Fried Beehoon with sauce

I have been very busy lately and is my excuse for not cooking. But as I was eating with a new acquitance, I realised my excuse is not beneficial to me nor my family. So now I am going to make a great effort to cook. I will start off with the weekends again and then slowly every day. I need to prepare myself physically. Soon my maid will not be with me and if I do not do the cooking now, I will find it difficult later.

INGREDIENTS:
1 packet of beehoon (my maid prepared this for me. Soak the beehoon in not water but do not leave it for too long.)
PEELED PRAWNs
cili Boh (Fry the cilli Boh first. Then add in the prawns. After that put in the soaked beehoon, fried tauhu and beansprout. Mix them together. Put in soya sauce and a bit of salt.)

Sauce
Garlic (chop the garlic and then fry it. Not too much oil though)
Taucu (add in about two big spoon of this and then add water. Let it boil.)

this dish should be eaten hot. serve the sauce and the beehoon separately. Garnish the beehoon with boiled eggs and kucai.

Roti Betawi

Been wanting to do this for weeks but did not get the chance. Today, after slogging for hours with the exam papers, I decided to make Roti Betawi. (The exam papers are still incomplete. He! He! He!)

INGREDIENTS:
Sardine from the tin (I like the one by TC Boy. It seems to taste better. For the small loaf of bread, I used nearly the whole big tin of sardine. Mash it up using a fork.)
Onion (Half would do. Dice it. Then mix it into the mashed sardine.)
Fresh Chilli (Preferably the red one. Slice it thinly and then add into the mixture.)
Limau Kasturi (The small lime but not sure what it is in English. I used two. Squeeze out the juice. You should extract the pits first.)
Loaf of bread (take a slice and place one not so thin neither should be so thick row of sardine. Then roll it hard.)
Two eggs (beat the eggs. Dip the rolled bread into it.)
Oil (The amount of oil you use should allow only half of the rolled bread to be sunk in. Place the rolled bread nicely into the oil - careful not to let the bread unroll. Let both side brown.)
Cucumber (the fried bread should be sieved so that excess oil could drip off. Slice the cucumber then stick it to the bread by snipping two parts of the bread.)
**Why no pictures? You might ask. Too hungry to think about taking photos.

Bee Hoon Soup

The easiest dish ever.Today appeared to be rather hot so a soupy dish would be nice to break our fast. After thinking of the dish, as usual I dashed off..not to TESCO but to TODAY'S.

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken ( Boil the chicken in a big pot. There should be plenty of water. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out and scraped off the meat.Put back the bones and the meat into the pot.)
Carrot (Cut the carrot into the size of toothpick. Put that into the pot.)
Chinese Cabbage (Separate the leaves from the white hard thing. Put the white-hard-thing into the pot. The leaves should be toward the end.)
Che Poh (Not sure what you call this in English though. do not put too much as it is very salty.)
white pepper
Salt (Do not put this a lot too as you have used Che Poh.)
Sesame oil (This is important.)
Bee Hoon (You need to soak this in hot water but should be too long as it will get very soft. the soup and the bee Hoon should be place in different bowls when serving because if you put the bee Hoon into the pot, it will get soggy.)

The Sauce:
sliced chilli (Preferably the small and hot one.)
Slice garlic (Fry this in a pan. do not use too much oil. add in the chilli when you could actually smell the fried garlic. Pour in the soya sauce when you see that the chilli has changed colour.)
Place the sauce in a small bowl.

Kuey Teow

My eldest son requested for Fried Kuey Teow.Since the other two sons screamed for it as well, I had no choice but to go to TESCO for the missing ingredients.( It is a good thing that TESCO is just 5 minutes drive.Very convenient)

INGREDIENTS:
Chilli Boh (Need to add a little bit more garlic. Fry it but do not use too much oil.)
slices of chicken Flesh (Add this into the wok)
Half peeled prawns (This is important as it sweetens the dish but add this when you see that the chicken is about to cook.)
cuttlefish (This should be added towards the end as if you cook it too long it will harden.)
Kuey Teow noodle (Need to separate the pieces first before you add them in an I usually rinse them a bit.)
Beansprout (I peel off the ends. Having a lot of kids make your life in the kitchen easier. Things that you do not like to do like peeling off the ends of beansprout - just get the kids to do it.)
soya Sauce (I use Cap KIPAS LEMAK MANIS. To me, it tastes better than other brands.)
white pepper (To make it spicy. Mix them well.)
Garnish the dish with slices of spring onions, slices of red chilli and fried shallots.

