Elderflower & Lemon Drizzle Cake

Alhamdulillah dapat bertemu bulan Ramadhan lagi tahun ni. Muslims in the UK are facing the "longest" Ramadan in 33 years, as the holy month coincides with the summer solstice, meaning long days of fasting.

I made this last week and there are a few slices left in the cake tin which I would eat one slice every night after berbuka puasa. got this recipe from GoodtoknowRecipes magazine, may 2011 issue.

Ingredients :

• 225g butter, softened
• 225g caster sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 eggs
• 225g self raising flour, sifted
• 2tbsp hot water
• 100ml elderflower cordial (if you don't have elderflower cordial, can substitute with lemon lime cordial)
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Method

1. preheat oven to 180 deg C/Gas 4. grease and line a loose based, round, deep cake tin
2. place the butter, caster sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and beat until pale and fluffy
3. gradually add the eggs, whisking well between additions. when you whisk in the last egg, add 2 tbsp. of the flour as well to prevent curdling
4. sift in the remaining flour, then gently fold it in with a metal spoon along with the water.
5. spoon into the tin, level it off and bake for 45-50 minuts or until it is shrinking away from the sides of the tin.
6. leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes
7. sieve the lemon juice to remove the bits then stir the cordial into the juice to make a syrup.
8. use a fine skewer (lidi satay) to prick the cake all over, then pour over the syrup and sprinkle with sugar, it should in in but still leae a crunchy crust
9. leave to cool completely before removing the cake from the tin.

Ikan Singgang Asam

yesterday morning, when I was thinking of the dinner menu and asked encik hubs for his idea, he said
"kalau u masak ni (he hasn't told me yet what to cook), I sayang you".  oh, selama hari ni tak sayang i lah!  then he said "sayang tapi kalau you masak ni, mcm my mom masak masa I kecik dulu, I lagi sayang you".

so, untuk menambahkan lagi kesayangan suami, maka si isteri telah buka buku resipi Johor Palete, a gift from his cousin,  Kak Chah/Datin Latipah Atan. i'm forever indebted to her for giving me the book which was written by her sister in law Datin Adek and her cousin. infact, my late mom in law is featured in one of the photos in the book.

anyways,  it is a simple dish, tak banyak ingredients but kena cukup pedas, masam, masin, manis dan pekat. I had to ask him to rasa while I was cooking as I didn't know what  it should taste like. susah bila masak utk orang yg pandai makan and especially its something that his mom cooked for him.

ingredients

2 mackerels - can use ikan tenggiri.
1 1/2 cups chilli puree - I don't have chilli puree (cili boh), so I used chilli powder (brand Allagapas from msia) mixed with water.
2 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. tamarind paste (asam jawa)
3 1/2 tbsp. sugar
salt to taste

method

1. wash the fish and rub with asam jawa and salt
2. strain the chilli puree mixed with 2 1/2 cups water into the pot to collect the chilli juice. if you use chilli powder, then you just mix the chilli paste with water (not too much because it has to be thick)
3. add the fish and remaining ingredients to the pot
4. slowly boil on very low heat until the gravy thickens and fish is cooked.

tip : you will know it is cooked when the kuah turns darkish red and pekat.

last night I fried bendi (okra) with kicap, cili and bawang to go with the ikan singgang asam. perfect combo.

best left overnight and re heated next day, makan dengan roti canai, like I did this morning. sedapppp!!

chicken shawarma with mint yogurt

our first taste of  shawarma was from that small kiosk outside Giant in Ampang Point  (cant remember the name now).  it was simply delish.  I got this recipe from Tesco (free) magazine. easy to make, tasty, refreshing. my first attempt and it was a success. I put lots of  yogurt sauce on my bread that Aisyah said there wont be any left for others!

ingredients :

