New addition to herbs collection

Just got this from my friend, Tipah from Subang Jaya.  Honestly i have never use basil leaves in my cooking before but now i have some info about this plant and i'm ready to use it in my cooking.  Some facts about basil leaves which i got from the internet is as follows:

Basil is an annual herb of the mint family, native to central and tropical Asia and Africa (some say it originated in India). It is an important ingredient in Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian cuisine. Today it is cultivated commercially in California, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, Italy, Madagascar, India and Mexico. It has been grown in areas around the Mediterranean since antiquity, but Britain did not begin using basil until the 16th century. The many varieties of this herb have seeds that can germinate after 10 years!

In addition to its culinary uses, basil is also used in perfumes, soaps, shampoos and dental preparations. In Mexico it is supposed to keep a lover's eye off others, and is considered a powerful protector in Haiti. During British colonial days in India, magistrates would have Hindu witnesses swear on this holy herb. It is recommended in Herbals for the relief of dysentery, gas pains, nausea, and as a cure for worms and worts.
There's more about basil but i only know i have added another plant to my herbs collection heehehe...

To my dear friend Tipah, thanks a lot!!

Curry Squid

Tired of typical sambal sotong (squid)?? Well there are many ways to cook squid apart from sambal. Try this simple recipe.. delicious and i guarantee even your kids will love it..

Ingredients

400gms squid - cut,   wash  (add salt and tumeric)
5 shallots*
2 garlics*
thin slice ginger*
1/4 cup tamarind (make into 1/2 cup juice)
1 Bombay Onion (slice)
2 tsbp curry powder
1 green chilli - slice
few curry leaves

Steps

1) Fry squid half cook, leave aside
2) Fry pounded ingredients (*), curry leaves  till fragrant, add curry powder
3) Stir in tamarind juice, add salt and sugar
4) Add in squid, green chillies and sliced bombay onion.

Fucuk Soup

Ingredients

1 Packet  Fucuk (complete with mushrooms, soohoon etc)
2 pc fishpaste
1 sache soup powder
3 sweetpotatoes - cut into four
2 sticks crabstick ( i don't have it here)
2 garlics - chopped
2 cups water
pepper
salt


Steps

1) Heat up oil, fry garlic till fragrant
2) Add water, add soup powder, pepper, let it boil
3) Add fishpaste, crabsticks, finally add fucuk, mushrooms and soohoon
4) Add salt to taste.. serve hot

P/s  You may add anything you like for garnishing.. I'm running out of stock ... hehheeh

Cucur Nasi



Cucur Nasi in a cup

Heard of cucur ikan bilis or cucur bawang?  Well this is similar to both recipies except we need to add a cup of rice to its ingredients.. let's check out the rest of the ingredients here:

Ingredients

1 cup rice

5 shallots

1/2 cup dried ikan bilis, soak and rinse

a pinch of salt

11/2 cup flour (estimate measurement)

Steps

1)  Blend rice, ikan bilis, shallots (add water to blend)

2)  Add salts

3)  Mix blended ingredients with flour.  Scoup and fry in hot oil.  Serve with any sauce of your choice..



My money plant






 money plant

   

Puding Jagung

Just got this recipe from a friend, it differs from my usual pudding as i don't use jelly powder before.. just did it this afternoon....

Ingredients (A)

10g packet jelly 

1 cup water     

1 cup  sugar

Ingredients (B)

1 tin creamy corn

1 cup creamer ( i used Ideal Milk)

1/2 cup custard power

Steps

1)  Heat A till sugar dissolve, put aside

2)  In another pan, heat  creamer, custard power and creamy corn, heat till thicken

3)  Add (A)  into (B),  please add more sugar if required, continue to cook till thicken.

4)  Keep refregirated before serving.. 

Fried Ikan Bilis

The hotter the better... verrrry simple to do. 