Soya Bean Ice-cream

 My husband and I took the children to Shah Alam - to see the replica of Rasullah's sword. We left early in the morning. After the musuem, we headed towards KL. We had Lamb and Chicken Mendy at an arab restaurant - near Pavillion. They did not have Greek Salad. So we had the rice with Arab Salad instead. After our late lunch, we went to Pavillion for Soya Bean Ice-cream. The one that we had is called Sesame Sensation. 

Garlic Bread

We had spaghetti last week but it felt as if not enough. So I made garlic bread. No pictures taken though cause too hungry to think anything else.

The ingredients:
Margarine (about two scoops.Either you leave it to soften or keeps on pressing it with spoon)
Oregano (Add a few dashes of this into the margarine)
Garlic (At least two cloves. Pound them and then add it into the margarine)
*Mix everything well. You could either toast the bread first before spreading the mixture or spread the mixture first onto the bread then toast.

Ayam Masak Merah - Sameon's way

My dear friend, Sameon, is a very good cook. Hardly get the chance to see him but he has taught me a lot.

The ingredients:
1. Chicken (need to cut this. I prefer small portions. Then, fry them but make sure they are half cooked only.)
2. Chilli boh (this is a combination of dried chilli, onion, garlic and turmeric. Fry the blended ingredient until you could smell the chilli-fried aroma.)
3. tomato puree (Pour in a few scoops of tomato puree. It should be double and a bit more than the chilli boh)
4. water (to make the gravy slightly watery.)
5. dessicated coconut (pour just enough. Your gravy should be creamy orange colour)
6. lemon grass (bruise it a bit and throw it into the dish)
7. Mint (pour that in when the half-fried chicken is in)
8. salt and a bit of sugar.

potato salad

The picture does not make the food look appealing. Very sorry but in actual fact it tastes wonderful. Where do I get the recipe from? Internet. My hubby did not want to eat rice so I thought of potato salad. I did not know how to do it so internet was the place. The problem is, I did this a few weeks ago. Can't really remember how to do this.

The Ingredients:
1. potatoes (Get the red ones. They taste better. Peel off the skin first. Love to do that as it makes my life easier later. Cut them into mouth-bite size. Boil them.)
2. Hard boiled eggs (cut them like an orange.)
3. spring onions (slice them)
4. fried onions (Malays call it 'bawang goreng')
5. Pounded black pepper (sprinkled on top of the dish once everything has been mixed.)
6. the sauce (mayonaise, sour cream - the amount should be equally the same. vinegar - I prefer veg vinegar. the amount should be more than the sour cream. A little bit of salt.)

Kerabu kailan ala chinese

I have not been updating my blog for quite some time. Mainly due to me enjoying my time with my children. Have I been cooking? Yes and took a few photos as well but could not find time alone to update the blog.
  This recipe is something that my brother in-law concocted for me. He took me to a Chinese restaurant, of course the wife and children tagged along, in KLIA. This is one of the dishes that he ordered. His children love it. As I ate it, I was trying to figure out how it was done. My brother in-law described the process and I believed. When I got back, I tried his so-called recipe and it turned out to be nice.

The Ingredients:
1. Kailan (You need to separate the leaves from the stalk. For this particular dish, we just need the leaves. Cut the leaves rather finely. Then deep fry them. If you wish to cook a lot, you need a lot of the leaves.)
2. Achovies (You need the really small ones. Pour just enough olive oil onto a hot pan and fry the anchovies. You should not pour too much oil. Remember just enough.)
3. Garlic (slice the garlic rather finely. Add in the sliced garlic once the anchovies have brown. Then turn off the fire and pour the fried kailan onto the mixture. Mix them well. You might want to sprinkle a little bit of salt)
Eat while it is hot.