4-6 skinless and boneless chicken thigh fillet (depending on size)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp sumac (this is Mediterranean spice - i haven't got it in my pantry so I skipped that yesterday)
1 lemon halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
200g greek yogurt (if you cant find greek yogurt, any plain yogurt will do)
handful mint , leaves chopped (i planted a pot of mint - that came in handy yesterday)
and i added handful coriander leaves, chopped
4 flatbreads, warmed through (in msia they call it roti arab. there's no flat bread in the shops near us, so i just bought tortilla wrap & soft white wrap)
2 little gem lettuce, shredded
cucumber, cut into cubes
optional - pomegranate seeds ( i didn't use any)

1. put the chicken in a feezer bag. massage in olive oil, 1 tsp sumac, juice of half lemon, garlic, thyme and chilli flakes; season. leave to marinate for 10 minutes or overnight
2. preheat grill to high. put chicken on baking tray and grill for 10-12 minutes, until outside is lightly charred and middle is cooked through with no pink showing
remove from grill and set aside. slice into bite size pieces/strips
3. meanwhile, combine the yogurt, mint, coriander, remaining sumac, squeeze of lemon juice in a bowl, season to taste. set aside until needed
4. to assemble, spread each flatbread with spoonful of yogurt, top with lettuce and cucumber and chicken slices/strips.
5. roll up the flatbread and serve warm.  

baked salmon and roast potatoes & tomatoes

I love collecting free magazines/recipe cards  from supermarkets - waitrose, Sainsbury's and Tesco because they usually  have easy and yummy recipes, in other words cheap & good.

this recipe was taken from Tesco magazine, made by encik suami last weekend.

ingredients

500g jersey royals (potatoes), halved if large - you can use any kind of potatoes.

1 red onion, quartered

2 rosemary sprigs,leaves picked

2 tbsp. olive oil

2x270g pack salmon fillet

1 lemon, zested and quartered

200g on-the-vine cherry tomatoes - can just use any kind of tomatoes but quartered or diced

1. preheat oven to gas 6, 200 deg C.

2. cook potatoes in a pan of boiing salted water for 10 minutes or until tender. drain well

3. put the potatoes, onion and rosemary in a roasting tin and drizzle with half the oil. raost for 10 mins

4. add salmon to roasting tin and scatter over the lemon zest.

5. cut the tomato vine into 4 and add to the tin, squeeze over little lemon juice and add lemon wedges to the tin

6. drizzle over the remaining oil then season well. return to the oven for further 10 minutes or until salmon is just cooked through and potatoes are crisp.

7. divide between 4 plates and serve immediately.

8. serve with salad or roasted Mediterranean vege and rice as side dish (rice salad)

note : we didn't make the roast potatoes last weekend, just deep fried  some chips.

mushroom risotto

I made this yesterday, my first attempt. we loved the risotto that we had in Turin, Italy on our year end holiday 2 years ago and I've been wanting to try making it ever since but I never got round to look for the most important ingredient - dried porcini mushrooms.

yesterday morning I was in Tesco and the dried mushroom packets were right infront of my eyes, googled recipe and bought risotto rice and sparkling white grape juice (to substitute white wine). I used the recipe from Hairy Bikers' Family cookbook, which is not much different to the recipe from bbcgoodfood  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2364/mushroom-risotto

the most important ingredient in any risotto recipes are  the dried porcini mushrooms and of course the risotto rice. if you cant find the porcini mushrooms, you can skip that and use any other kind of mushrooms but not the dried Chinese mushrooms - they are a bit strong. you can also use fresh white/chestnut (brown)/oyster mushrooms instead. and most recipes use white wine and of course, I substituted that with sparkling white grape juice. it has to be sparkling, not still because the wine/juice will have to evaporate when poured into the rice. 

and you can also make chicken or seafood risotto.

now that I have made the risotto (Italian rice dish), next on my list would be paella - the Spanish rice dish.

welcome back.

its coming to end of may 2016 and i'm writing my first post of the year???!!! tsk! tsk! tsk!

