone & also the smaller square can fit the cube in the middle with 4 ice cream cones at each corner.

Now is the fun part... icing the cake. Ice each layer of the cake with icing. I use butter icing. Let cool in the fridge.

Once the butter icing is hard, ice the cake again with your desired colour. The reason for the 1st layer of icing needs to be chilled before the 2nd layer, is to make the icing process easier with crumbs free. I made a mistake for being too eager to ice the cake that I did not wait until the icing properly chilled. As a result, my cake was full with crumbs. Due to our hot weather, it is also recommended to put the cake in the fridge after icing each layer. Start from the top.

Put the cake in the fridge again. Arrange slices of cake in front of the castle. This will be the garden.

Use nozzle tip no.4 to make a line on each layer of the cake & decorate with edible silver balls.

Make a door using the same nozzle & silver balls.

Ice the garden with green icing & use nozzle tip no.233 to make grass.

Pound some Koko Krunch & sprinkle it in front of the main door.

I have prepared the castle towers the day before. This is the step-by-step guide to prepare the towers out of ice cream cone. As the cones were too fragile, I did not poke the paper flags onto the cones. Instead, I glued them using the icing.

My almost complete castle.

Princess Wardah's proud castle

Spaghetti Bolognaise

2008-02-18T23:48:00.001+08:00

This is another signature dish in my kitchen. Of course the rating is superbly high which obviously given by my girls... The kids love it & I'm sure most moms will love it too. It is very simple to prepare!! I've experimented the pasta sauce a couple of times & this is the one for my family. It might not be the traditional Italian recipe. Mine is quick but still is full with nutrition.

Heat olive oil in a pan. As usual, I do lots of sauteing in my recipe. Saute chopped onions for a few seconds & then add in minced beef into the pan.

Cover the pan & let simmer for a couple of minutes. Next is to join in chopped carrots. Cover again for a short while to let the carrots softened.

I use Prego pasta sauce. I prefer "Traditional" but it was out of stock. Instead, I settled with "Fresh Mushroom". Scoop in the sauce as required, put into the pan & cover again.

Next is to add in some chopped mushrooms. Unfortunately, I ran out of mushroom.

I then put in chopped celery. The tip is to chop the celery into small cubes so that kids have no choice but to eat it. If your child is very picky about vegetables, what you can do is to blend the carrots & celery together with the sauce.

Most of the celery was already in the pan, I forgot to snap the photo before the celery taking a dip in the sauce.

Sprinkle a little bit of thyme.

Salt & sugar to taste. Cover again for 5 minutes & your sauce is ready.

Let me present you... my Spaghetti Bolognaise.

Balqis right after school, still in her school uniform attacking the pasta.

Cream Caramel Pudding

2008-02-08T22:55:00.001+08:00

I love this pudding! Been making it since I was a teenage. But I stopped for quite some time. I was the only person in this household who was crazy about this dessert. Whenever I prepared this, I ended up eating it alone....

Now, I have a partner in crime... Yasmin. She loves this pudding as much as I do. Not Wardah & Balqis. They love only the caramel & expect us to eat up the left over pudding!!

For this pudding first of all is to prepare the caramel. I don't use the instant caramel. Mine is homemade of course so I can control the level of sweetness. I prefer my caramel bitter sweet. I use 4 to 5 ladle of coarse sugar. Heat up the sugar alone in a pan. Let it melt on its own.

Once golden, pour in 2 to 3 cups of water. Make sure the sugar has properly melted. Careful because there will be a sizzling sound. Keep on stirring.

Now, the caramel is ready. Put aside to cool.

Next is the batter. Whisk 5 eggs using mixer. Crack each egg into a small bowl first before joining them all together in the mixing bowl. This is to make sure that no residue but only the yolk & the white egg is used. Hence, the texture of the pudding will be flawless.

After that, pour in a can of Ideal milk together with 3/4 can (the Ideal milk can) of water.

My little assistant pouring in the Ideal milk & the 3/4 can of water.

Don't forget a pinch of salt.

And of course a teaspoonful of vanilla essence.

Whisk everything for a couple of minutes.

Next, take a big container or 2 small containers & pour in the caramel prepared earlier.

Pour the batter onto the caramel.

My assistant joining the batter with the caramel.

Put the container in a steamer.

Steam for approximately an hour.

If you use a 2 tier steamer. Change the container after half an hour.

Let cool in the fridge.

My yummy cream caramel pudding.

