Grilled Fish - Simple Recipe

When you have a very limited time to prepare your food, this would be ideal. You do not need much ingredients and all can be marinaded before time or in fact a day's ahead. Even though it is very simple to do, you would not want to compromise on its taste. Thus, make sure that all all well marinaded and you will not get disappointed. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 fish, any type but I used Selar

6 fresh chillies, pounded

3 garlic, pounded

1 big onion, pounded

3 table spoon thick tamarind juice

salt, to taste

Methods

1. Marinade the fish with all ingredients for a few hours or overnight.

2. Wrap each fish with aluminium foil and grill in medium heat until cooked.

3. Best served with rice and some soy dip.

*serves 3-4 people

Pompret with Soy Sauce

This is one of my favourite dishes that reminds me of my childhood. My mom use to make this dish when I was young that it has become one of the most sought after dishes even when I grow up. Every time I sample this dish, I would be brought back to the 'yesteryears' where life was simple and glee. Do try this simple dish but very delectable especially if you connects it with your childhood years. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 pompret, washed and marinade with salt and turmeric
2 table spoon chilly paste
3 garlic, blend
2 big onions, blend
1 cm ginger, blend
1 table spoon sugar
salty soy sauce, as desired
sweet soy sauce, as desired
salt, if needed

Methods
1. Fry the pompret and put aside.

2. In a pan, fry the blended items until aromatic. Then put in the chilly paste. Stir well.

3. Let them simmer, before adding sugar, salt, soy sauce and some water, if needed.

4. Let it cook for a few minutes before putting in the fried pompret.

5. Serve with hot piping rice.

*serves 2-4 people

Turmeric Chicken

Every time we go to any Thai restaurant, I would order this for my children. Sometimes, it is better if you can make them yourself, which could save you some penny. Besides, you can control the oiliness which is frequent in any Thai restaurant. So here it goes...

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cubed
2 table spoon turmeric
3 garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
1 big onion, sliced thinly
1 carrot, sliced thinly
6 long beans, sliced 1cm thick
salt
pepper, as desired
oil, for frying

Methods
1. Fry the garlic, ginger and onions until golden brown.

2. Add in the chicken and fry until tender. Do not add water. Stir well.

3. When the chicken is tender, add turmeric, carrots and long beans and stir again.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

5. Serve with plain rice while still hot.

*serves 4-6 people

Savoury Oats with Spices

Too many generalizations have been made about oats. They are simply bland. But, creativity can change all that. I have discovered one interesting way to cook oat that can add flavour to it. And I have made it into a delicious Asian flavour that every one can enjoy. Add some spices, and what you get is a sumptuous meal! Have a try!

Ingredients
5 cups of quick cooking oats
water, as desired
1 table spoon garam masala
1 table spoon paprika
1 table spoon cumin powder
1 table spoon coriander powder
zuchinni, cubed
carrots, cubed
salt, to taste
1 big onion, chopped
3 garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
1/2 chicken breast, minced

Methods
1. Fry garlic, onion and ginger in a pot. Add in minced chicken and stir fry.

2. When the chicken is tender, add in garam masala, paprika, cumin and coriander powder and cook for another minute.

3. Add in the zuchinni and carrots. Stir well for a minute.

4. When the vegetables are tender, pour in the oats and add water to it to make a thick broth.

5. Add salt and cook well until all ingredients are soft.

6. Best taken warm.

*serves 2-3 people

Banana Milk Shake

The tropical climate in this country allows abundant of bananas to grow. Some even plant banana trees at their home compound because they are easy to grow. As for us, we normally get our banana supplies at the local grocery stores. Sometimes you can get them at hypermarket like Tesco. My kids love ripe bananas so much that often they finish in seconds. This time, I have saved a few bananas so that I can make delicious banana milk shake for everyone to drink. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas

500 liter fresh milk

2 scoops vanilla ice cream

1 Tablesppon sugar

1 cup water

Lots of ice

Methods

Blend the whole ingredients in a blender and shake well before serving. You can do this in a blink of an eye!

*serves 4 people

Fettucine Carbonara

Since my blog is mainly about Malaysian food, I seldom put western cooking and share them with you. Upon request from a friend, I decided to put this recipe here as well. Definitely not Malaysian, but it is a delightful and tasty food to eat. Do try!

Ingredients
1 packet of fettucine, boil until soft (follow the instruction from the packet)
500 gm minced chicken or 2 large chicken breast (diced)
4 garlic, chopped
2 big onions, chopped
500 liter heavy cream or 2 cans of mushroom soup
green and red pepper/capsicum, diced
1 can of button mushroom, cut quarterly
2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
grated parmesan cheese, as desired

Methods
1. In a hot skillet, pour in some oil. When the oil is hot, fry the onion and garlic until they turn aromatic.

2. Add in the minced chicken or the diced chicken breast. Mix well.

3. When the chicken is tender, add in the heavy cream or the mushroom soup. Stir well.

4. After a few seconds, add in the fettucine. Let it cook for about a minute before adding in the pepper/capsicum and button mushroom. Stir for about another minute.

5. After that, sprinkle the dried oregano and basil. Also add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Lastly, put in the grated cheese and mix well before serving.

*You can substitute the chicken with other sea food as well.
*If the cream is not moist enough, you may add in extra milk

*serves 6-8 people

Stir Fry Prawns with Beans

During the old times, like the post-world war eras, the Malays had very little ingredients in their pantry, hence the vegetables would be cooked with only local ingredients that could be found easily like coconut milk or simply water. Thus, most of the Malays' way of cooking vegetables at that time would be with coconut milk or water. Even though this style of cooking is still practiced until now, as time progresses, we have incorporated into our kitchen other methods as well, like the stir fry which is very much influenced by the Chinese. So, today I would like to share with you this simple stir fry technique which is not complicated at all that most of us have in our homes now. Enjoy!