Beef: Stir Fried Pineapple

Another lovely dish. Everyone should try this but need to buy really tender beef.  Got the recipe from Chef Wan's Simply Sedap.
The ingredients:
3 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
thumb-sized ginger (peeled and sliced)
2 tablespoons hot bean paste
1 red capsicum (diced)
beef stock granules
500 grams beef rump steak (finely diced)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 cup plum sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
salt
freshly cracked black pepper
280 grams diced pineapple
coriander leaves (chopped - for garnishing)

How? Fry garlic, ginger and hot bean paste
Then, add in the capsicum and beef stock granules.
Pour in the beef and the rest.

Petai ala Utara

I was attending a course in PD. We were having our lunch when someone mentioned this recipe and a few others appeared to know it and loved it. So, when the recipe was spelt out, I memorized and as soon as I was home, I tried it out.
How does it turn out to be? Wonderful. Even my maid enjoys it.
The ingredients:
Petai (slice it up together with the skin. Then deep fry)
Anchovies (Deep fry)
Onion (Slice it thinly)
Red Chilli (slice)
Mix everything in a hot wok

Greek Salad

The first time I tasted this was when my husband took me to an Arabic Restaurant. We had an Arabic Rice. The sauce was really nice while the Greek Salad was a beautiful complement.

The ingredients:
Red, Yellow and Green Capsicum (cut them into big dices)
Cucumber (Dice it up too but make sure you get rid of the centre)
Salad
Black Olive
tomatoes
red onion (slice thinly)
Greek feta (sheep cheese)
extra-virgin olive oil (not a lot)
vinegar (a lot of this. 3 tablespoons into the olive oil.)
Parsley
Oregano (the parsley and oregano put them into the olive oil. Mix them well)
salt and black pepper

Chicken: Barbecued

This is very easy to make. The hard part is to barbecue them as if not done well, they might not be cooked.

Chicken (cut up. Poke them using a fork. Then marinate them with...)
Chilli Boh (blended dried chilli, onions, garlics and turmeric)
Heinz Barbecued Sauce
Salt (marinate everything for an hour at least.)

Jacket Potatoes

I have not updated the blog for quite sometime now. Have been away. Three lovely weeks and to get back to work was not easy.
Anyway, one day before my girls went back to their respective hostels, my youngest son requested a barbecue. It sounded like a good idea so I agreed. We had Jacket Potatoes, Barbecued Chicken and Greek Salad.

The following ingredients were based on my family consumption. So, if you have 7 + 1 in your family, just follow my recipe or else you need to modify a bit. (the plus one is my maid.)

The ingredients:
7 potatoes (washed it clean. Then, using a fork, poke them. Make a few poking for each potato. Then, make a cup out of aluminium foil for each potato. Once they are done, place them in the oven for an hour. Set it for 200C. An hour later, take them out. Using a big spoon, scoop out the cooked flesh. Put in in a bowl and mash it up)
50 gramme (mix it with the mashed potatoes.)
An egg ( separate the yolk from the white. Pour the yolk into the mixture. Beat the white and add it towards the end)
Cheddar cheese (about half the box. Grate it and then pour it into the mixture. Leave a little bit. The extra cheese is to be sprinkled over the filled potatoes)
salt and pepper (to taste)
Fill up the potato cups and sprinkle some cheese on top. Place them in the oven again. This time for 15 to 20 minutes.
Eat them while they are hot.