Ikan Masak Asam Pedas

2008-02-03T11:21:00.000+08:00

This used to be HB's favourite. Anyhow, his love for this dish has lessen. Wonder why?...... Perhaps he discovers a better "masak asam pedas" than mine... :l Nah... I realise that he seldoms opt for this dish anymore whenever we dine out for "nasi campur".

Okay let's start cooking. First is to blend some shallots & garlics. Use lots of shallots more than garlics. The thickness of the gravy depends on the amount of blended ingredients.Saute this until slightly golden & add in chilly paste. Depends on your taste buds. I like mine spicy.

Keep on stirring until the paste is cooked. Next put in the fish. In this recipe I used red snapper. Coat the fish with the cooked paste.

When the fish is half cooked, pour in the tamarind juice.

Next is the vegetables. Egg plant, lady's fingers, torch ginger, Vietnamese coriander all in the pan.

Egg plant

Lady's fingers

Torch ginger - "bunga kantan"

Vietnamese coriander - "daun kesom"

Let simmer until the vegetables are tender. I ran out of tomatoes. If you choose to put in tomatoes, wait until the other vegetables soften then only you add in the tomatoes & of course salt to taste. I do not use shrimp paste in this recipe. Hubby is allergic to it.

Now you have it, "Ikan Masak Asam Pedas".

Fried Squid with Oyster Sauce

2008-01-10T12:44:00.001+08:00

This is a dish I experimented to prepare for the girls. All this while, the squid dish I serve the girls is squid coated with batter (will share the recipe one of these days..) I'm glad that they love this one too... because it is easier to prepare than the other squid dish they love ;D

First is to marinate the cut squid with turmeric powder & salt. Put aside.

Next is to stir-fry the squid together with cut onions. Once the onions tender, add in oyster sauce. Stir & cover. Let simmer for a couple of minutes.

No more salt added as the oyster sauce is already salty itself. Give this simple recipe a try.

Chicken Rice

2008-01-05T17:52:00.000+08:00

Here is my family's favourite menu. It is really easy to cook, perhaps the preparation would take some time. This chinese cuisine might differ from others. But to me, this one is the best as it was the chicken rice my mother used to prepare for my siblings & I when we were kids. First is to marinate the chicken. There are many ways to prepare the chicken. Some prefer to roast, bbq or even steam... but I prefer my chicken fried. The chicken marinated with turmeric powder, salt & honey.

Put aside the marinated chicken. Next is to get the soup (chicken stock) ready. Saute some sliced shallot, garlic & ginger. Once golden & fragrant, add in chicken carcass. Stir for a few minutes & pour in water. Let simmer. Add salt to taste.

While waiting for the soup to boil, we can prepare the rice. First is to heat butter or margarine on a pan. Put in sliced garlic & ginger, with a 2 cm cinnamon stick & a couple of cloves. Saute until golden.

Transfer the ingredients from the pan into a rice cooker. Join in the rice & stir together with the sauted garlic, ginger & spices.

Next is to add in the soup prepared earlier. The measurement is 1 : 2 that is a cup of rice, 2 cups of soup. Put in pandan leaves for the aroma & a little bit of salt. Cover the rice cooker & wait.

Now take out the marinated chicken. Deep fry the chicken.

For the chilly sauce, blend fresh chillies with some garlic. Cook in a pan with half cup of water. Next add in ketchup, sugar & salt.

My soy sauce is rather simple. I simply use the sweet soy sauce which I get in the supermarket & add a half cup of the soup.

Now the chicken rice is ready to be eaten. Do not forget the vegetables. Cucumber, lettuce & tomato, served raw with the sauce prepared.

Wardah indulging in her favourite food.

Sup Tulang

2008-01-05T14:39:00.001+08:00

It has been quite awhile I have not prepared this dish. HB though how much he loves it, advised not to serve this menu that often. "Tulang" is bone & attached to the bone isof course the fats which makes this soup superlicious.

This is one of the easiest meal to prepare. Lucky me I own a pressure cooker that makes the cooking period shorter. The key ingredient to this soup is the "sup bunjut". Inside the "bunjut" is some spices that I am not really sure of.

First is to put the meat, ribs, bones & water in a pressure cooker for half an hour as to make it tender. If you do not own a pressure cooker, boil the meat in a pot for 2 hours or more.

Once tender, add the "bunjut", 2-3cm of ginger & 2 -3 cloves of garlic (both slightly pounded). Pour in water if necessary. Simmer until boil & add salt to taste.

Serve with fried sliced shallot & chinese coriander.