I've been posting lots of food photos on facebook that sometimes I forgot why this blog exists. and when  friends asked for the recipes, I usually copy & paste the recipes which I usually got online and more often than not, I would delete those posts after sometime and lost the recipes.

off late, I turned to my recipe book collection for the new dishes that I make for family meals. now that the weather is getting warmer with occasional rain on some days, we dine at the patio at weekends/in the evenings. my dream is to build a conservatory at the patio area  but after getting the quotation the other day, it looks like I have to forget about that for the time being (like few more years!).

and when we have our occasional alfresco dining, then the food will have to be simple, one dish meals served on the dinner plates which can then fit the small round dining table. what matters to us is the ambience and cosy-ness and most importantly, everybody sits  down and eats together.

the other day, my first born said to her lil sister, when she was about the leave the table to watch telly
"what is more important than sitting down having dinner with the family? once you leave the house (for uni) then you will not be able to do this again". and ever since that day, everyone has to sit at the table until everyone finishes.

we don't have much but we have each other.

Silverstone

At Silvestone watching Jazeman race. Best of luck!

Tuna Pasta Bake

when the kids are on half term break and mummy works at home, dapor tak berhenti berasap sebab nak kena prepare lunch. but fortunately the kids just eat simple food such as  pizza, chips, pasta, soup.
on Friday I just felt like making tuna pasta bake which big missy likes, but the lil missy not liking tuna wanted cheese & broccoli pasta.

 
I used the recipe from this website. http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/534857/tuna-pasta-bake

1tbsp oil

1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped

5 medium-sized mushrooms,chopped

150g sweetcorn, canned or frozen

400g can chopped tomatoes

3tbsps tomato puree

300g penne pasta

185g can of tuna fish in sunflower oil, drained

25g pack of ready salted crisps

100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

900ml flameproof dish

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the sweetcorn, tomatoes and tomato purée and simmer for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, stir the pasta into a pan of boiling salted water and cook according to pack instructions, until just tender. Drain, then put it back in the pan. Set the grill to hot.
3. Stir the pasta into the sauce, then break the tuna into large flakes and gently mix in. Spoon into the dish. Crush the crisps in the bag and sprinkle them over the top, with the cheese.
4. Put the dish on a baking tray and grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown. Serve hot with salad or greens.

Spaghetti meat balls

my kids love pasta and we normally have them at least once a week. this is the simplest & again fuss free meat ball recipe that I found online.

I didn't have to ubahsuai the recipe sebab semua ingredients senang nak cari.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spaghetti_and_meatballs_69603

simple tomato sauce with lots of flavour is perfect for spaghetti and meatballs. A weeknight classic. This is designed to be a low cost recipe.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 1 x 400g/14oz tin tomatoes
• 500ml/18fl oz vegetable or beef stock (from a cube)
• 400g/14oz dried spaghetti
• salt and pepper

For the meatballs

• 400g/14oz beef mince
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• ½ tsp dried mixed herbs
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation method

1. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook gently without browning for 4-5 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic, continue to cook for two minutes until aromatic, then add the dried herbs, tomatoes and stock. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer gently while you make the meatballs.
2. For the meatballs, mix together the mince, garlic and herbs along with a decent pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands roll into 20 balls.
3. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, fry the meatballs on all sides until nicely coloured, being careful not to burn them. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer to the saucepan holding the sauce.
4. Continue to simmer the sauce for 10 minutes while you cook the spaghetti.
5. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add a pinch of salt and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and tip into the saucepan with the meatball sauce. Mix well and serve hot.

