recipe gone ermmmm... not quite right..

last night was my first try to make carbonara pasta. sangat senang sebenarnya, but i still manage to get it wrong. kena repair2 baru ok sikit rasa dia.

sorry no pictures, sebab rupa sangat kesian putiiiiihhhh je.

pasta carbonara

pasta of your choice (takde spaghetti masa nak beli maka bantai beli vermicelli pasta)

carbonara sauce:

1 cup cream (substituted with evaporated milk)

2 whole eggs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese (takde kat rumah so i used 4 slices cheddar cheese)

1/2 cup hot water

pinch of salt

this recipe calls for crispy fried bacon, but i just used leftover cold cuts of roast beef and chicken pastrami. u can also use turkey ham and slices of button mushroom.

to do:

1.boil pasta according to package instruction.

2.cut the cold cuts into bite-sized pieces. fry as u like, i just fry plain je.

3.combine all carbonara sauce ingredient. if u like it thick u can omit the hot water and salt, the cheese is already salty enough. mix with fork/beater, and simmer on slow fire. season with pepper and mixed herb (kalau ada chilli flakes lagi sedappp).

4. add in fried cuts and sliced mushrooms into sauce.

5. mix pasta into sauce, garnish, and you're done!

Ground Beef Shepherd Pie

i really need to jot this somewhere, n pity i didnt take any pic on the dish before being eaten. it always feels good to cook it right the first time, n nobody gets stomachache from it!

what i initially googled was some recipes on mashed potato gravy, but ended up with a simple baked mashed potato with ground beef. bila google lagi dan lagi, baru la dapat nama yang betul:

GROUND BEEF SHEPHERD PIE.

ada la rupa skt mcm gambar sebenar, tapi bukan. googled.

you'll need:

mashed potatoes

7 medium size russet potatoes (roughly almost 1kg) - skinned and quartered
4 cloves garlic
1 cup cream
1 heaping tbsp butter (missed this one!)
sprinkle of mixed italian herbs
salt, as needed

ground beef base

500g beef, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
coarse ground black pepper and salt to taste

some grated cheese and breadcrumbs for topping.

to do:

1. preheat oven at 150C. Boil the potatoes together with garlic (or can roast the garlic with some oil instead) and mash together with cream, butter, salt and herb. set aside.

2. Saute chopped onion and garlic until fragrant, then mix in ground beef. Simmer on low fire til they turn brownish. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer beef into casserole, spread around the base.

3. Top with mashed potatoes, and sprinkle breadcrumbs and grated cheese.

4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese tips turned brown.

Siap! Baked this for the potluck cum housewarming cum baby shower, and since ada byk budak2, this dish ialah yg paling senang makan, mashers for tots, beef for mums and dads too :D

puding tak siap

yeen aku dah amend utk hang :D

alas, my happiness last night was shortlived.

last night was my first attempt to make puding jagung. yg aku tak tahu menahu ingredient apa nak letak. main bantai saja agak-agak from what i tasted yg sgt sedap during makan-makan time uni.

bila google2 tak la banyak ingredients but it varies la from one recipe to another.n anyway, i couldnt trust the ratio in the recipes given sebab kekadang sesetengah org suka letak tepung kastad dengan banyaknya, which i didnt like. so in the end, aku main letak dan agak2 saja.

ingredients

1 cup tepung custard, larutkan dlm 1 cup air
1 tin 400g susu cair
1 tin corn cream and 1/2 tin corn kernel
3/4 cup gula
1 tsp vanilla essence
garam skitttt saja

rupa sudah agak lawa (i.e., rupa puding laaaaaa, tak la rupa cam hareeeemmm). but in my haste dan cuakness disebabkan gatal pakai periuk nipis, dan letak atas burner besar (nama pun eksperimen) aku rasa aku masak tak cukup lama, sbb ada sedikit rasa tepung, dan apparently terlebih sedikit liquid, maka tak set cantik2.

i know. i'm one impatient woman.

maka, hari ni, breakfast: puding jagung tak siap.

tapiiiiii, taste wise sudah dapat thumbs up from 3 panelists (yg aku jamin perut kebal). hepi!!!

what else for dinner???!!

yep, like i was in the novel phase, with every week had one review, i'm officially moving to 'cooking' phase.

this was our dinner night:

ANIS'S SPAGHETTI AGLIO E OLIO

u'll need

spaghetti, agak2 enough for two

2 cloves garlic, yg gemuk2 tau, crushed

a handful of medium sized prawns, buang kepala, ekor intact

3tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

black pepper

oregano leaves

must have: dried chilli flakes

some grated cheese

1. cook the spaghetti in boiling water with a tbsp of EVOO and a pinch of salt

2. while the spaghetti is cooking, heat some EVOO on a nonstick frying pan, small heat. toss in the crushed garlic until its a little brown.

