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...

Sunday Soup

It's the weekend...and after all that Rendang earlier in the week and heavy late night stuff, it's time to go light. So...a Sunday Soup is enough for me...(or really?...hehe)

Ingredients

Aromatics

2 onions - sliced
3 cloves of garlic - crushed
2 red chillies - sliced diagonally
1 cube of ikan bilis (anchovies) stock
4 cups water
salt to taste

some silken tofu - cubed
some chikuwa - cubed
fishballs of your choice
some kangkong (water convulvulus)

Sprinkling of fried shallots and chopped spring onions + flat parsley

Heat abt 3 tbsp of oil in wok. Saute the aromatics till fragrant. Add water. When boiling, add salt and the rest of the items. Do not overcook the veggie. Remove from heat and add the sprinkles. Serve hot as it is or with some rice. U may want to dip the items in my favourite dipping soya sauce. Click here for the sauce.

Wings of the Nite with Oregano Potatoes

Sounds flashy...but seriously, I made this late in the night when everybody starts to announce that they're hungry. So, found some chicken wings in the fridge and rummaged through some potatoes..and therefore, a meal is born..(blame it on the Euro Cup)

Ingredients

Chicken Wings, marinated with..

Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Ground chilli / chilli powder
Ground ginger
Ground garlic
Ground tumeric
salt & black pepper
some water

Marinate well and fry till golden brown.

Oregano Potatoes

Potatoes - cut into big chunks, deep fried to a golden brown. Drain excess oil on kitchen paper and while potatoes are still hot, sprinkle some salt and dried oregano / mixed herbs (oregano,dill,rosemary,thyme).

Serve with your choice of salad and dipping sauce.

Rendang Double - X

Double X? Because it's double the 'lemak' (richness). There's extra strength of coconut cream and cooked to a succulent taste. Try it with yr favourite bread.

Ingredients

1kg topside beef - cut into chunks

Spices

Blend the following in a food processor:
5 onions
10 cloves of garlic
4 inches of ginger
2 lemongrass
2 inches of galangal / blue ginger
12 bird's eye chilli
1 tbsp salt
1 cup sugar

Then, mix well with $1 or $2 worth of wet rendang spices. Marinate the spices with the beef, place into a plastic bag, give it a rub and chill in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, dump in the above together with the following into a pot:

400ml of thick coconut cream
abt 8 cups of water
6 lime leaves
2 pcs of tumeric leaves

On a slow fire, cook the above, stirring now and then for abt 1 and 1/2 hours with lid partically closed until gravy is reduced and meat feels tender. Add abt 10 extra bird's eye chilli (leave them whole)and adjust taste. Remove from heat. Serve.

Choco-Berry Thumbprint

A chocolatety base - smothered in zesty lemony cream cheese frosting - topped with syruppy strawberry nibblets.

Need I say more?

Oh yes..best way to eat? Slide the whole thing in...mmm...and close your mouth.

*wink*


Ingredients

125g butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz semisweet chocolate (melted)

Sieve the following
1 and 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt

Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add yolk, vanilla and chocolate. Mix well. Add in the seived flour, cocoa and salt. The dough will be a bit soft.Don't panic. Scoop into a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for about 1 hr or so till it firms up.

Shape into balls the size of a big fishball. Roll the ball into a bowl of castor sugar and coat well. Tap off excess sugar, place onto baking sheet and using yr thumb, press onto the centre to make an indentation. Bake in a preheated 175 degrees oven for about 15 - 20 mins. Cool on wire rack. When ready to serve, add the topping of cream cheese frosting and sugared strawberries.




Cream Cheese Frosting
250g cream cheese
1 and 1/2 cup icing sugar
zest of 1/2 a lemon or orange
juice of a lemon or orange

Cream the above until well incorporated and thick.
Store any excess in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated.

Sugared Strawberries

4-5 strawberries, diced
1 tsp castor sugar

Combine the above and drain off any excess liquid.

Ayam Madras Kariana

Madras Chicken Curry - MY style..

