Sticky Coconut Bars

My second daughter loves this very much. She has already requested that I make another tray. It is a bit sweet, so you can reduce the sugar if you do not prefer it that way. You can prepare this in less than half an hour, bake it and serve it together with a cup of tea. 

Ingredients
2 cups of self-raising flour
1 tea spoon salt
2 cups butter
2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup coarse sugar or 2 cups brown sugar (I used coarse sugar for this one)
2 tea spoon vanilla essence
3 eggs

Methods

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius. Grease the baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix and cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix all until well blended.

3. Fold in chocolate chips and shredded coconuts. Mix well.

4. Spread mixture evenly over pan. I used 9X9 inch pan.

5. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.

6. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

*serves 10-12 people

Indonesian Style Sambal

When my girls were younger, we had an Indonesian maid in our house. I often see her making her sambal. She would fry the sambal with anchovies and would eat it with rice. As time passes by, I always reminiscent the hot sambal when ever I would want to eat sambal belacan. So, today, is one of the days. I decided to make the sambal the Indonesian way and eat it with some cucumbers. Here it goes!

Ingredients
A handful of bird's eye chilli (cili padi)
A handful of anchovies

*Blend or pound the ingredients together

1 inch shrimp paste (belacan)
Sugar, as desired
Salt, to taste
1 lime juice
Oil

Methods

1. In a pan, heat some oil and fry the shrimp paste.

2. Then, add the pounded or blended items. Cook and stir well.

3. Add in some sugar and let the mixture cook until it thickens.

4. Lastly, add in the salt and lime to taste. 

*serves 4-6 people

Chef Ammar Garlic Sauce and Hummus

For those who love to eat Lebanese food or any Arabian food, you must have loved these three combination of sauces, hummus and pickles. This is Chef Ammar's recipe which I got for my own keep and to share them with you as well. Enjoy!








Chef Ammar Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

1. Clean garlic - 60 Grams
2. Lemon Salt - 1 teaspoon leveled
3. Salt - 1 teaspoon leveled
4. 3 egg whites
5. Corn oil - 500 ml 

Mix all ingredients


************************************************************
 
Hummus (Mixed in a Food Processor)

Ingredients

1- 2 cans of chickpeas
2- Tahini sauce - 250 Grams
3- Lemon salt - 2 Teaspoon Leveled
4- Salt - 2 Teaspoon Leveled
5- Olive oil - 4 Tablespoon
6- Chopped fresh parsley - 100 Grams
7- Paprika powder - as preferred 


Mix all ingredients

British Scones

I have always loved scones. When I was living in the UK, I would go to one bakery and bought a few selection of scones for my tea time. Normally, I would buy the classic ones with raisins. When I got home, I would put a dollop of butter and jam, sat in front of the television and savoured the scones with some tea. 

Whenever I found scones in any bakery shelves, I would definitely buy some. Today, I decided to bake my own scones. Much to my kids' request which has been delayed, I got myself some time today to make this very easy recipe. The ones that I made was the simplest of all scones. Just plain flour, no raisins even though I would love to have some raisins ( I was actually out of raisins). Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
2 cups of self-raising flour
1 table spoon butter
1/2 tea spoon salt
1 cup milk (150ml)
2 table spoon sugar
1 egg (polishing)
Raisins (optional)

Methods
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degree celcius.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, butter, salt and sugar. Mix until the mixture turns into bread crumbs.

3. After that, add milk and raisins (optional). Knead well to form a sticky dough.

4. Take out the dough, put it in a flat surface. By using your hands and palms, form a 2cm thick dough. Do not tamper with the dough too much.

5. Press the dough with any round shaped glass and put it in a baking tray which has been greased lightly.

6. Lastly, polish the scones with some eggs and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven).

*serves 3-6 people

Mashed Potatoes with Minced Meat

This is one of my favourite dishes. It is inspired by the Germans' way of making their mashed potatoes. I found out that this kind of mashed potatoes is suitable taken by itself or with grilled meat, fish or chicken. I personally like to eat it with grilled or poached fish fillet. 

Finger licking good! 

Have a try!