Assam Pedas: Head Fish

We had this with Mutton Soup. I used to cook this with the whole head being dump into the gravy. However, based on my observation, we could actually cut the head accordingly and still we do not lose the accent of it.
The Ingredients:

• chilli, onion, garlic, tumeric (pound them but the garlic and tumeric should not be too much.)
• oil (heat the pot first before pouring the oil. Then put in the pounded ingredients. Fry until you see the curdle)
• belacan (depending on the amount of your chilli.)
• Assam Jawa and water (not sure what this is in English. Squeeze out the juice. The amount of water depending on how much you want the gravy to be. However, too much water would make the gravy watery. My hubby likes his thick. To get this, you must know how to balance the chilli and the assam.)
• Head fish (the main ingredient)
• torch ginger bud (slice it finely)
• kesum
• sugar and salt

WARNING: Cooking this dish is rather messy especially at the beginning stage where you fry the chilli and belacan. As you need to really fry the chilli, the chilli would spurt everywhere. A friend of mine nagged me as I forgot to tell her about this.
Frying the chilli is the crucial part. Pouring the assam too early, the chilli might not be fully cooked. Too late, they just merely burn.
Once everything has been dumped in, let it simmer for at least 15 to 20 minutes. This is to make sure the gravy gets to the fish.
The beauty of this dish is that you can have different main ingredient. You might want to have chicken instead of fish or even hard boiled eggs. However, for hard boiled eggs, the gravy should be very thick. And the best type of egg is Telur Pindang.

Soup: Mutton

My hubby wanted soup and he missed the mutton soup. I was expected down town at 6 pm (Of all the time, they had to choose 6 pm. Very close to Maghrib.) Just before I left for the meeting, I went to Tesco to get the soup ingredient. Luckily, they had all that I wanted. (Instructed my maid to boil the meet. Making sure they would be really tender.)
I do apologize as I am unable to show you how the dish looks like as I was so hungry totally forgot to snap it. (Came back from the so-called meeting and I rushed to the kitchen. Luckily, I was given leave by God. So I took the opportunity to cook.)
The Ingredients:

• A small tray of cut up mutton (I bought the frozen one. It was not that expensive. I paid it for RM7 to RM8)
• A small tray of tender cut up beef (It was the same - frozen. Again, it was somewhere between RM7 and RM8.)
• Water (Put all the above in a pot that could take about 4 litre of water. Let it boil for at least 40 minutes)
• black pepper, Onion, a thumb-sized ginger (pound them.)
• star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom (just enough. Be extra careful with cloves though. Too much will spoil the broth. I love more of star anise.)
• carrot, potato, celery, onion (cut them up)
• tomatoes
• lemon (half of it would be enough)
• salt
• sup punjut / paste for sup ekor

2nd May 2011 - Paciri Terung

This is one of my husband's favourite dish. I have totally forgotten this dish until a few delegates from POLMAN came to our institution and this dish was served. The Indonesion lecturer who sat with us loved it.
There is another way of cooking this but I took the short cut by using the curry powder. My favourite curry powder is BABA.
The ingredients:

• oil (not a lot. the amount should be just enough.)
• Curry powder (the amount depending on how much you want the sauce to be. Make it into paste. I used five baby scoop curry powder. Fry the paste. Allow oil to be produced before you add others.)
• onion ( I love to use the big red onion. Slice it finely.)
• garlic (not a lot. Slice this too.)
• cream coconut (just enough. Look at the colour)
• vinegar (I used the fruit kind - not cuka buatan.)
• brinjals (cut them. Allow the brinjals to cook before you dish it out.)
• salt
• sugar

Telur Bungkus

I fasted today. Typically, at work, when I was dead bored ( I attended a course on SPSS. Occasionally, the facilitator babbled about things which were concerning Viva. That was when I started to dream off.) I thought of things to eat when I broke my fast. Thought of many things but at the end, I decided on telur bungkus.
I didn't have the recipe. (though I have eaten it a few times.) So, as expected, I turned to our most reliable source - Mr Internet. Under mesra.net, I found the recipe that I wanted.
How did it turn out to be? My eldest son was so stunned with the taste as when he put a mouthful into his mouth, he shouted 'Wah! That is great.' I was rather shocked and at the same time really happy.

