2016 (Looking Back in Anger)

Tajuk entry tak ada kena mengena dengan ini cerita.  

Haha, just thought about the Chinese drama that was very popular when I was still in secondary school. Time to reminisce some memories, especially when we are embarking to another new year.

Lots going on throughout last year, both good and bad.  Am not here to rumble and mumble about the bad one,  as I don’t wish to dwell in any of it.  Let it be my life lesson, the ones that will stay in my mind just to ensure that I remember not to step in the same mine twice. Good ones? Lots of it, that makes it impossible to share with you all.  My culinary journey has some new adventures that I embarked on.  That is what I wish to share here, merely as a token of appreciation to those whom I met along this interesting path.

April last year, I enrolled into cake and pastry class that was organised and sponsored by Empower ECER at Mersing (part of the reason why, I stopped my home food delivery business in JB though I have an ample loyal customer and follower)  Some of you might be wondering why the sudden change and why leave my sizeable food delivery business to take part in something that I’ve already done and knew.  As you might be aware, I cook merely base on trial and error and through experience of my family members. There’s no formal training.  Did you know that every time I secure a catering or cooking project my heart kept on racing till the event is over?  It is because I still lack confidence whether I did it right, or whether the customer will love and appreciate my cooking, even at some point when they praise my products, I still have doubts whether it is based on  true fact or just as a token of courtesy. (Yeah! That bad!) At times, if the project was for more than 500 people, I couldn’t sleep for days, just planning and kept on feeling nervous whether I can nail the project.

So, when I joined the class, it helps me gain my confidence, tremendously!  Honestly, most of the recipes that was taught here was the one that I have already tested and made in my kitchen, nothing new.  But the benefit that I got from attending the classes is very useful and invaluable.  I was taught about the tricks and tips of baking, why this is made like this or why it is done like that – the one that only occupies a few percent of my knowledge in baking.  So you see, I am more than happy that my attendance was 100% for the last 25 sessions.  Unbelievable right? Haha, most of my classmate will definitely give me a standing ovation because the average of my school and college attendance was normally, never exceeding 60% a year!  I’m so amazed and pleased with myself.  (Now dancing to Channa Mereya by Arijit Singh)

When attending the class, the officials from Empower-ECER came to know about my cooking and baking experience and approached me if I’m interested to do cooking or baking demos for working adults and school students.  Still lacking in confidence, I hesitated, but they said….’It’s time’. From there, I am making History for myself! After the first demo with the parents of student from Sekolah Menengah Tunku Abdul Rashid in Tenggaroh 5, I got a lot of invitations to teach them a few recipes, using their community centres and their own pocket money.  I made a lot of new friends exploring new districts and their cultures.

Today, I would like to share, photos of my sessions with some teachers, and parents as well as students during the demos.

I would also like to thank the following people and company who have been regulars, using MyKuihStory food and catering service for 2016.  If I missed out… be sure that it is not intentionally.  

Here they are:

Orient Overseas Container Line (Johor) (En. Zulkmal, Wendy, Baiti & Friends)

Agility Warehouse Sdn Bhd (Kak Wan, Abang Man & Chronies)
Hyundai Shipping Malaysia (Johor) (Cik Norlela, Cik Wati & gang)
Mini Cafe69 Pandan Uptown (Puan Rohaya, En Halim, Puan Magelene, Puan Faziyana Fauzi and families)
Sekolah Menengah Tunku Abdul Rashid (Cikgu Adiah and fellow teachers)
Sekolah Agama Al-Khiriah
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mersing (Cikgu Aziyah Ali, Pengetua Zaleha Ismail & fellow teachers)
Sekolah Kebangsaan Mersing Kanan (Cikgu Leda Santan & fellow teachers)
Puan Rina Farhana of Jabatan Perpaduan Mersing, Puteri UMNO Mersing
Cik Sarimah Saliman of Puteri Pacific Hotel
Puan Fyda Yatno of Holiday Villa Hotel
Puan Zulaikha Khalid & Sharifah of New York Hotel
Puan Kalthom Abdullah of Thistle Hotel
Puan Ainon Siman of Johor Jaya
Puan Arie Abdul of Johor Jaya
En Rizal Sheikh Abdullah of Sekolah Kebangsaan Tamil JB
En Rizal of Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Pelangi
En Mohd Hafiz of BenHafiz Enterprise
Pn Azizah of (B.A.G)
Cik Nadia of Malee Mineral Water Sdn Bhd
Pn Azie of Salju Biru
Pn Lini of Lini Hair Saloon
Pn Angah of Angah Tailor
Cik Miera Ruslieza of Cemara Supply and Services
En Hairiezam of Akasia Supply and Services
En Youzaimi Yusof of Naib Ketua UMNO Bahagian
Pn. Norazila Ngah of Public Bank Berhad
Pn. Norhidayah Mohamad of San Seng Lee Sdn Bhd
En Zaidi of Sekolah Sains Sultan Iskandar
En. Awang of Pejabat Hutan Mersing
Pn Rafilda Rahman
Pn Hasnieza Hashim
En. Johari of Air Merah
Pn. Rapeah and family of Kampung Sri Lumpur
Pn Rozayana Nasir

And some whom I can’t remember their names, Thank you for your love and support. 

