Relaxing Weekend

Hakeem wanted meatball pasta. Thus, inspired by Jamie Oliver and due to a scarcity of halal meatballs here, I made an attempt at making them today. Here's what I did :-

Mix the following together :

1/2 kg mince meat

1 egg

Salt, pepper to taste

Half packet of crushed cream crackers (any plain cracker will do)

Recipe requires freshly chopped rosemary and oregano (I omitted coz there were none in stock). Maybe one can substitute with a mixture of dried Italian herbs which I also did not have in my pantry

Roll into balls of equal size

Pan fry in olive oil for some minutes until evenly browned

Ready to be used in pasta dishes

This is the white sauce version which is Hakeem's fav. Just tumis bit of chopped garlic in extra virgin olive oil, add meatballs, add pasta, give it a stir, add mixture of an egg with cream. Quickly stir everything up as we don't want the egg mixture to curdle. Season to taste. Give it a couple of stirs and it's ready. Grate a good amount of Parmesan cheese on top.

This is the red sauce cheat version as I used ready-made bottled pasta sauce. Should have added some bay leaves but none in stock too.

Overall, we had a swell time this weekend. Our newfound friend Zura and his mega cuteness son was here and we spent a lovely sunny but cold Saturday makan-makan and lepak-lepak. Zura is such a cool Mom, pandai menjahit pulak tu, cuba tengok hasil jahitan Zura di sini. She handles Mick herself since birth and look at Mick now....pride and joy to both his Mama and Papa. I wouldn't have managed on my own. My darling Mama was with me throughout the confinement period of all my kids and sungguh manja saya di kala dalam pantang coz Mama said tak boleh buat anything strenuous...takut bentan...to the extent of tak boleh baca buku even, for fear of it being a strain to the eyes. The first baby memang ikut arahan completely. Then for the second one, I was a bit degil. Three weeks into the pantang period dah pergi Carrefour sebab rasa dah sihat and tolak heavy trolley up the ramp. Balik rumah jer esok started bleeding rather heavily. Of course I had an earful after that, terus takut and dengar jer cakap Mama. I love you, Ma.

Big White-haired Red Giant Uncle.....for some reason Mick takut kat Uncle Eddy. Dengar suara Uncle dia yang teringin mengagah Mick, terus Mick terperanjat sampai nangis. Aperahhh Uncle ni...go pick people your own size!

Lovely tulips from Zura...one of my favourite flowers apart from daffodils. They brightened the otherwise dreary winter weather.

We had mee kari, nasi ayam and popiah basah.

Old Town white coffee and chocolate cake with creme brulee ice cream. Sinful but nice....so today became the "what the heck day".

Ni tengah tengok muka Uncle la ni...terus sebek and nak nangis.

Sangat comel Mick. Uncle was definitely not in sight!

Mick and his lovely Mama.

By the way, this is a follow-up version of popiah basah after my first attempt hari tu. So Fasha dear, kalau nak buat sekali makan, dapat dalam 24 keping, use this recipe yer. Kak Yong dah cuba, tried, tested and adapt here and there. Kalau tak der sengkuang, I suppose can omit that, taste wise tak lari sangat.

Kulit Popia (adunan ni dapat dalam 24 keping kulit)

Bahan-bahan

4 cawan tepung gandum

2 biji putih telur

Garam

4 tbs cuka makan

4 tbs oil

1 ½ - 2 cawan air (agak2x sampai texture mcm buat cucur udang, boleh dijemput)

Cara

1.Campurkan semua adunan kulit. Gaul hingga sebati.

2.Rehatkan tak kurang dari sejam.

3.Tuang sedikit minyak ke dalam kuali non-stick for the first time jer. Sapu kering dengan kitchen towel. Panaskan kuali, then turn down heat to low.

4.Jemput kulit popia dan letakkan atas kuali - pakai tangan, lengserkan kuali dengan adunan starting from the outer circle to the inner part. (The first one dia selalu melekat sikit, lepas tu bila kuali dah season, dia ok).

5.Biar dalam seminit, then balikkan, biar sekejap then angkat. Boleh peel dari kuali, tak melekat.

