apamku merekah, merekah

merekah lagi....

i don't know...this is either some kind of a joke...or a curse. the apam curse. miahahahaaha!! behold my fourth apam in two days. i made three yesterday, two of which 'smiled' like that and the last one i made, hopefully, turned out okay. i have yet to ask jules about it.

today is my MIL's birthday and since she can no longer enjoy cakes and other sweet stuff, i thought maybe i should make her an apam pelangi, considering the fact that the last time i made it for her...it did not 'rise' (read: bantat) properly. but, i guess the Almighty has other plans for me, maybe He wants me to seek the silver lining behind this repeated problem. maybe i should be smiling more? yes? i dunno.

maybe i should take a break from apam making. maybe i should concentrate more on other stuff. maybe i should just stop over analysing every single thing and just stop and smell the roses. maybe i should blame the steamer? the fire? the mixture? myself?

or, maybe i should just give up?

latest update:

this happened a few minutes before we left for MIL's. Once done, robot placed the apam on a cooling rack (as per usual) for it to cool down. when the time comes for her to put the apam in the container, somehow the centre of the apam leaked and out came this gooey mess of uncooked apam batter...refer to picture below.

what-the....i dunno, i made them exactly as per the other times i've made them...

i
give
up!

ayam halia, or

ginger chicken.

i made this quite some time ago. i don't know what happened, but somehow the post for this recipe got tossed aside...maybe because i was too busy serenading my bread posts, kot? haha!

one thing about this dish, you need to eat it immediately because the gravy has cornflour as the thickening agent, and once cooled the dish is not as good...and the gravy will become very, very sticky. we don't like.

here's the recipe for this dish.

ingredients:
(a)
500g chicken
3 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp cornflour (mixed with ½cup water)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk spring onions
1 tomato, cut into four (or more if you like)
2 tbs of cooking oil
salt to taste

(b) - to be sliced
3" ginger
3 shallots
3 cloves garlic
3 red chillies

the how to:
1) heat oil in wok and saute (b) till fragrant.

2) add in the chicken and stir. next, add in some water.

3) cook the chicken till tender.

4) you can then add in the cornflour and water mixture along with the oyster sauce, black pepper and salt. allow the gravey to thicken.

5) add in the tomatoes and spring onions. stir to incorporate everything.

6) ready to be served!

let me know how yours turns out okay?

luck luck you guys!


recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi

sup cendawan

or, oyster mushroom soup.


motif boh gambor sebesar alam kat sini? entah...sker oranglah! kaaan??

you know, there are days when you just want soup. just soup with veg and with a little something else. that's all. i have those kind of days. but then again, i can live with only bread and soup. (aaaahhh....bread, what can you say about bread that hasn't already been said...hahaha..still in my 'i love you, bread' mode, okay?) so, i made this, and it's fabulous and i think you guys should give it a go. yes? yes!

ready? let's go!

ingredients:
(a)
2 packets of oyster mushroom, shredded
1 carrot, cut into small pieces...or you can 'flower' it
100g prawns
2 cups water
1 stalk spring onions
1 stalk chinese celery
2 tbs cooking oil
salt to tase

(b)
3 shallots, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced

the how to:
1) clean all the veg and drain them.

2) heat oil in pot and saute (b) along with the prawns, till fragrant.

3) add in water and salt. let it simmer til it starts to boil.

4) this is when you add in the oyster mushroom and carrots. let it simmer til it starts to boil once again.

5) heat off and garnish with the spring onions and chinese celery.

6) ready to be eaten.

YEAY!!

luck luck you guys!!


recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi.

basic butter rolls

aahhhhh....bread. *sigh* what can you say about bread that hasn't already been said... if i am a poet i would write and dedicate 10,000 poems and/or poetry about bread and bread alone. just bread.

my bread and i.

we make a wonderful couple.

just us two together...

fresh out of the oven (the bread, i mean...not me!)

happy, happy...

okay, okay...i won't quit my day job and i'll stop. happy now?? cheh!

today i made basic butter rolls. i took the recipe from pook's blog - Dailydelicious. i tell you, this woman is something else. she is REALLY talented. my inspiration. as usual, the ever so nice Pook has made a pictorial in her blog, so you guys can go there for the pictorial. okay?

right, are we ready for the recipe? let's go!

ingredients:
300g bread flour
4g salt
30g sugar
40g butter
30g egg (lightly beaten)
6g yeast
150ml water

the how to:
1) sprinkle yeast over water and let it rest for 10 minutes.

2) mix flour, sugar and salt together.

3) pour the egg, water and yeast mixture and butter into the bowl containing the flour mixture.

4) mix until everything is combined and it becomes a soft dough.*

5) take out off the bowl and knead until smooth.

6) put the dough into a lightly buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

7) you can then shape the dough.

8) once done, cover the shaped dough with a damp cloth and let it rise, or becomes double in size. roughly about 30 minutes.