Ingredients

500 gm fresh prawns, cleaned and marinade with turmeric powder and salt

2 handful green beans, sliced thinly

3 garlic, finely chopped

1 big onion, sliced thinly

2 inches ginger, thinly sliced

2 fresh red chillies, cut as you wish

pepper

salt, to taste

oil, for frying 

Methods

1. In a frying pan, pour some oil. When the oil is hot, put in the big onion, ginger and garlic. Stir well.

2. When the mixture has caramelized, add in the fresh prawns. Stir for a minute before adding in the beans, salt and pepper up to taste.

3. Cook for about another minute before serving. 

*Do not overcook the prawns and beans.

*serves 4-6 people

Iced Lemon Tea with Mint and Honey

Heaven! This is the best way to describe this drink. If the weather gets too hot and sticky, taking a few gulps of iced lemon tea is simply refreshing. Top it up with some mint and honey, what you get is an excellent cocktail to quench your thirst. It just so happen that I got all the ingredients in my fridge and with no time I prepared this wonderful cold drinks in the evening. You can do this in no time. Easy and fast. The whole family will enjoy this one. Do try!

Ingredients
2- 3 lemon, cut into half and squeeze the juice
2 tea bags, cover with hot water in a jug or teapot
4 - 6 Table spoon honey
1 handful of fresh mint
lots of ice
sugar, as desired

Methods
1. Pour the tea into your favourite jug. Add in sugar, honey, fresh mint, ice and mix well.

2. Serve cold in a hot weather. Easy!

*serves 3-6 people

Tom Yam Soup

My family love all kind of soups and tom yam is one of them. Although the recipe originates from Thailand it is very well accepted here. The easiest way to eat tom yam is by going to any siamese restaurant which is mushrooming in this country. There are a few tom yam restaurants that I like which we frequent a lot in our hometown like Cherry Corner and Kamiria Restaurant which is just around the corner. Besides getting it at a restaurant, you can also make one yourself. It is very easy and the ingredients are also not difficult to find. Here it goes!



Ingredients
1 Chicken breast, cut into cubes
8 fresh prawns
3 squids, cut into small pieces
1 carrot, sliced
cauli flower
small corns
1 big onion, cut into rings
2 garlic, crushed
3 lemon grass, crushed
3 kaffir lime leaves
3 lime juice
6-8 cili padi, crushed
1 table spoon palm sugar
chilli paste, as desired
water, a needed for the soup
salt, to taste
some oil

Methods
1. In a bowl, pour in 2 table spoon of oil. When the oil is hot, fry the garlic and the chilli paste until aromatic.

2. Add enough water to cover the pot, or as you desire and let the water boil for a while.

3. When the soup is boiling, add the chicken, prawns and squids together with lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves.

4. After 30 seconds, add in the carrots, cauli flower, corns, big onions, palm sugar, cili padi and salt to taste.

5. Let the broth boil until all ingredients are tender and lastly add in the lime juice.

*serves 2-4 people 
 

Pumpkin in Sugar Syrup @ Sira Labu

The local call this Sira Labu. What I like about this dessert is that it is sweet and flavorful. Rich in fiber, pumpkin is good for bowel cleansing as well. We do not eat pumpkin that much, but if we do, the pumpkin would be turned into savoury gravy with coconut milk or sweet porridge to name a few.  For those who have not tried this simple recipe, do try as it takes very little time to do and requires the simplest ingredients as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 pumpkins cut into wedges, remove the outer skin
4-6 Table spoon sugar, or as desired
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 1/2 cups of water, or until it covers the pumpkin

Methods

1. In a pot, put all ingredients and cook until the pumpkins become soft and the water thickens into syrup.

2. Put in the fridge for a few hours before eating in an individual plate.

*serves 2-4 people

Savoury Bread Pudding

There is nothing I like more than cooking a very simple, easy and fast dish yet so very tasty at the same time. And this is one of them. While we often make sweet bread pudding as a dessert, this time I tried another recipes that I got from my friend, that is savoury bread pudding. You can also try this as it will not take too much of your time. I used shrimps for this dish but you can put anything you like such as beef, chicken, pepperoni, sausages or crab stick to name a few. Enjoy!

Ingredients

To be beaten together
1 cup evaporated or fresh milk
5-6 eggs, beaten and add some salt and pepper to taste

Other Ingredients
8 white bread, cut into triangle shape
500 gm shrimps, cleaned and chopped finely
1 big onion, sliced thinly
3 garlic, sliced thinly
grated cheese
fried onions as garnishing
salt and pepper, to taste

Methods
1. Cook the shrimps with garlic and onions. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Put aside.

2. In a baking dish, layer the bread and pour in the milk and eggs mixture.

3. Sprinkle the cooked shrimps and some grated cheese before baking or steaming it for about 45 minutes or until cook.

4. Lastly, sprinkle some fried onions on top as garnishing.

5. Cut into wedges before serving.

*serves 4-6 people

Puteri Beradu

This is the first dessert that we made on the first day of Ramadhan. As usual, we use a lot of coconut milk in our cooking especially in making desserts. Puteri Beradu is almost like a pengat but insted of cooking the bananas in a pot, we steamed the bananas until soft. Actuallly, this recipe is my mom's recipe and she told us of how her late mother would make this when she was small. To be honest, this is the first time I have done this steaming methods and the taste is not much different than a pengat though as I discovered it but as tasty as well nevertheless. Do try!