Inti Popia

Bahan-bahan (sukatan ni lebih dari cukup untuk sukatan kulit popiah di atas)

Segenggam udang kering ditumbuk lumat and some fresh prawns

100 g taugeh

1/4 biji timun

Sebiji sengkuang kecil

Sebatang carrot

10 g bawang goreng

2 biji telur, dibuat dadar

Boleh tambah tauhu goreng juga.

Kacang tanah.

Cara

1.Celur taugeh

2.Shred timun

3.Parut sengkuang dan carrot, kemudian ditumis dengan udang basah dan udang kering. Campur garam/gula secukup rasa.

4.Goreng tauhu, kemudian potong halus-halus

5.Shred telur dadar

6.Sangrai kacang tanah dlm oven, tumbuk.

Kuah popia

Bahan-bahan

Kismis 1 1/2 cawan (boleh ganti dengan kurma, guna separuh kismis, separuh kurma pun sedap)

Cuka 2 sudu besar

Cabai kering 10 biji (ikut selera kepedasan yang dikehendaki)

Gula 3 sudu besar (ikut selera kalau nak manis tambah lagi tapi kalau guna kurma, kurangkan gula)

1 sudu besar petis udang

Sedikit air

Sedikit garam ikut rasa.

Cara menyediakan kuah popia

1.Rebus kismis/ kurma, kemudian kisar dengan cabai kering

2.Masukkan kismis/ kurma yang dikisar dengan cabai kering ke dalam periuk. Masukkan sedikit air

3.Campurkan petis udang, cuka, gula dan garam secukup rasa.Masak dengan api yang kecil sehingga kuah pekat

Last sekali assemble popiah macam biasa…sapu kuah atas kulit, letak all the inti starting with campuran sengkuang/carrot, timun, taugeh, telur dadar, bawang goreng, kacang, gulung. Sapukan kuah kat atas sikit.

Award

Got this from Fasha. Adoiiii....sungguh tak layak menerima this award but thanks anyway Fasha dear. So kena jawab soalan yer? Susah ni but let's see...

Apakah masakan pertama yang anda masak dan bilakah anda mula memasak?

Actually I can't remember. Would goreng ikan and goreng keropok be considered as masakan? Yang tu primary school dah kena buat but my guess, a full-fledged dish would be cucur bawang sebab when I was anak dara pingitan kat Assam Kumbang Taiping nun, my Mama selalu suruh buat teh and hidang whatever finger food yang ada or boleh masak kat dapur untuk her friends and my Opah's friends yang bertandang kat rumah and there was always someone coming especially dalam pukul 3 tu when it was so syok to take my afternoon nap. So kalau dah nampak kereta neighbours masuk gate jer, saya pun kena memulakan tugasan paksa rela itu and the easiest to be done in a jiffy would be cucur.

Sapa yang menggalakkan anda masak…

Hmmm....at first cooking was a chore, and selalu kalau my Mama suruh masak, ada jer alasan...yang paling kuat is of course nak buat homework. But I suppose since I'm the only girl in the family, dari kecik dah kena tolong Mama/ Opah kupas bawang la, kukur kelapa la (ni paling saya tak suka ok), kopek ikan bilis la....maybe the interest sedar tak sedar melekat juga seeing that my Opah is a fabulous cook and she reigned as the Master Chef in our family for many-many years until her numerous strokes rendered her immobile and my Mama takes over. My regret is not compiling my Opah's recipes when she was in her heyday. The recipes are all in her head and she goes around cooking by agak2x and always the dishes would come out perfect. When she was well, I once asked her whether we can switch brains and she just laughed it off.

Masakan yang paling anda suka masak dan digemari orang2 kesayangan anda

If it were up to me and my kids, I like cooking western dishes, savoury and sweet dishes alike tapi hubby dearest is a Nasi Man....pening dia kalau tak dapat his daily dose of nasi such that the rice cooker is our constant companion kalau berjalan. Masak nasi dalam toilet pun jadi to avoid the smoke alarm being trigerred. Ada sekali tu tak ada plug point dalam toilet so berselimut la rice cooker tu with a wet towel while happily bubbling away.