Mary Berry's Fast Lasagna

I watched her made this lasagne on telly last weekend, terus teruja nak try sebab memang fast and fuss-free. however with some of the previous recipes, I made  some adjustments to suit the halal haram requirement and to cut short the process further. Work smart ok!

last night I just used Dolmio tomato lasagne sauce instead of making tomato & thyme sauce. saja lah malas nak buat sauce and also there was an offer in Tesco - Dolmio sauce was at half price. 83p for the big 750g bottle. but I think the homemade sauce is better and not as runny.

my verdict : easy to make and taste yummy.. no need to make white béchamel sauce separately like the usual lasagne recipe.

recipe from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/fastlasagnewithporka_83462

Ingredients

For the ragu and spinach sauce

• 1 tbsp oil
• 450g/1lb pork sausage meat - I replaced with minced meat.
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 fat cloves garlic, crushed
• 150g/5oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 x 200ml/7fl oz carton full-fat crème fraiche - I used crème fraiche because its easily available in the shops here. but you can use thick double cream if you cant find crème fraiche
• 100g/4oz baby spinach, roughly chopped - I didn't chop the spinach because they tend to soften so easily and kids didn't even notice them..
• salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the tomato and thyme sauce

• 1 x 400g/1lb can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• 1 tsp demerara sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

For the lasagne

• 6 sheets, about 75g/3oz quick-cook white lasagne or fresh lasagne
• 50g/2oz strong cheddar cheese, grated

 

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
2. For the ragu and spinach sauce, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the sausage meat and brown over a high heat until golden, breaking up the meat with two wooden spoons.
3. Add chilli, garlic and mushrooms and fry for a few minutes. Stir in the créme frâiche and spinach.
4. Bring to the boil for a couple of minutes, season well and set aside.
5. For the tomato sauce, measure all the ingredients into a jug and season well.
6. Divide the ragu sauce into thirds and spoon one third into the base of an oven-proof dish.
7. Spoon one third of the tomato sauce on top and arrange half the pasta sheets over it. Repeat using two more layers of ragu and tomato sauce and one of pasta.
8. Sprinkle over the grated cheese.
9. Place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, bubbling around the edges and the pasta is tender.

Glowing Face/Seri Muka

its been a very very long time since I last wrote in this blog;  one of the reasons is - its been ages since I last tried a new recipe but the main reason is I've been a lazy bum!...

yesterday, for the first time in my entire life, I tried making Kuih Serimuka. I found this recipe which my fb friend,  a beautiful lady named Puyah (her real name is Fauziah), shared it on her wall.  Puyah is a  friend of my cousin Cik Kinah, whom I knew since I was a teenager way back in the old days in Kelate. the recipe originates from a food blog called Amie's Little kitchen.

I love kuih serimuka but I've always been  intimidated by the lengthy process and not  sure whether the recipe would produce the serimuka yg lemak berkerim. I set such a high standard; it has to be like the one made by my mom or my granny. and to make it worse, since I got married more than 16 years ago, I've never  had any other serimuka except made by Abang Yeb, my brother in law or his late wife arwah kak wan. they make the bestest serimuka ever  and we are spoilt by their superb quality kuih muih melayu.

having looked at the recipe that Puyah posted on fb, my instinct was its do-able and looks good and I should give it a try and guess what?? i'm so pleased with myself! good texture, lovely taste, pulut & topping lembut dan lemak. my encik suami said sedap & pass piawaian serimuka keluarga wan. ada jugak comment sikit - tambah garam sikit je lagi so that lemak sikit.  I sent some to my friend Sani & June and this morning Sani said the serimuka tu sedap, cuma  tambah gula sikit je. but to be honest, semalam I was 20g short of caster sugar..

I had to make it in 2 batches sebab my periuk kukus is small. I have a big steamer but its really really big and malas nak keluarkan from the store. Since the small steamer cannot fit the 8" diameter cake tin, I used a serving bowl instead, hence the shape,  tak kisah lah, janji ada rasa & rupa serimuka. even after one day, the pulut and topping still lembut. my kids especially the big missy likes the kuih. so the verdict  is - BOLEH BUAT LAGI !!

note : yesterday I only made half the adunan sebab  first time buat. what if it doesn't turn out nice, then it would be binned!  

