Bubur Cha Cha / Cha Cha Porriage

i suddenly have this crazy craving of bubur cha cha so i thought today i just go and make some...and since the cha cha dried dough can be bought from the local market i thought "this should be eazy and i'll have my cha cha in no time"

to my luck, i went all over bangi market...well almost all they were out...OUT i tell you but i can't shake the craving...argh so i went back home and go straight online to find a recipe for making the cha cha dough...and guess what? there was none...only recipes that uses the store bought cha cha dried dough....at that point i feel like pulling my hair off coz i keep thinking about 'bubur cha cha'

in desperation i called my mom (she knows everything...lucky me) and ask if she knows how...crossing my fingers she said " owh...thats ez you just need....." heheheheh~
awwww~ suspen kah? ok i'll share the recipe because i'm nice and generous....=p

so here is what you need to make the cha cha dough:

1c rice flour
1tbsp tapioca flour
1tbsp corn flour
1/2tsp salt
1tsp lime paste (air kapur) * if you don't like the alkaline taste yo can reduce to half teaspoon.
1cup water (plus minus add more if the dough is tough)
colorings

mix all ingredients in a pot. in a medium heat mix until it forms a dough and didn't stick to the pot. divide into 2 or 3 portions and give some colorings to the respective dough. take another clean pot boil water and then by using cha cha mold press it until it comes out noodle like . if you don't have the mold you can always use your seive (one that have bigger holes) or your ladle with little holes which is what i use for mine...the cha cha noodle is ready when it floats. take it out and put it in a cold water to prevent it from sticking from each other.

Cha cha gravy:

250ml coconut milk
1/2c water
1/2tsp salt
150g palm sugar (the sweetness is up to your liking reduce if you don't like it too sweet)
2 screwpine leaves knotted

dissolves palm sugar with water in a heated pot. then add in the coconut milk. reduce heat to medium - low . stir constantly to avoid the coconut from breaking oil. add in salt and screwpines.
stir...as it simmers add in the cha cha noodles. let it boils a while then remove from heat.

the view from the pot...

TIPS:

1. if the coconut gravy is too thick you may just add in water but remember to have a taste and make sure that it didn't turn bland.
2. sometimes the coconut milk curdles when heated, don't panic you can just pour the coconut milk in a blender and blend away...just the coconut milk, not the cha cha noodles ok!
3. always add salt in you coconut base dish to enhance the coconut taste.
4. you can also add in 1tbs of pearl sago, or sweet potato in this dish, it'll sure add some texture...i add my leftover sweet potatoes in mine ^_^
5. if you can't find palm sugar, i suppose you can substitute it with brown sugar...but it won't have that distinctive aroma and color of the palm sugar though...or perhaps using molasses sugar is better...
   

my Herb Garden

thyme
Thyme is a herb of the mint family Lamiaceae and it is the dried leaves and flowering tops that are used to flavour food. The shrub is native to southern Europe, the Mediterranean and central Asia. Essential oil extracted from thyme has antiseptic and anesthetic properties. Thyme has a special scent that goes well with many dishes. It gives an excellent taste to fish when used as a marinade. It is also one of the ingredients used in many herbal mixes, and adds a delicious fragrance to stews and meat dishes.

baby basil growing.... ^_^

ulam raja / cosmos plant
ulam raja if translate it directly means 'king's salad'. this herb is usually eaten raw with sambal belacan (chili paste mixed with shrimp paste and some other ingredients). The Malays believe that the herb is good for health and contains anti-aging properties or awet muda, and that it tones up blood circulation, strengthens the bones and promotes fresh breath.

basil / selasih
Basil is said to have a warm, resinous, clove-like flavor and fragrance. This stimulating fragrance fills the air when one brushes against a basil plant in the garden. The leaves and flowers are used as a condiment to flavor salads, soups and stews in the West. From tomato, egg or cheese dishes to meat, sausages, fish sauces and even vegetable juice drinks, basil is added to enhance the flavor of the dishes.

In Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, basil is commonly used in meat dishes and noodles. The Chinese makes an appetizing soup with basil leaves, eggs and dried shrimps. However, the flavor of fresh leaves intensifies when cooked. For maximum flavor, add basil towards the end of the cooking.

water spinach / kangkung tree
ermmm water spinach is very easy to grow and taste great too...it can be eaten raw or cooked like you would with spinach.

rosemary
one of my favorite herbs, they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements a wide variety of foods. A tisane can also be made from them. When burned they give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing. Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6

pandan leaves aka screwpine
Daun pandan is the Malaysian and Indonesian name for this fragrant leaf. Screwpine leaf was the name given by English traders who traveled to Asia. In Southeast Asia, pandan leaf is used to wrap chicken, meat, fish, and desserts before they are barbecued or steamed. They add distinct, sweet, floral-like notes to these products. Malaysians, Indonesians, and Thais add the bruised leaves or its extract to flavor rice dishes and glutinous and tapioca-based desserts and puddings. The whole leaf is used to wrap chicken and other meats before they are grilled or barbecued

not sure what it is but it is very fragrant, the plant looks like chive but smaller, really i'm not sure coz i didn't use the leaves to cook but the roots that also looks like between garlic and shallot. ...next to it is actually lemon grass

peri peri /bird eye chili
this plant seem to be very happily planted in my pot it grew double its size just in 2 weeks and since then this baby never stop producing hot chilies / hot peri peri =p

daun salam / Indian bay Leaves
I never knew that the salam leaf is a family of bay leaves...no wonder the leaves looks familiar and not to mention fragrant....lol...anyway if i were to translate the name literally it means peace leaf...The leaves may be used fresh or dried; they are common in the cuisines of Sumatra, Jawa , Bali and of course Malaysia. They are applied to meat and, to a lesser extent, vegetables; in order to release their flavor, they must be fried or cooked for a while.

my parents eats this as salad but in a rather small portion with other Malay salad such as cucumber, kesum, long bean, ulam raja etc...

daun kesum...i'm not sure what it called in english but i think its Vietnamese Mint (i stand to be corrected) is alos known as the laksa leaf amongst the Malaysian. Very fragrant. it is used in laksa gravy, asam pedas, nasi kerabu ...
it grows rather easily the leaves are elongated, with soft stalk, each segment of the stalk has the potential to grow into another bunch of mint leaves because roots sprout from the stalk itself.

mint
The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem. The leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.

and that all from my back yard garden herbs...my latest craze hehehehe~

Kelantan Traditional Snack: Squid stuffed with glutinous rice

you can see that the glutinous rice is nicely cooked inside the squid

This popular snack during tea-time. the squid is stuffed with glutinous rice and bathed in an aromatic coconut milk gravy. The stuffing is basically soaked in coconut milk before it is stuffed into the squids.

this is my dad's favorite dish. it is sweet with a hint of savory taste. store bought stuffed squid is never as good as homemade, its always too sweet and you usually can't really appreciate the flavors.

anyway i made this today since yesterday's pasar tani (market) only have cute petite squid. my mom once told me that to make this dish the best squid is the young squid or the smaller squid rather than the large one. this is probably because if you were to use large squid you may risk the flesh of the squid being tough as the process of cooking this is rather long (coz you need to make sure that the glutinous rice is cooked inside the squid) besides smaller portion is somehow fun to eat.

what you need:

1 can/pack coconut milk
12 small squids (you can make more)
100g glutinous rice (you may add more if needed)
1.2 cm ginger
1 screwpine leaf (daun pandan) - [optional but with this it'll be more fragrant]
2 shallot
100g palm sugar/brown sugar
a pinch of salt
toothpicks to secure the squid.

This is how you make it:

1. wash glutinous rice and soak it in the coconut milk for a minimum of 30minutes (the longer the better) then toss it and keep the coconut milk aside for later use.
   
2. mean while wash and clean squids. discard all dark ink and its bone. Do not remove the skin.
3. stuff the glutinous rice 1/3 full in the squid and attach back their heads and secure it with a toothpick. this is to allow the glutinous rice to expand and cook in the squid.
4. heat the coconut milk and add in ginger, shallots and screwpine.
   
5. then add in the stuffed squids cook until the stuffing is thoroughly cooked. to know when the glutinous rice is cooked, the squid will look expend and when you touch it, it should feel soft yet firm due to the expended cooked glutinous rice and the texture of the squid.
6. once cooked take out the squids and set a side.
7. then add in palm sugar and salt into the coconut milk stir constantly so that the coconut milk won't break and become oily. do this at a medium to low heat.
8. the gravy should be thicken after awhile. have a taste making sure that it is sweet with a hint of saltiness. then remove from heat and add in the cooked squids and let it sit for several minutes, then ready to serve.

