Wake Up and Smell the Cake

Hello I am back. Haha. Although I have kabsa spice mix in the pantry, somehow I was afraid to cook it. Even today, I went to the supermarket and stocked up on ingredients for briyani but realised that I ran out of briyani spices. Sad. The kabsa mix has instructions on the packet but is so minimal, like how a mother explains a recipe. Came across this recipe , which is for chicken and now as I'm typing this, I actually visited the mutton version from the same website but didn't follow. I should've since there's more spices! Pfft. Oh wells next time then. Mutton Kabsa Rice 1kg mutton (some with bone) 3 bay leaves 1 tbsp coriander powder 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp black pepper 1/3 cup butter 2 red onions, thinly sliced 6 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 inch ginger, finely minced 2 tomatoes, diced 1 tbsp tomato paste 3 tbsp Kabsa spice mix Lemon zest (cos I don't have dried lime) 2 cups basmati rice (should be 4 but who's gonna finish it) 4 tsp salt Tomato Salsa 1 lar

Did a quick meal cos while I plan to cook a proper one (not that this wasn't proper), but just that even Sundays are so packed that I can't even find time?! So this was the quick meal as requested by Husband, recipe adapted from a website but here's what I used. A week ago I tried something to this effect but didn't have the leaves and I added carrot instead. Also, the choice of chicken part makes a difference. The fillet/breast absorbs more sauce.  Say hello to my new Cosmic Cookware pan! Thai Basil Chicken 3 packets of chicken fillet/breasts, about 700g chicken? 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 heapful tbsp brown sugar 1 onion, sliced thinly 6 garlic, minced 5 chili padi A whole bunch of thai basil leaves, sliced All sauces into a bowl and mix, typical stir-fry and add leaves last. Cheap, good and yummy! Serve with a sunny side up and rice. [I realise I have made this before, with a simpler recipe here . But this is a better version!]  

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.

Goat meat is expensive. I got a kilo from Mustafa at almost $40. But I was told that it's worth it, so here goes. Decided to make rogan josh out of it. As with any Indian recipe, there's so many variations to it. I chose this version , and here's my tweaks. There are some things I missed out cos I don't have them (mace, Kashmiri chili powder) or I totally forgot until I am typing this (8 cloves, 2 tsp ground tumeric), and some things I cut short like grinding alllll spices altogether instead of having some in powder form, some not. I also added fennel seeds cos what's curry without fennel right? Hahaha Rogan Josh 1kg goat meat 250ml yoghurt (I used greek) 4 medium onions 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 tbsp minced ginger 2 star anise 12 cardamom pods 2 tbsp black peppercorns 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp fennel seeds 2 tbsp chili paste 1 small tin of tomato puree (or 4 tbsp) Marinate the meat in yoghurt overnight. Slice onions thinly. For the d

Yet another kuih Melayu conquered: kuih bakar lauk. Not too difficult lah since it's a mix of roti kirai and kuih bakar pandan. Got the recipe from here , since the blogger tried and tested before deriving this version.  I fried the minced meat a day ago with sliced onions, fennel and cumin seeds, curry powder, salt and pepper. Kuih Bakar Lauk 1 box santan Kara (coconut cream) 150ml water 100g flour 3/4 tsp salt 2 eggs Tumeric powder for colour Garnishes: sliced red chili, bawang goreng, parsley For the bigger tray, after cooking till the sides don't stick, put in a preheated 180 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness. The first batch was done using the small moulds but I wasn't used to it yet and turned out horrible. First batch. But no matter, the son finished them up anyway. After pouring the batter and adding the garnishes, cover the pan to cook the batter. Doesn't take too long to cook.

