The Spongy and I

As I’ve mentioned beforehand, the smell of freshly baked bread and buns can make me weak at my knees.Just by looking at the photos of these delicious work of art can bring the similar effect to me. Here, I would like to share one of my favourite bread recipes which is also Atus’s favourite.

CHICKEN FLOSS BUN

Source : MamaFami

(A)

• 500g of high protein flour
• 1 teaspoonful of instant yeast

(B)

• 60g sugar
• 1 teaspoonful of salt
• 1 teaspoonful of milk powder

(C)

• 1 egg (about 50g)
• 250ml water

(D)

• 50g butter

(E) (I added these too!)

• 1 teaspoonful of bread softener
• 1/2 teaspoonful of bread improver

(F)

• chicken floss ( I used ready-made floss by AgroMas)
• mayonnaise

Method :

1. Since I’m using my breadmaker to knead and proof the dough, I pour in the water and egg first into my breadmaker’s pan and followed by the remaining ones.
2. I did half of the recipe and I managed to get about 8 balls. Once the dough has risen, I egg washed the shaped dough and baked it at 150C for 20 minutes but I noticed that the top was a wee bit too brown. Next time, I should reduce the baking time.
3. Once baked, keep aside but do not let to cool. When the buns are still warm, spread some mayonnaise and sprinkle the chicken floss on top.
4. I enjoyed my bun at 10.00 pm last night, of course, with my darling girl. Give it a try, will you?

 

Jello to Mellow

Although it could be ages before I’m able to try the numerous recipes in my recipe folders, a session in the kitchen would never fail to ease all the stress and any possible and unbearable impact the working world could bring. My whisk and spatula and my pots and pans have always been my loyal saviour. As the school holidays are coming and this means all the files need to be updated, I have chosen a simple jelly recipe just to mellow me down. A definite cooling and calming food therapy.

PUDING TAUHU

Source : K.Nor@SecubitGaram

Ingredients :

(A) (the pudding)

• a packet of jelly powder (about 10g)
• 6 and 1/2 cups of water
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoonfuls of sugar
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk ( I used Ayam Brand and diluted with some water)
• 1/2 cup of condensed milk
• 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
• a pinch of salt
• 1 screwpine leaf ( tied into a knot)

(B) (the sauce)

• 1 tin of lychees
• 1 tin of of water  (use the lychee tin to measure)
• 3-4 tablespoonfuls of sugar
• a few slices of tinned peaches (drained and chopped coarsely) and nata de coco (I added these)

Method :

1. In a large pot, put in jelly powder, sugar and screwpine leaf and let to boil.
2. Put in coconut milk, condended milk, evaporated milk and salt. Stir till nearly reaches the boiling point and turn the heat off. Keep aside till warm.
3. Sieve the mixture into a jelly mould.
4. Let to cool. Then, keep your jelly in the refrigerator till set.
5. As for the sauce, drain and shred the lychees but keep the syrup. Put your lychees aside.
6. Add the syrup, water and sugar and let to boil and the sugar is dissolved. Let to cool before keeping in the refrigerator. Add in your chopped peach and nata de coco.
7. To serve, put in your pudding and top with the sauce. It is best served cold.

 

Surviving A Battle

My Daus has never been keen on rice except nasi lemak and chicken rice. Trying to feed him rice is quite taxing most of the time. Well, in my attempt to win a battle, here’s what I’d prepared for him during the Deepavali break. As usual, some improvisations and amendments had taken place. Here’s the recipe if you feel like trying.