TIPS:

• you can adjust the thickness of the gravy to your liking by adding water.when you do this make sure you check back your taste (sugar and salt)
• use fresh coconut milk is always better than using packed/instant coconut milk.
• palm sugar is the original ingredient but you can substitute with brown sugar or white sugar. but using white sugar will loose its beautiful brown color on the gravy. so perhaps you can try and caramelized the sugar first just to get the color although this may render the original taste slightly.

any questions you may ask me and i'll be gladly answer your questions.

Mocktail: LIMEade with MINT

picture credit to fine living

ok first of all the above picture is not mine coz i haven't taken any picture of my Limeade with Mint...coz i'm not in the mood bla bla...but this picture is the closest as it get to describing the drink to you....well actually it look the same minus the crushed ice...BUt i promise i'll replace it with my own picture SOON...just don't hold your breath for it...=P

i just want to share this recipe with you all because its a GREAT pick me up, it soothe my sore throat and actually made me feel less tired than i should be...

i was actually downing with a fever when i feel the first sore throat coupled with fatigue (i only get fever when i have sore throat and fatigue), the flu already got my children and i can't afford to be sick as well so that is why i came up with this pick me up and it was all based on midwives stories such as lime/lemon helps with flu or sore throats or something like that ...i add in mint just because i have that laying around. then today i actually feels better and it probably because of the drink coz i've been drinking it all day yesterday. then it all make sense...

lemon/lime they contain high vitamin C and what does vitamin C do? they help to boost our immune system right? and as for the mint...it so happen that MINT have some serious healing properties such as it can soothes IBS, colic or anything to do with stomach pain/discomfort, it soothes asthma, sinus congestion, headaches and get this even coughs, sore throats and fever!

so what a combo! my pick me up became my very own home remedy...its delicious too!!
i get hubby to buy loads of lime and an extra bottle of honey yesterday so that i can keep making this 'mock-tail' as i dressed it up (otherwise hubby and the kids wouldn't even wanna try especially when there's some green bits floating around) anyway enough blabbering here's my version of LIMEADE / LIME MOCK-TAIL with mint

5 large limes that is soft to touch (the hard ones has hardly any juice)
lime zest from 3 of the above limes
honey / brown sugar to taste
1 sprigs of fresh mint finely sliced
cold water and ice (1/2 jug)
optional: 2cans of sparkling water /7ups/sprite (i use sparkling water for that mock-tail feel minus the guilt)

1. combine lime juice, mint, ice and some water, sugar/honey then blend it until the mint is fine.
2. transfer the mixture into a jug, pour in the sparkling water and ready to serve!

TIP: for that mock-tail feel, serve in a tall glass or a fancy glass. before pouring the drink, wet the rim of the glass and dip it into white or brown sugar then carefully pour in the drink, garnish it with a lime twist and mint leaves.

and Now you have your gourmet drink!
Be healthy, Stay Healthy, Enjoy!

Herbs: Dried vs Fresh

this is such a topic to write about. i'm sure this entry will be somewhat useful to my readers or those chef wannabes (no puns intended)

herbs derives from leaves of plant and they gives great contribution to our cooking as well as medicine. to point which is better dried or fresh is very much debatable because it depends on what type/king of cooking/dish you are making. but one thing for sure, dried herbs tends to have STRONGER flavor than fresh herbs. so when cooking, with fresh herbs we tend to have to use more; the ratio would usually be 1 table spoon of fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.

although the type of cooking you're doing is also a major factor in determining the out come of a dish with herbs. for example; if you're cooking stews or soups or any dish that requires longer hour of cooking, add herbs in the beginning may cause lost of flavors so many cooks/chef would reasonably advice to add herbs towards the end of the cooking for maximum flavor. but if you're making chilled dish perhaps putting the herbs early is a good idea as it will slowly incorporate its flavor to the dish.

so dried or fresh? to me both are equally wonderful although dried herbs are very convenient especially to us Malaysian where fresh herbs such as tarragon, oregano, sage just to name a few are hard to find.