 Demo Kek Pelajar SPM Sekolah Menengah Agama Al-Khiriah

 Kelas Kek untuk Staf dan Guru Sekolah Kebangsaan Mersing Kanan

 Demo Kek & Pizza Pelajar SPM Sekolah Menengah Agama Al-Khiriah

 Seminar Kerjaya Pelajar PT 3 Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mersing

 Demo Kek untuk Pelajar PT3 dan SPM Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rashid

Program Hari Sukan Ibu Bapa Murid Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rashid

Green Tea Butter Cake with Green Tea Creme Chantilly

Entry ni merupakan dedikasi khas untuk salah satu 

favourite food blogger yang aku selalu follow.  

Ms Hazila; My Small Kitchen

Sebabnya, bila aku go through blog dia, banyak resepi yang gunakan green tea ni.  Be it makanan or minuman.  Well, ToH pun sama. Dia memang crazy over green tea.  Dialah pencetus green tea crave in my family.  Kalau dulu-dulu kakak and abang aku bila dengar green tea je, terus buat muka disgust.  Tapi sekarang.. amekkau! Asyik kirim jer.  Bagi ToH pulak, dalam sebulan dia akan beli 4 carton green tea.  If 1 carton ada 24, that means 4 carton ada 96 – in a month! Never mind, bila dia ‘padam’ nanti aku mandikan dia dengan green tea tu aje.  Senang!  Bila ‘cekik’ green tea ni banyak -banyak, kalau dia tak awet muda jugak, tak taulah aku nak kata apa!

Sebenarnya green tea ni banyak kebaikannya.  I guess, itu adalah antara sebab Hazila and ToH sukakan benda alah ni.  Aku pulak? Boleh tahan suka .. cuma tak tahan jer.  Tak tahan harga! Mahal ya ampun!  ½ kg jer dah RM 100 lebih!  Green tea ni asalnya dari China dan kebelakangan ni, ‘kegilaannya’ dah menular ke seluruh pelusuk Asia dan juga Eropah yang mana minuman asal mereka adalah lebih kepada Black Tea.

Green Tea ni if you look beyond it’s name, lebih dari sekadar minuman sahaja.  Ia merupakan satu ejen yang sangat sihat.  Membekalkan anti-oksida dan juga zat-zat yang diperlukan oleh badan kita.  Dia ada flavanoids yg boleh mengelakkan tubuh badan daripada terhidrasi, membaikpulih system saraf otak dan menjadikan otak lebih bijak, boleh membantu menurunkan berat badan (part yang ni aku keliru .. ToH asyik minum Green Tea, tapi kenapa berat dia tak turun? Hahaha)  Selain tu ia  jugak boleh mengurangkan risiko untuk mendapat cancer, boleh mengurangkan risiko nyanyuk bila tua, mengurangkan risiko kencing manis .. even boleh merawat kencing manis tahap 2.  Ya Allah, aku dah bunyi macam doctor pakar la pulak!?!

Kek yang aku buat guna Green Tea ni is actually a simple buttercake jer, tapi frosting dia quite nice.  In-fact the frosting tu sebenarnya ToH buat untuk 'experiment' French Choux Chantilly dia.  Tapi since I like the taste, aku suruh ToH cover my cake with that cream.  Consistentcy-nya bukanlah untuk kek.  So, ToH had trouble with the piping.  Furthermore ini first assignment dia, jadi I would consider this a job well done!  Normally cream frosting or piping is my job, but this time, I’d be happy to be the observer.  Lagipun I have this habit of tak herankan plating ataupun hiasan, yang penting rasa. I just can’t wait to cut the cake and take a bite.

Rasanya sangat significant as long as you buy a good quality green tea.  Jom kita go through the recipe

150 gm butter or margerine – your choice

150 gm caster sugar
3 nos egg
100 gm milk (fresh or evaporated – hentam saja)
200 gm self raising
1 tbs green tea powder (ayak sekali ngan tepung)

Cara-cara:

Pukul margerine dengan gula sampai kembang

Masukkan butter satu persatu

Masukkan separuh dari tepung dan kacau

Masukkan susu dan baki tepung tadi dan kacau hingga sebati

Masukkan dalam loyang pembakar yang di alas dengan kertas minyak

(Adunan ni aku buat untuk loyang 8’x3’)

Bakar pada suhuh 170 darjah selama 40 minit atau sampai masak.  (Ikut oven masing masing)

Untuk Green Tea Crème Chantilly:

250 ml krim putar

50 gm gula aising

1/2 sudu teh esen vanilla

1 sudu teh serbuk teh hijau

Cara-cara:

Putar krim pada kelajuan sederhana sehingga kembang.  
Masukkan gula aising, esen vanilla dan serbuk teh hijau dan putar lagi sehingga kaku (stiff peak – aku tak tau bahasa melayu apa)

** Voila! **

Nasi Kerabu Tumis A’la Mek Som

This post is a tribute to someone that cultivated, inspired and guided me in my culinary journey even till today! 

My one and only, Mek!

Any part of Malaysia, kalau sebut nasi kerabu jer, immediately the image that come to mind is nasi warna biru dengan ulam ulaman, sambal kelapa dan budu.  Some will always imagine it dengan ayam atau daging bakar and top up with keropok ikan.  But let me stop you right there!

There are few types of nasi kerabu that exists!  The commonly known as nasi kerabu to Malaysian is the one yang warnanya biru. Tapi little did they know that nasi kerabu tu orang panggil nasi ‘Kerabu Hitam’.  Kalau mak-mak kita zaman dulu, untuk menghasilkan nasi kerabu hitam ni, mereka gunakan bunga telang sebagai ejen pewarna, but since we evolved with the technology, orang zaman sekarang lebih senang menggunakan pewarna.  Lagipun nak mendapatkan bunga telang tu punyalah azab!