The ingredients: (the order tells you what should go in first)

a) the filling

•   garlic (slice it finely and fry them)  
• mince meat (if you get the one in the tube - I used tesco product - you should use only 1/4)
• ginger (pound the thumb-sized ginger)
• onion (slice it finely)
• daun ketumbar (2 stalks should enough. Slice them)
• tomatoes ( need two. Cut them in cubes)
• peas (I used the can one - one small can.)
• tomato paste (two lump tablespoon)
• oyster sauce (One tablespoon - not too much)
• salt
• black pepper (not a lot. I use the black pepper container and just merely shake three times.)

b) the wrappers
for both bottom and upper, you just make the ordinary omelette.
(for each side)

• two eggs
• salt
• white pepper

Cucur: Anchovies

My hubby wanted cucur. Usually I would ask my maid to it but he insisted that I did it.

Mix the ingredients and then fry them. You need to make sure that the mixture is not watery. How to test it? Scoop the mixture and let it drop. You should not drop as a lump. If it does, add a little bit of water. To fry, pour one tablespoon of the mixture into the hot oil. It would be nice if you use a lot of oil.
Ingredients:

• flour
• 1 egg
• spring onion (slice it finely)
• fried onion
• fresh onion (slice it finely)
• anchovies
• tumeric powder (half a teaspoon)
• salt
• water

Laksa Penang

While browsing for things to buy at the Pandan market, I saw fresh sardine being sold at a few stalls. (My maid told me earlier on that I should not be buying fish as we had plenty in the freezer but fresh sardine is not easy to come by.) With my second daughter coming back this weekend, I decided to purchase some. She would definitely like to have PENANG LAKSA. This is an easiest dish. You just throw everything in and let it boil.
INGREDIENTS:

• fresh sardine (1kg)
• fresh ikan kembung (1kg. Boil both fish. Once cooked, separate the flesh from the bones. Then blend the flesh. DO NOT throw out the fish stock. We need that for the sauce. The stock should be about 4 litre.)
• chilli boh (dried chilli, onions, garlic and tumeric - boil them first before you blend them together. You need 1/2 of a cereal bowl.)
• petis (1 whole container of it)
• belacan (as big as my hubby's thumb)
• asam gelugur (a handful of it and slightly more)
• salt
• torch ginger bud ( two should do it. Slice them finely)
• kesum leaves (half of a cereal bowl. It doesn't hurt to have a little bit extra as well. Put all the abovementioned ingredients into the fish stock and let it boil for at least half an hour.)
• rice noodles (I prefer the one that we have to boil. The readily made one does not taste so nice.)
• pineapples, cucumber (cut this in stick form. For garnishing the noodle.)
• daun pudina (just take the leaves)
• onions (slice them. For garnishing as well)
• eggs (boil them.For garnishing as well)
• limau kasturi (cut them half. For those who love sourish soup.)
• chilli (slice. For garnishing)
• salad (slice. For garnishing)

Ruski (instant noodle)

Do not feel like cooking today but I just bought chopsticks for my children. As we wanted to test out the chopstick, I decided to have noodle.

My eldest daughter claimed that it was nice. 

I put in extra stuff like frozen vegetables and eggs.

My hubby didn'tt quite like it but my twins had a few helpings.

Vegetable: Concocted Beef

I served this with the Potato Curry and French bread.
The ingredient:

• sliced beef (dried them first before putting them into hot olive oil. Once they are brown, take them out.)
• onion and garlic (slice them and fry them into hot olive oil. )
• asparagus (cut them. One inch at least)
• fresh mushroom (any kind will do)
• baby carrot
• pounded black pepper (I had this for two teaspoons.)
• water (not a lot)
• corn flour (this is to thicken the sauce)
• salt
• grated cheese

Sambal: Dried Prawn

If anyone out there knows a better version, I would really appreciate it if you could share it with me. I was told of the recipe long time ago. Made a great effort to remember it but I can't remember the exact recipe.

Improvised version

The ingredients:

• Dried prawns (either boil them first or soak them in hot water for a while)
• garlic
• salt
• belacan (pound everything)

Paella (the western version)

All my children are at home (my hubby as well). It is nice to have the whole family together again.

My Paella in the wok. 

