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)