Ingredients

10 bananas

1 cup thick coconut milk

4 table spoon sugar

a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon flour

2 screwpine leaves

Methods

1. In a baking dish, layer the screwpine leaves at the bottom before arranging the bananas until full.

2. Pour in the coconut milk which has been mixed with sugar, flour and a pinch of salt.

3. Steam them until soft.

*serves 4-6 people

Laksa Utara

If people ask me what my all time favourite dish is, I would answer laksa utara. I don't know why I like this so much but I love the sour and mildly hot taste that it has and the mixture of all the herbs in the broth. And when you sip the broth, you can enjoy crispy sliced fresh cucumber and onions which is to my delight. It is not easy to find a good laksa maker. You must have the skill to make a perfect broth. The more you cook the broth, the better it will taste. That is why, I will cook my laksa broth a day ahead of time so that all ingredients will be mixed well and when you want to serve it the next day, you will not be disappointed at all. This is how I make my laksa and I hope you will enjoy this recipes as much as I do! Do try!

Ingredients

10- 12 mackerel or ikan kembong ( Clean the fish with tamarind juice and boil until cooked. When the fish is cooked, take the flesh out and blend the rest of the fish's heads to get the maximum results. Sift the blended items and keep the flesh and the broth)

1 packet of laksa 

Blended Items

2 big onions

2 inch belacan or shrimp paste

10 cili padi or bird's eye chillies

6 red fresh chillies

1 tablespoon dried chilli paste

Other Ingredients

6-8 asam gelugor

2 handful of daun kesum

2 stick of bunga kantan

salt, to taste

water, as desired ( about 2-3 liters)

Garnishing

Boiled eggs

Lime

Sliced cucumber

Sliced onions

Sliced fresh chillies

Methods

1. In a big pot, add in the blended items and the flesh of the fish. Pour in enough water as you desire depending on how much laksa broth you prefer to make.

2. Add in asam gelugor. You need to put this early as you need all the sourness to absorb into the broth.

3. Cook until boiling before adding in the rest of the ingredients such as daun kesum, bunga kantan and salt.

4. Let the broth simmer gently and cook for two or three hours or until you have achieved the desired taste. To get a better result, keep reheating it every few hours and best cooked a day ahead of time.

5. Serve with a bowl of laksa and garnishing as above.

*serves 6-8 people    

Blackcurrant and Milk Juice

During Ramadhan, one can get stomach upset or discomfort because of the delay in eating from dawn to dusk. The previous years, we often take hot tea for breaking fast but this year maybe because of the hot weather, we often sip glasses of cold or rather chilled beverages like fruit juice. But I do encourage my children to drink at least a glass of milk during breaking fast because it can be gentle on the stomach. I am lucky because my children love to drink milk and this recipes is one of the easiest you can do for breaking fast especially for those who do not like plain milk. 

Ingredients
1 glass of chilled milk, preferable full cream
3 table spoon black currant juice, or as desired
Some ice cubes, optional

Methods
1. Mix all ingredients in a glass and drink chilled.

*serves 1 person

Macaroni Fritatta

I cooked a big bowl of fried macaroni the other day when my brother and his family came for a visit. And we had some leftovers that have been sitting in the fridge for a few days. I did not like to waste food so I thought to recycle the food into something else. I have lots of eggs in the fridge and some cheese as well, hence this delicious fritatta that makes you ask for more. And we simply love it that I had to make another one the next day. Do try!

Ingredients
4 table spoon fried macaroni
5 eggs, beaten ( add in some salt and pepper into this)
grated cheese, as desired
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Methods
1. In a 6 inch pie dish, pour in some oil. After the dish is semi hot, add in the beaten eggs.

2. Leave it to cook half way before adding in the fried macaroni.

3. Then, sprinkle some dried oregano before layering the cheese. Top it up with sliced tomatoes before putting in a oven for about ten minutes or until the cheese melts.

4. Cut in wedges before serving.

*serves 4-6 people

Bubur Cha Cha

We had a creamy and sweet bubur cha cha a few days ago for breaking fast. Bubur as it is locally known is often a sweet coconut gravy that you cook with palm or white sugar. Besides bubur cha cha, you can make bubur jagung (corn), bubur gandum (wheat), bubur kacang (green peas), bubur labu (pumpkin) to name a few. But my favourite would be bubur cha cha. Some people would add in yam or sago beads into their bubur cha cha, but I prefer it just by itself. And, do not ask me why they call this bubur cha cha as I do not have the answer. But if you find something that looks this (see pic) in any local restaurants, then you know it is bubur cha cha! Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 packet of dried cha cha ( boil with water until soft)

500 gm coconut milk

6- 8 table spoon sugar or as desired

2 inch palm sugar

2 screwpine leaves

a pinch of salt

water, if needed

Methods

1. In a pot, put coconut milk, sugar, palm sugar, salt and screwpine leaves and cook until bubbly. You may add in water if needed.

2. Then add in the cooked and soft cha cha and mix well.

4. Cook for about 15 minutes until the gravy turns slightly thick.

5. Serve in a small bowl hot or cold.

*serves 4-6 people

Cucumber with Coconut Milk@Masak Lemak Putih Timun

This is a very typical Malay food that you can get in any Malay house. One of the most basic ingredients in a Malay community is coconut milk. Often, vegetables are cooked this way but with time and the influence of other immigrants, we have incorporated the Chinese style of cooking vegetables like stir fry, for instance. But if you would like to make a traditional Malay style vegetable dish, this would be one of them. Besides cucumber, you can also substitute it with other vegetables like petola, broad beans, small corns, or any other green and leafy vegetables like spinach, to name a few. But for this one, I would like to share with you how to cook lemak putih timun or cucumber with coconut milk. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cucumber, sliced (about 1 inch thick)
100 gm anchovies
1 big onion, thinly slicrd
2 fresh red chillies, sliced
1-2 table spoon coarse black pepper
500 liter coconut milk (plus water if needed)
salt, to taste
2 eggs 

Methods
1. In a pot, put all ingredients except the eggs and stir the coconut milk and other ingredients continually and cook until the cucumber is tender.