Then, there is nasi kerabu kuning.  Yang ini pun jarang jarang juga kita jumpa.  Tapi for those yang memang meminati nasi kerabu ataupun yang berasal dari Kelantan dan Terengganu, ianya bukanlah sesuatu yang baru.  Dua dua nasi kerabu yang saya sebutkan tadi are mostly menggunakan cili padi yang dikisar bersama cuka sebagai sambalnya dan base untuk ulam-ulaman dan juga sambal kelapa adalah sama.

Yang berikutnya adalah Nasi Kerabu Tumis! Haaaaa nasi kerabu ni yang aku nak share dengan pembaca blog sekelian.  Masa zaman aku masih sekolah dulu (Jangan tanya aku bila, sebab kalau aku bagi tau, korang mesti terus menganggap aku ni Artifak antik zaman purbakala) mak aku jual nasi kerabu ni di Kampung.  And yes, sehinggalah sekarang .. kalau handai taulan datang berziarah, mesti ada yang tak reti-reti bahawasanya Mek aku tu dah pencen.  Masih memujuk dia untuk meniaga nasi kerabu ni.  Mek aku pulak, sifatnya mudah rasa simpati.  Sesekali dia akan buat jugak. But that is the beauty of it.  What she will do is dia akan bagi tau seorang kakak ni (Kamariah) yang dia akan buat Nasi Kerabu ni on certain date.  Then this lady will inform the other and the news spread.  Two days before the day, the order will come from every inch of the kampung so that my mother will know berapa banyak dia kena buat.  Yang seronoknya .. kerja sehari pendapatan beratus-ratus.  Kalau agak agak tengah sesak dan perlukan wang segera, Nasi Kerabu adalah Jawapannya.  Tak perlu pinjam Bank… hahaha.

Nasi kerabu tumis ni hanya gunakan nasi putih.  Kalau di Kelantan, kami suka guna ‘beras usang’. Kalau korang tengok, nasi kerabu moden ni, kebanyakkannya guna ulam-ulam moden macam kacang panjang, kobis, taugeh, timun daun kesum dan sebagainya.  For me, kalau makan ulaman moden ni kurang ‘feel’.  We’re always making this a great deal that the authenticity of the Nasi Kerabu is fading along with time.  Tapi nak buat macamana kan?  Baiklah, before this entry jadi sampai dua tiga page, let me start guiding you on how to do it ok?  

Let me list down the components of the Nasi Kerabu then the ingredients ok?

 Nasi

Sambal Santan Tumis

Sambal Kelapa

Ulam-ulaman

Budu

Lauk Sampingan (ni terpulang pada korang nak tambah apa.. ikan masin, telur asin, keropok, ayam bakar, solok lada and what not.  Tapi aku tak kan buat untuk kali ni sebab kalau aku sertakan sekali resipinya.. nescaya satu entry aku boleh merangkumi 15 blog entry yang lain. Hahaha)

Bahan untuk Nasi:

Macam biasa, tanak je nasi putih.  Ikut suka hati korang nak guna beras apa.  Ikut tembolok masing masing

Bahan untuk Sambal Santan Tumis:

30 tangkai cili kering
10 ulas bawang merah
3 ulas bawang putih
halia sebesar ibu jari
(kisar semua bahan di atas)
Santan pekat dari 1 ½ biji kelapa
1 keping asam keping
gula merah secukup rasa
garam secukup rasa
ajinomoto (jika suka)

Cara-cara Untuk Sambal Santan Tumis:

Jerang santan di dalam periuk atau kuali.  Biarkan sehingga ia mendidih dan berkepala (minyak akan terhasil dan santan akan jadi berketul2.  Macam nak buat tahi minyak.. tapi jangan sampai warna bertukar menjadi perang)  Bila dah naik bau dia. Masukkan bahan kisar, gula dan asam keping.  Jerang sehingga lada masak, kemudian perasakan dengan garam dan ajinomoto. Kemudia angkat.

Bahan Sambal Kelapa:

½ biji kelapa parut (goreng tanpa minyak sehingga kering dan bewarna kecoklatan.  Kemudian ramas sehingga halus

2 ekor ikan selayang/kembung (panggang atau goreng tanpa minyak)
2 batang serai (mayang halus)
6 ulas bawang merah (mayang)
halia sebesar  ibu jari (mayang)
Lada Hijau (potong kasar)
Garam dan gula secukup rasa
Ajinomot (jika suka)

Cara-cara Sambal Kelapa:

Asingkan isi ikan (buang tulang) kemudian masukkan kedalam lesung bersama serai, halia, bawang merah yang telah di mayang.  Tumbuk kasar.
Kemudian gaulkan bersama kelapa yang telah di ramas dan perasakan dengan garam, gula dan ajinomoto. Campurkan lada hijau dan gaul

Ulam-ulaman:

Yang ni general.  Semuanya kena mayang atau racik halus.  Aku lebih suka guna ulam ulam kampung macam tok nenek kita zaman dulu.  In this recipe aku gunakan bunga kantan, daun selasih, daun kunyit, ulam raja (asalnya cari pucuk beruas dan pucuk gajus tapi tak der. So berpuas hati jela dengan apa yang ada), timun.

Budu:

Korang boleh opt untuk masak atau just perahkan asam limau then picit lada dalam budu. 

Cara makan:
Sendukkan nasi putih atas pinggan, taburkan ulam-ulaman, sambal tumis dan budu.  Gaul dan sedia untuk di makan.  Nampak rumit, tapi penyediaannya lebih kuran 1 ½ jam jer.

ps: Thank you Bernama for featuring My Kuih Story in your Youth Travelog Page!!