Not feeling well today..tried to focus myself while teaching this afternoon ...so lethargic...but hungry tummies will not wait for any sick chef.So, I picked up all the energy that I have to cook a hassle-free dish. Still, I would say that it will fulfill any hungy man's wish.And one more thing : Please be assured that the food was cooked hygienically..*smile*

Ingredients

1 chicken - cut into 8 or 12 pcs, removed of excess fat and skin

To be grounded

5 onions - (yes, 5 , the more the better)
5 cloves of garlic
2 inches of ginger
a little water

Mix the ground ingrdients with :
6 tbsp of meat curry powder (I chose my favourite brand MALABAR MASALA)

1 inch of cinnamon bark (kayu manis)
2 star anise (bunga lawang)
2 cardamom (buah pelaga)

3 cups of water
1 Tbsp salt( adjust to taste )
4 potatoes - cut into equal chunks (quartered)
2 carrots - cut into 2 inch wedges
1 tomato - wedges
garnishing of fried shallots

Method

Heat 1 cup of oil in wok. Saute the cinnamon bark, star anise and cardamom for a few seconds to release the beautiful aroma. Quickly add in the ground ingredients (with the curry powder mixed together)
and saute the spices till fragrant and oil begins to surface. Add in the chicken pieces and stir, coating them with the mixture and searing the meat. Salt. Add in the 3 cups of water, potatoes and carrots and bring the heat down to a rapid simmer until chicken is tender and potatoes and carrots are cooked. The gravy would have been reduced at this stage. Remove from heat, dump in tomatoes and sprinkle some fried shallots over it. Adjust water to suit yr preferred gravy consistency. I love a mildly-thick consistency. Serve with hot rice or with bread.



Note : I didn't have to add in any coconut milk. The thickness of the gravy comes from the generous heaping of curry powder and onions. Therefore, this dish won't turn bad as fast as the ones using coconut milk. U can also freeze any leftover to be consumed the next day. Just heat up well.

Ikan Alsagoff

Fried Fish with Spicy Soya Sauce

Alsagoff. Named this after my birthplace. Can still remember my late grandma whipping out this dish on a lazy afternoon. We would sit on the ambin (verandah) and eat lunch, dipping the crispy fish into the spicy soya sauce ,while fellow villagers pass by n say hello. In the cool breeze, the swaying of the coconut trees..I mean the leaves...ahh..those were the days,...the good afternoon of yesteryears...


Ingredients

Your favourite fish - I chose Selar Hijau or Island Mackerel or any thick-bodied fish.
Clean, make slashes on body and marinate in water,salt and tumeric powder solution.
Fry to a golden brown.

The Sauce

1 cup soya sauce (kicap manis)
6 red chillies
1 lime - remove seeds only
1 tbsp sugar

Put the above in a blender and blitz. Transfer to a small bowl and squeeze the juice of another lime in. Include the skin into the mixture as well. Pour over the fried fish or you may also serve the dip separately. Make sure to eat with your hands so that u can lick your fingers...mmmm..

Lemak Kubis Muda

Baby Cabbage in Coconut Milk Gravy

Kubis? Kobes? or Gobes?...Ahh..whatever the spelling or pronunciation, I still mean to say CABBAGE..the young ones..the baby ones..why?...because I feel that this breed retains it's beautiful chatruse colour even after it's cooked. Not over-cooked,ya..
Sometimes, I add in su'un(vermicelli)..but for this, I did not. Why?..Because I don't have it....hehe

Ingredients

1 baby bright green cabbage - cut into big sizes
1 carrot - sliced

The Aromatics

1 onion - sliced
4 cloves of garlic - crushed
2 red chillies - sliced at an angle
2 tbsp dried shrimps - soaked, diced coarsely

4 cups of water PLUS 1 tbsp tumeric powder (mixed together)
200ml thick coconut milk
salt to taste

Method
Heat abt 1/2 cup of oil in wok. Saute the aromatics till fragrant. Add water + tumeric powder. Add in cabbage and carrots and allow to simmer rapidly. Add coconut milk and season with salt. Continue stirring to avoid coconut cream to curdle.Do not overcook.Remove from heat and serve.

Sambal Belacan & Telur Asin

Spicy Shrimp Paste Dip & Salted Duck Egg.