9) you can now preheat the oven to 180°C.

10)make the eggwash for the bread by mixing about 1 tbs of water with the remaining egg. brush it on top of each dough.

11)bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

12)once done, cool on a wire rack.

try it! you'll be hooked!!

* i cheated, i didn't knead the bread, because of my wrist. so, i used Giant instead. :-)


recipe source: http://dailydelicious.blogspot.com

ikan masak masam manis

or sweet sour fish

for dinner, i made sweet sour fish with the recipe, once again, taken from

this book. and as always, the book will not disappoint you. but, hehehe...(ni nak puji diri ni, sila sediakan baldi or barf bag, okaaay) my roomate prefers my version of sweet sour fish, with pineapple and everything else.

the recipe is very simple and basically does not call for any additional veges, but i decided to add some capsicum...all three colours of it, some big onions (cut into rings) and some cucumber.

baiklah, puan-puan...let's get on to the recipe, shall we?

ingredients:

(a)
2 kerisi, i used medium sized silver pomfret
salt and turmeric powder.

(b) for the sauce
5 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
½" ginger, sliced
5 tbs tomato sauce
3 tbs chilli sauce
2 red chillis, thinly cut
½ cup water
1 tomato, cut into 6
1 stalk eacho f spring onions and chinese celery
salt and sugar to taste
cooking oil

the how to:
1) coat the fish with turmeric powder and salt and fry till golden brown.

2) make sure the fish is equally cooked, then set aside.

3) heat the oil and saute the shallots, garlic and ginger.

4) once fragrant, add in the tomato and chilli sauces along with the water.

5) when the gravy has thickened, pour it on top of the fish.

6) garnish with spring onions and chinese celery.

siap dah!

luck luck you guys!

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi

mihun sup ayam

i nearly cancelled my plans to make this. why? because the robot was not paying attention when i told her to prepare stuff for this recipe. all she heard was the word 'ayam' and assumed that i wanted to make sup ayam or chicken soup.

but, since some of the items needed for this is similar to chicken soup, i decided to go ahead with it.

all i can say about this recipe is that, it needed the extra 'kick' for the umph! factor...mendelah yang aku cakap ni. soooo...we made sambal kicap. which is pounded bird chillies, garlic and then mixed with soya sauce and some lime juice. then, it became sedap! :-)

now, onto the recipe, shall we?

ingredients:
1 packet of mihun or rice vermicelli (soak in warm water till soft then you can either boil in water for 2-3 minutes then drain, or just soak till it's soft enough to be used)
200g chicken, cut into small pieces
100g cabbage, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced thinly
1 tsp freshly ground black peppper
2 liters of water
2 tbs cooking oil
1 stalk each of chinese celery and spring onions, cut
50g fried shallots, bawang goreng
salt to taste

item (b) things to saute
3 shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2" ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
5 cloves
2 cardamom seed

the how to:
1) heat oil in wok and saute (b) till fragrant.

2) add in chicken and carrots. stir.

3) next, add in the cabbage, water, salt and pepper. let it simmer til it starts to boil.

4) once it starts to boil, you can pour the soup into the bowl with the vermicelli.

5) you can then garnish with some fried shallots, the chinese celery and spring onions.

6) bon appetite!

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi

ayam masak lemak

cili api.

this is for my wife.

for you, my heart. ripped from my chest. eviscerated i am...eh, silap poem untuk silap entry. okay, wife, as per requested, this is the recipe for ayam masak lemak cili api. i don't know how to translate ayam masak lemak cili api to ingrish, perhaps you can help me, yes? good girl.

okay, you be ready for the recipe now? here it goes...


ingredients:
chicken, of course, hence the title
3 potatoes, cut into 4
1 turmeric leaf or daun kunyit
2 cups thick coconut milk (from ½ a coconut)
salt to taste

(b) items to blend
20 bird chillies, cili api - i used only 10, tu pun dah pedas giler
2" fresh turmeric
2" ginger
2 lemongrass
1 cup water


the how to:
1) in a pot add in everything except for the coconut milk, let it all simmer and come to a boil and also until the chicken and potatoes are cooked.

2) add in the coconut milk and stir constantly till it starts to boil once again - very important.

3) add in salt and taste. if everything's okay, take the pot off the heat.

4) serve with steaming hot rice. yum!

well? what are you waiting for? go and try it!!


recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi

a personal favorite...

revisited.

if you look at the watermark on the picture above, it says 2009. well, i think that's how long i've been using this recipe. (macam dah seratus tahun. hahahahaha)  i could've taken another picture of the freshly baked biscottis from today. i did, i took it because of an experiment that i tried on the biscotti dough. hehehehe...