Ingredients

1 packet ikan bilis
7 shallots*
2 garlics*
1/2 cup cilli padi*
1 bombay onion (cut into ring
Salt and sugar to taste
Oil for frying

Steps

1)  Fry  ikan bilis , put aside
2)  Pound ingredients marked *
3)  Fry * till fragrant, add ikan bilis, salt and sugar
4)  Finally add ring onion for garnishing
5)  Serve hot... hmmm yummyyyy


Note:-   You may add petai (slice) into this recipe if you like ;)

Asam Pedas Ikan Kembung

taadaaaaaaaaaaaaa.. today's recipe is asam pedas ikan kembung.. .. it's great with Ikan Parang, Ikan Pari and if you like Ikan Merah.. i only have this in my fridge.. so let's check out the recipe

Ingredients

5 Ikan Kembung
10 shallots*
2 garlic*
1/2 inch ginger*
1/2 inch belacan*
1/2 tsp black pepper*
1/2 inch fresh tumeric*
2 stalks lemongrass - smashed
50 sen daun kesum
1 stalk bunga kantan (I don't have it .. hukhuk)
3/4 cup tamarind + 1 bowl water to make tamarind juice
1/2 cup cili paste ( i use 3/4 cup)
Oil for cooking
Salt, palm sugar to taste


Steps

1)  Blend ingredients marked *
2)  Heat up oil, fry (*) and add lemon grass  till fragrant
3)  Add chilli paste, continue to fry, add ikan kembung
4)  Add tamarind juice, salt and palm sugar
5)  Add daun kesum, bunga kantan, let it boil before serving.

Ikan singgang anyone?

Not in the mood to cook? try this.. i made this in replace to coconut-related dishes...

Ingredients

4 Ikan kembung

3 green chillies cut into half

1 bombay onion - slice

3 cloves garlic - slice

1/2 inch fresh tumeric - pound

2 asam gelugor

400 ml water

Steps

1)  Put sliced ingredients and pounded tumeric in a pot and put to boil, add asam gelugor salt and sugar

2)  When boiled, add fish and green chillies

3)  Serve hot

Beef Goulash

 

 

 

This recipe is good with rye bread and butter or garlic bread... It's really yummy!

1 pkgs. of beef stew meat
3 sweet potatoes cut into 4
1 stick of butter
2 bay leaves
1 med. size chopped onion
2 tsp. garlic powder
1tsbp mix spices
1 cans Del Monte tomato sauce
4 cups . water
2 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. flour

1) Melt butter in heavy pan add meat and onion.
2) Sprinkle meat with garlic powder and paprika, brown meat.
3) After meat is browned add the  tomato sauce, mix spices, bay leaves and add boiling water to dissolve,  add to goulash plus cups of  water.
4) Add Worcestershire sauce, sweet potatoes,  cover and cook on low flame 2 hours.
    After 2 hours when meat is tender thicken with flour and water.

 

 

Simple Mix Vege

Almost any vege can be combined to make it colourful when served. As i only have these veges in my fridge, i only use them for this simple dish. 

Ingredients

300 gm  Cabbage - slice

1 pc  carrot - slice thinly

10-15 pc medium size prawns

2 stalks daun kuchai

3 clove garlics (mashed)

2 tbs oyster sauce

2 tsp cornflour + water

Salt and sugar to taste

Red chillies for garnishing

Steps

1)  Clean prawns (head and tails removed)

2)  Heat up wok and fry garlics till fragrant

3)  Add prawns, continue to stir

4)  Add carrot, oyster sauce, salt and sugar

5)  Add cabbage and daun kuchai, red chillies,

6)  Finally add cornflour, mix well before serving hot

Orange Cake 888??

hahaha... don't get me wrong.. 888 is actually the measurement for this orange cake... it stands for 8oz butter, 8 oz sugar and 8 oz flour... the rest of the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

8 oz  butter (i used Goldenchurn butter)

8 oz sugar ( i used icing sugar ~ lazy maaa)

8 oz  self raising flour (or plain flour add 1tsp soda bicarbonate)

4 egss (medium size)

1 sunkist orang (grate it's skin), keep the juice for use (2tbs)
2tbs sunquick
1tsp vanilla essense

Steps

1)  Head oven at 180C
2)  Greese baking pan with butter
3)  Beat sugar with butter till fluffy, add eggs (one at a time)
4)  Add vanilla essense
5)  Add flour, grated orange skin, sunquick, orange juice, continue to mix
6)  Put into baking pan and bake for 40 minutes

Pucuk Ubi tempoyak

Actual recipes include several types of leaves but this one just used 2 types of leave and you may add daun kaduk, pucuk betik etc if you want.  I was just using tapioca and tumeric leaves for this simple recipe..