Fresh herbs is wonderful but i find it hard to keep it fresh for longer than a week. i suppose its due to our climate. i love fresh herb but they're expensive and hard to keep (do you have the same problem?) i remember when i was in the UK i used to keep my herbs clean (cut the stems,clean damaged leaves) and in a glass, it lasted for weeks but i can't do that here it wittered just within 2-3hours. for my love of fresh herbs i grow my own (i have anna olson to thank for that)

dried herbs are exceptionally convenient and a lot cheaper than fresh herbs. plus when you buy fresh herb you have to buy in stalk or a bunch while you only need some. and keeping it is a bitch (opps pardon my french =D )...unless you grow your own herbs then that's fine. but when buying dried herbs look for ones that still have color in it. i mean the green color on dried herbs still look fresh and not brownish. brownish herbs means 'old' or stale herbs which may have less flavor(so you won't get your money worth) if you so happen to have stale herbs, its still usable only you would probably need more than the recipe required. to release the aroma and flavor of herbs rub the dried herbs between your hands or grind them before you toss in your dish. to check if your herb is fresh when you rub with your fingers you should smell a rather strong aroma otherwise its time to throw out your stash.

so dried or fresh...i suppose its a matter of taste...

hope this entry is useful for you. happy cooking!

carrots: how to choose

i'm backkk... (imitating oprah) =D

firstly i'd like to apologize to my fellow followers/readers on me not updating my blog. as you know i take pictures with my camera phone, and by now i have one too many food pictures that i'd like to share with you all but yet again i'm having problem transferring the pictures. i have the usb cables and everything only that my husband's laptop did not accept my transfer and i've tried so many times on configuring the laptop but still failed (argh...roll eyes)

but i've manage to borrow a camera from my parents and will see from there (which also means that i have to start cooking and baking all over again) so mean while, i'd like to entertain you with my tips and just a few things that i've learn over the years about choosing fresh ingredients accompany by pictures i've gathered from the net (don't worry i shall put the link on where i get the picture from) and some from my picture bank, and this time to subject of the matter is carrot! yes CARROT...

why carrot? its simply because its the most neglected vegetables ever...so from now on, no more taking this vegetable for granted ok? right...i say neglected because we always 'choose' our carrots simply by the fact that as long as it has no rotten parts and they'll make their way to our kitchen and most of us...well at least us Malaysian, we tend to choose a very huge and plump carrots that sometimes to me they can actually pass for cucumber if only they are green...(then again who could blame them, they usually only sell huge plump carrots)

the french, they basically hate unreasonably huge ingredients. because to them, the bigger the ingredients are the less taste it will have. And i find this especially true, i can't remember the countless times that we ordered something that is huge like huge garoupa fish for family dinner, huge squid for bbq etc and all of these was basically tasteless and rather chewy which was horrible and not to mention expensive. so from those unforgivable mistake for a foodie like me, i learn i'd rather order several fish or squid of what ever than having just one huge ingredients... with that, we tend to appreciate the food better

so the same principle applies to carrots. the bigger they are the lesser the taste will be and if you are unfortunate it'll be bitter if not any. i used to pick big carrots because...lets face it we think that its value for money. but we sacrifice the taste and probably the nutritional value as well in the process.


the french carrot: this is how carrot should be thin, slim and rather petite in size. this type of carrot is always sweet and have such great flavor. as the french chef say " this is how carrot should taste .."

just a comparison, find the regular large malaysian carrot, the slim petite carrot , taste it and you know that there are such a difference in the taste. the petite carrots tends to taste sweet and have that significant 'carrot' flavor rather than the larger carrots. with this type of carrots you'll make a very tasty stew or soup with its natural sweetness and all...this i assure you.

what about baby carrots? ones that are sold ready to eat carrot in a packet? ahhh~ that to me is the genius of marketing. most of them are just large/full grown carrots cut and made into 'baby' carrots and market it/ sell it as 'baby carrots' altho some of it maybe actually young carrots and probably taste just as sweet but generally to me nothing is better than the slim carrots.

why is the slim carrots are so tasty?? hmmm....why? well simply because it is not a mature carrots! its YOUNG carrots. Hans they are slim...(wink) so again this slim carrots are the sweetest of them all! and if you want a longer lasting carrots choose those that still have some green in it.

this is roughly how our carrots look like...but i think we all know that the carrots sold in our markets are a bit larger than this right? (pictures are just for viewing purpose only)

there are also some other pointers on what to avoid in choosing carrots (other than what i've been blabbering about):-

1. blemishes or cracks (which most large full grown usually carrots have)
2. flabby, rubbery or soft
3. sunburn green at the top (this one always have a special appearance in the market so becareful)
   

Storage:

1. rather than anything else wrap carrots using bubble wrap the small kind of bubble wrap as this will ensure freshness and prevent it from being rotten
2. never NEVER use plastic bag to store your carrots or other vegetables...for God sake! this will rote your vegetables in no time

it is best to consume your carrots within 1-2 weeks after purchasing it for the best nutritional and taste value.



p/s: this is just the general rule on how to pick a better tasting carrot.