Exhibit A

you see, if you make it according to the recipe, you will have to shape it into two flat loaves before baking it. once done, you need to slice the loaves so that you can bake the sliced biscottis again. todaaaaay, i thought maybe i should put the dough in a loaf pan and see if, when i cut them up, they will all be the same shape and not have the tapered bits at the end.

so i did that. the best part about putting the dough in the loaf pan is that when i cut them up, they all have the same size. the not so best part about it is that, my roomate does not like it. he says it's untraditional. haha! to show you guys what he means, please refer to exhibit A. the top image is from the loaf that i put in the loaf pan and the bottom one is made the traditional way. he doesn't like the straight untraditional looking biscotti. okaylah tartle...i will  make 'em traditional for you from now on, okesss?

oh, before that, aeons ago i made a step-by-step pictorial on how to make these. here's where.

right, shall we?

ingredients:

300g (10oz) plain flour

200g (7 oz) caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 eggs - i use grade A

2 tsp vanilla essence

100g (3½ oz) whole blanched almonds

the how to
1)  pre-heat oven to 150°C (300°F/Gas mark 2).
2)  grease and flour two baking sheets - i just use parchment paper.

3)  mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

4)  whisk the eggs and vanilla essence together then stir into the dry ingredients and then add almonds.

5)  the dough WILL BE sticky. don't worry.

6)  divide the dough between the baking sheets and shape into two flat loaves about 25cm (10in) long and 5cm (2in) wide.

7)  bake for 35-40 minutes until pale golden brown.  remove from oven onto a chopping board and immediately slice into thin pieces about 1cm (½ in) wide.

8)  lay the slices back onto the baking sheets and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.  once done, turn over each slice and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes, or until the slices are golden brown.

9)  remove from oven and allow to cool.

10) store in an airtight container. the biscottis will keep for a couple of weeks...if not devoured immediately. hehehe...

there are also variations for this recipe.

a)  you can make lemon & pistachio biscotti, by substituting the vanilla essence with the grated zest of a lemon (2 to 3 teaspoons) and pistachios for the almonds. - have yet to try.

b)  chocolate chip & raisin biscotti - with the basic dough, substitute the almonds with 75g (3 oz) raisins and 75g (3 oz) plain chocolate chips. - tried this once, but not a favorite.

c)  fig & fennel biscotti - same thing, prepare the basic dough and substitute half the almonds with 75g (3 oz) chopped dried figs and the vanilla essence with 2 tsp of fennel seeds. - also haven't tried.

well? anyone game to try any of the variations? awww...come on! take the challenge. yes?

recipe source: 500 cookies by philippa vanstone

daging dendeng

i've always wanted to try making this dish. the only thing that is pulling me back is the process involved in making daging dendeng. let me just tell you guys this, i haven't always been the cook in the family. i even surprised my own mother. MY MOTHER!! haha!!! i started to seriously cook, very, very recently. i believe that there is always room for improvement and that i should try something new all the time, so that i won't be a boring person. haha! what a reason. aaaand, it also helps that i have an everwilling, very sporting, foodie of a husband, who eats everything that i make, without any complaints...so far...hehehe...Alhamdulillah.

back to this dish. everytime i go to a kedai minang, or something like that, this would be one of the dishes that i would order. and one thing about me, i have this very strong sense of curiousity...okaylah, call it busy body. and whenever i like something, i will try to find ways to make it...and also at the same time, try to find ways to make it easier.

but, with daging dendeng, i don't think you can skip THE most important step, which is the pounding of the meat (something that i was not looking forward to) but, like they say, there's always the first time for everything, right? i only have one thing to change about the recipe...i will write it down at the bottom of this post okay? now, on to the recipe, shall we?

ingredients:
(a)
1 kg beef
2" ginger, crushed
3 lemongrass, crushed
2 cups water
oil
salt to taste


(b)to blend
10 dried chillies
15 red chillies
10 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 tbs kurma spice
1 tbs brown sugar (gula merah)

the how to

1) clean the beef and coat with salt. once done, boil with the ginger and lemongrass till it's tender.

2) once done, slice the beef thinly, then fry till a little crispy.

3) next, pound the thinly sliced beef using any equipment that you have. i used my mortar and pestle for this.

4) in the wok, heat a little bit of oil and saute (b) till fragrant.

5) once that is done, put the beef into the wok and stir till everything is evenly mixed.

6) add salt if necessary.

and we're done.

what i think about this recipe:

1) well, i must remember next time to NOT cut the beef too thin because it will turn to powder when pounded. HAHA! powdered beef, anyone?

2) i think the taste of the sambal is a little bit bland, i would, next time, add a little bit of coarsely pounded coriander seeds.

that's my take. what about you guys?try it and then let me know, okay?