2. When the cucumber is tender, break the eggs and put them into the pot and leave them to set for a while. Do not tamper with the eggs and let them cook.

3. When the eggs are cooked, you can transfer the dish into a serving bowl and eat with hot plain rice.

*serves 4-6 people

Fried Anchovies with Chilli and Tamarind Juice

When I was living in the UK, I often cooked this simple dish whenever time was constraint. And whenever I make this dish back home, I often reminiscent those times where the weather was cold and windy, and I would sample this dish with a hot piping rice. Simply heaven! And now, when I have no appetite to eat anything fancy, I would open the fridge, take out the anchovies (ikan bilis) and fry them with some chillies and onions in no time. Sometimes, you do not have to eat anything fancy to feel full, simple dish like this one can fill up one's stomach sometimes even hundred times more than anything else! Do try!

Ingredients
300 gm anchovies, fried until golden brown
2 garlic, chopped
1 big onion, chopped
a cup of tamarind juice
6-8 cili padi or thai bird's chilli
3 green fresh chillies, sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste

Methods
1. Firstly, in a skillet, drizzle some oil and when the oil is heated, put in the onions and garlic and fry until golden brown.

2. Secondly, put in green fresh chillies, thai chillies and tamarind juice and cook for about a minute before adding in the fried anchovies, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Thirdly, stir all ingredients well and serve in a serving dish and eat with hot piping rice.

*serves 4-6 people   

Beef and Zuchinni in Tomato Sauce

I learned to cook this after marriage. It is an Egyptian dish that is simple yet tasty which they called Kosa. The Egyptian will eat this with bread, but you can also take this with rice that has been cooked with some oil and chicken stock until golden brown. It is not Asian, but it has been incorporated into my kitchen and the children love it too. Do try!

Ingredients
500 gm beef, cubed
1 zuchinni, cubed and spread with salt to take away the liquid
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 big onions, chopped
8 fresh red tomatoes, chopped
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 table spoon coriander powder
1 table spoon cumin powder

Methods
1. In a pot, drizzle some oil and when the oil is heated, add in the chopped onions and garlic until golden brown.

2. Then, add in the beef cubes and let them become tender, for about 15 minutes.

3. When the beef is tender, add in the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have become a thick sauce.

4. After that, add in the zuchinni, coriander, cumin powder, salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cook for a few minutes until the zuchinni is tender and the sauce thickens.

6. Serves with bread, preferably Arab bread.

*serves 4-6 people

Milk and Fruit Cocktail

The hot weather has been tampering with the thirst quite a bit. While drinking plain water is a normal thing to do, we would love to quench out thirst with a delicious iced cocktail once in a while. While a few days before, I made a delicious sweet and sour punch cocktail, this time we sampled quite as tasty one but with a twist, that was iced fruit cocktail with evaporated milk. The result was a milky sweet fruit cocktail that was very much to ever one's liking! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 can evaporated milk
1 large can fruit cocktail
lots of ice
sugar, only if needed

Methods
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve in a cup for each person. Easy!

Grilled Prawn Kebab

I was looking for a simple idea to make a simple yet delicious grilled meal that could be appealing for the whole family. There was a packet of medium sized shrimps amidst the frozen chicken and meat, hence I thought making grilled prawns would be ideal. This meal is very easy and you can prepare it in a matter of minutes. Just get your basic ingredients ready and you will enjoy the soft and juicy prawn kebab with the whole family. Do try!

Ingredients

40 medium sized shrimps, cleaned

cherry tomatoes

button mushrooms

green capsicum, cubed

olive oil

dried rosemary

pepper

salt

cumin powder

Methods

1. Mix the prawns with olive oil, dried rosemary, cumin powder, salt and pepper and marinade for about an hour.

2. Insert the prawns, button mushroom, cherry tomato and green capsicum into a skewer one after another until finished.

3. Grill in a medium heat until cooked.

4. Serve with broiled potato and baby carrots which have been mixed with butter and dried oregano and cheese sauce.

*serves 4-6 people

Fried Chicken with Oat Coating

Besides flour and bread crumbs, I also like to use oat as a coating to my fried chicken. I find that it is crispier, softer and not too oily when oat is used. It is very easy to do and the procedure is similar to that of the former. Do try!

Ingredients
2 slices of chicken breast, cut into 2 inch cubes
pepper
salt
*Marinade the chicken with salt and pepper to your taste.

Coating ingredients
Oat
flour
2 eggs, beaten
masala spices (mixed with the flour)

Methods
1. Heat the pan with oil, while the oil is heating, cover the chicken breast cubes with flour.

2. Secondly, cover the chicken that has been coated with flour with the eggs.

3. Thirdly, cover the chicken with the oats before frying.

4. Repeat the process with all chicken and fry until golden brown.

*serves 4-6 people

Steamed Fish @ Siakap

Once in a while we would dig in a fabulous steamed fish after eating lots of rich flavoured dishes like curries and kurmas. The best fish to be steamed would be siakap or kerapu but bawal would also be good. Some would use kerisi for steaming, but for this recipe I have used a medium sized siakap that I got from Tesco recently. You do not need a long time to steam the fish. It will take about five minutes to cook. Besides, preparing the ingredients does not too much of your time either. That is why this dish is easy and fast and you can steam it a few minutes before having your meals provided that you have prepared all the ingredients before hand. Here it goes!