SIMPLE CHICKEN RICE

Source : city@Myresipi

Ingredients :

(A)

• 1 chicken (about 1.5kg) (cleaned and quartered)
• enough water to boil the chicken

(B) (To marinade the chicken)

• 4 tablespoonfuls of chilli sauce
• 3 tablespoonfuls of sweet soy sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely pounded)
• 1 tablespoonful of sugar
• salt to taste

(C) (For the soup)

• 2 cloves of garlic (bruised)
• 1 lemongrass (bruised)
• 1 inch piece of ginger (bruised)
• 1 packet of ‘sup bunjut’ ( I replaced this with 1 small piece of cinnamon bark, 3 cloves, 2 cardamom pods and 1 piece of star anise)

(D) (For the chilli sauce)

• 3 ripe tomato
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 fresh red chilies
• 4 bird’s eye chillies ( I used 2)
• 2 teaspoonfuls of vinegar
• salt and sugar to taste

(E) (For the rice)

• 4 cups of rice ( I used basmathi rice, soaked for 10 minutes and drained)
• 5 cups of water
• 3 tablespoonfuls of cooking oil
• 2 tablespoonfuls of butter
• 3 shallots (thinly sliced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
• 1 inch piece of ginger (thinly sliced)
• 1 screwpine leaf (shredded and tied into a knot)
• salt to taste

Method :

1. In a large pot, put in the chicken, water and ingredients in (C) except lemongrass, cinnamon bark, cloves, cardamom pods and star anise and and let to boil rapidly. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the liquid and keep aside. Put in the remaining ingredients in (C)let to boil for another 15 minutes and add salt to taste.
2. Meanwhile, mix all ingredients in (B) and put in the cooked chicken pieces and mix well. Keep aside for at least 15 minutes. You can either fry or bake the chicken  but do not throw away the remaining liquid because you can use this liquid as the soy sauce. Just add about 3 tablespoonfuls of sweet soy sauce, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoonfuls of water and heat over small fire for 5-8 minutes. As for the chicken, I baked mine in the oven at 150C (roasting option) for 10-12 minutes for each side.
3. For the rice, heat oil in your rice pot and add in butter. Once butter is melted, stir fry sliced shallots, ginger and garlic till fragrant. Add in screwpine leaf and rice and stir till each grain of rice is coated with oil.
4. Put in water and let to cook.
5. For the chilli sauce, put all ingredients in the blender and grind till fine. I heat up this mixture over small fire for 10 minutes.
6. Serve your chicken rice with the soup, sliced cucumber and tomatoes.

 

Because I’m a Malaysian

When I’m doing my grocery shopping, my two loyal subjects would usually tag along. The trip usually includes lunch or tea at at the eating place of their choice and would be concluded with an ice cream treat. From my observation, they would only ask for ice cream whenever they are going out with me. Somehow, it has become a ritual and frankly, I do cherish these moments with them.

On the other hand, it is a different story when I shop alone. When they prefer to enjoy Angry Birds or a new DVD at home, this means that I will have more time to ‘explore’ the new products available in store. Last month, I came across this product from AgroMas and after reading the information on the packaging, I decided to buy, just to feed my curiosity. Furthermore, this would be another saviour at times when my cook’s blog strikes.

 A TRUE MALAYSIAN PRODUCT

Well, you want to know the verdict? I like this product. It is easy to use and does not have that alkaline aftertaste we usually get from the usual yellow noodles. If you plan to fry your noodle with more gravy, I suggest that blanching the noodles before frying is a better technique compared to boiling. I boiled mine and found it a little bit too soft for my liking. However, all was not lost for Mr KHz enjoys yellow noodles and he finished it anyway.

FRIED NOODLES 

 

Fragrant and Waterless

Chicken, beef or fish? With or without vegetables? Mild or hot and spicy? If you are wondering, the dish I am featuring in this entry could be classified as one of Malaysia’s national dishes. Yes, it is the ultimate curry. After all these years, curry has evolved into being the dish enjoyed by many. Hence, the reason why this recipe is worth a try if you have had enough of the usual fish curry for lunch or dinner. it is also a good choice if you want something different for a change.