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi

sup tauhu, or

beancurd or tofu soup.


motif buat sup tauhu tapi bagi gambar carrot dengan celery? haha! maybe because robot took the extra effort to turn our carrot into a bee-yoo-ti-fu frawer. maybe? haha...

i love the simplicity of this soup. it's really simple, really easy to make. i don't think you can go wrong with this. seriously. although the recipe did not call for celery, i decided to add some. (talk about following the recipe exactly, huh?) come on, don't tell me you don't agree? any soup will taste fanstastic with a stalk or two, or more of celery, right? see? you do agree.

here are the pretty simple ingredients needed for this pretty simple BUT delicious soup.
ingredients:
2 pieces of soft tofu, cut into smaller squares
3 eggs, i only added one for my roomate
1 carrot, cut in any shape or design you want
4 potatoes
some chinese celery (the miniature version of celery...hehehe...)
3 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, also sliced
salt to tast
water as much as you want!

the how to:

1) cut the carrot and potatoes in whatever size and/or shape you desire.

2) saute the shallot and garlic till fragrant.

3) add in the tofu, potatoes, carrot, salt and water. leave it there till it starts to boil.

4) this is when you add in the eggs, one by one.

5) once done, ladle into bowls and garnish with the chinese celery.

i promised you an easy recipe...this is as easy as it gets. :-)

luck luck.

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi.

ikan berlada, hmm

i usually like to follow new recipes exactly how it is. well, i did for this particular recipe.

all i can say is that, i think the kalamansi lime juice used, is not that suitable for this recipe. i'd rather change it to some good ole tamarind juice. but hey, maybe you guys should give it a try and lemme know how it turns out for you guys. yes?

okay, let's go directly to the recipe.

ingredients
(a)
2 Scad/Selar fish - i used whatever is in the freezer, which is kerisi
1 big onion, cut into rings
5 kalamansi lime (for the juice)*
salt to taste
2 tsp turmeric powder
oil for frying

(b) ingredients to blend
6 red chillies
5 bird chillies (cili api)
3 cloves garlic
3 shallots

the how to:

1) once the fish is cleaned, coat with turmeric powder and salt.

2) fry till golden brown and slightly crispy then set aside.

3) leave a little of the oil used to fry the fish in the wok and saute the blended (b) ingredients till fragrant and cooked.

4) add in salt and the big onion rings, stir.

5) take the wok off the heat and pour in the kalamansi lime juice and stir a bit more.

6) pour the gravy on top of the fish.

7) bon apetite!


*as i mentioned earlier on, i really didn't like the taste of the kalamansi lime juice in this dish. somehow the acidity of the lime juice taste a little bit too 'wrong' for me. i would rather replace the lime juice with tamarind juice. i don't know, maybe that's just me. why don't you guys try it and get back to me, okay?


recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi.

focaccia, i love

you!

i love bread. period. anyone who knows me would know how much i love bread. i simply love them. i don't know...there's something about bread fresh out of the oven, slathered with butter and jam (if you want)...it gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. and not to mention, the house. the whole house will be smelling of bread. *sigh*

i decided to make focaccia yesterday. surprisingly, it was really easy to make. you don't have to spend half a day waiting for the dough to rise. i guess the hardest part would be when you need to knead (har har...need to knead....get it? no? cheh!) the bread. since i can no longer knead my own bread (i think something wrong's with my right hand...okay, i know something's wrong with my right hand...i think might be developing carpal tunnel syndrom, but i don't want to go there just yet), i used the help of my Giant (stand mixer, i call him Giant). so, when you have Giant to do all the kneading for you...it's pretty easy. yes? yes!

once again i got the recipe from yet another 500 series book this one to be exact. yes, yes...i have about 10 of these 500 series books. why? blame it on my 'condition'. haha!

okay everyone, shall we now go on to the recipe?

ingredients
5 ml (1 tsp) sugar
7g. (¼ oz) sachet active dried yeast
75ml (5 tbsp) warm water *
225g (8 oz) plain flour
30ml (2 tbs) EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
5ml (1 tsp) sea salt

the how to
1) dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. set aside for 10 minutes.

2) in the bowl of stand mixer, combine yeast mixture with flour. mix until all flour is incorporated. change to dough hook attachment and knead for 1 to 2 minutes until dough is smooth.

3) place dough in lightly oiled bowl, turning ball over to lightly coat with oil. cover with damp cloth (i used cling wrap) and set aside in a warm spot for 30 to 40 minutes, until dough has doubled in volume.

4) preheat oven to 240°C (475°F/Gas Mark 9). place dough on a lightly floured board and knock back once.

5) knead briefly, then shape the dough into a long flat rectangle with rounded corners, about 23x28cm (9x11 in). brush olive oil over surface and sprinkle with sea salt.

6) place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or use pizza peel to transfer to preheated baking stone in bottom of oven. bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.