Ingredients

A steamer

Medium sized siakap, cleaned and marinade with some salt and pepper

3 inch ginger, thinly sliced

1 big onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic, thinly sliced

1 carrot, 1 inch sliced

1/2 zucchini, 1 inch sliced

2 fresh red chillies, thinly sliced

3 Table spoon dark soy sauce

3 Table spoon thin soy sauce

1 Table spoon oyster sauce

1 Table spoon fish sauce

1 Table spoon white and black pepper

salt, to taste

dried onions, as desired

some oil

Methods

1. Heat the steamer. When the steamer is hot, put the fish in. After that, put the sliced ginger on top of the fish and let it steam until tender.

2. When the fish is cooked, take it out and put it in a serving dish and you can then prepare the sauce. Leave the ginger on top of the fish.

3. In a pan, heat the oil and add in the garlic and onion. Cook until golden brown. 

4. When they have turned golden brown, add in the dark and thin soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce. Mix well. You may add some water if you wish.

5. Then, add in the carrots and zucchini. Cook for a while before adding in the salt, pepper and fresh red chillies.

6. Lastly, add in the dried onions and mix well. 

7. Right before serving, sprinkle some dried onions and fresh chillies as garnishing.

*serves 2-4 people

Rice Porridge My Style

The Malays normally call this version of porridge as Bubur Lambok. It's called as such because there will be a mixture of everything in it. From meat to vegetables, all sorts, as long as you have those mixtures, it will be called as such. The Malays prefer to put local vegetables like pucuk paku and pucuk ubi to name a few together with dried and fresh shrimps, chicken flesh, meat and some herbs. The main ingredient besides the above would be coconut milk. I normally will make this porridge whenever I have no appetite to eat anything solid or when the stomach is upset. For this one, I have put some vegetables like carrots, potatoes and long beans and some fresh and dried shrimps. Do try!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups rice, washed and drained

500 ml coconut milk

1 big onion, sliced

3 inch ginger, sliced

4 lemon grass, thinly sliced

1 carrot, cubed

3 potatoes, cubed

long beans, thinly cut

1 cup dried shrimps, pounded

500 gm fresh shrimps, cleaned

salt, to taste

fried onions, as desired

1 Table spoon coarse black pepper

Methods

1. In a 10 inch cooking pot, cook the rice with lots of water. The water should be about three quarter of the pot. Cook the rice until tender.

2. Add in the onions, ginger, lemon grass and cook until all ingredients soften, about 15 minutes.

3. When the mixture has thicken and starchy, add in the carrots, potatoes and long beans. Cook for another few minutes before adding in the coconut milk, salt and pepper to taste.

4. Lastly, sprinkle some dried onions and stir well.

5. Pour the rice porridge into a bowl and garnish with some dried onions as well.

*serves 4-6 people 

Dates Milkshake

Dates are one of the most important fibers that is good for the health. Dates can be found mainly from the middle east and are eaten widely all over the world. Dates and Muslims have a very special relation to each other. The Muslims must consume some dates during the month of Ramadhan especially for breaking fast emulating what Prophet Mohammad saw did during his time. It just so happen, I have some dates in the fridge and since the stomach was a bit upset, I thought dates milkshake would be ideal. Do try!

Ingredients

10-15 dates, unseeded and chopped

3 table spoon honey

1 cup water

1 cup evaporated milk

1-2 scoops vanilla ice cream

2 table spoon sugar

10 ice cubes

Methods

Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into your favorite glass and enjoy while still cold!

*serves 2 people

Yee Mee Prawn Noodles

I would say that this is one of my favourite noodles. It is definitely a lot better and healthier than the typical yellow noodles that they have in the market which I avoid even do not eat anymore. Even though the packet says that it is clay pot yee mee, I discover that we do not have to cook it in a clay pot to eat this. A normal non-stick pan or pot will do, even just an ordinary pot will not make this noodles taste any different. This noodles is best cooked wet, meaning with some thick broth instead the drier version of it. The taste is unbelievable and I can eat this more and more and will definitely cook this again in the near future. Do try!

Ingredients
1 packet of yee mee
600 gms prawns
1 fish cake, thinly sliced
1 litre prawn stock (stock from the prawns shells and head)
1 litre water
4 garlic, thinly sliced
2 big onions, thinly sliced
1 packet oyster mushroom, cut into thin strips
spring onions, thinly cut
coriander leaves, thinly cut
1 carrot, roundly cut
fried onions
salt, to taste
black and white pepper, as preferred
1/2 cup of soy sauce
2 table spoon oyster sauce
3 table spoon flour (mix with water)
oil



Methods

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil and put in the onions and garlic. Mix well and stir until golden brown.

2. Add in the prawns and sliced fish fillet and cook well until the prawns are half cooked.

3. Add in the soy and oyster sauce and mix well. Also add in the mushroom and carrots. You can also add in salt and black and white pepper at this stage as well.

4. After a few seconds, pour in the prawn stock and water and let the broth simmer for a few minutes.

5. When the broth is simmering well, put in the dry yee mee and cook until the noodles soften. If there is not enough broth to soften the noodles, you can add in more water.

6. Lastly, add in the flour, spring onions, coriander leaves and fried onions until the broth thickens a bit. If the broth is not thicken, you can add in a little bit more flour.