FRAGRANT FISH CURRY

Source :  Diana and  K.Nor@SecubitGaram

Ingredients :

(A)

• 600g of white fish (cut into small pieces) (I used 2 large pieces of red snapper, cut into halves)
• salt
• enough cornstarch
• oil for deep frying

(B)

• 4 sprigs of curry leaves
• a handful of dried shrimps ( about 1/4 cup) (soaked in hot water, drained and coarsely pounded)
• 4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 4 shallots (chopped)
• 1 fresh red chilli (thinly sliced)
• bird’s eye chillies (optional) ( I didn’t use any)

(C)

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoonfuls of curry powder
• 1/2 tablespoonful of oyster sauce
• 1/2 tablespoonful of light soy sauce ( I replaced it with fish sauce)
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoonfuls of dark soy sauce
• sugar to taste

Method :

1. Sprinkle salt over fish pieces and coat with corn starch.
2. Deep fry in hot oil till brown and crispy. Drain and keep aside.
3. Using about 3 tablespoonfuls of oil used to fry the fish, stir fry chopped garlic and shallots till fragrant. Add in pounded dried shrimps and keep on stirring till crisp.
4. Put in red chilli and curry leaves. Continue frying till aromatic.
5. Next, put all ingredients in (C) and mix well.
6. Put in your fried fish and cook over high heat for 3 minutes.
7. Serve hot.

 

Yes, I Did It Again!

I did not expect that the Kek Lapis Keju Persona would  be a great hit among my family members and close friends, for initially, I was kind of skeptical with the outcome. Well, I admitted that I was wrong and because of this ‘mistake’ I decided to try making this simple dessert using another recipe which was inspired from the original one.

KEK LAPIS TIRAMISU

Source : Yani

Ingredients :

• 250g cream cheese
• 50g butter
• 100g icing sugar
• a packet of coffee flavoured marie biscuits (I used Munchy’s)
• 1/2 cup of thick coffee ( I mixed 3 teaspoonfuls of nescafe to 1/2 cup of cold water)

Method :

1. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and icing sugar till creamy.
2. Line a baking tin/square container with cling plastic.
3. Dip biscuits into coffee and arrange into the baking tin. Next, spread some of cream cheese mixture evenly on top of your biscuit layer. Continue layering till you have filled up the baking tin. The top layer must be your cream cheese mixture. Once you have done this, crush the remaining biscuits till fine and sprinkle evenly on the top layer.
4. Chill till set. (It took me about 4 hours)
5. Cut into slices and serve.

 

It’s Just Because……..

As I’ve mentioned beforehand, Mr KHz is a true meat fanatic and since I didn’t prepare anything special for his birthday, some time this week, I decided to try a new recipe using one of his favourite meats, which is mutton. I had done some amendment to the original recipe and the cooking steps. After all the hassle in the kitchen, I was so happy because he liked the dish. Here’s the recipe if you wish to try.

MUTTON MASALA

Source : Senangnya Memasak Kambing by Chef Hanieliza

Ingredients :

(A)

• 500g of mutton (cut into small pieces)
• 2 potatoes (quartered)
• 1 tomato (chopped coarsely)
• 1 small bunch of Chinese celery ( I replaced it with 1 tablespoonful of dried coriander leaves)
• 2 tablespoonfuls of meat curry powder
• 1 teaspoonful of cummin seeds ( I pounded this coarsely)
• 2 cups of coconut milk, extracted from 1/2 a coconut ( I replaced it with 135ml of low-fat natural yoghurt)
• 1 cup of water ( I used 2 cups)
• 3 tablespoonfuls of cooking oil
• salt to taste

(B) (to be ground finely)

• 4 pieces of candlenuts ( I omitted because I didn’t have any)
• 2 large onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 cm piece of ginger
• 4 cm piece of cinnamon bark ( I used this whole)

(C) I added these :

• 3 tablespoonfuls of chilli paste
• 3 cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 2 sprigs of curry leaves

Method :

1. Marinade mutton pieces with curry powder, cumin seeds and yoghurt for 30 minutes.
2. Heat up cooking oil and put in cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, cinnamon bark and curry leaves and stir fry till fragrant. Next, put in ground ingredients, chilli paste and tomato. Keep stirring till the oil separates from the gravy.
3. Put in marinated mutton pieces celery leaves,and water and mix well. Reduce heat and let to simmer till mutton is soft.
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Serve hot with plain boiled rice or naan.

 

Within My Comfort Zone

Nothings beats the warm feeling than having a dish that uplifts your dampen spirit. As for me, the dish below spells comfort for me, whenever I’m feeling blue. Simply delicious.