Tag 5 orang blogger masak yang sering berkunjung ke blog anda..
Jangan risau kalau anda tak ada masa atau malas untuk membuat soalan di atas, kumpulkan saja award ini dan tampalkan di dinding Blog anda!

I don't have many that frequent my blog because it started as a semi-private blog specially for my eldest daughter in Malaysia, families and close friends to keep up with us. here Then when Fasha and Mami linked us last year, we now see a teeny weeny bit more traffic. So, rasa2x macam tak dapat cukupkan 5 blogger masak jer yang selalu berkunjung kat sini for me to give the award to although I'd love to give it again to Fasha, my cousin Wiz, my cousin Alin and Mami. So what's left are the following....

Wid he..he..sorry babe....your Kak Yang was already tagged by Fasha and Alin was tagged by Ija, so that leaves you my dear to be tagged by me. Anyways, your cookies and brownies rock! And the latest I heard, your nasi kerabu too!

Miaw, my cousin Yop's wife and SIL to both Wiz and Wid. She's the master of chocolates. Her other signature dish is bread and butter pudding.

Millipedemom, she's Wid's friend who's Fish Pie recipe I absolutely love to make. Her other recipes are equally yummy.

Done with the questions, now I would like to share a recipe for popiah basah. The recipe is courtesy of Wiz's good friend Linda who's also my friend now. She based her recipe on Kapten Redeye Mom's recipe which she tweaked here and there. She's one great lady and a very warm hostess to all her guests...welcoming them with open arms including me whom she's never met before. Memang ramai friends and families singgah her place in Newcastle, murah rezeki Linda sekeluarga, insyaAllah. I wish I can tag her but she doesn't have a blog. Must ask her to start one, she'd be a great blogger I just know. Anyway, thank you so very much Linda (and Kapten Redeye) for a wonderful recipe, terubat my kerinduan for popiah basah kat Ampang Park which used to be my staple diet.

Kulit Popia

Bahan-bahan

Tepung gandum 1 Kg

Putih telur 2 Biji

Garam

(I added 2 tbs cuka makan)

(Like Linda, I added 2 tbs oil)

Cara Membuat Adunan

1.Bancuh tepung dengan air bercampur garam

2.Pukul putih telur hingga kembang

3.Masukkan putih telur ke dalam adunan tepung tadi

4.Gaul hingga sebati.Pastikan adunan boleh dijemput. (Texture is like cucur udang kental)

5.Simpan di dalam peti ais selama setengah hari - rehatkan tepung tu

Cara membuat kulit popia

1.Keluarkan tepung dari peti ais, biarkan buat sementara waktu at room temp.

2.Sapu sedikit minyak ke dalam kuali. (I used non-stick pan and the oil in the batter prevents it from sticking anyway)

3.Satu kali sapuan minyak boleh digunakan untuk membuat 3 kulit popia

4.Jemput kulit popia dan letakkan atas kuali - pakai tangan, starting from the outer circle to the inner part.

Inti Popia

Bahan-bahan

(I added segenggam udang kering ditumbuk lumat and some fresh prawns)

100 g taugeh

1 biji timun

250 g sengkuang

(I added shredded carrots)

10 g bawang goreng

2 ketul tauhu (I omitted)

(Like Linda, I added shredded telur dadar too)

Cara menyediakan inti popiah

1.Celur taugeh

2.Cincang timun

3.Parut sengkuang,kemudian ditumis dengan 2 biji telur kuning dan udang/ udang kering (if using). Campur garam secukup rasa. (I added shredded carrots to the sengkuang)

4. Goreng tauhu, kemudian potong halus-halus

Kuah popia

Bahan-bahan

Kismis 2 cawan

Cuka 2 sudu besar

Cabai kering 10 gram

Gula 1/2 Kilo

(I added 1 tbs petis udang)

Cara menyediakan kuah popia

1.Rebus kismis,kemudian kisar dengan cabai kering

2.Masukkan kismis yang dikisar dengan cabai kering ke dalam periuk.Masukkan sedikit air

3.Campurkan petis udang (if using), cuka, gula dan garam secukup rasa.Masak dengan api yang kecil sehingga kuah pekat