7. Serve in a serving dish while still hot.

*serves 4-6 people

Chinese Style Mushroom Soup

There are times when you feel like sipping a light hot soup and there is no better way than to sip a delicious home made mushroom soup done from scratch. Whenever we visit any Chinese restaurant, we would order this light soup to everyone's delight. And if I would want to experience the taste again I would make my own version at home. So, here it goes!

Ingredients
Mushrooms, any type and as preferred (possibly cut into thin strips)
4 garlic, thinly sliced
1 inch ginger, thinly sliced
1 big onion, thinly sliced
2 eggs, beaten
2 Table spoon corn flour (Mixed with some water)
1 litre water
1 tea spoon soya sauce
black and white pepper, as preferred
salt, to taste
oil

Methods
1. In a pot, heat the oil and add in the onion, ginger and garlic and stir well until golden brown.

2. Add in the mushroom and cook for another one minute before adding in the corn flour. Mix well.

3. When the flour has thickens a bit, add in water, soy sauce, black and white pepper as desired.

4. Simmer for about ten minutes before adding some salt.

5. Lastly, pour in the beaten eggs and stir vigorously non stop so that the eggs will form tiny strips.

6. Serve in an individual bowl with some toasted bread.

*serves 4-6 people

Chocolate Pudding Trifle

Chocolate lovers will definitely love this! Not only it is rich and filling, it is also very easy to prepare. I had the chance to do this yesterday and I am very happy with the results! Do try if you would like to impress your guests and at the same time give them the best chocolate pudding ever! Enjoy!









Ingredients

10 slices of cakes
(to be put at the bottom)
2 Tbsp of coffee mixed with 1 cup of water
4 pounded chocolate chips for decoration

Chocolate pudding Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp custard powder
a pinch of salt
2 cups of fresh milk
1 large egg
6 pieces chocolate chips, pounded until fine

Custard layer
1 1/2 Tbsp custard
2 cups of fresh milk
2 Tbsp sugar

Other equipment
5 ramekins/individual glass

Methods

1. Firstly, prepare the chocolate pudding. In a saucepan, add in the cocoa powder, salt, sugar and milk. In a low heat, stir all ingredients well.

2. When the ingredients has thicken, add in the egg and stir well.

3. Lastly, add in the fine pounded chocolate chips and stir until dissolved.

4. Secondly, prepare the custard. Just mix 1 Tbsp of custard powder with 2 Tbsp sugar and fresh milk. In a low heat, cook all ingredients until thicken.

5. Thirdly, take an individual ramekin or clear glass and begin arranging the cake at the bottom layer. Press well and pour a few spoonful of coffee mixture all over the cake.

6. Pour in the chocolate pudding mixture until half of the glass.

7. Pour in the custard before pouring in another layer of chocolate pudding mixture.

8. Sprinkle some pounded ch0colate chips before putting them in the fridge to cool.

*serves 5 people

Rice Pudding

The first time I sampled this pudding was when I visited Egypt a few years ago. And ever since, I like to make this simple dish every time I feel like consuming something soft and sweet as the ingredients would normally be in the pantry. I have been having a stomach upset since a few days ago, and I decided to cook this pudding today to give me some liquid and energy that I have lost for being sick. Moreover, I did not feel like eating anything solid hence this pudding would be perfect. Enjoy!



Ingredients
1/4 cup rice, cooked with enough water until tender
3 cups fresh milk
10-12 Table spoon sugar
1 Table spoon corn flour (mixed with water to dilute the flour)
1 tea spoon cinnamon powder
1 tea spoon rose water
a handful of raisins/sultanas

Methods
1. In a pot, cook the rice with enough water until tender.

2. Add in the fresh milk and cook until the rice is very soft and almost dissolved.

3. Add in sugar and stir well.

4. Add in cinnamon powder and raisins and cook until the raisins are tender.

5. Lastly, add in the corn flour, rose water and stir well for another minute.

6. Serve in a small individual bowl and sprinkle some raisins and cinnamon powder before chilling it in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

*serves 2-4 people

Kuih Kelantan - Sweet Delicacies

Recently my mom and brother went to Kelantan to visit some relatives due to the passing of one of my uncles. And whenever Kelantan is mentioned, I can't help to associate it with varieties of sweet delicacies that cannot be found any where else in Malaysia. Kelantan kuih usually use a lot of egg whites, sugar and coconut milk. There are a lot of kuih that has a very unique name or rather peculiar or even funny to mention like tahi itik (duck's feces) or tahi minyak which literally means the feces of oil. No matter what they name their kuih, they are well known and can basically be found only in Kelantan. You can get them at the market in the morning together with nasi berlauk or laksam for breakfast. But Kelantan kuih is known for its sweetness, so if you are not a sweet tooth kind of person you might not favour taking them. But for me, when ever I am in Kelantan, I will definitely look for the kuih or my travel will not be complete. In the left picture, you can see four types of kuih that can only be found in Kelantan which were brought home by my mom. Those are all my favourites like akok, bahulu and kuih tepung tuki which is made from glutinous rice and coconut flakes. Let's look at some of the famous ones...

Tahi Itik - This kuih is called as such because it resembles the duck's feces. Basically, tahi itik is made from lots of egg whites and sugar and then formed into ball shape. It is sweet but not as rich as the one below.

Buah Tanjong - I would say that this is one of my favorites. But if you have a cholestrol problem or are watching you diet, do take this sparingly because this is made from egg yolks and lots of sugar syrup.

Jala Mas - Like buah tanjung, jala mas use a lot of egg yolks and sugar. It is named jala mas because it resembles a net that is golden in colour.

Akok - Akok is made from duck's egg whites and is a regular search for those who come to Kelantan. Although it looks wrinkly, it is actually very soft to eat.

Lompat Tikam - Lompat tikam is another peculiar name which literally means stab and jump. It is made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, palm sugar and flour.