Recipe from Amie's blog (from http://salamisimon1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/resepi-seri-muka-yang-paling-sedap.html)

Lapisan Bawah:600 gram beras pulut - basuh (rendam sekurang-kurang 3 jam sehingga beras pulut kembang jika anda ingin mengukusnya) dan toskan
100 ml santan
500 ml air
1 sudu teh garam
3 sudu makan minyak masak

Lapisan Kepala:
6 biji telur
400 gula kastor
4 sudu makan tepung beras
4 sudu makan tepung gandum
3 cawan santan pekat
1/4 sudu teh garam 
pewarna hijau epal (1 cm kulit kayu manis + 1 sudu teh jintan + 4 helai daun pandan ditumbuk lumat, bubuh dalam santan dan tapis - tambahkan 4 helai daun pandan kepada 7 helai)

my note : I didn't use daun pandan or colouring hijau because I don't have any of those. I used 1/2 tsp pandan colouring/esen which was "imported" from Malaysia.

Cara:
1. Didihkan air kukusan.
2. Sementara itu, sediakan Lapisan Bawah. Satukan semua bahan, tanak hingga hampir kering. Masukkan ke dalam loyang 10" x 10", tekan hingga padat. Kukus semula selama 20 minit. (my note : I put a layer of cling film in the bowl sebelum masukan pulut, so that senang nak keluarkan bila semua dah masak nanti)
3. Pukul telur hingga hancur, satukan dengan santan, gula dan kedua-dua jenis tepung, kacau rata.
4. Bubuh pewarna dan garam, gaul sebati dan tapis. Jerang di atas api sederhana, dan kacau hingga naik wap.
5. Tuangkan ke atas Lapisan Bawah, dan kukus lagi selama 30 minit.
6. Sejukkan sebelum dipotong.

LLAP

There are those few who inpire so many to do greater things....

Live long and prosper sums it all up.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AstroTerry/status/571700996360970241/photo/1

banana choc chip cupcakes

teruja nak buat cuppies ni after  my fb friend Kak Not aka Kak Rose Shahari Brown (who is Izwan Mira Mummy the lawyer's cousin) who lives up north in bonnie Scotland & whom I am yet to meet, uploaded this recipe on her fb wall.

I bought some bananas last weekend and had 2 left yesterday, over ripe and perfect for making banana cakes..the recipe is actually Mary Berry's, the baking guru. dead easy to make & very delish too..

For the cakes

• 100g (4oz) butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 175g (6oz) caster sugar
• 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 50g (2oz) chocolate chips

For the icing

• 50g (2oz) dark chocolate , melted

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
♥ Measure the butter, eggs, caster sugar, flour, baking powder, milk and bananas into a bowl and beat together until combined and smooth. Mix in the chocolate chips.
♥ Spoon into the paper cases and bake for about 25 minutes until well risen, golden brown and shrinking away from the cases. Remove the cases from the tin and set aside to cool.
♥ Drizzle over the melted chocolate in a zigzag pattern using a small piping bag or teaspoon.
PREPARE AHEAD The cakes can be made up to a day ahead.
FREEZE They freeze well cooked for up to 3 months.
AGA Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold sheet on the second set of runners for 20-25 minutes.

butterfly cupcakes

recipe for cupcakes and buttercream icing is the same as the previous vanilla cupcakes but all you need to do is, cut the top off the cupcakes, fill in with butter cream. cut the sliced top in half and place the half slices of cake on top to resemble butterfly wings.

mary berry made a different version - orange butterfly cakes. see recipe here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/orange_butterfly_cakes_82059

vanilla cupcakes

I baked these for lil missy's 7th birthday party goody bag.

