on Monday, we had a mix of Indian influenced dishes for iftar - Pilau Rice with Honey Chicken, Cucumber Raita, Courgette & Mint Relish, Chick Pea Curry and Fried Aubergines. few things missing - papadom & mango chutney & pickled lime - none in the pantry and couldnt be bothered going out to the shops to get them.
above L to R : Pilau Rice, Ayam Masak Madu, Chick Pea Curry
L to R : Curumber Raita, Coriander & Mint Relish, Fried Aubergine
thats the whole spread. i'm not into indian sweets, i did have Frozen Samosa in the freezer but it completely slipped my mind. i made Kueh Ketayap and encik suami blitzed Mango Lassi as well to complete the course.
nampak macam banyak sangat lauk kena masak and you must have thought i spent a lot of time in the kitchen? well, you got it all wrong.. it took me just over 10 minutes to prepare Cucumber Raita which i made in the afternoon, then chilled it. i used Brahim's Ayam Masak Madu paste for the chicken dish, follow the instruction on the packet, then i added petit pois (very small green peas) and sliced onions. Courgette & Mint Relish was bought from the quaint Jam on the Hill shop in the Rutlands.
PILAU RICE (original recipe from bbc.co.uk, with some modification -
in red)
Ingredients
450g/1lb
basmati rice (i cooked 4 'rice cooker' cups of rice for 4 people for iftar & sahur)1 medium
onion, finely chopped
large knob
butter, plus extra to serve
( i used 2 tablespoons of Ghee)pinch
saffron threads (
u can skip this if you dont have any saffron)2 bay leaves
600ml/1 pint hot chicken stock,
vegetable stock or water (
6 'ricecooker cups' of water, i normally use the ratio of 1 cup rice :1.5 cup water; add 1 pot Knorr Vege Stock)fresh coriander leaves
Preparation method
- To make sure you get lovely fluffy rice, wash it in several changes of cold water, then leave to soak for about 30 minutes in fresh cold water. If you don't have time for this, place in a sieve and wash under the cold tap for a minute or so. (i used the second method - i just placed the rice in a sieve and wash under cold tap)
- Cook the onion in the butter for around 5 minutes until softened. Add the spices, saffron and bay leaves and cook for a couple more minutes. The spices will give a wonderful fragrant flavour to the rice. Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated in the butter before stirring in the stock or water and salt. (from this point on, i shall leave it up to you how you want to cook the rice; reason being because i used the electric rice cooker. once i stirred in the water, i just put the pot into the rice cooker. however if you choose to use the ongoing method, you will definitely get fluffy rice - i know cos i've tried that method before) Bring to the boil and then cover with a tight-fitting lid. If the lid isn't very tight, cover the pan with aluminium foil before putting the lid on. Turn the heat down low and leave to cook for 10 minutes before turning off the heat. Don't remove the lid; just leave the rice to continue cooking in the pan for about 5 minutes until you're ready to serve.
- The rice should have absorbed all the water and will just need fluffing up with a fork. Add a knob of butter before serving
(original recipe from bbc.co.uk, with some modification -
in red)
Preparation method
- Heat a deep saucepan or a medium sized wok and add the oil or butter followed by the onions and garlic.
- Fry the mixture till the onions are caramelised. Then add the salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric and red chilli powders. Mix for a minute and tip in the tomato. Cook the sauce until it begins to thicken.
- Add ¼ cup of water and stir. Then tip in the chickpeas and mix. Mash a few of the chickpeas while cooking. Cover and simmer for five minutes. Then add the ginger and the garam masala. Cook for another minute.
(original recipe from delia online with some modification)
half cucumber - peel, cut into half lengthwise, slice thinly. put in basin and sprinkle with salt. leave for an hour. drain the liquid and dry cucumber/strain in kitchen paper. (you can also remove the seeds and finely diced)
combine cucumber with natural yogurt, spring onion, 1 clove chopped garlic and season with salt & pepper and chill.
(you can add mint leaves/coriander leaves and chopped tomatoes if you are using them)
FRIED AUBERGINES
half aubergine - cut into quarter lengthwise, slice thinly. sprinkle with salt & turmeric powder and deep fry.
MANGO LASSI
1 can Mango Pulp (+ syrup)
fresh milk
single cream (u can skip this)
natural yogurt
crushed ice ( i skipped this)
blitz everything & serve chilled.
It's not often that I make satay. We used to buy our satay from the Restaurant Mulia on the corner of Jalan Gurney and Jalan Tun Razak - the satay was good and the kuah kacang was also tasty. This is the first time that I really took the time to prepare the satay the proper way - with full ingredients. 
Satay marinade: 
Grind / pound using a pestle and mortar the satay marinade ingredients. Which ones to pound first is your preference but the end result it to combine the all with the vege oil last. 
would advise immersing the satay sticks for a few hours to prevent them from burning. (Take this advise with a pinch of salt - trust me, it will burn if left unattended and the stick exposed to fire).
The poking part - the meat is very cold especially if you just took it out of the fridge and can numb your fingers and hand. So having your other half to help is very useful.
Once all the satay has been poked or to use a proper term, skewered, prepare your bbq pit. Place the satay sticks so that the fire does not burn the sticks. 
Dab the satay occasionally with vegetable oil. Use a stick of lemongrass (pound it a bit so that the fragrance infuses into the oil). Be careful as the oil tends to make the coals flare and overburn the satay.
For the dipping sauce:
Method
When cooked, put aside the salmon. Turn off the stove. Take a small piece and break it into flakes. Scoop about 2-3 plates of cooked rice and mix well.