A side condiment most dear to a typical traditional Malay meal, it somehow whets yr appetite. Telur Asin, or Telur Masin..whichever way you call it, it is still that old salted duck egg that you sought after. With so many versions of the Sambal Belacan,..choose one that suits you most.Don't worry, your taste buds will still send a message up to your brain to say :"MMmmmm.........."

Ingredients

Red chillies
Sugar
Shrimp Paste (Belacan)
Lime juice

Adjust the amount of the above to suit yr taste and pound in a pestle & mortar (batu lesung) like crazy!...hehe...I mean..till it forms a decent-looking paste. You can also blitz it in a food processor but for that kampong feeling, give it a good old thwack!..(guaranteed to burn some calories..)..Serve together with some cut cucumbers. Reason? To cool down that burning tongue,if any.

Salted eggs?..Just go n buy lah..Don't mistook it for century eggs, though!

Last Mee - nit

Can't think of a name for this dish..and since it was a last minute concoction, I therefore chose to name it as such. I made this out of nothing but everything that I could find in that fridge of mine.

Ingredients
500g Yellow Egg Noodles - blanched

The Aromatics

2 onions - wedged
5 cloves of garlic
a few slices of ginger
2 red chillies - de-seeded and sliced


The Sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp kicap manis
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp tom yum paste (optional)
1 tsp sugar
2 cups water
(no salt needed as the sauces above are salty enuff)

The Protein

200g chicken breast - cut into bite sizes
200g shrimps - shelled and deveined
(I added the following as well)
4 pcs fish tofu - cubed
2 pcs fishcake - sliced
5 pcs chikuwa(a kind of fishcake: see picture below)- sliced into thick rings


The Veggie

1 carrot - sliced
5 shiitake mushrooms - I leave them whole
some spring greens

cornstarch solution - (to thicken sauce)
pickled green chillies(lada jeruk)

Method

Heat abt 3 tbsp of oil in wok. Saute the aromatics till fragrant. Add the proteins and stir well. Add in the sauce. Once simmering, add the veggie. Do not overcook. Pour in enuff cornstarch solution to thicken and adjust consistency according to your preference. Remove from heat and pour over blanched noodles. Serve immediately. Best consumed with pickled green chillies (lada jeruk) for that extra heat.

Tom Yum Noodle

Sawadeekaaap...
I'm going Thai today..so that spells out why I made this. No introduction needed for this renowned Thai dish..except that..everyone..and I mean EVERYONE has their own version..pretty much depends on your own preference. I like mine to have all the works, seafood, chicken..whatever..just dump it in, slurp the soup and bite some yellow egg noodles...and you would start to say "..A-roy..!!.."..(delicious in Thai)

Ingredients

Yellow Egg Noodles - or any other noodles of your choice (blanched)

The Soup
10 cups water
4 tbsp of Tom Yum Paste
3 Tom Yum cubes
2 inches ginger - sliced
5 cloves of garlic - crushed
3 onions - wedged
5 - 6 birds' eye chilli (depending on your tolerance)
6 pcs of lime leaves
2 stalks of lemongrass - bruised
2 tsp nampla (Thai fish sauce)

The Veggie
some cherry tomatoes - halved
some coriander leaves - chopped
some lime leaves - ripped
some shiitake mushrooms (or button,..or anything)
young corns - (optional)

The Protein
1/2 kg prawns - shelled and de-veined
250g chicken breast - cut into bite size
3 big squids - cleaned, cut into thick rings
plus whatever that u may fancy..fishcakes, fish tofu..whatever..


Bring all the ingredients for the soup to a busy boil. No saute required. Add the proteins, taste, and add the veggie before turning off the heat. Simple...ya?
Serve together with the noodles. Hot!

High School Rock Buns

Rock Buns or Rock Cakes..whichever you may want to call them..are classic nostalgia. I actually love the rocky-look against the chewy interior. A cross between a cookie and a cake, it's a great tea-time snack or to binge on with a glass of milk. Most of us would remember making these during your early high school years in the Home Economics class. I simply altered the recipe to my preference. I love making them as they don't require me to use any high-end kitchen gadgets. All you need are your hands as it is a rubbing-in method. Simple. Straightforward. Fast. Dead easy..Make some today!