Ingredients

A.

5 medium sized potatoes, boil and mashed

1-2 cup/s milk

8 table spoon butter

 * Mix all ingredients well*

B.

4 garlic, finely minced

2 big onions, finely chopped 

500gm minced meat

1 can button mushrooms or shitake mushrooms, chopped

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables  

spring onions, coriander leaves, chopped

salt

pepper

oil, for frying

Methods

1. In a heated pan, pour in some oil. Add in garlic and onions. Fry until golden brown.

2. Add in minced meat and cook until the meat is tender. 

3. Add the mushrooms and cook for another ten minutes. Stir gently all ingredients.

4. When the mushroom is cooked, put in the frozen vegetables and stir well.

5. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste.

6. Lastly, put in the chopped spring onions and coriander leaves. Mix all ingredients.

7. Turn off the heat.

8. In a bowl, mix the cooked meat and vegetables (B) with (A).

9. Mixed all ingredients well before serving.

*serves 2-4 people

Mango Pickles with Lime and Dried Plums

This is a very happening tit-bits in Malaysia right now. Mango Pickles with Lime and Dried Plums. You can easily do this at home in a matter of less than half an hour. Make sure that you pick quarter ripe mangoes so as to retain it's crunchiness. You can get the ingredients very easily at any local Asian market. The taste is superb. You can taste the sweet and sour with a bit of zing from the fresh chillies. Do try!

Ingredients

3 mangoes, sliced

10 dried plums @ asam boi

3 fresh chillies @ bird's eyes chillies, sliced

1 lime, sliced

3 calamansi, sliced

a pinch of salt

3 table spoon sugar, or as preferred

Methods

1. Mix the sliced mangoes with all ingredients.

2. Arrange them nicely in a bottle or any suitable jar.

3. Put in the refrigerator for about three hours before consuming.

Easy! :)

Apple Pie with Puff Pastry

To cut time, I used puff pastry for my apple pie this time. I got the pastry at a local hypermarket with a value for money. It is light and fluffy. Very crispy once you bake it and the pastry did not fall off but deliciously melt inside your mouth. Do try.

Ingredients
10 sheets of puff pastry
4 green apples, skinned and cubed to about 1/2 cm
8-10 table spoon brown sugar (you can add coarse sugar as well. Adjust the sweetness according to your own liking)
2 table spoon flour
2 table spoon cinnamon powder
Eggs - beaten (for brushing the pastry)

Methods
1. Mix the apples with sugar, flour and cinnamon powder.

2. Take one sheet of puff pastry. Scoop enough apple mixture on the first half top of the pastry.

3. Fold the other half of the pastry and glue the edges with some water.

4. Put the pastry in a baking tray. Make some slits across the pastry before brushing the top with beaten eggs. This is to ensure that the pastry will be shiny once baked.

5. In a preheated oven of 180 degree celcius, bake the pie for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

*serves 2-4 people

Muhalabieh - Arabian Desserts

If you have a stomach upset, this dessert would be very suitable for you. It is very soft and jelly like, goes straight through your throat in a subtle manner. It is also very easy to make. Fast and can be done in less than half an hour. Do try.

Ingredients

500 ml full cream milk or fresh milk

5 table spoon corn flour

5 table spoon sugar

1 table spoon rose water

1 tea spoon vanilla essence or orange blossom

*Almond flakes / pistachios for garnishing

Methods

1. Put all ingredients in a pot except *. Stir well in a medium heat.

2. When the mixture is bubbly, turn off the heat.

3. Pour the mixture into a casserole. Keep cool before sprinkling some almond flakes and / or pistachios.

4. Keep refrigerated for a few hours before eating.

*serves 4-6 people

Simple Coffee Cake Recipe

It was in the weekend and the weather was not helping at all. It has been raining all day and the earth was quite damp. We had nothing to do besides sitting on our couch watching television. I noticed my two girls were restless, going to the kitchen back and forth, looking for something to munch. They took a bowl of muruku and then I decided I should bake something. I guess the rain made everyone hungry. So I went to the pantry and noticed that I had just enough ingredients to bake a very simple coffee cake. So, here it is.