Experiment time! Tried out jeneket, even though I don't know what it is. I might have eaten it before, but I can't recall. It is an old school snack but isn't readily available now. It is like making doughnut, but since the yeast is not a lot, the batter can be left overnight. And I love easy peasy recipes. I have avoided making bread because you need to wait for a certain number of hours, go to it again, then let it proof again. Also, kneading. Nope. But this 'bread' just requires using the k-beater on my Kenwood, then let the dough rest overnight, or 8 hours.  Recipe is from here , and I've searched many many times and all sorts, just to make sure I know what I'm doing. I made half a batch. Jeneket  300g flour 200ml water (supposed to be 100ml) 1/2 heapful tsp bicarbonate soda (or potas but can't find that) 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg 100g caster sugar 1/8 tsp instant yeast 1 tsp baking powder Beat egg and sugar until volume increases. I used the highest speed

I've been growing lots of Thai Basil (I have three pots) and they're finally ready for cooking. I've also made Thai Green Curry paste way earlier and it's been sitting in my freezer ever since. I've made green curry before, but that was using a paste bought from a recent trip to Bangkok. That turned out perfect, complete with pea eggplants (those small green bitter balls) & Thai eggplants (green and round). Wanted to try making from scratch, so I followed the recipe from here . Thai Green Curry Paste 4 green chilis 6 green cili padi 2 medium onions 2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped 2 tbsp galangal 5 cloves garlic 2 1/2 tsp belacan 2 tsp lime zest, grated 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp tumeric powder 2 tbsp chopped coriander root and stem 1/4 cup coriander leaves Thai Green Curry Recipe 1 set green curry paste Oil for frying 250ml coconut cream, and then some (recipe calls for 400g) 3 tsp fish sauce 1 bloc

Tried my hand at mutton mysore! My ultimate favourite whenever I have rice set meals at Indian restaurants. Boil 1kg lamb before hand. Although you can just boil just like that, I wanted to make the meat slightly frangrant. So I fried an onion, few cloves of garlic, an inch of ginger, threw in the usual bay leaf, cardamom, clove, star anise and boiled. Note to self, pressure cook for 15 minutes only. I did at 20 and the meat was soft yes, but that is if I were to eat it straight away. Since I was gonna cook it again, I should have par boiled it. Now for the spices! Spices to fry: 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 10 cashew nuts (obviously I added like 30 or more) 2 cinnamon sticks 5 star anise 4 cardamoms 3 cloves To saute: 5 cloves garlic, pounded 1 inch ginger, pounded 3 red chillies, slit lengthwise 3 onions, sliced 3 stalks curry leaves 5 tomatoes, sliced Curry powder: 5 tsp chilli powder 3 tsp coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp cumin

I finally did it! And it's so quick and yummy. Highlight of my otherwise moody day. I got the recipe from a news editor that I follow on Instagram and she said this is the Malay version of kacang pool. I don't know what's the non-Malay version but yes this is the one I'm looking for! Kacang Pool 1 can of broad beans, I think about 270g? 200g cooked minced meat 1/4 tsp black pepper Pinch of salt To blend: 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (dry fried) 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (dry fried) 2 onions 3 cloves garlic 1 inch ginger Remove the beans, drain and wash them. Mash with back of the spoon coarsely, depending on the texture you want. Dry fry the fennel seeds and cumin seeds for a few minutes till slightly roasted. Grind. Blend the onions, garlic and ginger together. Because my grinder can't grind 1 tsp of seeds, I ended up grinding all those together. On hindsight, I should have just used the pestle and mortar Hahaha. Fry the paste till fragrant, then add the

Since today McDonald's closed for 2 weeks because of COVID-19, I took the opportunity to feed the kids my pancakes and remind them that storebought isn't always best. PLEASE GET THAT IN YOUR HEADS KIDS. See lah, dowan to believe mama can cook right. But I'm glad all pancakes were finished! Yay! There's no need for buttermilk for these, and it's fluffy and soft and wayyy better than McDonald's honestly. Pancake Recipe 1 1/2 cup flour 3 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt (but my butter is salted butter so I omitted) 1 tbsp sugar 1 egg 3 tbsp butter, melted 1 1/4 cup milk Add wet ingredients together, mix. Then pour into bowl of dry ingredients. TADA. SEE SO FLUFFY