Sekeping Roti Canai dan Setitis Air Mata ( A piece of Roti Canai and a tear drop )

  Tiada resipi hari ni, cuma nak menzahirkan dan berkongsi sekilas pemandangan dan pengalaman yang saya lalui tatkala mengorak langkah dalam  meneruskan hidup sebagai hamba ‘ALLAH’ di buminya yang dipinjamkan untuk sementara ini.

            

  Tanggal 11 Feb 2014, saya ke Pasar Awam Larkin dalam usaha mencari bekalan untuk memenuhkan peti sejuk saya yang sudah hampir kehabisan bahan bahan untuk di masak. Di dalam dompet, saya membawa sejumlah wang sekitar RM 700. Selesai membeli beberapa kg daging, beberapa ekor ayam, seafood dan juga sayur sayuran dan rempah ratus, saya bergegas memacu kenderaan untuk segera sampai ke rumah kerana pada sebelah petangnya saya harus memasak untuk sidang meja bulat antara saya dan rakan-rakan akrab saya. Perbelanjaan di pasar tidak pun sampai RM 300.

  Dalam perjalanan pulang, mata saya tertumpu pada sederetan rumah kedai yang pada beberapa bulan lepas, saya dan teman serumah habiskan masa sekurang kurangnya dua kali seminggu untuk menikmati makan malam di Restoran Al-Falah.  Rakan saya gemarkan ayam Tandoori dan juga roti naan di sini.  Saya mengambil keputusan untuk membelok dan singgah menikmati sarapan pagi memandangkan perut saya masih belum di isi.

  Saya memesan sekeping Roti Bawang Telur Double dan juga segelas Teh ‘O’ Panas.  Sementara menunggu pesanan di bawa, jejari saya sibuk menekan kekunci handphone sambil berbalas-balas pesanan ringkas di dua kumpulan pada aplikasi ‘wechat dan whatsapp’.  Satunya kumpulan ‘teman akrab’ dan satu lagi adalah kumpulan ‘adik beradik’ saya.  Saya senyum sendirian apabila kami sibuk mengusik antara satu sama lain di kedua dua kumpulan.

  Selang beberapa meja, ada tiga orang pemuda India sedang menikmati sarapan sambil berbual dalam bahasa Tamil dengan nada yang kuat. Pada awalnya saya membiarkan sahaja – tapi lama kelamaan, mereka berbual semakin kuat di selangi ketawa berdekah dekah yang agak menjengkelkan.  Saya cuba untuk tidak ambil pusing akan hal ini, tetapi ianya berlarutan sehingga mengganggu tumpuan saya.

  Di dalam hati, saya mula menyumpah mereka bertiga, termasuklah ayat ayat yang berbaur perkauman. Rasa marah dan benci mula menular ke segenap tubuh badan saya.  Ingin sahaja saya bangun dan bergegas ke meja mereka menyarankan agar mereka ke pasar yang tidak jauh dari situ dan bercakap serta gelaklah sepuas hati mereka di sana.

  

  Selang beberapa minit, kelihatan seorang budak berpakaian seragam sekolah, dengan beg selempang dan tabung di tangan, menghampiri dari meja ke meja menghulurkan sekeping dokumen dan juga tabung meminta ihsan dan bantuan daripada pengunjung pengunjung di restoran tersebut. Kebanyakkan dari pelanggan menghulurkan not RM1 dan dimasukkan ke dalam tabung.  Tiba di meja saya, bermacam macam soalan yang saya ajukan kepada budak yang dari pengamatan saya mungkin berusia dalam lingkungan 15 atau 16 tahun.  Tangan saya segera mengeluarkan not RM5 dan memasukkan ke dalam tabung tersebut.  Sebelum pelajar terbabit beredar, saya ada mempelawanya untuk bersarapan sekiranya dia mahu tetapi katanya ‘Alhamdulillah Abang, saya sudah bersarapan awal pagi tadi dan masih kenyang’.  Dia meminta diri setelah menerima anggukan daripada saya.  Di hati saya masih ada rasa was was, samada derma yang diminta adakah sahih ataupun sekadar sindiket yang banyak berleluasa di Malaysia ini.  Tapi rasa sangsi itu segera saya padamkan memandangkan saya telah lepaskan tanggungjawab dan amanah saya kepada budak terbabit.

  Ketika pelajar terbabit melintasi kumpulan pemuda India yang saya ceritakan tadi, dia tidak berhenti.  Tetapi salah seorang pemuda itu memanggilnya.  Setelah pelajar tersebut menghampiri mereka, mereka bertanya ‘Adik minta derma untuk apa?’ Setelah di terangkan, ketiga-tiga pemuda terbabit mengeluarkan not RM 10 seorang dan memasukkanya ke dalam tabung tersebut.  Salah seorang daripada mereka berpesan ‘Tabung tu adik pegang kuat kuat, peluk di badan jangan pegang macam tu saja… takut nanti ada orang ‘snatch’ (ragut).  Setelah pelajar itu berlalu… mereka menyambung perbualan mereka semula dengan nada dan ketawa yang sama.