*i had to add about 10 tbsp of warm water because the dough was starting to look like breadcrumbs and it didn't look as if it was forming a dough.

give it a try, okay?

recipe source: 500 pizzas & flatbreads by rebecca baugniet

kuih bakar pandan

okay, lemme just tell you guys something, i started out this recipe with really big expectations. mainly because this is one of my favourite kuih melayu and i would, more than anything, love to be able to make them myself.

what happened? well, i followed the recipe exactly, being an individual with a 'condition' (as i like to call it) i usually follow each new recipe exactly and then prolly later on when i want to re-attempt i will then try to make changes should the recipe require so. so, i followed the recipe and it says that i need to bake it for one hour or until done. (yikes! nerds like me, DO NOT like this kind of instructions because it's too dayum subjective, you know? one hour is fine...but until done? that could be like, what? five days? haha!) well, whaddaya know, the recipe decided to mess with my head and after an hour, i took it out and it was still gooey in the middle. okay, nevermind, different oven, different baking time,right? *kata-kata penyedap hati* back into the oven it went, for another ten, then another ten, then another ten. at this time, my roomate was already restless in the background, hovering hovering and hovering. *i could almost hear him saying in his head.... 'is it done yet? is it? is it? huh? huh? huh???'* well, to be fair, it was already close to 6pm and we usually have dinner by 7pm, nak tea mendenya kalau dah dekat maghrib, kan? haha! so, reluctantly, i took the baking tin out of the oven, and carefully (well, he told me to scoop it out and eat them like pudding... MEN!) attempted to take it out of the baking tin. nan ado!

i had a bad experience once about impatient people and my chocolate cake, but that's another topic for another post. so we shall not go there.

back to the kuih...to make this verrryyy looooongggg story short, we managed to get the kuih out of the baking tin (kesiannn ko kuih...melepek je kat atas pinggan), i managed to cut a few slices for my DARLING roomate to eat, with a spoon, like pudding, just how he imagined it to be and then, after that, i managed to put the whole kuih back into the baking tin and put it back into the oven, so that it could sleep in there and enjoy the slowly decreasing heat.

the first thing i checked the next morning was of course my dear, dear kuih bakar and guess what? it has already set. no more gooey texture. kena sabar ke?

in conclusion (waaaah...macam buat report, resipinya tak jugak tulih-tulih lagi ni) i will attempt this kuih again, but i think i need to get another recipe. the sesame seed got burnt and turned really, really dark and i don't think that it should be that way. so...anyone with a kuih bakar pandan recipe? we share? yes?

okay, sekarang ni, apa kata kalau kakak share aje the recipe that i used for this kuih? ready? set? GO!

ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups thick coconut milk (from 1 coconut - i used instant coconut milk from box)
3 cups juice from blended pandan leaves (around 10 leaves)
3 eggs - grade A
1 cup castor sugar2 tbs melted margarine - i used butter instead
1 tsp salt
½ tsp green food coloring
2 tbs sesame, toasted without oil

the how to:
1) preheat the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes, use top and bottom heat.

2) in a large bowl add in all ingredients, then run them through the strainer to make sure there are no lumps.
3) pour everything into a baking tin that has been lightly oiled (8x8, maybe?) and then scatter the toasted sesame seed.

4) bake for an hour, or till done (err...)

5) once done, leave it to cool and cut and makanlah! hehehe...
good luck guys!!
recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi

pasta al pomodoro

you know what, asyik telan nasi dengan lauk je, sekali-sekala nak gak makan yang lain dari yang lain, right?

well, i for one LOVE pasta. i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE pasta. i can live with pasta and pasta only. haha...last ramadhan, narnee and i made THE BEST pasta ever. it was aglio olio. the recipe was really simple, taken from the net, but the taste...OH EM GEE! i still remember how it tastes like. we were so happy after the meal that we didn't want to eat anything else throughout the night. haaaa...amek ko! aneeways, today's recipe is not THAT pasta, but i took this recipe from the 500 series book. This book is called 500 Italian Dishes. Tuuu...macam kat gambar bawah tuuuu...


i made pasta al pomodoro for dinner. sekali-sekala tukar selera, tak salah, kan? here's the recipe for you guys to try.

ingredients:
1 medium-sized onion, chop finely
1 large stalk celery, tear away strings and chop finely (you can even add the leaves)
1 large carrot, wash, scrape and chop finely
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
450g (1lb) skinned and deseeded fresh tomatoes, or 400g (14oz) tinned tomatoes - i used tinned...sowwy.
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
450g (1lb) pasta of your choice - i used caserecce which looks like this.

okay, now for the how to

1) pour oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the chopped veges.

2) fry together very gently and slowly until the vegetables are soft and the onion is transparent. At this point, add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly.

3) cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly.

4) season with salt and pepper to taste. (if you wish to add herbs, do so at the end once the sauce is cooked through.)

5) bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil, add pasta and stir. cook until al dente then drain and return to pan. add the sauce, toss together and serve in a warmed serving dish or bowl or on individual warmed plates.

