Getas-Getas Kampung

Fried Coconut Dough coated with crystallised sugar..

aahhh.....an all time classic...believe it or not, I usually asked for this from my late nenek (Granny) everytime we went to Geylang Market back in the 70s. It may not look good but it tastes heavenly. Very nostalgic. The kids now doesn't even know what this is. I always introduce old time classic kuihs to my kids. I want them to know what their gorgeous mother consumed all these years..(hehe)..this is to ensure that the old kuihs shall always have a place in this modern world. It's very difficult to get them here except in Geylang. But its abundent during Ramadhan. So here's to the old kampung kuih!..

I actually really seriously honestly forgot where I got this recipe from. I just wrote it on some paper which has now been stamped with chilli sauce, curry stain and oil stain.

Ingredients for Dough

250g glutinous rice flour
150g grated fresh coconut(skin removed)
130ml of water
pinch of salt

Mix the above until it becomes a soft pliable dough. Roll into small balls the size of golf balls. Fashion them into an oblong and press in between your palms to flatten it. It should be the shape of an oval patty. Fry in hot oil to a golden brown.



Ingredients for Sugar Syrup

3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water
a pandan leaf, tied to a knot

In a wok, boil the above until it's bubbly and stringy. Add in the fried dough and coat them with the syrup. Lower the fire and continue mixing and stirring till sugar crystallizes. Remove from heat and serve. Great as a teatime snack.

Puteri Ayu

I loved this way back when I was a child because it looked pretty but wasn't sure of how it tasted as I've never tried it before. Embarrassing but true. Then again, when we got err,..older..ehem...I just HAVE to taste it. Got this from Cik Mat and decided to give it a try as well. Verdict?..very nice..it was snapped up in no time the minute I made this,complementing well with a nice cup of hot tea. Your shape depends on the mould that u can get.

ChocoMousse Brownie

first things first...salam frenz!..and I'm back right up...thanks for yr concern and empathy..let's just say,..I'm back, although not 100%,..but the spirit is still there..



I have been having this nagging feeling to try this ChocoMousse Brownie, from Mat Gebu, (originally from Kak Yani) before I got sick. So, it's the first thing that came to my mind when I asked myself what to make upon my return. So here goes my version.



It may look very fattening, but surprisingly, it's quite light. Somebody commented on the brownie base to be a bit hard after chilling so, I modified the method and instead of creaming the sugar and butter for the base, I just melted the butter and just whisk in the sugar.The result? A softer, cakey texture.

Thank u Mat Gebu and Kak Yani.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Salam my frens....just to say that I'm in the hospital, therefore, unable to cook and share in our beloved comfort zone here. Will announce my return soon.

Telur Kicap

Sunny Side-up Eggs with Soy Sauce

My father usually would just coarsely break some red & green chillies together with sliced onions and some soy sauce and pour them over his eggs...err...I mean ...the eggs...hehe.. Simple...but refreshing....(thinking of him..)

Ingredients
some fried sunny side-up eggs
some soy sauce
slices of onions
red and green chillies, just use your hands to coursely break them.

Mix the above together and pour over eggs.Yup - no cooking required. Just fry your eggs the way u like it.*wink*

Sardine Ambin

AMBIN = in MALAY, it's associated with a little low workbench that u sit on and it's usually placed outside yr verandah or porch, to relax and enjoy the breeze.

Do not underestimate the power of canned fish!...hehe..In the good old times, or rather, the good old 'poor' times, when there was scarcely enough money to buy first class groceries from the market,and budget was brutally tight, we usually settled for the trusted 'Ayam Brand' canned sardines from the Mamak Shop for the day's meals, hoping that we won't die of starvation(*tsk*tsk*)...but cooked with love and gratitude, it may be the best meal of your life!...and I would eat this on the ambin on a lazy afternoon,with cold rice and kicap (soy sauce),licking my fingers away...

Ingredients

Canned 'Ayam Brand' Sardines - I used 1 big and 1 small can
2 red chilles - cut in half, lengthways
2 green chillies, cut as above
1 tomato, wedged
2 tbsp of tamarind - mix with a little water to obtain the 1/2 cup of juice
2 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1/2 cup of water

Aromatics
6 onions - sliced (the more the better)
5 cloves of garlic - sliced
a few slices of ginger
7 red chillies - sliced diagonally
3 green chillies - sliced diagonally

salt to taste
1 tsp sugar


Heat 1 cup of oil in wok. Saute the aromatics till fragrant and onions are caramelizing. Add in chilli and tomato sauce. Stir. Add in the sardines, tamarind juice, and water. Add salt and sugar. Cook till gravy is a little thick. Add in the red + green chillies (which have been cut lengthways) and wedged tomato. Remove from heat and serve.