  Tapi …. kali ini, ia tidak lagi menjengkelkan hati saya, malahan di birai mata saya, air mula bertakung.  Saya tersedar, beretika baik di meja makan tidak menjadikan saya lebih bagus dari mereka.  Menyerahkan not RM5 dan menganalisa rata-rata orang lain yang menyerahkan RM1 juga tidak bererti saya lebih mulia dari mereka, sedangkan poket saya masih tebal. Mereka mengeluarkan not RM10 seorang tanpa banyak bicara sedangkan saya hanya mengeluarkan not RM5 namun masih terdetik rasa sangsi di hati. Di mana sifat ikhlas saya? Di mana letak tulus saya dalam mencari kebaikan yang ‘ALLAH’ redhai?  Saat itu saya merasakan terlalu kerdil raga ini kerana jiwa saya belum betul betul bersih, belum betul betul merdeka.  Setelah menyeka air mata, saya menoleh kearah mereka semula, terpampang di dada salah seorang pemuda India itu loket salib yang membuktikan bahawa dia bukan beragama Islam.  Saya tidak dapat memastikan identiti ke dua dua yang lain.  Mungkin mereka seagama, mungkin tidak.  Namun yang mengharukan hati saya ialah mereka tidak menjadikan agama sebagai jurang atau alasan untuk tidak membantu yang memerlukan.  Menghulurkan bantuan tanpa mengerdip mata, atau berfikir dua kali. Sedangkan hanya kerana tidak senang dengan perangai mereka saya menjadikan perkauman sebagai tiket untuk menyelar mereka sedangkan agama saya tidak mengajar saya untuk membeza-beza.

            

  ‘ALLAH’ menguji saya, ‘ALLAH’ memberi peringatan kepada saya, ‘ALLAH’ tunjukkan jalan pada saya… Saya pulang dengan iltizam baru.. untuk jadi yang lebih baik, untuk mengangkat darjat saya ketahap yang lebih sempurna…terima kasih ‘YA ALLAH’!

Penne with Carbonara and Basil Sauce

Aku ni halwa tekaknya lebih kepada masakan Melayu, so obviously I cook more Malay dishes rather than Western la kan?  Tapi living in a house with other two house-mates yang cravings-nya berbeza-beza, I have to be fair.  One is more to western, the other is 'eat all he can' and myself, I prefer Malay delicacies especially those from the East coast.  Given the fact that I have too little choices and being the Head Chef in the house (don't be mistaken for I am no Chef myself - just in my house),  aku terpaksa juga masak makanan yang bukanlah kegemaran aku.  Hey! that's nothing new as back in 2003, when I opened a small roadside stall, aku menjual sarapan yang aku sendiri akan jarang makan. Macam Nasi Dagang, Laksang (Terengganu slang) dan a few other things, just to cater to the local taste buds. Many thanks goes out to my Mom who's an expert in all of these dishes and taught me how to prepare them.

Some of the locals who frequented my stall would be surprised, especially after learning that I don't even fancy most of the food that I prepare. But still, when you enjoy seeing people indulging in the food you prepared, you will always be more then happy to cook something which is not of your preference to eat.

Enough of re-living the past,  let's live today's moment preparing food (of which is not the one that I would prefer to do... ). But heck, looking at Lynn and ToH who kept digging the serving spoon into that casserole dish for seconds and thirds, I know that somehow I am reaching yet, another victory in this department.

Let's get started..

Ingredients

1. A packet of Penne Pasta
2. Button mushrooms (slice or halves)
3. 250 gm beef bacon, grilled on pan and keep the pan juice then sliced or chopped
4. 2 cloves of garlic smashed or chopped finely
5. A few dash of Olive oil
6. 3 eggs
7. 200 ml cooking cream 
8. 300 ml fresh milk
9. 100 gm of Parmesan cheese
10. A handful of fresh Basil

Method 

1. Fry the beef bacon and garlic in olive oil until crisp in a pan and set the bacon aside and leave it to cool before slicing or chopping
2. Boil Penne in a pot
3. In the same beef bacon pan that has all the bacon pan juice (don't turn on the heat yet), mix the eggs, cooking cream, milk and Parmesan cheese
4. Turn on heat, adjust to low heat and stir in all the ingredients until gravy thickens
5. Once gravy is thickened, add in the cooked beef bacon and mushrooms
6. Add in salt (you can add black pepper if you like, but not too much)
7. Right before you turn off the heat, add in basil
8. Drain the cooked Penne, and add in to the Carbonara sauce
9. Toss the pan to coat the Penne
10. Dish up onto plates and you could sprinkle some grated Parmesan on top
11. If you have extra basil, garnish it on top

Note/Tips : The reason why I add the basil leaves shortly before turning off the heat is to ensure that it is not overcooked that'll result in the colouring of the leaves to turn black.

** Happy trying peeps! **

Curry Noodles (Mi Kari)

            When I was in my lower secondary, I often visited the stall at the basement of Holiday Plaza, JB, for my favourite Curry Noodles from the only Hawker Stall there. Though it has been more than 20 years, I still have vivid memories of that delicious and tempting dish even though the Uncle is no longer there.

When I went back to my hometown for my upper secondary education, Chicken Delight became another hang out place for my Curry Noodles fix. I remembered visiting this place to celebrate, even the smallest of events with some of my Chinese friends (Lee Sau Fah, Lee Ooi Chan, Foo Yuen Yun, Lock Kam Chuan, Wai Seap Moi & Lee Choon Fah, to name a few).  And yes, Chicken Delight is still standing today… though not strong, but they still have their regulars.  I would still sometimes (whenever I go back to my hometown) visit this place.  It is always nice to be back to a familiar somewhere to indulge and bask in the sweet memories of my early years.

To honor the teen-hood year of my life, I would like to share this Curry Noodles recipe with my readers.  It is delicious for me but if it does not fit your tastebuds, you can always alter it to your own liking.