6) don't forget to grate your favorite cheese on top before you eat.

so? trylah! hehehe..
p/s: french bread dalam gambar kat atas tu, french bread yang mak temah buat okaaaay...only i 'magically' turned them into garlic bread. haha!

recipe source: 500 italian dishes
photo of caserecce taken from: http://www.shutterstock.com/

kari ayam, or

chicken curry.

okay, i am not that big of a fan of curry. mainly because when i was growing up, my late father has to have curry on the table, every daaaay of the week. curry, curry, curry AND more curry. i remember, i once told him that when i get married, i will NOT marry a guy that loves curry...when i told him that, he just smiled at me. i guess maybe he knows...because...my roomate, can have curry, curry, curry AND curry, every day of the week and he will NEVER complain. haha! padan muka aku!! :-p today i'm going to share this recipe, again taken from this book. personally, i think this recipe uses a lot more santan. unlike the kind of curry that my mum cooks, i think this is the mamak version, she uses faaaar less santan in her curries. still, roomate cakap okay, so, i pun okaylah. you ready? here's the recipe for kari ayam.

to make kari ayam, all you need are these ingredients:
(a)
chicken cut into small pieces
½ cup of oil (or less)
3 tbs curry chicken or beef curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder - i didn't have any so i pounded some
1 tbs chilli powder or blended dried chilli or cili boh
2 tbs kerisik (grated, toasted, ground coconut paste - i will provide you with a link on how to make kerisik at the bottom of this post, okay?) 2 cups coconut milk (from ½ coconut)
4 potatoes (cut into 4)
3 tomatoes (cut into 4)
½ cup tamarind juice
salt to taste

(b)- items to saute
6 shallots (thinly sliced)
4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
ginger about 2"
curry leaves
cinnamon stick, about 2"
5 cloves
2 star anise
3 cardamom the how to:
1) heat oil in wok and saute (b) till fragrant.

2) add curry powder, cumin powder and chilli powder with the tamarind juice and straight into the wok. stir and let it simmer for a while.

3) then, put in the chicken, potatoes, coconut milk, kerisik and salt. let it simmer the the chicken and potatoes are done.

4) next, in goes the tomatoes and let it simmer for a bit more, once you see some of the oil appear at the surface of the curry, then it's done!

Enjoy!!

wait! here is where you can learn how to make your own kerisik. :-)

luck luck you guys!!

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi
special thanks to: choesf, http://happyhomemaker88.com/ for allowing me to link the pictorial on kerisik making. thanks!!

ikan masak taucu

this is one of my roomate's favorite fish dish. i'm just very happy because it's easy to prepare.

okay, for those of you who do not know what taucu is, hamboi...tak tahu ka? eksyennyaaa. haha!! taucu in english, according to abam wikipedia, is douchi...or chinese fermented black beans. fermented soya beans. they look like this:



please forgive the gambar above, because i took it from abam google. now, on to today's recipe, shall we? nak tengok gambar dulu ke...nak ingredients dulu? gambarlah dulu, ek? alright...


Ingredients:
(a)
1 cut jenahak (golden snapper) - i used 2 pieces of kembung (indian mackerel)
½ cup taucu (douchi)
½ cup tamarind juice
1 small cucumber - cut
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric powder
oil
(b)- to be sliced thinly
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
2 red chillies
1 green chilli
1 big onion

the how to:
1) clean the fish and coat with turmeric powder and some salt. fry till golden brown and set aside.
2) leave a little bit of oil in the wok and saute the sliced shallots and garlic till fragrant.

3) add in the taucu, tamarind juice, sugar and let them simmer for a bit.

4) it's now time to add in the cucumber, the red and green chillies along with the big onion. incorporate all ingredients together.

5) once the sauce has somewhat thickened, take the wok off the heat and pour the sauce onto the fish.

Done!
luck luck you guys!!

taucu photo credit: abam google
recipe sourse: 1 hari 1 resipi

easy french bread

true to its name. this particular bread is truly easy to make. aeons ago, i tried making french bread, the technique and long kneading time put me off. thanks to this wonderful blog, Dailydelicious ,i managed to make this wonderful bread, minus the hard work. Thanks once again, Pook! :-)

okay, since the website where i took this recipe from has already a step-by-step ohh baby...remember this song? method to make this bread, so i guess, i don't need to make one for this particular entry, yes?

okay, let's cut to the chase. these are the ingredients:

300g bread flour

1 tsp honey

1½ tsp instant yeast - i use Saf-Instant yeast

1 tbs olive oil

200ml water

1½ coarse sea salt - i use Maldon sea salt

yellow cornmeal, for sprinkling

2 cups boiling water

the how to:

1. mix olive oil, honey and water together.

2. put flour, instant yeast and salt in a mixing bowl, pour in the olive oil, honey and water mixture, whisk till combine.

3. put in a bowl and connect the hook attachment to mixer. knead on low (speed 2) for about 5-8 minutes. (this is the only part i changed because i can no longer knead bread due to my wrist.)