150g/5 oz lightly salted butter, softened
150g/ 5 oz caster sugar
175g/6 oz self raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

buttercream
150g/5 oz unsalted butter, softened
250g/8 oz icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp hot water

1. line 12 section bun tray with paper cupcases
2. put all ingredients in a bowl and beat with hand held electric whisk for 1-2 minutes until light and creamy
3. divide cake mixture between the paper cases
4. bake in preheated oven 180 deg C/350 deg F/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes
5. for icing, put butter and icing sugar in a bowl and beat well with wooden spoon or hand held electric whisk until smooth and creamy
6. add vanilla extract and hot water and beat again until smooth

iced fairy cakes

few weeks ago I bought Mary Berry's cookery course cookbook from Tesco..comes in hard cover, pictoral  step by step instructions and Mary's secret of success.. well worth £10 ! and I just realised that I bought Mary Berry's 100 cakes and bakes book some time ago but never got round to try any of the recipes.

2 weeks ago, lil missy's school had a cake sale and parents have to fill the paper plate with small cakes or savouries. so I decided to bake one of the easiest cupcakes - fairy cakes.

she helped me to read the recipe and instructions and decorate them. I prefer using ounces (yeah, old school !!) and she read it as "oz" like wizard of oz !!!

oh I forgot to mention - my other half bought this cute timer because our cooker/oven doesn't have a timer. ayam tu berkokok bila dah tiba masa! and my cousin firman who lives in Aberdeen,  came to visit with his family in December, bought me a new scale. I just love the design!

 

100g/ 4oz butter, softened

100g/4 oz caster sugar

2 large eggs

100g/4 oz self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

 

for the icing

 

225g/8 oz sifted icing sugar

2-3 tbsp. warm water

 

sprinkles, hearts etc to decorate

 

1. preheat oven to 200deg C/fan 180deg C/gas 6
2. place fairy cake cases into bun tin
3. measure all cake ingredients into large bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes until mixture is well blended. fill each paper case with mixture
4. bake for 15-20 minutes until cakes risen and golden brown
5. to make icing, put icing sugar in a bowl and gradually blend in warm water until you have fairly stiff icing. spoon over top of cakes and decorate with sprinkes



coffee & walnut cupcakes

my baking mood is baaackkkk!!

started with Victoria Sandwich and iced fairy cakes for lil missy's school cake sale, then I got hooked into baking again.

ingredients :

2 teaspoon espresso coffee powder ( I used normal instant coffee powder)
2 teaspoon boiling water
125g/4 oz lightly salted butter, softened (I've always used Stork for baking)
125g/4 oz golden caster sugar
2 eggs
150g/6 oz self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g/2oz chopped walnuts

coffee buttercream

1 tsp coffee powder
2 tsp boiling water
100g/3 1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened
150/5 oz golden icing sugar
12 walnut halves to decorate

1. line 12 section bun tray with paper cupcases.
2. blend coffee powder with boiling water
3. put butter, caster sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder in a bowl. add coffee and beat with hand held electric whisk for about a minute until light and creamy.
4. stir in chopped walnuts
5. divide cake mixture between paper cases
6. bake in preheated oven, 180 deg C/350 deg F/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes. transfer to wire rack to cool
7. blend coffee powder with boiling water for butter cream. beat with butter and icing sugar until pale and creamy
8. spread buttercream over cakes or put in piping bag & swirl. decorate with walnut halves 

daging masak merah

Day 18 : buka puasa with lots of fruits. Daddy went to the butcher in the morning and went to the nearby Asian gro shop & bought some unripe mangoes to make  mango kerabu and some plaintains (similar to pisang tanduk).  petang pergi Tesco, beli watermelon.

the theme for Day 18 iftar was "sawadee kap".  tried  making Daging Masak Merah for the first time and found an easy recipe online which doesn't use red colouring..