Since ada balance sengkuang from the popiah, ada orang mengidam kuah rojak pulak so tak dapat kuah rojak Mak Bee, kuah rojak ni pun sedap. The recipe is from Kak Hanieliza's blog, terima kasih Kak Liza, mohon halal cut and paste recipe kat sini :-

15 biji cili api tumbuk (I used only 5 biji cili api sebab cili kat sini tersangat menyengat)
1/2 cawan air asam jawa
1 s/b belacan
1 s/b petis udang
1 cawan kicap lemak biasa
3 s/b gula (I used gula merah)

1 s/b bijan goreng tanpa minyak
1/2 cawan kacang tanah, digoreng dan dtumbuk kasar

Cara:
1. Mesinkan semua bahan A dalam blender..
2. Masakkan dalam kuali sehingga pekat
3. Bila telah sejuk masukkan kacang tanah tumbuk dan bijan.

Cuti-Cuti Jaja

Time sure flies when we're having fun. Had fun we did with Jaja here with us albeit cuma 2 short weeks. The house is full of fun and laughter with loads of catching up to do, sakat menyakat sudah semestinya and ada jugak yang menangis lepas kena sakat dik Kakak. Went for a short vacation ke UK since it was many, many years ago that Jaja last set foot there. Katanya masa tu kecik lagi so tak ingat dah so kena la bawak sekali lagi. Apart from pusing-pusing London, we took the opportunity to visit Oxford and Cambridge Universities, dengan doa dan harapan Jaja will get the opportunity to do her Masters at either one of them later, insyaAllah.

Baru lepas telefon ehem..ehem...ke?

Clowning around depan Buckingham Palace while waiting for the changing of guards ceremony.

Bakery shop on the way to Portobello Market

This Alice shop dekat Portobello Market is a treasure trove of all things nice.

Three huge shallow pans of paella being prepared by the street vendor at Portobello Market

The canteen at Malaysia Hall. We had our fill of nasi lemak, paru berlada, sup tulang, roti canai with kuah kari and teh tarik. Rather expensive but delicious.

King's College,Cambridge, founded in 1441 by King Henry VI.

Mathematical Bridge, between 2 parts of Queens' College, Cambridge. The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou (the Queen of Henry VI)

Radcliffe Square, Oxford

Bridge of Sighs, New College Lane, Oxford

We got these macarons at Laduree branch in Harrods. They are way too sweet despite all the glam surrounding the brand.So very expensive at 11 pounds for a box of 6.

This dumpling soup noodle and spicy beef noodle are both so sedap. We ate them dekat Malaysian-owned Halal Chinese restaurant in Bayswater, London

Laksa specially made by Jaja. This is so good...even if yang cakap ni Mama dia. Pandai anak Mama!

Sushi as requested by Hakeem but since they're loved by all except Abah, these were walloped in the blink of an eye.

Tried this recipe from Wiz. It lives up to its name...Pudgy Fingers. May have overdone it...way too pudgy and tembam but they scored high in the taste department and stayed soft even the next day.

Congo Bars again. We can never get jelak with them. Feels like eating half-baked chocolate chip cookie dough.

Foodie entry

After a long hiatus, baking and cooking mood suda muncul kembali. On Saturday, we had Nasi Arab (simplified as some of the ingredients are not in stock kat rumah), Sup Ekor and Dalca Fasha. Nasi Arab recipe is courtesy of Cik Mat Gebu (CMG) which he got from Kak Hanilieza's book, a big thanks to you CMG. Here's the recipe :-

NASI ARAB

BAHAN-BAHAN :-)
4 cawan beras basmathi, cuci dan rendam 30 minit, toskan
350 gram daging lembu, potong besar dan rebus hingga empuk
6 cawan air (I used air rebusan daging like CMG)
1/3 cawan kacang pis (Omitted)
1/3 cawan kismis (Omitted)
2 biji cili merah, hiris kasar2 (Omitted)
1 tangkai daun sup, hiris (Omitted)
1 tangkai daun ketumbar, hiris
2 camca besar minyak sapi
2 camca bear minyak masak (mat guna minyak jagung)
1 camca besar serbuk jintan manis*
1 camca besar serbuk jintan putih*(*disatukan dan bacuh dengan sedikit air)
1/3 cawan bawang goreng (Omitted)
Garam secukup rasa