Makcik level unlocked y'all! My first successful kuih Melayu kukus. I call this putri salat but some people call it Kuih Seri Muka too. I googled a few recipes and did a few tweaks (orginal from here ) so here's what I used. This makes a perfect balance of pulut and custard cos I don't like when the pulut is more than the custard. Like a rip off. Also, I only had 285g of pulut left. HAHA. Pulut 200ml santan milk 285g pulut/glutinous rice 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp oil Soak the glutinous rice with water for about an hour prior to using. Drain the water. I used my IKEA glass bakeware which I don't know the size, probably 8x5 inches? and oiled the whole baking dish. Mix the santan, salt and pulut together and let it soak for a bit. Put pandan knots if available. Steam for 30 minutes. Fluff up the pulut, get the santan all mixed well then flatten the steamed pulut with a greased spatula. Make sure there's no gaps. Steam for another 10 minutes. Pandan Custa

I love apam balik. The soft one, with lots of corn. So when @khairulaming posted this on his instagram, I bookmarked it. The recipe is not too much until you get sick of eating apam balik, but I do feel it needs some tweaks to get the pancake king version. But not bad for a first try. 2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tbsp melted butter 1 1/4 cups water 1 egg Additional butter for the pan I do feel it needs some salt, more sugar and I shouldn't have liberally made it so thick HAHA. The pan is important too, I kinda burnt some parts of the pancake. Got them bubbles!! This recipe made 2 large pancakes. Also, the filling needs to be sprinkled with sugar liberally (read: 3 tbsp or so), my first try wasn't enough. Pancake was soft even for the next few days after that (kept in the fridge then reheated in the microwave). Husband found it to be acceptable, but I was kinda not okay with it but ohwells. I can tweak it

This is version 3! And the yummiest, so far. I used ghee to roast the semolina before adding milk, and I used real milk instead of evaporated milk. Ghee I didn't measure, but probably 5 tbsp? (or 70g butter) 1 cup semolina 1 cup sugar 4 cups milk (I used low fat) 7 cardamoms 2 tbsp rose water Raisins and almonds Melt ghee in big pot until hot. Add in the semolina and fry/roast until a nutty smell. Add in the cardamoms too. Need to keep stirring, make sure it's not burnt. Will take a few minutes. Once done, add sugar, milk and rose water and stir constantly. Make sure to flatten all lumps and stir until the semolina absorbs all the liquid. When this happens, the ghee won't be seen anymore, and it becomes thick. Done!

DOUGHNUTS! Boy was I sooo happy when the dough rose! I have low confidence handling bread. But these are soft and yummy! Only thing is I can't make a small batch, don't know if it'll work. So lots of doughnuts to go round. Original recipe:  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017060-doughnuts INGREDIENTS 1 ¼ cups milk 2 ¼ teaspoons (one package) active dry yeast 2 eggs 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough Oil for frying PREPARATION Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes. Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the

Soooo. My last post was exactly a year ago! I have been meaning to update with recipes mostly, but that too I did not make time for, so finalehhh I am writing. I'll post recipes first, cos I'm lazy to upload pictures. Nagasari Jagung Original recipe: http://narny.blogspot.sg/2010/08/nagasari-jagung.html 450ml water 175g sugar 1 pandan leaf Boil the above until the sugar dissolves. 1 packet Hoon Kueh flour (120g) 200 ml water In another pot, mix flour bit by bit in the water and gently simmer. I used a whisk. My first time making this, I had a hard time removing the lumps cos I added the flour all at once! Add the sugar water. 250ml thick coconut cream (the Kara brand, I didn't try coconut milk thinking it'll be diluted) 1/2 tsp salt 1 box corn kernel (Del Monte, wash away the water) Add the coconut and salt into the simmering mixture and whisk until it reaches boiling point (5 minutes). Finally add the corn and stir for another 1 min. Spoon 2 tbsp