4. if the dough is a bit dry, sprinkle with 1-2tbsp water. the objective here is to get the dough all elastic.

5. put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. place the bowl in a warm place and let it rest till it become double the size (about 1 - 1½ hours)

6. once done, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat, or use a french bread pan (i don't have this one...boohoohoo) and sprinkle with yellow cornmeal.

7. divide the dough into two.

8. roll them into balls and let it rest for 10 minutes.

9. press the ball lightly and shape into a long oval, do the same with the other dough.

10. use the side of your hand to press the center of the dough and roll again (do it until you get the length that you want.)

11. let the dough rest until it becomes double the size, about 30 minutes.

12. preheat oven to 220°C and place a roasting pan at the lowest shelf of the oven.

13. using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts on the dough about ¼inch deep across top of each loaf.

14. put the loaves into the oven and pour boiling water into the roasting pan, bake for 10 minutes.

15. after the first 10 minutes, reduce heat to 200°C and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown.

16. remove from baking sheet, cool on wire rack...orrrrrrr...cut them up and have them immediately with some butter or jam, just like i did! :-)

easy, right? well, one thing's for sure mine will be turned into garlic in about a few minutes. hehehehe...

please try this, because, nothing can beat a loaf of freshly baked bread!

recipe source: Dailydelicious

ayam gajus

aiyer...why is it sooo hard for me to find 'the' font for my blog? i keep going from one font to another, trying to decide. fickle, fickle, fickle.

aik! this is no entry about fonts. this is an entry about 'ayam gajus' or 'chicken cashew nuts'. one of my favorites and after testing out this recipe, once again, the author of the book did justice to this recipe. sodaaaap banget!


okay, now for the recipe.

ingredients:
(a)
600g chicken fillet diced (i cut mine in strips)
1 tbs cornflour/cornstarch
1 tsp salt

(b)
100g cashew nuts, fried
3 dried chillies (cut to about 1" strips)
2 big onions, diced (i used the yellow kind)
4 garlic, thinly sliced
2" ginger, thinly sliced
1 green capsicum, cut to strips (i used about half of green and another half of red)
3 tbs oyster sauce
2 tbs tomato suace
1/4 cup water
2 tbs oil

the how to:
1. coat the chicken fillet with cornflour and salt.

2. heat oil in wok and fry the chicken fillet till golden brown, then put aside.

3. fry the dried chillies and set aside.

4. saute ginger, garlic till slightly brown and add in the big onion.

5. next, add in the capsicum, chicken fillet, oyster sauce, tomato sauce and water.

6. once the water has reduced, turn off the stove and stir in the cashew nuts.


that's it. like i told you guys, it's very easy.

luck luck you guys.

recipe source: 1 hari 1 resipi by chef hanieliza

vanilla cupcakes

sometimes you don't need to go all fancy schmancy to be happy.

i had the weirdest craving for vanilla cupcakes today. the whole day. no joke. i don’t know what brought it on. i shall blame it on the mones. they’ve been very naughty lately. very, very naughty. baaaaad mones.

so, what’s a girl to do, when she’s too lazy to go out and get herself that vanilla cupcake? well, she does something waaaay better, that is to whip ‘em up herself.

you guys wanna try this? this is a super easy super fantastic recipe. i’ll share it with you guys. ready?

ingredients:
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour (i used normal flour)
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
the how to:
1. preheat oven to 175°C (350°F/Gas mark 4). Line muffin tin with paper baking cases.
2. place all the ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. spoon the mixture into the cases. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. remove muffin tin from oven and cool for 5 minutes. then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.
5. store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Now, what did i tell you? easy peasy right? i managed to get about 18 2" cups. (boleh fehem?)
okay, another fantastabest thing about this cupcake recipe is that you can make variations out of it.
say, if you want to make
saffron cupcakes, all you need to do is to make the basic cupcake recipe, add a pinch of saffron to 2 tbsp of boiling water. infuse for 5 minutes. after creaming the cupcake ingredients, just stir in saffron and water.
you want another variation? how about almond cupcakes?
okay for this, again, you make the same basic cupcake recipe and add 3 tbsp of ground almond to the mixture and instead of vanilla essence, you substitute it with almond essence. easy, right?
or, if almond is not something that you fancy, you can make vanilla and sultana cupcakes. all you need to do is to stir in 75g (3oz) sultanas in the cupcake mixture. voila! if you noticed in the picture, i added coffee chips to the cupcake mixture. the possibilities are endless. (i sound like a dayum iklan...sowwy.)
okay, geng. luck luck. lemme know how your cupcakes turns out and hey, if you have other variations, perhaps you can share it with me?
recipe source: 500 cupcakes and muffins by fergal connolly

ikan asam tumis

it seems as if i've been cooking more instead of baking...rinduler pulowk.