These are just a few famous ones that come from the state of Kelantan. If you are going to Kelantan, do look for these kuih and try them. You might be wanting for more!


*pictures of tahi itik, jala mas, buah tanjong, akok and lompat tikam are courtesy of laisi, mohdzawi.blogspot.com

Chicken Balls Stew

I have some minced chicken leftovers in the fridge, hence decided that the best way to finish the tiny amount of minced chicken was by making chicken balls stew. I have made stews numerous times and so far they have not been a disappointment no matter if they are chicken or meat, they have always been outstanding. I often get my inspirations from my childhood memories and from observing how people cook their dish as I think the best way to learn cooking is merely by observation. And I have made countless dishes just by observation and of course you need to have talents, drive, creativity and skills to produce delicious meals. Do try out this simple recipe that I often enjoy taking with bread. Have fun!

Ingredients for chicken/meatballs
200 gm minced chicken
100 gm minced meat, optional
1 tea spoon cumin powder
1 tea spoon coriander powder
1 tea spoon pepper
salt, to taste

* Mix all ingredients and form equally shaped balls and fry until golden brown.

Stew
3 garlic, chopped
1 big onion, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped (optional)
coriander leaves, chopped
spring onions, chopped
1 Table spoon black pepper
1 tea spoon dried rosemary
2 potatoes, halved
1 carrots, cut into 1 inch length
3 small corns, cubed
salt, to taste
1 Table spoon flour
water/ stock

Methods
1. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger until golden brown. Add in the flour and water and stir well.

2. Add in potatoes and carrots and cook until they are half tender.

3. Add in small corns, dried rosemary, pepper and salt. Continue cooking until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

4. Add in the chicken balls together with some salt, and chopped coriander and spring onions. Cook for another minute before serving.

*serves 2-4 people

Egg Salad

Even though I don't make this salad often, it is still one of my favourite salads. My mom used to make egg salad with some dollops of tomato sauce on top of the boiled eggs, cucumber and fresh tomatoes that were nicely arranged in a serving dish. Although it was simple I love the taste of all the combinations. Often, I reminiscent the old days that I had enjoyed this salad so much that I decided to capture that moment again. This egg salad that I am sharing with you is an inspiration of that childhood memories that I had but with a twist. I have added extra ingredients like croutons and have prepared a special salad dressing that is more that a dollop of tomato sauce that my mom used to make. It was in fact an egg salad of my own invention. And the outcome was unbelievable! The taste and the combinations of all ingredients went very well with each other and I am very happy and satisfied that my kids loved it and emptied the plates in seconds! Do try!

Ingredients
3 hard boiled eggs, halved
2 tomatoes, cubed
1 cucumber, cubed
1 table spoon apple cider
salt, to taste
pepper
Italian herbs
4 bread, cubed and saute in butter until golden brown (croutons)

Salad Sauce
3 garlic, thinly sliced
1 big onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 table spoon tomato sauce
1 table spoon chilli sauce

Methods
1. Mix the cubed tomatoes and cucumber with the apple cider vinegar. Put aside.

2. Prepare the sauce by frying the garlic and big onions in some hot oil. Add in the thinly sliced tomato and cook until soft.

3. Add the tomato and chilli sauce and stir well. Add salt to taste.

4. In a serving dish, put the marinade vegetables (tomatoes and cucumber marinade with apple cider vinegar) in the middle of the dish.

5. Arrange the hard boiled eggs that have been cut into half on one side.

6. On the other side of the plate, arrange the croutons (saute bread with butter).

7. Pour the salad sauce that has been cooled over the eggs and the rest of the ingredients.

8. Sprinkle some pepper and Italian herbs on top and mix all the ingredients well before serving.

*serves 2-3 people

Banana Oat Dumplings ( Jemput-Jemput Pisang dan Oat)

I like to improvise my cooking based on what I have in the pantry. Luckily, today I got some ripe bananas and was thinking to make banana dumplings or jemput-jemput pisang which is a famous local delicacy for tea or breakfast. As I was looking through the rest of the ingredients, my eyes caught a packet of oat which I have bought weeks earlier. In an instant, I decided to mix the oat with the bananas and see if there would make any difference to the original banana dumplings. The result was unbelievable. The dumplings were softer and since there were some oats in it, they become slightly mushy and milky which surprisingly was up to my liking. If you would like a sweet and filling dumplings for tea or breakfast, I would suggest you try this recipe. Besides, it is healthy too! Enjoy!

Ingredients
8-10 ripe bananas
1 cup of oats
2 cups of flour
a pinch of salt
1 table spoon sugar
1 tea spoon bicarbonate soda
water
Oil, for frying

Methods

1. Peel off the bananas and mash them until soft.

2. Add salt, sugar, oats, flour and bicarbonate soda to the mashed banana and mix well with water.

3. When the mixture is ready, scoop the mixture with a spoon to form a round shape before frying the dumplings in a hot non-stick pan until golden brown.

4. Serve with a hot cup of tea in the evening or any time you wish.

*serves 4-6 people

How to Make Chocolate Pudding (Video)

This is one easy way to make delicious chocolate pudding! Do try!

Turmeric Rice

If you have ran out of ideas of what kind of rice dishes to cook, turmeric rice would be a good idea. If you are a rice eater and you love nasi lemak, I am sure you will love this one too. You can eat this with chicken or beef rendang top up with some vegetable salad or chutney, and you will know what I mean. Enjoy!

