Saturday, July 27, 2013

Nasi Goreng Tom Yam (TomYam Fried Rice)

Deciding what to cook for the day can be a daunting task. Isn't this a common dilemma in every household? It certainly is in mine, especially after a long day at work when my brain feels overworked. Thankfully, I always make sure to have cooked rice in the fridge and keep my pantry well-stocked. But what's the perfect dish for such a day? Enter fried rice - the ultimate "anything goes" dish, especially for a Malaysian like me.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Nasi Goreng Belacan Ikan Bilis (Shrimp Paste Anchovies Fried Rice)

Who can be a better expert when we speak about fried rice? Anybody you know or will you point to Nava K because her fried rice recipes are heavily trended in the visual world or in this precious space of her's? Fried rice and yours truly? Dang a millions times. Various types and various styles, mostly, in fact all of it her own style (Kampung Fried Rice, Chinese Fried Rice, Lamb Fried Rice & Malaysian Fried Rice) and the list goes on and on, on and on. Can you blame me? No, you shouldn't because even a simple home made fried rice won't you agree is far out hundred times better than eating out and when you can't figure out what to cook for the day? Of course and like I have already repeated myself before, anything goes for fried rice (Cantonese Fried Rice, Belacan Fried Rice, Anchovies Long Beans Fried Rice & Tom Yum Fried Rice). In fact even the basic staples will do a delightful food job for fried rice (Nasi Goreng Ikan Bilis). Today, its another style or maybe a composite of those common ingredients as per other fried rice recipes, I shall now go ahead and share this Nasi Goreng Belacan Ikan Bilis recipe with all of you. As the name of the recipe has already suggested, the ingredients are anchovies and sambal made from chilies and belacan, of course we need garlic and shallots, and for the veg, its long beans.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Ikan Balado

Guys, where is our recipe heading to today? Brace yourself because on our menu today is this Indonesian style spicy fish. Indonesian style fish? Oh-my-goodness. When we speak about Indonesian savory dishes on the whole, what comes to our mind? Of course chillies and sambal, wouldn't you agree? And I, as you know, have already been crowned as the sambal queen (Sambal Udang Petai) Whether its our Malaysian sambal or sambal from elsewhere, basically, its about spiciness of chillies and pretty much, how different can an Indonesian style sambal be? Don't you think it must trend really close or can be said as a close cousin of our Malaysian sambal or (Assam Curry Fish & Ikan Assam Pedas)? Almost the same ingredients, maybe a tiny bit of changes here and there, but overall, if you are asking me, major similarities are there.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Singapore Laksa

 
Before you say anything and before you compared my this Singapore Laksa to the rest, let me have my say please. I as usual, you know the usual me who love to tweet and modify recipes for heightening it to another, my own higher level? I think I told you before? Can't remember precisely in which recipe or recipes (Nyonya Lam Mee, Prawn Curry Laksa, Hakka Noodles & Nyonya Curry Laksa), but I am crystal clear that I have conveyed my message loud and clear. There's no best formula for cooking, in fact, our own formula I must say is the best? However, whichever or whatever, as long as you have picked up the basic cooking skills and also you know it on which ingredients can be amalgamated with another, you are on the right track (Prawn Noodle Soup, Sour Spicy Fish Noodle Soup, Spicy Thai Noodles, Vegetarian Noodle Soup & Mee Rojak). Hence, pretty much I think I have directly or indirectly told you why my Singapore Laksa is unique and utterly different? Of course. Regardless, nothing has been compromised in terms of tastes (Laksam Kelantan & Mee Rebus). I can definitely assure you that this my version of Singapore Laksa will put a broad food smile on your face (Mee Siam, Fried Mee, Hokkien Mee & Char Kway Teow). What did I do anyway? Well, I took my own ideas from my own recipes (Penang Curry Mee, Penang Mee Yoke & Penang Assam Laksa) and? The birth of this thick, creamy, aromatic, coconut milk and fish Singapore Laksa. Dang!

Friday, July 5, 2013

Sujee Cake

Can you believe it? I actually baked. Baking and yours truly? I think you know it. Not my forte. Neither do I have a burning desire, nor, like I have told you before, there are no takers for cakes or even desserts (Saffron Poached Pears, Honeydew Sago, Rava Kesari & Bubur Cha Cha) in my home. Not even me. Maybe every now and then, I craze, but that too is countable. Of course, the mood for baking (Marble CakeLemon Buttermilk Cake) does linger on my mind whenever I feel I want to break free from cooking the usual daily meals. On this day, I was so into baking (Baked Rice Pudding & Chocolate Tart) and specifically a Sujee Cake. Where did the recipe come from? Actually, to tell you the truth, I did refer to some recipes from my old recipe books (Cream Puffs) and of course, what is the virtual world for? Millions of recipes popping up the moment you search and seek online (Eggless Orange Cheesecake)? Still, somehow I am quite apprehensive when it comes to especially cake recipes from books and tell me about what can go wrong for online recipes. Thus, I actually was more convinced by this recipe handed over by my friend who does baking as her part time income. What I learned from her is that you need to soak sujee in milk for softening. Otherwise, sujee will remain grainy once cake is already baked. Made sense and I must admit its a crucial technic because, wouldn't you agree this Sujee Cake is really-really a baking show stealer? Cake sampled by colleagues and they couldn't agree more. So, guys, I will strongly suggest you grab this recipe of mine and I am really certain you will love this soft and melting in the mouth sweet non-sinful pleasure.

Verona, Italy: A Journey Through Romance and History

As the days dwindled down to just two left in Italy ( Venice ), a feeling of reluctance settled in ( Florence ). How I wished our tour could...