Ingredients

1 packet of   tapioca leaves - shred finely

1 pc             tumeric leave - shred finely

1/2 cup        cili padi

3 shallots

1 ince          fresh tumeric

4tbsp          tempoyak

2 pcs           asam gelugur

1/2 cup       ikan bilis (wash and rinse)

1 bowl thick santan (from 1 coconut)

Steps

1)   Wash and rinse shred tapioca and tumeric leaves, place in a pot
2)  Pound chillies , tumeric, shallots, add into the pot
3)  Add santan, ikan bilis, asam gelugur , mix well
4)  Cook under slow fire.  Stir till boil, add tempoyak, salt and sugar.

Taugeh Goreng

It's really easy to prepare this dish... ingredients as follows:

500g soya beansprout
2 pieces fishcakes
10pcs prawns
3 garlics
1 red chillies (for garnishing)
2 stalks daun kuchai
a bit sesame oil, salts and sugar to taste
Oil for cooking

Steps

1) Fry garlics till fragrant and add fishcakes and prawns, stir
2) Add salts, sugar and sesame oil , continue to fry all
3) Add beansprount , red chillies and daun kuching, mix all and serve hot

Tioman oh Tioman

What a beautiful scenery in Tioman.... pics taken in Salang, Tioman... i'll be back again to this place..

beautiful sunset

Add caption

crystal clear water

herbs and plants in my garden



Chillies




Pandan




Limau Nipis



Daun Kesum

Cucumber

Papaya

I wish i have more space for 'bercucuk tanam' but  i only manage to plant a few (some in pots) ... anyway these add greens to my backyard.. I must thank my friends Aziah (for her pandan plant) and Firdaus (for his cucumber) ... let's see if there'll be any addition in future

Raya Aidilfitri 2010

  

this year's raya wasn't that bad at all.... we still celebrate though one family member is away... of course we feel  "someone is missing" but with Botak (our darling nephew) around, raya was still enjoyable. 

2nd week of raya, we had simple raya do at home with family members and close friends.... there's nasi impit, kuah kacang, sayur lodeh etc... have a look!  I'll provide recipe for Kuah Lodeh Ramza.. it's really yummy! 


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..a place to unwind..

 This place is called Zaini's Gueshouse situated in Janda Baik Pahang.  I found it while surfing for places to take my family for a short trip.  No regret at all.  It's surrounded by greens... and there's river right at the entrance of this resort.  They have several wooden chalets with reasonable price.

Janda Baik situated on the highland offers enjoyable temperature from average of 17C at night (no air-con needed, blanket advisable) to 24C during day time since it is 470 - 500 meters above sea level, which is far from the city's unbearable heat.

It's truly  an amazing  and relaxing experience we had here and we plan to go there again.... hm.. next visit i know how to plan it.. we'll have campfire during the night!!

Bingka Ubi

I love bingka ubi very much, Puan Nappy (my mum) used to make this when i was small....though the response among family members were not very good (to us this kueh are meant for old people heehe...).  Now it's a must every Ramadan and i shall not miss it.  Finally i managed to get the recipe from En. Mat Gebu and i did it yesterday ~ the result... tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....Not bad for first try huh..Check out the recipe here:

Ingredients

1 kg grated tapioca
650ml coconut milk
100g g gula melaka
2/3 cup sugar
2 pandan leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs ghee


Steps

1)  Heat oven at 180C and grease tin with butter
2) Place grated tapioca into muslin clothes, drain it's water in a bowl, leave aside for 20 minutes and let it's sago sink.  Leave grated tapioca aside
3)  Mix into a pot coconut milk, sugar, gula melaka and pandan leave, heat till sugar dissolved but do not let it boil, add salt and ghee, let it cool (A)
4) Add grated tapioca, tapioca sago into (A), mix well and place into greased tin and bake for 1 1/2 hr
5)  Let it cool before serving

Telur Mata Masak Kicap

Today's recipe is simple to make and delicious too... i'll cook this today.  This pic was taken in previous cooking..