Ingredients
500 gm basmathi rice
4 garlic, chopped
2 big onions, chopped
2 inch ginger, chopped
4 lemon grass, pounded just at the base
coconut milk, just enough to cook the rice
2 screw pine leaves, tied together
salt, to taste
1 tea spoon turmeric powder
3 table spoon butter/oil

Methods
1. In a rice pot, fry the garlic, big onions and ginger until aromatic.

2. Add in the screw pine leaves and lemon grass. Stir well for about a minute.

3. Add the rice, salt, turmeric powder and fry for a few seconds until all ingredients are well mixed.

4. Lastly, add in the coconut milk covering the top of the rice about double the height of the rice in the pot.

5. Cook until the rice is tender and serve with your best rendang or curry.

*serves 4-6 people

Chilli Curry Crab

It is not often to find fresh crabs nowadays in the market. While prawns and squids are easier to find, crabs will be on sale quite rarely especially in the fresh or wet markets. You can purchase some at the hypermarkets like Tesco or Giant or get frozen sea food, but they might not be as fresh as the ones you get at the wet market. But today is our lucky day as the local grocer put a handful of fresh crabs on sale. So, we took the opportunity to get some and cook a delicious crab curry meal that is finger licking good. Do try!

Ingredients

For marinade
12 crabs, cleaned
3 table spoon flour
1 tea spoon salt
1 tea spoon turmeric

* Mix the crabs with the ingredients above and fry for about two minutes. Toss and keep aside for later use.

For chilli curry paste
1 table spoon kurma powder
1 table spoon chilli powder
1 table spoon coriander powder
1 table spoon cumin powder

*Mix all with some water until it forms a thick paste

Other ingredients
3 garlic, chopped
1 big onion, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
1 fresh tomato, chopped
1 tea spoon sugar
salt, to taste
water, if needed
oil

Methods
1. In a pan, fry the garlic, onion and ginger until aromatic. Add in chopped tomatoes and sugar. Mix well for about three minutes or until the tomatoes are soft.

2. Add in the chilli curry paste and stir well. Let the paste cook for about five minutes or until the paste is separated from the oil. You can add in some water if needed.

3. When the paste has thickened, add in the fried crab and stir for a short while until the crabs are well coated.

4. Serve in a serving plate with some rice.

*serves 4-6 people

Minced Chicken Savoury Cake (Talam Berlauk Ayam)

I remember having this delicious cake when I was at my secondary school and often wonder how this cake was made. Throughout the years I have been sampling this dish from time to time and got it from some of the breakfast stalls along the road. But as time progresses, it is difficult to get this dish outside unless you make it on your own. What I normally eat is the cake that is cooked with yam, but this one is equally good without the yam. Instead of yam, I substituted it with minced chicken and I am very satisfied with the outcome. Enjoy!




Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
400 ml thick coconut milk
spring onions, finely chopped
coriander leaves, finely chopped
red fresh chillies, thinly sliced
1 cup fried dried shrimps, finely grounded/blended
salt, to taste
150 gm minced chicken

Methods
1. In a cooking pot, blanch the minced chicken with water until cooked. Put aside.

2. In a bowl, mix the flour with coconut milk, salt, chopped spring onions and coriander leaves. Stir well. Add in the cooked minced chicken and stir until all ingredients are mixed well.

3. Heat your steamer, and while it is heated, pour the mixture into a 9 inch baking pan and steam for about 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes, take out the lid and sprinkle the blended/grounded fried dried shrimps all over the top.

5. Also sprinkle some chopped spring onions, coriander leaves and sliced red chillies and cook for another half an hour.

6. When the cake is done, let it cool before cutting them into squares before serving.

*serves 10-15 people

Durian Sweet Sauce (Sira Durian)

In my previous post, I have shared how to make durian broth with fish or locally known as gulai tempoyak ikan, and this time I will share with you how to make sweet desserts with durian. It is mild and sweet and is suitable taken with bread, glutinous rice or roti jala. Whenever I make this sira, as it is locally known, I will make double extra so I can put them in the fridge and take them with bread cold, as I prefer it that way. Besides durian sauce, you can also make sweet porridge like green beans or wheat porridge by using the same recipe. Do try!


Ingredients
3-5 durian flesh
1 cup of sugar or as desired
1 cup palm or brown sugar
1 1/2 litre coconut milk
2 screw pine leaves

Methods
1. Put all ingredients in a pot and cook until the sauce thickens. The thickness is up to your liking and when you have achieved your desired thickness, switch off the fire.

2. Serve with some bread, glutinous rice or roti jala.

*serves 6-8 people

Asam Pedas Ikan Kerisi

This is one of the popular main dishes in Malaysia besides curries and sambal. Having a slight influence from the Baba and Nyonya cusine, this dish is supposed to be a little bit hot and sour. It uses bunga kantan and daun kesum, two main ingredients that make a good asam pedas. Without these two ingredients, asam pedas will not be perfect. Do try!

Ingredients
2-3 Kerisi Fish
2 big onions, pounded
6 fresh red chillies, pounded
4 lemon grass, pounded
2 bunga kantan, halved
a handful of daun kesum
1 inch belacan or dried shrimp paste, pounded
2 Table spoon dried chilli paste
1 cup tamarind juice
salt, to tase
a pinch of sugar, optional
2-3 cups water
oil

Methods
1. In a pot, pour some oil and add in all pounded ingredients. Stir well until all ingredients turn aromatic.

2. Add in the dried chilli paste and tamarind juice. Add some water to produce a watery broth. Stir well.

3. When the broth is simmering, add in bunga kantan, daun kesum, salt and a pinch of sugar. Wait for 30 seconds before adding in the fish.

4. Cook for another three minutes or until the fish is tender.

5. Serve in a serving plate with a plate of plain rice.

*serves 2-3 people