Paella is a dish which my hubby will not fall for as it is not spicy nor is it chilli hot. So should serve this with a special sambal.

The ingredients:

• chicken (I had the a few chicken flesh - cut them up to bite size. To begin cooking, fry them in hot olive oil. I didn't put a lot of oil though. Once they are brown, take them out.)
• onion and garlic (slice them and then fry them into hot olive oil)
• tomatoes, red and green capsicum (dice and pour them into the wok)
• peas (pour this in)
• ground turmeric (add this in. I forgot this though. Anyway, put in the fried chicken as well.)
• rice (add this in.)
• chicken stock (add just enough to cook the rice but it would better if it is slightly less as the vegetables would produce liquid and too much of liquid would make the rice soft.)
• mussels and prawns (clean them up. as for the prawn, peel half of the shell. Add them in, once the rice is cooked. 
• almonds (cut them into flake. Then, add them in.)
• salt and pepper (serve paella with slices of lemon)

23 April 2011 - My Thought

I got my Best Friend this week. As not obliged to do the daily pray, I took the opportunity to rest.  I didn't take my dinner at the usual time. I simply refused to carry out the routine. On top of that, I missed my two girls and of course my hubby. (I am not sure how long I can last. At times, I feel as if my feelings are being stretched like rubber. I just hope and pray that my feelings would loose its elasticity.

11th April 2011

Just for your information. The posting on the 9th April, I had them all together. Together, they made your dinner a worth while experience.

You have to try them to believe it.

Salad: Delicious

My children love this salad. They can actually eat this alone ie without other dishes.

Bought the bowl from IKEA. What do you need?

• salad (you need to decide the kind that you like. The supermarket has a variety.)
• mango (sliced this but too thin.)
• sultanas
• roughly pounded nuts (you have a choice of walnuts/hazelnut/almond/peanuts. My favourite is hazelnut.)
• tomatoes (sliced them into eight each)
• fruit dressing from Libby's                                       Toss them lightly so as to mix everything. Should make just enough as keeping it the fridge not a good idea. It does not taste as good later.

Soup: Bean curd

This is my second son's favourite - mainly because of the beancurd. You should really eat it hot. NICE....

I got this from Chef Wan's Simply Sedap. Should get this book. He has a few good and delicious recipes. Mine? I have modified it a bit
What do you need then?

• a few pieces of cut chicken
• carrot (cut it into cubes)
• red and green capsicum (cut these into cubes too)
• Japanese tofu ( I have a mixture of original and the one with egg)
• black pepper (totally forgot to put this in)
• spring onion and coriander leaves (for garnishing. You can also add in the fried onion)
• thinly sliced garlic
• salt                                             Do not use too much oil to fry the garlic. Then add in the carrot, capsicum and chicken. Add in sufficient amount of water and the chicken. Leave to simmer. Finally add in the salt and black pepper. Just before you serve, throw in the spring onion and coriander leaves.

Chilli Con Carne

My sons do not like rice that much. So once a week, or sometime if they are lucky, twice a week, I would serve pasta or mashed potatoes or we simply eat soup with bread.

The Chilli Con Carne was still on the stove when I took this photo. You need to leave it to simmer for an hour at least. (I usually refer to my recipe books whenever I wish to cook. However, I do not follow the measurement. I use my instinct most of the time. Does it work. I think so)
So what do we need to cook this?

• Minced beef (one tube would do. I usually buy the TESCO mince meat)
• kidney beans (one tin would do) 
• diced onions (one big onion)
• nicely sliced chilli (one red chilli)
• curry paste (half a cereal bowl)
• tomato soup ((one small tin)
• salt
• slightly bruised ginger 
• butter                                 Fry the onion in the melted butter. Then add in the chilli and curry paste.  After that, add in the minced beef, kidney beans and tomato soup. Salt at the end. Leave it to simmer for an hour.