BAHAN TUMIS :-)
1 helai daun pandan
3 biji bawang merah, hiris halus
1 biji bawang besar, hiris
2 ulas bawang putih, hiris
2 inci halia, hiris
1 kayu manis
1 kuntum bunga lawang
4 kuntum bunga cengkih
3 biji buah pelaga
1 camca teh jintan manis biji
1/2 camca teh jintan putih biji

CARA MEMBUATNYA :-)

1. Panaskan minyak sapi dan minyak masak, masukkan bahan tumis dan tumis hingga harum, tambah serbuk jintan manis dan putih yang telah dibancuh tadi, tumis hingga terbit minyak.
2. Masukkan daging, kacau dan tambah beras. Goreng beras bersama bahan2 selama 1 minit. Tuang beras tadi ke dalam rice cooker. Tambah air rebusan daging, perasakan dengan garam. Tambah daun ketumbar, kacau dan masak hingga kering.
3. Masukkan kacang pis, kismis dan cili merah. Bila nasi masak, gemburkan. Tabur dengan hirisan daun sup dan bawang goreng sebelum dihidangkan bersama acar dan lauk2 kegemaran.

Dalca Fasha, recipe from Fasha of Antara Tempoyak dan Spaetzle pulak is fast becoming our favourite dish, dah buat few times. Syirah ratah macam tu jer. Thanks again Fasha, Kak Yong cut and paste the recipe here :-

DALCA FASHA

Bahan-bahan :
1/2 Kg Ayam atau 2 atau 3 Dada Ayam diperap dengan sedikit serbuk kunyit dah garam
Daun ketumbar diracik kasar


Rempah ratus
1/4 sudu kecil biji Jintan Putih
1/4 sudu kecil biji Jintan Manis
1 batang Kayu manis
2 biji belaga
4 biji bunga cengkih


Serbuk Kari Ayam Babas - ikut kepedasan masing-masing.


Bahan-bahan yang dikisar halus
3 biji Bawang Besar atau 15 ulas bawang merah kecil
6 biji Bawang Putih
1 sebesar/sepanjang ibujari Halia
2 biji Cili Hijau


6 biji Tomato besar dibuang kulit - pangkah kulit tomato atas dan bawah dengan pisau tajam jangan potong sampai isi ke dalam, hanya kulit. Rendam dalam air panas mendidih selama 30 saat. Toskan & lalukan air sejuk dan kulit akan senang dikupas.
Tomato yang telah kulitnya dikupas tadi di kisar hingga menjadi paste atau tomato sos.


Sayur2 pilihan anda seperti
1 batang Carrot
1 biji Paprika Merah
1 biji Paprika Hijau
Kacang panjang
Zuchini
Baby Jagung
Tomato Hijau
Tomato Merah atau Baby Cherry Tomatoes
Cili hijau
Bawang Merah besar dibelah 4
Kentang direbus dahulu, tapi kalau nak masakkan bersama pun boleh jugak.


Cara-caranya

1. Panaskan minyak, masukkan rempah ratus sehingga wangi.
2. Masukkan bahan-bahan yang dikisar halus dan goreng sehingga wangi.
3. Masukkan serbuk kari yang dibancuh dengan sedikit air dan kacau sekejap
4. Masukkan ayam yang bertulang dulu. (Kalau hendak guna dada ayam saja, masukkan kemudian). Kacau sehingga mesra.
5. Masukkan Tomato yang dikisar tadi dan masak sehingga minyak separates. Campurkan sedikit air jika mahu dia berkuah sikit. - masa ni bolehlah masukkan dada ayam.
6. Tambahkan garam dan gula serta daun ketumbar sebanyak yang anda suka.
7. Biarkan ayam masak dan kuat pekat sedikit dan bolehlah dimasukkan sayur-sayuran pilihan anda sehingga masak.

3 days back, while looking at Fasha's blog, saw her salmon potato pie but yet to get the recipe. Her pie has piqued my teringin senses sampai tak sabar nak buat, so found a Fish Pie recipe in cousin Wid's Ovengigs blog link Ramblings of a Missus At Home. Ida, please convey my thanks to your friend hope she does not mind I've copied pasted the recipe here. It was absolutely yummy. Here's the recipe:-

FISH PIE

Lightly oil or butter the baking casserole.