Here is how:
Ingredients

1. 10 shallots
2. 5 cloves of garlic
3. Ginger (about the size of your thumb)
4. 1 tablespoon (heap) Dried Shrimp
5. 1 stalk of lemongrass
6. 3 sprigs of curry leaves
7. 1/2 a cup Oil
8. A pack of noodles
9. Chicken (you can take from half to one chicken – up to your liking)
10. Clam Flesh (Kerang rebus) about 1 to 2 bowls (Optional)
11. Curry Powder (I either use Kari Peladang or Baba’s)
12. 2 Tablespoon Sugar
13. Coconut Milk from one coconut
14. 1 spoon of tamarind juice
15. Fried Chinese Tofu
16. Fish Ball
17. Fish Cake

For Garnishing

1. Boiled Egg
2. Fried Shallots
3. Cut chillies
4. Calamansi (halves)
5. Toufu (marinate with tumeric powder and salt then fry)
6. Beansprouts (blanche)

Method

Blanche noodles in a boiling water, drained and set aside

For Gravy

1. In a pot/wok, heat the cooking oil and saute 1 – 4 until fragrant
2. Add in curry powder (make sure you mix with a little water in a bowl before transfer it to the pot/wok)
3. Fry until the oil appears on the surface
4. Add in chicken and let it cook for a while
5. Add in coconut milk, tamarind juice, stir and let it simmer
6. Add in clam flesh, fish ball, fish cake, salt, sugar and flavour enhancer and let it boil for a while. 
7. Place noodle in a bowl, scoop in gravy and garnish.. 

                 ** Ready to eat **

Note : If you need or want thicker gravy, boil a potato, mash it up and add into the gravy. 
In some recipes, they even add long beans as an ingredient..

HERBS!

           Last week, masa kami jalan-jalan di Tesco Tebrau City, we found these, packed in attractive packaging. Memandangkan I'm currently having a ‘cooking frenzy’ month, we bought quite a few. ToH had told me about these nicely packed herbs weeks before and when I laid my eyes on them, I immediately fell in love!

            I would like to dedicate this entry to my ‘beloved trainee’ who is now more eager then ever to start cooking from my entries. Sharing what I know, hoping that it will come in handy to her once she finishes her training and live independently, cooking on her own again. 

            As we are all aware, each culture’s cuisine have their own herbs and more often then not, they are borrowed cross-culture.  Without herbs our lives will be bland – just like plain water without any flavour, or the sea without fish! - Cewah! Merepek pulak aku ni..

            Herbs can be defined as part of a plant or a plant itself that is used for the purpose of medical or healing properties, have aromatic qualities and plays a major role in enhancing or producing flavour in the ‘food preparation department’.  But confuse not, even though herbs and spices are the agents to enhance the flavour and taste of food, there are differences between these two.  Herbs are normally associated with the leafy or green part of a plant that don’t get woody.  Mostly their lifespan is shorter. Most will die after growing season ends unlike spices, which could grow into hundreds of years.  Eh, macam cerita Lord of The Rings la pulak..

            When I was a kid, I was only exposed to Eastern and Asian herbs but when I got to see the outside world, I discovered that there are more herbs then one can remember! In this entry, I will share the ones that I know and use in my cooking.

             For the Eastern tropical or Asian country, the commonly used herbs are Basil (Daun Selasih), Vietnamese Mint (Daun Kesum), Coriander Leaves or Cilantro (Daun Ketumbar), Bay Leaf (Daun Salam), Chives (Kucai), Scallion (Daun Bawang), Mint (Pudina), Chinese Parsely, Ginger Torch (Bunga Kantan), Curry Leaves (Daun Kari), Kaffir Lime Leaves (Daun Limau Purut) and Tumeric Leaves (Daun Kunyit)

The ones that are commonly used in the western cookings are Dill, Rosemary, Thyme, Tarragon, Oregano, Marjoram, Mint, Parsely, Sage and Savory.

There is definitely more to name, but that is all that I can think of for now, being the ones that I have used before.  It is interesting to know that a tiny piece of herb can bring out the flavour or aroma of your food to a different level.  Amongst all these herbs – Basil is my favourite!

Mari Meraba untuk Memuaskan nafsu……….. makan! (Kepah Raba)

            
     Maaf, kalau tajuk entry aku agak provoking,  sekadar bersenda dengan pembaca blog sekelian.  Mungkin ada di kalangan pembaca yang tidak pernah makan kepah ini, hatta melihat atau mendengar namanya sekalipun.  Bagi mereka yang berasal dari persisiran pantai tak kiralah timur atau selatan, barat serta utara (eh macam tengah nyanyi lagu Wali Band pulak), kepah ni adalah antara makanan laut yang di gemari.  

            
     Sebagai sebahagian dari ‘orang laut’.. eh eh… ada ke perkataan orang laut? Maksud aku, yang di lahirkan berhampiran dengan laut. Aku mengkategorikan kepah ini sebagai makanan mewah.. mewah bukan kerana mahal, tapi kerana ianya bukan mudah untuk di dapati.  Ianya seperti durian; bermusim.  Jadi, walaupun kita meraba sepanjang masa, belum tentu kepah ni ada.  Jadi… kalau nafsu tengah memuncak muncak sekalipun, rabalah sepuas hatipun, kepah ni tetap takkan ada. hehe

            
     Yang biasa… kepah ni ada dua jenis.  Satu Kepah Sagat, dan satu lagi Kepah Raba.  Kepah Sagat ni biasanya di dapati di kawasan berpasir dan di sagat dengan sejenis alat yang diperbuat dari kayu dan besi.. buat masa ni aku tak der gambar, nanti kalau aku rajin aku lukis gambarajah sagat ni ekk??  Biasanya orang menyagat bila air laut dah surut.  Saiznya dua atau tiga kali ganda lebih besar dari kepah raba. 