Ingredients

2 cups butter

2 cups fine sugar

4 cups self-raising flour

4 eggs

1 table spoon coffee, mixed with very little water

Roasted almond flakes, if any

Methods

1.  Beat sugar and butter until fluffy.

2. Add in eggs on by one. Keep beating the batter until it turns light and white.

3. Add in the flour and the coffee mixture. Mix well.

4. Put the batter in a suitable baking dish. Sprinkle some roasted almond flakes as garnishing.

4. In a preheated oven of 180 degree celcius, bake the cake for 45 minutes or until cooked.

*serves 6-8 people

  

Happy Eid Ul Adha 2014

Last Sunday, we had an Eid Ul Adha Celebration at home. Eid Ul Adha is a feast that is celebrated during the Haj season, in the month of Zulhijjah. In this month, we are required to sample and to value the sacrifice that Prophet Ibrahim a.s had over his son, Ismail. It is during this period of time, that we, as Muslims should show gratitude and understanding of how great the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim was.

Last Eid Ul Fitri, we did not get to cook as much as we had wanted. Therefore, this time, we took the time to cook whatever dishes that we normally have during eid. Besides cakes and sweets, we had pressed rice with peanut gravy, glutinious rice with beef rendang, nasi minyak with chicken kurma, dalca and ayam masak merah. 

No biscuits this time except for some pineapple tarts that disappeared within hours. 

Admit it, this year's celebration was a bit sombre as relatives took the holiday to go for a vacation. 

We? As traditional as it may seems, just stay at home and watch tv.

Well, life goes on. :)

Spicy Roasted Chicken

Roasting a chicken is one the the easiest things to do. It is not only simple and quick, it also saves a lot of our time. We can marinade the chicken before hand, put it in an oven and voila, we can head up to our favourite mall or continue doing our house work. I have one simple but delicious recipe that you can try at home. Enjoy! 

Ingredients

I whole chicken, cleaned

2 table spoon cumin powder

2 table spoon coriander powder

2 table spoon paprika

2 table spoon coarse black pepper

a pinch of saffron

honey

butter

salt

lemon juice

Methods

1. Marinade the whole chicken with all ingredients except honey, lemon juice and butter.

2. Let the chicken marinade for about two hour minimun.

3. Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius for ten minutes.

4. Put the chicken in a baking tray, pour and spread some honey, lemon juice evenly over the chicken.

5. Spread some butter as well. 

6. Put the whole chicken into the preheated oven for an hour or until cooked.

*serves 4-6 people.

Foul Mudammas @ Kacang Pool Arab (Asli)

When we were living in Jeddah, this dish had been one of our favourite meals. We would stop by at one restaurant and had this as a take-away. Sometimes we would eat at home and sometimes by the Red Sea. In Malaysia, this dish is quite popular but has been improvised to suit the locals' taste. They called it Kacang Pool which came from the word 'foul' and is mainly popular in Johor. Here, I would like to share with you the authentic foul mudammas recipe, just as how the Arabs would cook it. Please try.

Ingredients

I can of foul mudammas, rinsed and mashed

2 big onion, chopped

3 clove of garlic, chopped

2 fresh tomatoes, chopped

2 table spoon cumin powder

2 table spoon coriander powder
1 table spoon paprika

1 lime zest
coriander leaves, chopped

olive oil

salt

Garnishing

Tomatoes, halved

Coriander leaves, chopped

Green chillies

Methods

1. In a hot pan, pour in some oil. Add in chopped onion and garlic. Stir until golden brown before adding in chopped tomatoes.

2. After that, pour in the mashed foul mudammas. Stir until the beans are half cooked. 

3. Add in cumin and coriander powder and salt to taste. Cook for another few minutes.

4. After that, put in chopped coriander and stir well. Squeeze one lime zest. Stir well. Put the dish in a plate.

5. Then, sprinkle some fresh tomatoes and chopped coriander leaves as garnishing,

6. Pour some olive oil on top of the dish. Suitable taken with pita bread or any kinds of bread or by itself.

*Servesr 3-4 people