3. season prawns with salt and pepper, add into the garlic oil.

4. make sure the spaghetti isnt cooked al dente before the prawn is pink. biar keras2 sikit takpe.

5. add in the chilli flakes, toss the prawns n mix well. 

6. transfer the almost cooked spaghetti into the frying pan along with a ladle of water used to cook spaghetti tadi. mix, mix, mix!

7. kacau semua bagi sebati. season as you like with oregano leaves, black pepper and salt.

8. serve with some grated cheese on top. done!

super easy! dont let the lack of colour fool u  ( heck, it fooled me when i first tried aglio olio!)

but seriously, it doesnt cost me even 10 bucks to cook these for two. n ur actually paying at least 15-20 bucks for a dish of these (for ONE PERSON!) at a decent eatery. sikit pulak tu kekadang.

oleh itu, 

marilah memasak! :D

what's cooking, good looking?

having ran out of ideas what to have for dinner, i scanned through foodblogs that i've bookmarked. but then i found a nice recipe in ParisB's foodblog. i didnt realise she has one! she modified a bit on Jamie Oliver's Fantastic Roast Chicken, and i, modified it further.

here's my Spicy Roast Chicken:

u'll need

1/2 a chicken, skin intact
2 heaped tbsps of softened butter
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
dried oregano leaves (the recipe called for mixed herb but i only have this at home)
1 tbsp of blended cili kering
salt and pepper to taste
small russet potatoes, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
a head of broccoli, chopped

1. preheat oven to 220degrees for 20 minutes.
2.clean chicken and rub dry with kitchen towel.
3. mix butter, garlic, oregano leaves and blended cili well. add a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. with the neck area of the chicken facing u, peel the skin inwards so u have a pocket between the skin and flesh.rub the butter mix inside the pocket, or like me juz stuff as much buter mix as i can into the pocket.
5. rub the remainder mix all over chicken.
6. put the chicken into ovenproof dish, cook for about 25 minutes. by then the butter already melted and the skin starts to brown.

7. remove chicken from the oven, and move the chicken into a plate. quickly toss the potatoes and carrot into ovenproof dish and mix with the melted butter. replace the chicken onto the bed of potatoes and carrot and pop it into the oven again for about 40 minutes.

8. about 15 minutes before the chicken's done, toss broccoli inside the dish.

9. poke a fork into the thickest part of the chicken, if the juice runs out clear, then its done.

as for the gravy, use the oil from the baking dish, put it in a pan with medium heat on stove. add half stock cube (crumbled and mixed with hot water) into the pan. add black pepper, and 1/2 tsp cornflour (diluted in some water). mix until it thickens.

not bad for a first timer,eh?

chicky meal!

nothing new. same old same old.

my favourite recipe n always a hit at home:

BAKED SOY CHICKEN

you'll need

chicken, cut to pieces (i use 1/2 a chicken)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch ginger, crushed and minced
soy sauce, enough to cover chicken
1tbsp cili kering blend
2 tbsp honey (honey xde so i substitute with 1 tbsp sugar)
salt and pepper to taste

1. add all ingredient in a bowl and mix well.
2. marinade chicken at least 1/2 hour, lagi bagus kalo tinggal dalam fresh case overnight.
3. line baking tray with foil.
4. preheat oven 150degree.
5. susun chicken atas foil tadi. pop it into the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or sampai puas hati lah, nak ayam tu lembut2, or bake a bit longer for stickier crust on the outside.

marinating chicken

nampak tak the stickiness?

actually nak bake camne pun takpe. ikut suka sendiri. i juz like to line my tray with foil sbb senang je, tak messy, dah sudah, buang je foil. kalo tak all those marinade kering atas tray. pakai foil, tak payah susah2 tonyoh2 nak cuci tray tu sampai berpeluh2 ketiak. thats y i must have aluminium foil in my home.

PEMALAS! :D

ikan pulak

 come sunday, dah ke laut dah diet aku. hariz order nasik. pulaaaakkkk... sedih. 
menu utama: 

SIAKAP SWEET SOUR 

what u need, 

siakap sekor (obviously) 
1 biji telur (pukul) 
tepung jagung (untuk coat ikan) 
1 tbsp tepung jagung - campur dengan 3 tbsp air (untuk pekatkan kuah) 
yellow, green and red bell pepper, cut into squares 
carrot, cubed 
a cube of chicken stock, diluted in a cup of hot water 
1 clove garlic, crushed 
1 onion, sliced thinly 
3 tbsp sos tomato 
cili kering, blend - 2-3 tbsp 
1 tbsp cuka 
1 tbsp sos tiram 
salt, sugar and pepper to taste 