          
     Kepah raba tak payah alatan, korang masuk dalam air, raba jer dalam lumpur, mesti ada… tak pun, korang bawak penutup kipas tu, korang sodok dalam lumpur then ayak2… biasanya kepah2 ni akan tersangkut bila pasir dah bolos… duhhh… kenapa tiba tiba aku mcm stuck nak menerangkan ekkk?  

     Kebiasaannya, kepah ni orang cuma rebus dengan serai dan bawang putih aje(macam dalam gambar kat sebelah).  Aku memang suka, and so far, pernah la jugak bawak kawan kawan yang tak pernah merasa benda alah ni pegi mencari and makan and turn out that dia orang pun suka.  Other than that korang boleh masak sambal, for me, rasa dia lebih masyukkkk dari kerang.

            
     Kat sini aku ada sertakan beberapa keping gambar semasa ekspedisi kami mencari kepah tu… kat area aku ni, bila season kepah raba ni, mcm pestala jawabnya kat kuala sungai ni… lebih dari seratus orang yang datang mencari.  Hari tu kami siap masak2, berkelah sambil mencari kepah… dapat la dalam dua guni beras… sampai kasi orang sana sini, still banyak yang lebih… last last dua tiga hari makan kepah yang di masak dalam kukus besar, bangun tidur jer, tengok muka akak and akak ipar aku, aku Tanya…. Naper ekkkk muka korang mcm muka KEPAH?!!!   

Apam Tapai Mak Su

Aku teringat satu kisah yang mak aku dengan sepupu dia pernah cerita kat aku. Ia agak melucukan.. yela, remembering zaman dulu-dulu and how people love someone and get jealous.

Masa zaman muda-muda, obviously not that muda la for my mom, because when she gets to marry my dad, my dad baru 19 tahun and my mom dah 33. Tapi orang kata cinta tu kan banyak unsur unsur magical di dalamnya, so mereka kahwin dan perkahwinan mereka kekal sampai ke akhir hayat arwah ayah aku.

Dulu dulu, mak aku pun buat kuih and hantar kat kedai kedai kopi serata kampung, kat Pasir Mas, dan salah satu daripada kuih famous mak aku ialah ‘Apam Tapai’. Orang-orang kampong panggil mak aku ‘Mok Su’ atau pun dalam bahasa persuratan ‘Mak Su’. Well, kalau kat Kelantan tu panggilan panggilan mcm ni, ada pada semua orang. Mok Su, Mok Nak(Nab), Mok Mek dan mcm mcm lagi ler.

Mengikut mak sedara sepupu aku, apam mak aku ni memang ler laris.. gebu gebu dia orang kata. And to this day .. bila kita kata apam tu, mamat mamat nakal biasanya otak dorang akan terpesong sikit. Meng’associate’kan apam tu dengan benda alah lain

So, teruna-teruna kat kedai tu selalu ler mengusik mak aku bila dia hantar apam kat kedai .. dia orang selalu cakap, ‘Ape Mok Su ni tembe sungguh’ (Apam Mak Su ni betul betul tembam). Tapi as peniaga, usikan usikan yang macam tu kenala tak amik port kan?

Nak dijadikan cerita, suatu hari, mak aku hantar apam kat kedai, arwah bapak aku pulak ada minum kat kedai tu. Teruna teruna kat situ pulak duk sibuk mengusik apam mak aku. Dia orang cakap ler.. ‘Kawe kelih, ape Mok Su ni, kohor lamo kohor tembe, kohor lamo kohor tembe!’ (Saya tengok apam Mak Su ni, makin lama makin tembam, makin lama makin tembam’ Haha..

Esoknya.. sesudah mak aku mengukus apam, dia pun bersiap nak pegi hantar apam kat kedai. Tapi bila dia nak amik apam tu, apam dah tak der.. cari punya cari, rupa rupanya dah berterabur kat tanah! Rupa rupanya dah di humban dek arwah ayah aku ke bawah. On that day, mak aku tak leh hantar apam ke kedai dah, kalau buat sure arwah ayah aku baling ke tanah. Mengingatkan cerita tu aku selalu senyum sorang sorang.
Dulu, masa arwah ayah aku masih hidup, aku selalu gak usik dia pasal apam tu.. kembang kempis, kembang kempis dada orang tua tu tahan gelak.. haha. And now, that apam tapai dah di wariskan kepada aku. Biasala, aku adalah alter sana sikit sini sikit, ikut kesesuaian masa kini kan? Nanti kalau aku buat aku post kat sini k?

Kuih Lapis Ego Bruised!

Funny how this might sound, but yes .. It’s a kuih lapis ego bruised I would call it. Not sure if it’s my ego, or the other parties’! Let the story begin..

A friend of mine introduced me to one cafe outlet that caters food and kuih to a large chain of hotels here in the central region (KL, Malacca & Negeri Sembilan). When we had a meeting, the Operations Manager was asking me, whether I wanted to work with them and do the kuih from the outlet itself or do it at home and distribute it to them. Knowing that I want to own this food business (too tired of working for people), I said that I would like to take the 2nd option. After some negotiations, I agreed to do some samples for the taste test. I went home with the hope that I can pull this through, because we’re talking about umpteen thousands of kuih a week.