 

kerabu mangga

 

pisang goreng ala cik anyah (my great grandma); the classic style of pisang goreng tabur gula - the family favourite



 

daging goreng merah 

ingredients

daging lembu - in big chunks (sebesar penumbuk!!)  - rebus for about 45 minutes and toskan, then slice nipis2.
bawang besar - hiris nipis
bawang putih - cincang
halia - hiris halus
baby corn - slice half memanjang
mushrooms - slice thinly (you can skip this)
daun ketumbar/daun bawang
tomatoes - hiris bulat
salt & sugar

sauces :

tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce. recipe asal guna chilli paste but I had to skip this  sebab ada BBM (british born melayu) in this house  yang tak tahan pedas. so I substituted with sweet chilli sauce.

method :

tumis bawang besar, bawang putih & halia. then masukkan all sauces, garam, gula, bit of water and the sliced beef. let it simmer till the sauce thickens. then add in the mushrooms and baby corn; finally tomatoes and daun ketumbar. senang aja buat nya..

vietnamese spring roll

hari ni buka puasa with fusion food, or bak kata my friend Oya "very the global" food.

main meal - lamb (pan fry) with vege and chips
kueh - vietnamese spring roll
drink - air sirap bandung (soda water + sirap + susu pekat)

i asked kamar to get me kulit popiah yesterday when he went gro shopping at the asian shop. well he bought both - kulit popiah biasa and also rice paper.

so hari ni, kita buat vietnamese punya dulu, esok2 kita buat popiah melayu.  i just used the recommended recipe on the packet.

for the filling
2 cloves garlic
small prawns (boleh ganti dengan crab stick kalau nak)
1 carrot - cut into thin strips
taugeh
su'un (small packet) - rendam dalam air panas sampai transparent & toskan
ground white pepper & garam secukup rasa (bulan puasa ni kena agak2 sikit lah)

salad

tumis garlic, masukan semua bahan2 diatas (except salad) dan stir fry for few minutes, angkat & toskan. let it cool.

to prepare/gulung

1. fill a large bowl with warm water. soak  one sheet for 30 seconds until soft then place on a damp tea towel.
2. place salad on the sheet along the edge, then spoon the filling over the salad.
3. fold over until filling is covered. fold in each side, roll up and serve.  lebih kurang macam gulung popia biasa.

bila nak makan, dip/cicah in sweet chilli sauce.

cuba lah.. senang saja & its refreshing.. no goreng2.

lemon layer cake

our big missy baked this at school in the design & technology (cookery) subject. the theme for this term is  "sweet sensations". so far they had baked cookies & cheesecake, the last one before year ends they will make almond tarts.



apa2 pun, when i got home from work today, daddy said "mummy dah ada competitor!.. the lemon cake is really nice". memang ya..its light and tangy and not sweet or too lemony.

she normally gives me the recipe sheet on saturday, for me to get the things when i do my weekly gro shopping.  tuesday morning mummy kena get the ingredients ready. somehow this morning i just realised that i overlooked " lemon curd" for filling. so, daddy had to drive her to co-op at 8am to get the lemon curd and dropped her off at school.

nasib baik lah mummy dulu suka baking, ada lah jugak segala baking tins and common ingredients macam baking powder, icing sugar etc

the cake is something like victoria sandwich, except that the cake letak lemon zest and replace strawberry jam with lemon curd. 

a slice for me - for after dinner..

ingredients

for 17.5cm (about 8") cake

180g margarine (i always use Stork for baking)
180g caster sugar
3 large eggs
180g self raising flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
rind of 1 lemon

filling : lemon curd (if you cant get lemon curd, can replace with jam)

topping : 50g icing sugar

baking equipment : 2 x 17.5cm cake tins

method

1. preheat oven gas 4/180 deg C
2. place all the cake ingredients in a bowl and mix together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy
3. divide the mixture between the tins
4. bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch
5. carefully remove the cakes from the tins and place on a cooking tray until cold
6. place one cake on the plate and spread with lemon curd. put the other cake on top. sieve icing sugar or add other decoration

So easy kan???