Husband was feeling under the weather, so I decided to make sayur asam. From scratch. The last time (the first time) I made it, I used a paste I bought from Indonesia so it was easy peasy. There are quite a few recipes, and I used one from this website since it looks relatively simple. Sayur Asam Blended/pound spices: 1 thumb-size of galangal 4 shallots 1 bird's eye chili 5 red chili 4 cloves garlic 5 candlenuts 1 tsp of shrimp paste/belacan Other ingredients: Peanuts Long beans (about 5?) 2 sweet corns (cut into 2 inch pieces) 1/2 head of cabbage (cut into large piece) 3 tomatoes (quartered) 1 carrot 3 bay leaves/daun salam 2 asam keping, for good measure 2 Tbsp of seedless tamarind paste in water 1 gula melaka cylinder Salt to taste (abt 1 1/2 tsp?) Those ingredients are not easy to pound using my stone pestle and mortar, yet not enough to blend in blender. I should have used food processor instead hahaha. Oh wells. Fry the blended ingredients in

I harvested my first Thai basil leaves last Saturday! That's about 3 weeks since planting. Decided to try out a small batch of Thai basil stir fry chicken. I think I can harvest again this Saturday, the leaves grow really quickly since I have three sets of plants. Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry 200g chicken breast, sliced thinly then marinated Marinade: 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil 1 small onion 3 cloves garlic 2 cili padi, sliced 1tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp fish sauce Basil leaves, sliced It's really easy to make! I think I might make again, with minced beef instead. This will be a staple go-to food since I'm always having Thai basil leaves all the time hahaha.

We were watching Asian Food Channel, Cooking for Love programme and the menu for the day was rawon (slow cooked in the oven!), ikan pepes and durian creme brulee. I'm actually interested in the dessert, but Husband wanted the ikan pepes. So the next day he went to the market and then we prepared the fish together. Original recipe is here , but we kinda adapted it cos I wanted to try a hand at masak campak-campak and master it. Also I know there's many variations of ikan pepes but we absolutely LOVE this. So here's our recipe, which was just nice to cover 3 medium sized ikan merah. Ikan merah is a good fish since it's so soft! Ikan Pepes To blend: 2 onions 7 garlic 2 inches ginger 2 inches galangal 6 candlenuts 2 inches tumeric 10 red chilis 6 cili padi 4 cm sq belacan 4 lemongrass (stub keep for later) Other ingredients: 2 blocks gula melaka 2 asam keping 1 1/2 tsp salt 16 lime leaves 2 tbsp coriander powder Blend all the to-blend ingredien

Such a belated post but just had to record this down. The Husband loves mozzarella cheese sticks from Swensen's, and recently we found out the kids love them too! So I tried to recreate it at home, since I already have the coating ingredients (children LOVE  homemade chicken nuggets ). First try had the mozarella melting in the oil, so the second time I did double coating and increased the heat such that the coating will cook quickly. I used 2 egg, cornflour, panko breadcrumbs and a mix of the following spices: smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, cajun spices, garlic powder. And mozarella, of course. Here's the first attempt! Cheese melted out, but super yummy! So second batch, made with double coating i.e. cheese in flour, then egg, then flour, then egg, then panko mix. Take that Swensen's! HAHA. Of course it's not as neat as Swensen's cos that's like machine made and all, but I think I did well! 

Kids were sick over the Deepavali holiday so I made macaroni soup, only for me to finish practically the entire pot. Pfft. First time making it, and I used minced beef meat like my mum, but I didn't put leafy greens in. Instead I added carrot and baby corn. Also used a cube of Maggi chicken stock for some flavour. 1 cube shouldn't hurt right? Haha. It turned out alright, but the household aren't soup eaters. Anyway just to document, no recipe used. Just fried 1 onion sliced, with 3 cloves chopped garlic, then 300g minced meat (250g should have been fine). Added water only after the minced meat was cooked. Also added 1 tsp black pepper, 1 cube chicken stock and 1 tsp salt. Oh and spring onions. Also when we were grocery shopping, the boy wanted to eat mushroom soup, since he said he tried it in school before and he likes it. So we bought 1 can (I know I cheated) and added mushrooms which I already have. Guess how much he ate. THREE spoonfuls. *rolls eyes*