‘SAMBAL GORENG A LA CIKYAH’

Ingredients :

• 1 packet of fermented soy bean cake (tempe) (cut into 1cm piece cubes)
• 2 pieces of tofu (cut into 1cm piece cubes)
• 1/2 cup of dried anchovies
• 1/2 cup of petai
• 5 fresh red chillies
• 5 pieces of bird’s eyes chillies
• 5 shallots
• 3 pips of garlic
• salt and sugar to taste

Method :

1. Grind red chillies, bird’s eye chillies and garlic coarsely and keep aside.
2. Deep fry soy bean cake, tofu and dried anchovies separately till crispy and drain.
3. Using 3 tablespoonfuls of oil used for frying the ingredients above, stir fry ground ingredients till fragrant and the oil separates from the gravy.
4. Put in fried ingredients and petai and mix well.
5. Add salt and sugar to taste.
6. Serve hot with plain boiled rice.

 

Easy Peasy Lip Smacking Goodness!

I have mentioned earlier that I prefer baking cakes than biscuits but when it comes to sampling, a piece or two would be my limit. The fun is more on finding out how the cake would turn out. Would it be a success or a total failure after all.

Some time this week, I tried a very simple cake recipe, using only four ingredients. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about how it would taste like, but the cake had proven me wrong. In simple words, I will definitely make this cake again and again. As usual, besides Atus and Mr KHz, those in school are always my target to sample my product. This time, they really enjoyed the cake and had asked for the recipe. As promised, here’s the photo and the recipe which will lead you to soft, creamy and cheesy goodness!

KEK LAPIS KEJU PERSONA

Source : ryoazhar and kak nor secubit garam

Ingredients :

(A)

• 600g chocolate flavoured marie biscuits (I used LEE brand) (about 1 and a half packets)
• 500ml fresh milk ( I used about 350ml)

(B)

• 500g cream cheese ( at room temperature)
• 10ml of fresh milk
• 1/2 cup of caster sugar

Method :

1. In a pot, heat up milk till simmer and take off from heat. Keep aside till warm.
2. Next, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Put in the caster sugar and beat till well-mixed. Put in the milk (gradually) and continue beating. Your mixture should not be too thick nor too thin.
3. Next, line a baking tin ( I used 9x9x3 inch square tin) with cling plastic.
4. Dip your biscuits into the warm milk (the recipe owner stated that you just need 1 second for each piece of biscuit) and arrange in the baking pan.
5. Spread the cheese mixture evenly on top of the biscuits. Continue layering (B-C-B-C) until you fill up your baking tin. The top layer should be your cheese mixture.
6. Crush the remaining biscuit pieces and sift evenly on top of your cheese layer.
7. Chill in the fridge till set. This ill take about 5 to 6 hours.
8. Cut into slices and enjoy!

 

Nasi Lemak 2.5?

Besides roti canai, it’s very common to see nasi lemak being served for breakfast and I do agree that it is the breakfast of choice by many of us. Some time last week, when I went down to the kitchen, I saw Mr KHz eating the last packet of nasi lemak bought by my MIL so I had no choice but to prepare something else. Usually, I would just pop two slices of bread into the toaster and by adding a slice of cheese, I would have my breakfast ready. However, on that day, I decided to prepare something else – a recipe which has been in the folder for quite some time and I guess, that day was perfect for another trial and error session.

PANCAKE

Source : kak nor secubit garam & hajar

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoonfuls of butter (melted)
• 2 eggs
• 2 and 1/2 cups of self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder
• 2 tablespoonfuls of caster sugar
• 2 cups of fresh milk ( I used Dutch lady low fat)
• 2 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice (optional)
• a pinch of salt

Method :

1. Blend all ingredients till well-mixed. ( I used my balloon whisk to do this).
2. Let to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Using a 12 cm diameter non-stick pan put over medium heat, spoon batter into the pan.
4. When you see bubbles forming up, flip over and cook till golden brown.
5. Serve hot with honey, jam or cut fruits.