Saturday 27 October 2007

Pralines

I just have few minutes, cuz I'm about to deliver my Pralines to my bf's nieces. So, I'll just write few sentences here :) These chocolate actually requested by his little niece while we were reading some tabloid in Puncak last holiday. She was having cold that time, nearly everything she eaten out if she coughs. Poor Caitleen ... :( So, to make her feel better I promised her to make the chocolate she saw in the tabloid *hihihi* She was so happy about it.

So, I went to Titan for these wilton molds:


What I did was just melting some white chocolate and put colours *also using Wilton's candy colouring* and pipe in the molds and let it cool in the fridge. Easy and so cute, right?? :p

Sunday 21 October 2007

Pad Ka Praw

This is today's lunch. Pad Ka Praw. M'reth introduced this meal to me. She let me know step by step how to make this, unfortunately without measurement *oopps* She never know how much exactly for mostly of her cookings. She told me just remember to keep testing everytime *hehehe* That's what I did. Somehow, I remember just approximate measurements just to make it easier for the beginners like me :)



Pad Ka Praw
Source: m-corner


Ingredients: (approximate measurements)

400 g minced pork

3 cloves garlic, chopped
cooking oil
Fresh basil leaves
6 Fresh chillies, chopped
2 tbsps fish sauce
1 tbsp cooking wine
4 tbsps kecap manis / sweet soya sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oil, add in garlic and stir until fragrant. Add in the meat cook until brown colour.

2. Add in fish sauce, cooking wine, kecap manis, salt, pepper and sugar. Give it a try until you get your desired taste. It supposed to taste sweet, salty and hot.

3. Add in the chillies and finally the basil leaves. Stirring for about 2 minutes. Serve with rice and fried egg.

Basil Pork Ramen ala Su Yin

I'm really in the mood to cook this week :) This morning I made Basil Pork Ramen ala Su Yin. I always like korean instant ramen. It's kinda feel like back to college. The korean restaurant next to my college had been my favorite place for lunch. Got new idea of how to cook it from Su Yin's blog, yeahhhhh... The extra meat makes it soooooo delicious. I don't know how the other take this style, so I just prepared 1 bowl using 1 package of the instant nooddle. After tried a little, I passed it to my mom and then my bro. They liked it so much even I didn't have another go *hahaha* That's okay, I'll make one tonight again after posting this new way of enjoying korean instant ramen :) I know that my bf is now waiting for me to cook and let him try. He's not too excited though, but let see after that *hihihi* Please do try, guys.





Basil Pork Ramen ala Su Yin
Source: Su Yin

Ingredients:


1 package of korean instant ramen
2 tbsps of sesame oil
Minced pork
Fresh basil leaves
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup of chicken or beef broth


How to:


1. Cook the instant ramen according to the package instruction.


2. While the nooddle is cooking, you can start to heat the sesame oil, add in garlic and stir fried until fragrant. Put in the meat. Cook until becomes brown. Empty the condiments of the ramen into the meat. Add in the basil leaves and chicken or beef broth. Cook until boil and becomes a little thickened.


3. While you are cooking the meat, don't forget your nooddle *hehehe* You must be concentrated. Once nooddle cooked, strain and sit them in the serving bowl. Pour in the meat. Enjoy while it's still hot, yummy.....



Saturday 20 October 2007

Shepherd Pie


I always like potato, no matter how it cooked or made I'll take all in *hahaha* but I'm not greedy, hehehe. Always want to make pies. I missed those pies sold in woolloomolo, sydney *hikshiks* Imagine how tasty they are even me who don't like green peas ate the pie everytime going there *day dreaming eating the pie*


I took the recipe from m-corner *again...hehehe*. Looks like very easy to make. When making my shopping list for Hainanese Chick Rice, I listed this one also just in case if my mood jumps in instantly while at the supermarket *hihihi* and it did. So after ate the chick rice, I have gained my energy to make this Sherpherd Pie :)


Sherpherd Pie
Source: m-corner


Ingredients:

750 gr red potatoes, cut into chunks
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, divided
400-500 gr extra lean ground beef *I used only 400 gr*
2 Tbsp. flour
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots and bell peppers, thawed *I skipped this one, mom *hehehe*
3/4 cup beef broth
2 Tbsp. ketchup -----I added around 5 tbsps of ketchup, salt, pepper and sugar to your taste *remember always to taste when cooking :)

How to:

1. COVER potatoes and garlic with water in large saucepan.
Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 min. or until potatoes are very tender. Drain; return to saucepan with sour cream.
Mash to desired consistency. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Cheddar cheese.

2. PREHEAT oven to 180°C.
Brown meat in large nonstick skillet. Stir in flour; cook 1 min. Add vegetables, broth and ketchup; continue cooking 5 min.SPOON meat mixture into 8-inch square baking dish.
Cover with mashed potatoes. Bake 18 min.; *it took me more than this cause I my oven is bottom heater, which is hard to get the potato turns golden*
sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.
Bake an additional 2 min. or until heated through and cheese is melted. *I don't want to get the bottom meat burnt so after 2 minutes I left the pie in the oven with door closed to get the cheeder turns golden colour*


Hainanese Chicken Rice

Tempted by m-corner made Hainanese Chicken Rice couldn't hold myself so instantly I made my shopping list that day and went shopping on that nite. She didn't post the recipe yet, but just for me she told me how to cook it on the messenger *hehehe* Thanks, mom :p
It's easy to make, just like she said. Since this is my first time, I guess I need time for trial and error. It's not totally ruined, just need to remind myself everytime to give it a taste before put it in the rice cooker. The tastiest rice comes from tastiest chicken broth *I forgot to taste the soup hihihi and a little less taste in the end* But it still delicious though, if you eat with sweet n sour chili plus soy sauce...hm... yummy. Give it a try, less hazzle than other cooking and not to mention yummy, yummy, yummy. I even didn't have breakfast and directly cooked it just want to save some more room for my Hainanese Chicken Rice *hehehe*



Hainanese Chicken Rice
Source: m-corner

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Rice, washed few times and drained *I measured out 4 glasses using my drinking glass, it made easier for me later when to cook the rice I'll just measured out 4 glasses of chicken broth using the same glass. That way you'll get your rice cooked just right, hihihi* lesson from an untie who ran a canteen while in college.
3 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced *If you like the ginger taste, you add more*
Garlic, minced and more for making the garlic oil
Salt to your taste
Cooking oil
Directions:
1. Boil water enough to cover your whole chicken. Put in the chicken, sliced ginger and salt. Let it boil once more, then simmer for 20 minutes *depends on your chicken size*. Set a side. *remember to give it a taste*
2. Heat the oil in a wok and put in all garlic and keep stirring until fragrant and turning golden. Set aside bigger amount of oil and the garlic for serving the chicken later.
3. Using the same wok and left garlic oil to stir fry the rice. Keep stirring until fragrant. Move from the heat and pour into the rice cooker. Add in 4 glasses of chicken broth. Let it cooked by itself :)
4. Cut the chicken into your preffered size and serve with garlic oil, rice and sweet and sour chili sauce.
Sweet and sour chili sauce
Blend all together:
Chili
Salt
Sugar
Garlic
Lemon juice
*no measurement, everything is to your taste, hehehe*

Tuesday 16 October 2007

Satay, satay and satay

For the long weekend, probably the longest holiday we can have of the year I prepared chicken satay, pork satay and beef satay for our BBQ nite at Puncak. I thought instead of doing nothing and just playing cards for the whole day at the villa until our hands cram *hahaha* so... I thought it'd be fun to entertain ourselves at nite :)

I got these satays ready days before since I only have time at night after work. You know that small meat cubes and satay skewers are killer? *hahaha* I experienced that, my left hand was in pain the day after like you've been lifting heavy stuff. I got some marinades from the website. I like most the beef satay, recipe from "kedai hamburg"... delicious, of course it has honey in it and not many other ingredients to keep the beef taste. But some like the pork satay, I guess it depends, huh? For the chicken, I choose to do it Malaysian style. It's not the matter of which one taste better, but I guess we are used to with the Indonesian taste which is more plain than the Malay *hihihi* And Indonesian chick satay uses "kecap manis" my favorite *hehehe*, I guess you can tell why now... Just in case you guys would like to try, check out below.

Sweet Pork Satay
Idea taken from: cikciks' blog

Ingredients:

1 kg Pork, cut into cubes or any other size or shape you like :)
Satay skewers

To marinade, blend all together and let the meat marinaded overnight:
100g pecan
2 tbsps coriander seeds, stir fried w/o oil for couple of minutes until fragrant
2 fingers galingale, grated
1 finger turmeric
16 shallots
8 cloves of garlic
4 lime, squeeze the juice
200g palm sugar
10 tbsps sweet soy sauce "kecap manis"
6 tbsps soya sauce "kecap asin"

Chicken Satay
Taken from one of the fellow Malaysian's blog

Ingredients:
4 chunks of chicken breasts, cut into cubes or any size or shape you like :)
Satay skewers
To marinade, blend all ingredients become paste and add in 4 tbsps sweet soy sauce "kecap manis" and 1 tbsp oyster sauce and marinade overnight:
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 inch ginger
3 cloves garlic
6 shallots
2 tbsps turmeric
2 stalks lemon grass
4 tbsps oil

Honey Beef Satay
Source: kedai hamburg

Ingredients:
500g beef, cut into cubes or any size or shape you like :)
Satay skewers

To marinade, blend all together and marinade the meat overnight before arrange them on the skewers:
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsps sweet soy sauce "kecap manis"
2 tbsps oil
4 tbsps honey

My lunch box by mom

I intended to post this simple lunch box few weeks ago, it held until now :p I don't know why but everything mom's made always be a special for me, not just me though. Even it's a simplest but to us, me, my sis and my bros, it's a special treat ever *hehehe*
So, while my grandma was abroad, my mom is the chef for the week :p Everything she cooked were fingers licking. And she even cares for my lunch at the office so she woke up early to prepare. The menu was stir fry vegetable *i don't know what the vegie name :* and fried pork cutlets. Vegie was simple, stir fried with chopped garlic. The fried pork also simple but delicious. I can eat the mountain high plate of rice only with these pork cutlets. Slice pork in squares, like 1cm thick. Then marinade with lime juice, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Simple as it is. Even for amateur like me can do *hahaha*