Reheat oven to 180 degrees.
Prepare 1/2 cup cooked frozen peas. (I used mixed vege that had carrots, peas, corn and cauliflower in them)
Mashed Potatoes:
5-6 medium waxy potatoes
1/3 cup milk
3 tb butter
salt pepper

Boil potatoes in plenty of salted water. When potatoes are butter-tender when pricked, drain and skin them. Place potatoes and everything else into a mixing bowl and mash/ Adjust taste. Ready to be spooned or piped onto fish/peas/cheesy sauce mixture.

Poached Fish:
500g-600g white fish fillets (I used frozen pegasus)
1.25 cups milk
1 cup water

Place fish, water and milk in saucepan on medium heat. When it boils, lower the heat and let it simmer till you can flake the fish easily, about ten minutes.
Drain liquid and keep aside. Place fillets in greased baking casserole.
Flake fillets and spread evenly until it covers the bottom.
Scatter cooked peas over as well.

Cheesy White Sauce:
3 tb butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Leftover fish-poaching liquid
1 cup shredded Cheedar cheese
salt

Heat butter gently in saucepan. When it bubbles, add flour and stir.
Remove from heat and gradually beat in poaching liquid with a whisk.
Place saucepan back on medium heat. Continue stirring until sauce thickens, about two minutes.
Add in cheese and continue stirring for about a minute.
When sauce coats back of spoon nicely, then it's done. Adjust taste.

Assemble:
Pour sauce over the fish and veges in the casserole. (I mix the sauce and the fish/vege together)
Spread the mash around the sides of the casserole (I piped them out using the normal piping bag).
Using a fork, scrape pretty lines all over the top of mash. (I also spread balance cheesy sauce on top of the mash).
Put in oven for 20-25 minutes. Before serving you can garnish with tomato slices/wedges as well.

Ini pulak Tepung Talam versi Tok Ma who got it from her mom, Opah who used to be the best cook ever in the Bedah Clan. Cuba la, it's easy peasy. Here's the recipe which results in satu loyang kecil:-

TEPUNG TALAM

Bottom green portion :
1 cawan tepung gandum
Several stalks of daun pandan blended with setengah cawan air. Pandan paste pun boleh juga dalam 2 sudu kecil.
3 cawan santan cair (incuding the blended daun pandan juice if using pandan leaves)
Secubit kapur (approx. quarter tsp) (yg orang makan dengan sirih tu)
Secubit garam
1 cawan gula (I used 3/4 only to lessen the sweetness)
Green colouring

Top white portion:
3 sudu besar mumbung tepung gandum (really heaped tablespoon)
2 cawan pati santan (I used normal tea/coffee cup as measuring cup)
3/4 tsp salt ( I put 1 tsp as I like the combination of sweet bottom and saltish lemak top)

Panaskan air dalam kukusan until water is bubbly.
Lengser loyang dengan sedikit minyak.
Meanwhile, mix all ingredients of the bottom green portion sampai sebati ie until no more gentelan tepung yg tak hancur. (Syirah used the egg whisker, very effective)
Pour into loyang and put into kukusan.
Kukus selama 30 minit.

Meantime, prepare top white portion.
Mix top portion ingredients together sampai sebati.
Tuang atas top green portion after it's been cooked.
Kukus selama 15 minit. Make sure water from the tudung kukusan doesn't drop into the loyang, if it does, nanti the top portion tak cantik. (I balut the tutup with a kitchen towel)
Remove from kukusan.
Siap.
Make sure it's cooled down completely baru potong. Tok Ma however loves to eat it hers while still quite hot, when the top still mengembak-ngembak. Abah just now pun tak sabar, so he scooped it immediately lepas angkat from kukusan and makan dalam mangkuk.

Final dish is sambal goreng Jawa which we had today. I don't think mine is authentic though. Just tumis sliced bawang, bawang putih, then add in the rest of the ingredients : tempe and tauhu (diced and goreng sekejap), pucuk & suhun, hati ayam, petai, lil bit of santan (optional) and kicap, salt to taste. Siap.