OMG!!!

has it really been this long?? really?? forgive me...i initially wanted to write about my trip, my ultimate vacay...but suddenly i found that there are a lot to write about, the trip, i mean, so i've decided to put that on hold for a while and see if i can somehow write about it...if not, then soli. if yes, then okaylah...

so, jet-lag pun jet-lag ler jugak, but the kitchen must go on. haha!

today, i am making asam pedas daging. i've eaten it before, the original version, from Melaka, of course. sodaaaap.

i bought a few (read: 9) recipe books for my aunty to bring back to sweden. it has all the famous recipes from each state of the country. i only have 9, but knowing me and my 'condition' i will try to get the rest as soon as i can. right now, i have Sabah, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan,Terengganu, Perak, Pahang, Johor, Kelantan and Melaka.

the cover of the book (hamboi, kemain lagi posing chefnya ye...jangan marah chef...) claims that the recipes are 'gerenti jadi', i thought before i give it to my aunty, why don't i try one. yes? yes. since i have all the ingredients, why don't i try the asam pedas. very daunting? yes, very daunting. but if i don't try, then i'll never know, right?

okay, are you guys ready for the recipe? here is the recipe:

ingredients:
(a)
250g beef (in a pot of water, cook the beef till it's tender and keep the stock)
½ bowl of tamarind juice
cooking oil
some 'daun kesum' or viatnamese mint
1 tomato, cut into 4
salt and sugar, to taste.

(b) items to blend
1 big onion
½ inch galangal
½ inch ginger
7 dried chillies (soaked in hot water prior to that)
1 inch belacan or shrimp paste
1 lemongrass

the how to:
1)  heat oil in pot and saute item (b).  once it's cooked and fragrant, add in the beef stock.

2)  next, in goes the beef that has been sliced, tomatoes, the tamarind juice and also the daun kesum.

3)  add in salt and a little bit sugar.

4)  simmer till it boils and take it off the heat.

5)  ready to be served.

what i like about this book is that, the way to cook each dish is really easy, five steps and you're done! way to go Chef Salbiah!

now, for the taste, well, as per claimed by the book, the recipe 'memang jadi'. i like the taste...it's really sodaaaap. aaaaandddd yang paling penting sekali, my roomie also said it's sodaaap. alhamdulillah... ;-)

what are you waiting for? give it a go!

recipe source: Cita Rasa Malaysia - Melaka, by Chef Salbiah.
photo of daun kesum/viatnamese mint: Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages