Wake Up and Smell the Cake

First time making sambal belado to clear out ingredients in the fridge. Bought chili to make nasi goreng kampung but there's not enough leftover rice, but there's lime and tomatoes. I don't have a food processor (this goes into the long list of household appliances I need to get but aren't that urgent) so I had to use my blender and add a little water. Also didn't manage to get the rough cut of chili. But the taste is good! Recipe adapted from here . Sambal Belado 2 large onions 200g red chilis 5 cloves garlic 2 large tomatoes Juice from 6 limes/ limau kasturi Blend all of those stuff together except the lime juice. Fry it all in oil until reduced and fragrant. Add sugar (about 4 tbsp? or to taste) and salt (about 1 tsp) Add lime last, after sambal is almost done. I ate with fried chicken, and in another occasion tossed it with leftover pasta and greens. Awesome.

We were each given 2kg worth of dates that I know will go to waste cos we don't eat dates unless it's made into something else.  It also looks gross packed like that. Tried two recipes, one is a date cake and another is an energy bar of sorts. Many said try sticky date pudding but I am lazy to make the toffee sauce. The energy bar was basically dates, oats and nuts packed together and baked and I froze them for quick breakfasts. Not something I'd repeat, but the date cake is worth making over and over! Original recipe from here , but as usual I don't measure properly. Date Cake 2 cups pitted dates (original calls for 1 1/2 cups) 1 1/2 cups water 1 tsp baking soda 113g butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla essence 120g sugar (original calls for 150g) 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cup flour 2 tsp baking powder Boil the pitted dates in water until the dates are mush and forms a thick paste, about 5 minutes. Add baking soda, mix well (it'll bubble!) and set aside. Cream butter and sugar ...