Potatoes: Mashed

Ever since I created this blog, my cooking activities have increased tremendously. (He He He but still only during the weekends) My maid thought that I was slightly insane as after cooking I took photos of my dishes. She questioned my action but I refused to tell her the truth. (Pretty embarassing to admit that I use the photos to update my blog. Sound like a show-off. As if trying to tell the whole world that I cook. The truth is that I see this blog as my diary in which I keep all the recipes that I know in the blog. Wherever I go, I can get access to them.)

Next weekend, my two darling daughters would be back. The more reason for me to cook. I have already planned what to do but I wish to keep that as a surprise. Will give the detail next week - definitely.

My mashed potatoes

Ingredients:

• boiled potatoes (mashed this up. Do not leave any lump. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Mashed and mixed them together.)
• milk (use your instinct. not to much as it will be very soft. Not too little either it would be hard)
• butter / margarine (butter better)
• white pepper 
• salt

6th April 2011 - The Sequel

(I am supposed to update my FRP. FRP contains documents regarding the classes that I teach. I will do that later. )

Soupy soup

 This is an ordinary soup...well, most Malays would know this...Malaysian malays would know. Usually, I would make this when the weather is hot. Nonetheless, last weekend my hubby was not well and he wanted it. At times, because I am so lazy to think or even plan, I wait for my hubby to tell me what he want. Then, I will start cracking my head as in what things to get from TESCO.
So, how do I cook this? My way of course...

• onion + ginger + black pepper (pound them. If you do not have pestle and mortar, you could actually use the blender. But I would say the pestle and mortar would be the best equipment to use as you will be able to really pound the black pepper.)
• chicken (cut it into small sizes. A quarter is enough. You do not need to get one whole chicken.)
• carrot (scrap it and then cut it finger size)
• potatoes (skinless ones. Then cut them up. Bite size)
• salt
• fried onion + daun bawang (for garnishing)
• macaroni (dump everything into a pot.)

I also add in sup punjut. I am not sure what that is in English.
Usually, we would eat this with plain rice. Of course, there are other dishes. However, come to think of it, we could simply have this with french loaf...that should be nice for breakfast.

What will I cook next weekends? It depends on the weather. After the tsunami in Japan, it has been raining here. The affect huh.

6th April 2011 - Backdated event

On the 3rd April, I cooked two dishes for dinner: Beef with Mushroom and our common Malay soup. How did they turn out? According to my hubby, they were okay.

Beef with Mushroom

I got this from my mother's collection. Can't tell you the title of the book as the cover has been torn.
The ingredient:

• beef (should get the tender part. Cut it up to bite size. You are to fry this first. My style anyway. The recipe says that you have to fry the sliced onion first. After taking out the onion, you put it the beef. )
• button mushroom (a can product. The mushrooms were rather large so I cut them up into four. Do not throw away the juice. You need that)
• ginger (slice it)
• onion (you are to slice this. Thin slices.)
• soya sauce
• corn flour (this you add in the mushroom juice. the last part, pour it in. the flour is to make sure that the gravy is slightly thick. So do not add in a lot. Too thick, it will not taste nice. It will only give you the gowy look)
• white pepper (as I added in the soya sauce, I did not add salt)

4th April 2010 - My Thoughts

I had not been cooking for quite sometime. I didn't feel the need to do so as quite a number of my family members are not around. (My two daughters are in boarding schools while my beloved hubby works in a different state.) Most of the time, I left it to my maid to figure out the dishes to serve for our breakfast, lunch and dinner. (My three boys and even myself, we are not fussy. If ever we get sick of her common dishes, we just dine out. )

But just recently, my hubby who comes home during the weekends complained.

HE believes that I should cook again. So, for the sake of my hubby, I have decided to cook again...but only during the weekends or when everybody is at home. (My boys are not big eaters unlike my hubby and my second daughter.)

So, this blog is dedicated to the recipes that I am about to destroy...he he..Well, actually, there is this movie that I watched a few days ago entitled Julia & Julie. It has inspired me to create this blog. I am hoping to seek help from anyone who is kind enough to read my blog and help me to become a good cook, help me to make my family members fall in love with my cooking...I hope this blog will explode globally.