Apple pie - lattice top

just last week (during the lonely CNY) i finally have the mood to bake...mmm i'm sorry for letting this blog go idle for a long time, but i was kindda busy...or more accurately in a vaca mode ^_^
i went to Bandung with my parents and sister and her fiance...she wanted to look for her wedding invitation card coz apparently our printers can't print less than 3 weeks their estimation time was 4-6 weeks! due to CNY holiday bla bla...and my sister's wedding is set in April! then we heard that Indonesian can handle fast printings minimum of 3 working days...how great is that? so without thinking we all book ourselves tickets to Indonesia...for me, i was there just to have a shopping frenzy...and the result is that i'm broke now...i can literally see my card puffed with smoke =p...hubby wasn't that happy too and that's my dear is why i'm baking stuff ...you may say that this is my rather pathetic attempt to cheer him up hehehehe~ which by the way worked like a charm!!! (then again he always smiles whenever i put effort-ful (is there such word?) homemade food on the table)

anyway... this apple pie is one of my attempt to put back smiles in his face....coz i know that hubby loves apple pie especially when topped with vanilla ice cream!

Apple pie fillings:

5 medium sized granny smith green apples - peeled and cut into wedges
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp nutmeg
1/2cup brown sugar
1tbsp lemon juice
3tbsp flour or custard powder
30ml water (plus minus this will depend on how loose you want your filling be)

1. combine all ingredients and cook until the apples are almost tender. adding water gradually controlling consistency to your liking. then remove from fire let it cool.
2. it is important that you don't over cook your apples or it'll loose its flavor.
   

Flaky Pie Crust Recipe

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2cup cold unsalted butter cut into chunks
  
• 1tsp salt
• 1tsp sugar (this is optional)
  
• 3/4 cup ice water
  

How To Make a Perfect Flaky Pie Crust

1st Step:

• Measure flour and salt into a large bowl making a well in the middle. Put shortening and butter into the well.
• This is an important step. Do not let the heat of your hands melt the shortening. The least amount of contact with the shortening the better. i use pastry cutter for this step. you need to work on it coating and cutting the butter and shortening with flour until...
  
• It should look like a small peas, with the butter and shortening being totally incorporated into the flour.

2nd Step:

• Pour water bit by bit, until it comes together in a soft dough. You may need more or less water depending on the humidity. Do NOT knead the dough as in bread making though as this will encourage the formation of gluten which we don't need.
  
• Work the dough and form in a ball and flatten it to a disk. this is to ensure an even chill.
• Cover the dough and refrigerate. let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
• you may keep longer than 10 minutes. i usually make a large batch and keep the balance for future use. the dough keeps well in a zip lock bag up to a month.
  

3rd Step:

• Take a handful of flour and throw/sprinkle it down on a counter top. Put the dough in the middle of the flour.
• Coat your rolling pin with flour. Start rolling the dough with the pin, turning the dough to get a round shape. This may take several passes over the dough, turning this way and that. Flip the dough over carefully, adding flour to your surface as needed. Finish rolling on this side to make a circle that is 4" bigger than your pan.
• Fold the dough in half, place it in the pan unfolding to fit. Trim if necessary, but not too much. You want to have enough to fold the edges under.
• Fold the edges under, turning the pan and pressing the edge as you go.
• You now have a choice as to how you want to finish the crust. If you are making an open pie as in pumpkin or pecan, press the edges down with a fork to seal the edge and give it a nice pattern.
• Or, you can crimp the edges using your thumb and forefinger of your left hand and the forefinger of your right hand, and go around the edge of the pie making a v-shaped pattern, all the while keeping the edge slightly higher than the pie pan.
• or in my case i just let it hang a little, then i start working on my lattice top then will i trim the edge for a clean finish.
• at this point you may have some extra dough, roll it and stamp it with you fave cookie cutter and make decorations on top of your pie...
• use 1 egg yolk + 1tbsp of water and a drop of egg yolk coloring for glazing.
• bake at 180c for 30-45minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
  

if you want to learn on how to make this elegant dessert click here for a step by step instruction.

happy baking guys!

p/s: happy Chinese New year to all my fellow Chinese friends