Ingredients

250g butter (not too soft)
250g sugar
500g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice (cinnamon,nutmeg)
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups mixed fruits
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Glace cherries - halved or quartered (optional)


In a bowl, sift flour,salt,baking powder,lemon zest and mixed spice. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub butter into the dry mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mixed fruits/chocolate chip. Beat eggs and milk together and pour slowly into the mixture. Add until the mixture is just binded. You don't need to add all. It should be a little crumbly but still decently moist.

Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Try not to make them look perfectly round as they are supposed to look rough (that's why they're called Rock Buns). Space them apart and add a piece of cherry on top(Optional). I like to sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top. Bake in a preheated 200 degrees oven for abt 15 mins. Take them out after that as they will continue to bake even during cooling. Place them on a wire rack. Cool completely b4 storing them in a super airtight container.

I get abt 60.

Ikan Masak Kicap

Fried Fish in Spicy Soya Sauce Gravy

Another family favourite. You can also use chicken or meat instead of fish. Sometimes I will also add suun. (vermicelli)

Ingredients

Spanish Mackerel (Tenggiri) - cut into thick slices. Marinade in a solution of tumeric and salt and deep fry. Set aside.

The Aromatics
2 onions - sliced
5 cloves of garlic - sliced
an inch of garlic - thinly sliced
3 red chillies - sliced diagonally
2 green chillies - sliced diagonally
1 tbsp of meat curry powder

The Gravy
2 tsp of white pepper
2 tbsp of white vinegar / apple cider
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 cup soya sauce (kicap manis)
2 cups water

Garnish
1 red chilli - cut lengthways
1 green chilli - cut as above
1 tomato - wedged
1 onion - sliced into thick rings
3 potatoes - cut into chunks and deep fried (optional)
a sprinkle of fried shallots (optional)

Heat abt 1/2 cup of oil in the wok. Saute the aromatics till fragrant. Add in the ingredients for the gravy and bring it to a rapid boil. Slide in the fried fish and mix well. Turn the heat down and let it simmer to allow gravy to be absorbed into the fish. Adjust to your taste. When gravy has reduced,(adjust the consistency of your gravy by adding more water or by letting the gravy reduce) turn off heat and add garnishings. Serve hot.

Bende Sambal Belacan

Fried Ladies' Fingers in Spicy Shrimp Paste.

You may use your favourite sambal belacan for this. I added an egg at my kids' request. You may omit it if u want.

Ingredients

Ladies' Fingers - diagonally sliced
1 onion - sliced
3 cloves garlic - minced
2 red chillies - sliced
1 heaped tbsp of sambal belacan
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 egg
some fried shallots for garnishing (optional)

Heat enuff oil in the wok and saute the onion, garlic, sambal belacan and red chillies till fragrant. Add in the ladies' fingers and mix well. Season with salt and sugar. Add in the egg and fry for another minute. Remove from heat, sprinkle with some fried shallots and serve hot over a bed of carrot strings. Do not overcook.

Almond Chocolate Cups

Attempted one of Alex Goh's recipe. You may use a sweet crust pastry of your choice if u wish.The problem that I have is,..the almonds were mysteriously 'gobbled' up the minute I roasted them!...hehe



Pastry

125g butter
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 egg
180g flour
50g ground almonds

Work out the above ingredients into a dough. Press into a tartlet mould and use a fork to prick holes onto the pastry.




This is to prevent the dough from puffing up during baking. Bake blind in a preheated 180 degrees oven for 15 - 20 mins or till golden brown. Cool on wire rack and remove pastry cases from the moulds. If not using immediately, store them in an airtight container.



Caramel Almond

1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp water
Some roasted whole almonds

Boil sugar and water till golden brown. Add almonds and coat with the caramel syrup. Separate almonds on pan and let it cool and set.

Filling

200g chocolate - melted
200g white chocolate - melted
some roasted whole almonds

Place a whole almond into each baked pastry cup. Top with melted chocolate and white chocolate. Refrigerate for 2-3 mins till set. Drip a small drop of melted chocolate at the centre and tnen place a caramel almond on top. Then, see them disappear b4 your eyes!... (*makes abt 40*)