today's recipe is called ikan asam tumis. again, taken from here. i think the taste is similar to the dish that my MIL once made. so, okaylah tu! kan? hehehe...




personally, i think this is one of the easiest dish that i've made. i also have the recipe book to thank because the instructions are not that many and pretty easy to follow. kenapalah masa aku muda-muda remaja dulu, masa tak reti masak dulu tu, takde orang nak kuarkan buku macam ni, kaaaan?



aneeways, here are the ingredients needed to make this super simple dish. ready? let's go!
ingredients:
(a)
2 slices/cuts (?) of spanish mackerel/tenggiri
1 cup tamarind juice
1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 tomato (cut into 4)
salt to taste

(b) these should be thinly sliced

3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1" ginger
1 green chilli
1 red chilli
1 big onion

the how to:
1. clean the fish thoroughly and coat with turmeric powder and salt.
2. deep fry the fish until it's cooked and set aside.
3. saute all the sliced ingredients (b) until shiny and fragrant.
4. add in the tamarind juice and the 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder.
5. once the gravy starts to boil, add in the fish and tomato.
6. add salt to taste.

haaaa...what did i tell you? easy, right? well, what are you guys waiting for? get to the kitchen already!!

note to self...

when weekend, stay home.

hmmm...i think i like this size better. will stick to font this size from now on.

1 hari 1

resipi.




a friend of mine suggested that a few of our friends get the same book so that maybe one fine day, we could all get together, choose a particular recipe and then try it out. well, yesterday i just flipped open a page and tried one of the recipes and true to what is claimed on the front cover of the book, 'gerenti jadi'. which brings me to another issue. i've been asked by friends to share recipes before. i was shocked that one day a friend asked me for a recipe and also said at the same time that "it's okay if i don't want to share". hmmm...this really was something new for me. because i love to share recipes and see what others make out of them. i was also shocked to learn that some recipes 'dont work' or is 'not reliable'. question is, why put out recipes but at the same time 'hide' a few ingredients? or why even put it out, at all? well, knowledge isn't knowledge until you share it with others. that's what i believe.

okay, back to the book and the first recipe that i tried. yesterday, i made Ikan Tiga Rasa. i must say that the taste is really good. (perasankah? takpelah...sendiri masuk bakul, sendiri angkatlah...) and i can even say that it's similar to that i've tasted at the many tomyum shops around town. so, nak resipi? betul ke? okay, i share.

ingredients:
(a)
fish - the books says use either pomfret or asian seabass (siakap) but i used kerisi (itu je yang ada kat dalam fridge mak temah)
1tbs of corn flour (to coat the fish with) - i opted
3 shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
2" of ginger, thinly sliced
some oil to fry the fish

(b) for the sauce. in a bowl mix these together:
3 tbs of tomato sauce
3 tbs of chilli sauce
3 tbs of oyster sauce
3 tbs of water
1 tsp of sugar
(c) garnish
some spring onions
2 red chillis - i opted
2 green chillis - i opted
2 tomatoes - cut into four
method
1. coat the fish with cornflour and fry till golden brown.
2. once done, place the fish on a serving dish.
3. leave about 2 tbs of the oil used to fry the fish in the wok and use that to saute the sliced ingredients until fragrant.
4. add in item (b) and let it simmer and stir once in a while.
5.once done, pour the sauce onto the fish and garnish sesuka hati.

luck luck guys!
book cover taken from: here
recipe from the book: 1 Hari 1 Resipi, 365 Resipi istimewa Chef Hanieliza

apam pelangi

what better way than to start the new year with my first ever recipe blogpost. yelah, kata pun azam tahun baru ni nak memblog dengan lebih gigihnya, kan? so, here's one of my favorite recipes. sure hit punya kalau buat... (perasan kah?) hehehe... i got this recipe from here and here. one thing good about these two blogs ialah, resipi they all insyaAllah menjadi. so, lo and behold, my version of apam pelangi.

baiklah, apa kata kalau kita berkongsi resipi.

i didn't use the full recipe but instead i halved it. eh, ada ke perkataan 'halved'? lantokler labu.

okay, you will need these items:

ingredients

2 eggs

1 tsp ovalette (better known as the egg stabiliser)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

150g flour

150g castor sugar

125ml coconut milk (i used low fat milk)

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

food coloring (an excuse to go crazy, perhaps?)

method

1. beat egg, sugar and ovalette together on high speed till thick and fluffy.

2. next, add it the coconut milk and vanilla essence.

3. add in the flour that has been sifted (okay, i must admit, i didn't sift my flour - too much kerja) with the baking powder and salt, into the mixture.

4. divide the batter into three (or more, maybe?) parts and color them with your choice of colors.

5. put a dollop of each color one after another (i used an 8" round baking tin)

6. steam over medium heat for about 30-35 minutes or until done.

luck luck you guys!