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