Ingredients

4 eggs ~ fry

5 shallots*

2 garlics*

1/2 inch ginger*

1 tsp - black pepper*

1/2 cup tamarind juice

3 tbsp -thick soya sauce ( I use Kicap Manis Cap Kipas Udang)

2 tsbp - light soya sauce ( I use Kicap Masin Cap Kipas Udang)

Cooking oil

Red chillies and Onion for garnishing

Steps

1)  Fry eggs and leave aside in a plate

2) Heat up  2 tbsp oil, add pounded ingredients ~ fry till fragfrant

3) Add both soya sauce, tamarind juice, continue to stir

4) Add Chillies and ring onion

4) Pour to eggs, serve hot

Daging gulai cili api

Famous among Negeri Sembilan folks, this recipe is a favourite in our family.  It can be replaced with chicken if you want. According to my friend's mom and our Kitchen executive, En. Atan, original 'Gulai Cili Api' doesn' t use shallot, it's main ingredients are  as follows:

Ingredients

500g beef (wash and rinse)

4 pcs sweet potatoes ~ cut into 4 pcs each

650 liter light santan

300 liter thick santan

3 stalk lemongrass
3 pc asam gelugor
1/2 cup cili padi*
1 inch tumeric (kunyit hidup)*
Salt and sugar to taste


Steps

1)  Pound *,  mix  to beef  in a pot,  heat  under slow fire

2)  Add light santan,  asam gelugor and  lemongrass and sweet potatoes ~ continue to boil

3) Add thick santan, salt and sugar  and let it boil till cook

Sago Puding

I learnt this recipe from my sis way back in the 70s when we were given the green light to 'experiment' our knowledge of cooking in mum's kitchen.   She was excited to try it which she learnt at her Home Science kitchen.. besides it's easy to prepare, it costs less even today..

Try it...

Ingredients

1 cup sago ~ wash  and drain
1 pc gula melaka
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water
3 cups cocunut milk  (or fresh milk)
1 Pandan leave
salt to taste

Steps

Boil sago till it turn transparent ,  drain under pipe water,
In a separate pot, boil gula melaka, sugar with water, add pandan leave
Heat coconut milk but not boil it. Add a little bit of salt to taste
To serve, put Sago in a bowl, add sugar and   coconut milk...

Watermelon juice.. yummy

Don't you think this will be great for buka puasa... arrrggghhh!!!!!  Hey, i'm fasting today! Actually this pic was taken when i had my dinner in Tioman, and i was testing my new camera to snap 'cuisine' and the outcome is ~  rich colour of that watermelon juice!  Really yummy right?

Cooking cooking

Raya was full of beef, chicken and mostly cooked with gravies to make rendang.. This recipe is to divert from all coconut related cooking and simple to make... wanna try it, first get yourself tempoyak ready at home.. the taste walllaa......

Future posts will provide recipe, hopefully!

Aidulfitri 2010

Raya was fun as usual, only a bit tiring as some family members came back later.  I have to do the running and cooking with the help of Aiman (Tak Kisah).  Frankly, it will not be easier without her help.  Afiq was away, so no bunga api this year and pelita was lit up by my dear Along.  It makes a lot of difference without Afiq's  presence.

As previous raya, we had our nasi impit, lemang, rendang, satay besides our normal raya cookies (i  posted my raya cookies right?)  Relatives turned up but i was fully occupied with cooking session.. i wonder how come i have to take the lead this time?  Sigh.... !! 

The boys and girls  took raya pics but that's normal to see them in Baju Melayu.... let's see how they snap raya pics in style with same colour.... this is what they call "Orange Rules"

(Back Row: Aiman, Ila, Icah)
(Front Row: Asyan, Botak, Jame, Along, Alif)