Cabbage Stir-Fry

A very very simple veggie dish to accompany with yr rice.

Ingredients

1 head cabbage - cut into large leaflets
1 carrot - cut into a desired size

Aromatics

2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 red chillies - sliced diagonally

salt + pepper + sugar to taste

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in wok. Saute the aromatics till fragrant. Add in carrots and cabbage. Mix well. Add seasoning, and a little water if it's too dry. Do not overcook veggie. Remove from heat. Serve hot, with a sprinkling of fried shallots.(optional)

Domestic Goddess Muffins

Chocolate Chip Muffins from the Domestic Goddess herself,..the one and only Nigella Lawson.

I find these pretty good. Especially with a glass of cold milk. For breakfast, or anytime.

The Dry Ingredients

250g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp good quality cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
180g castor sugar

Mix the above in a bowl thoroughly with a balloon whisk.




The Wet Ingredients

250ml milk
90ml vegetable oil
1 large egg (beaten)
2 tsp vanilla

Mix the above in a measuring jug.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add 150g of chocolate chips. Spoon into muffin cases in a 12-bun muffin tray. Fill it 3/4 full to allow the muffins to rise nicely.Sprinkle more chocolate chips over them. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees oven for abt 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Roti Boyan

a type of Bawean pancake

a delicious snack on a lazy weekend afternoon..I remembered my late Bawean Grandma (I have a mixture of Indian, Malay, Bawean and Javanese blood in me, with the ability of speaking multiple languages including Malay, Bawean, English, a little Mandarin, Cantonese, Indian, Hindi, and now, Korean....hehe) making these on the verandah back in the good old kampong days and I would sit there and beg her to pass me some of the leftover dough for me to play. Of course she said no, but this classic beauty remains as one of my favourites during Ramadhan. Hubby won't eat those bought from outside but would only eat it if I made them. Unbelievable but true. Anyway, eaten on its own or with a sambal dip, it tastes wonderful, all the same..

Ooopps..almost forgot..I made these, with thanks to Abg Rozzan.(thank u, brother!)It was quite good and u may see here for the recipe.

Ikan Omega

Omega Fish?..I thought it sounds flashy as fish are thought to be rich in Omega. I just wanted to finish up the seafood stocking up in my freezer. It's simply fried fish in hot spicy sambal. U may use this sambal to pour over the fish.

Lemak Putih

Cabbage in Coconut Milk

mm...a re-run, I think..it's the same as the Lemak Gobes. The only difference is that I omitted the tumeric powder, hence, the white colour. Serve hot.

I humbly accept that..

My first. A heartfelt thank you to Cik Mat Gebu and Kak Ummi for the award. They were sent at the same time.* smile * Never had the intention to food-blog for these award thingy but I do highly appreciate it. Thank u again, my peers..

As per request of the original sender,it specified that "this award is to be given to blogs that have at least 3 posts per week"..therefore, I am passing along this award to :-)

1) Jun Yummilicious
2) Hunny
3) Aishah
4) Anna Bake-Freshly
5) Usop Ukraine
6) Dalissa

As to my other friends, u are not forgotten, I shall pass round to all,bit by bit, should I have the opportunity again.

Cencaru Sumbat

Torpedo Fish stuffed with spicy chilli

If u can't do yourself, try to ask yr fishmonger to make 2 slits on the back of the fish, not all the way through, so that u are left with 'pockets' on both side of the fish. This is where u put the stuffing later.

Stuffing
2 fistfuls of dried red chillies, cut diagonally to remove some seeds and soaked to soften
1/4 cup of dried shrimps - soaked to soften
4 onions
5 cloves of garlic
a few slices of ginger
1 lemongrass
1 tbsp of tumeric powder
1 tbsp of belacan (shrimp paste)

Blend all the above ingredients in a food processor. Try not to add a lot of water. It has to be thick. Then, mix abt a fistful of tamarind into the paste and mix well.
Season with salt and sugar.

Stuff the chilli paste into all the slits and opening of the fish. Rub some onto the body as well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for abt 1 hour. Fry in a wok of oil, on both sides till crispy. Coat the fish with the hot oil as u fry. Serve..

Bening Bayam

Spinach Soup

An old, but not forgotten classic..this dish reminds me of those years back when I was a kid(what else?)..with Grandma,..I felt fearless even when we didn't have much to eat..hey..simplicity at its best, packed with nutrients, no wonder it's Popeye's favourite!