The day came and I made 2 types of kuih for the samples. I was so excited that at 6.30am, the kuih was already at the cafe. I went home anxiously waiting for the comments to come in. A day passed without feedback, even email was left un-replied. Something just wasn’t right. The 2nd day, I met the friend who introduced me to the Operations Manager and ask him to find out for me. We were having lunch at LRT corner with my cousin and his friend.

Guess what the feedback was? Here’s what the chefs said :-
I might have been using ‘tepung lama’ because the kuih lapis didn’t taste right.
They suggested me to use Anchor or Key Brand so that the kuih lapis will taste nice.
The color of my kuih seri muka was off, I should increase that green color so that it’ll become darker.

I couldn’t help smiling when I heard those comments. It’s funny, I mean, those were the last comments that I would expect from well known hotel chefs. If they commented on the texture of my Kuih, or probably the presentation and such, I would have appreciated their advice. Then, I started to question their integrity in my head. If they really knew how to do the tasting... wouldn’t they be able to differentiate the taste of my kuih lapis whether it is made of ‘tepung beras’ (rice flour) or ‘tepung gandum’(wheatflour)? Or the mixture of it? Some tips for you guys, if you make kuih lapis using tepung gandum, the texture will be firmer but not that bouncy!

Telling me to use Anchor Brand or Key Brand is suggesting that I used different type of flour? It’s quite cliché for them to even suggest it that way. Did they know that whatever brand the flour might be doesn’t make much difference except for the pricing because of the Brands? People always think that Anchor Brands would make the best kuih because it’s the most expensive flour, thus it’s the best compared to the rest? Do they know that the only difference is because they add and enchance the vitamins in the flour that makes it more expensive than the rest, but didn’t enhance the taste of the flour? Ok, enough of that, but my ego was bruised because they think my kuih lapis is ‘tak sedap’ hahaha

As for kuih seri muka, they said the taste is fine, but the colour should be darker, as if the colour of the old pandanus leaves. If you all read this, the photo on the top pages of my blog is the colour of my kuih seri muka. I know it’s some sort of apple green, but do you think making it dark will make people think it’s nicer even though there was too much food colouring in the kuih itself? I guess hotels should know better about the ‘healthy food’ that they’ve been campaigning for the past years?

According to my friend, there might not be anything wrong with my kuih, but by not letting me get into the business easily or probably beating them in the kuih making department they were ensuring that their ego was not bruised. Or probably because they are the ones wearing a top hat, thus they must say something about someone else’s cooking so that to let other people know that they are better. Maybe.

I guess, that’s all for now, for that kuih lapis ramblings.. and my ego that was bruised.. or was it theirs? Haha

Here are the pictures of the kuih lapis ... and as usual, if you want to order the price is RM 0.30 per piece. Minimum order is 50 pieces (Self-collect) and free delivery for 100 pieces and above within Klang Valley Area.

Official Launch

Kind of excited and nervous as this is my first entry. Not that I have never written a blog before, only that this one is quite different as it has its’ goals set. And its goals are to share with you what was once my passionate pastime, but now my career and business, COOKING! I don’t really remember how or when I started cooking, or started loving it. But I’ve been cooking for quite a while when I suddenly felt joy at seeing people enjoying my food. I did not have a proper training, and cooked mostly by trial and error. I also had some guidance from my mom and especially my late dad. My mom is well known for her specialty of Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Dagang, and my Dad always cooked at a wedding and was always fussy about food.

When I was in my teens, me and my sister, Jijah, used to cook to satisfy our taste buds! Too often when she came back from work, we would stroll to the market and start creating the recipes in our heads. We would then buy the necessary ingredients, and sometimes even the unnecessary ones, just to satisfy our curiousity Some of our recipes went very well and needless to say, some were major disasters! But still, the experimentations taught us what would go great with what ingredient.

After finishing college, I lived off my parents, while sharing a condominium with my best friend Adan (who is now my cooking muse. He has the touch of angel when it comes to food. I always love it when he cooks), as well as Lynn (who knew nuts about cooking but was a very willing participant to our cooking adventures). During all those years of living on our own, we always miss the home-cooked meals prepared by our respective parents. We didn’t like to eat out as the food served seemed the same everywhere. Eventually, we were forced to cook for ourselves, Adan with his mother’s guidance, and I with mine. In 2002, when my dad fell sick, I decided to return home and take care of him. Living in a small town, there was nothing much I could do other than being there with my father. My days were spent idly and helping my sister at her small stall in front of our house didn’t give me enough challenge. Boredom and the need for some income made my decision for me. After much thought, I decided to make some ‘kuih’ and sell it to some of the breakfast stalls in the area.

My kuih become quite a ‘hit’ within a short time.

I received good returns for my effort and I was busy everyday. Soon I received orders for parties and events and that became the turning point in my kuih making history. In 2005, LOVE brought me back to KL, leaving my sizeable kuih business behind. I did miss it, but pacified myself by cooking and hosting friends every now and then. Hearing them praise my food was good enough and that was how I got my cooking fix for the past 5 years.

Then this week, I received a few orders from some friends and a kuih stall in Pavilion. My heart started pounding again, and pleasure coursed through my veins. I took that opportunity to make extra,and distributed the ‘kuih’ out to see if they were still good. They were! They received rave reviews and I was happy.

It was then when I realized that cooking and seeing people happy eating my food was the one joyful thing in my life. I realized how I missed that all these years. How seeing satisfaction on people’s was the adrenaline that made me keep on trying to be the best cook I can be.

Yeah, I think I can do this. I know I can do this. And yes! I am doing this. So,

my friends, readers and future clients... welcome to My Kuih Story blogspot!!