Ingredients

Spinach - cleaned and cut
1 onion - sliced
3 cloves of garlic - sliced
2 red chillies - sliced
1 ikan bilis (anchovy) cube
some fishballs
salt to taste
sprinkling of fried shallots
4 cups water or more

Heat abt 3 tbsp of oil. Saute the onions, garlic and chillies till fragrant. Add water and stir to a rapid boil. Add ikan bilis cube and fishballs. Season with salt.
Add the spinach leaves and stir a little and then switch off the heat.Do not overcook the veggie. Serve hot,with a sprinkling of fried shallots.

Bubur SumSum Tropicana

Rice Pudding with Sweet Syrup

First..let me say that I was quite busy throughout the weekend. Had a recording booking and the last client went back around 1.30AM...and had to go to in-law's place the next morning to see my ailing M.I.L...she requested for Bubur SumSum..and I made some. It was devoured in no time and they requested for more the next time I should come over.
So that's why I'm in the mood for this..

Ingredients for pudding

2 cups of rice flour
2 heaped tbsp of tapioca flour
1 tsp salt
7 cups of coconut milk
a few pandan leaves (screwpine)

Combine the above in a bowl and stir with a balloon whisk. Strain into a pot and cook over very low heat, stirring all the time until it's thick. (Abt 20 mins) Be patient. Spoon into container and cool to set.

Syrup

1 cup sugar
2 cups water
2 pandan leaves
yr favourite food colouring (I added a drop of pandan paste)

Boil the above in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add food colouring. Cool.
Pour over pudding and serve,best eaten cold.

Terong Balado Tomato

Brinjals in Spicy Chilli & Tomato....hhmmm..

I don't know how it came about to have a few names..brinjal, eggplant, aubergine and what not...We malays have only one name to call it - TERONG. In my home, I like to fry the brinjal slices or bake them to a light crisp. My family could finish about 8 to 10 brinjals in a day..unbelieavable?...u better believe it...and that includes my two girls!

I love to cook mine just like this. No compromise.

Ingredients

Brinjals - cut into any shape u want.
just dab them with kitchen paper and fry to a sweet brown. Set aside

To be grounded

abt 20 or so dried chillies - soaked to soften
3 onions
5 cloves of garlic
an inch of ginger
1 tbsp belacan
1/4 cup of dried shrimps - soaked to soften

5 tomatoes - diced
4 tbsp sugar or to taste
salt to taste
abt 1/4 cup of water
some fried shallots

Heat abt 1/2 cup of oil in wok. Saute the ground ingredients till chillies are cooked and fragrant,stirring constantly. Add in the diced tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are softly squished. Add water, salt, and sugar. Cook gently over medium heat till gravy is a little thick. Remove from heat.

Arrange fried brinjals on a plate. Pour over the gravy and sprinkle with some fried shallots and more diced tomatoes,if u prefer.
Alternatively, u may want to mix all the fried brinjals into the gravy and give it a stir. It's up to u.

Ayam Lemak Cili Api

Another re - run. Still, it's a hot favourite in my family. U may try with the same recipe here. Usually eaten with the spicy brinjals and hot rice.

Crusty Garlic Bread

Actually, made these to go along with the spaghetti. In the end, have to make more as they're being munched off the moment they leave the oven!

Use any crusty bread of yr choice and spread them with my garlic spread below..

125g salted butter - softened, not melted
pinch of salt
2 tbsp freshly ground garlic
1 tsp of mixed herbs (oregano,thyme,rosemary,dill..whatever)
dash of ground black pepper

Mix the above thoroughly. Spread on slices of french loaf . Sprinkle more dried oregano on top and toast them, buttered-side up, in a preheated 200 degree oven for abt 5 - 7 mins.
Serve hot.

Mamamia Spaghettiana

Another re-run of spaghetti, as per requested by the girls. Only this time, I don't make meatballs out of the minced beef, I just pan-fry them 1st before adding to the sauce. Also, decided to mix the pasta and sauce together. Grate some cheddar cheese on top (it's the only cheese available in my fridge). Serve with garlic bread.

It's still the same recipe for the sauce.

Minty Lemonade Crush

Reason : I felt hot ...and got pretty tired of drinking the usual plain water. So..decided to pamper myself with a nice cool glass of minty lemonade. However,..I don't know about others but somehow, if there's too much of something citrus for me, to the toilet, I shall go....(hehe...)

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Dissolve the above to make the syrup.
To this, add the juice of 2 lemons.
Strain.

Add enough ice-cold water to the syrup in a jug. Taste for sweetness. Add more water if it's too sweet. Usually, I would insert a mint leaf in the ice-tray to make minty ice cubes to add that extra punch in the lemonade but today?..Lazy laa...