1. bersihkan ikan, kelar. season with salt and pepper. 
2. dip ikan into the beaten egg. coat with cornflour. fry the fish in hot oil. 
3. bila ikan dah masak, alih ikan tu from the wok. reduce the oil to about 2tbsp. 
4. tumis bawang putih and onion. 
5. dah wangi, add in cili blend. tumis sampai pecah minyak. 
6. add in sos tomato, sos tiram, cuka, chicken stock,and sugar. 
7. add in bell peppers and carrot. biar lembut sikit.
8. add in tepung jagung solution tadi. add salt and pepper. adjust sweetness and sourness according to your preference. biar pekat n mendidih.
9. tuang kuah atas ikan goreng tadi. garnish. siap dihidang!


are u enjoice (bak kata afdlin in AIM16)??? yumyum!

lagi lagi kari

apa angin ntah si wimax tu slow pulak semalam x sempat upload post. hmmmhh..

memang orang utara saja suka makan kari with bread, or is it juz me?

main menu on saturday:

KARI UDANG

2 cloves garlic - crushed
1/2 a bombay onion - sliced
1-2 inch halia
2 tbsp cili kering blended
1 packet serbuk kari ikan
1 tbsp serbuk perencah sup
as usual, bawang goreng sesudu
santan
udang 500g, kerat hujung ekor dan hujung kepala
kacang panjang as much as u want, potong about 1 1/2 inch
asam keping 1 potong kecil
salt and a bit of sugar to taste

this is not my usual kari, as i've added cili blend and asam keping, but its juz to add the spiciness and asam keping to balance it.

1. tumis bawang putih, bawang besar dan halia.
2. dah wangi, add in cili blend.
3. agak2 dah masak cili tu, add in serbuk perencah sup dan serbuk kari.
4. add in a bit of water to turn it into paste. biar simmer sekejap.
5. add in some more water and bawang goreng, let simmer again.
6. add about 2 cups water, add in kacang panjang.
7. then masukkan udang, garam, gula dan asam keping.
8. biar udang n kacang panjang masak. tambah santan. when it boils, turn off heat.
9. garnish. siap!

lunch la pulak

jadik food diary pulak. ehehe...

our lunch:

MINI PIZZA CUTLETS

u'll need:

a french loaf (or any hard bread like ciabatta ke, kebetulan ada french loaf kat rumah) cut diagonally
prego's fresh mushroom pasta sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
hotdogs - cut into 4, then cut into short sticks
finely chopped chicken fillets, season with a little salt and pepper

ingredients

assemble everything on bread: start with pasta sauce, hotdog, chicken then cheese

pop into 170degree heated oven for about 8-10 minutes

siap!

ha amek ko aku upload banyak piccies :D

oh man i did it again..

i've been trying not to cook rice for dinner now, hence all the recipes minus rice. all substituted with wholemeal bread now.

luckily hariz is not fussy about eating rice everyday. well, he eats rice for lunch, while i took no rice at all. a difficult feat i tell u, choosing nothing ricey in the menu. once i ordered sizzling chicken chop, rupanya dia serve with rice jugak. hampeh. i took a couple of tablespoons jugak la, kalo tak, kesian nasik tu (alasan!)

the most difficult part is my office seems to have a lot of reasons to have free meals every week. its either meeting 5S, meeting pegawai, meeting jawatankuasa ubat, CPD, one-day / half-day course, meeting teknikal, meeting metadon, meeting jawatankuasa kualiti/klinikal/CPD, meeting pengurusan / aset / kewangan. not to mention promotions and birthdays.

kesimpulan: byk occasion = byk makan free = berat badan naik.

its frustating when the aroma of u-know-it-tastes-good nasi lemak wafting everywhere since ur room is near the dining room, while ur there, eating, not nasi lemak, but a slice of wholemeal bread with peanut butter clogging ur throat. DEPRESS!!!

sori la geng, hari ni takde gambar homemade food. makan kat luar eheh. had dinner at manhattan fish market with hariz's collegues, hoong seng n joanne.

n i really blew my 'no rice' diet (again!). but juz a few tablespoons lah. hariz said fine, so i'm fine (i think).

While i'm at it, let me give u a recipe for the wrap that i always do whenever taktau nak masak apa:

ROAST BEEF WRAP

wholewheat tortilla bread
slices of roast beef
a head of lettuce and tomatoes
pepper
chilli sauce
toothpicks


1. put a teeny bit of olive oil on a heated nonstick pan. cook the roast beef slices.
2. assemble lettuce and tomato slices with sauce on the tortilla. put roast beef on top of the assemble.
3. roll the tortilla, secure with toothpicks on both edges, n pop in the heated 170degree oven for about 5-7 minutes.
4. done!

easy peasy n healthy too! :D

two dinners in a go

sangap. satu hari takde internet kat ofis pun rasa macam tak cukup tenaga.

this was our dinner last night:

last pair.

EGG SANDWICH. ok pe. kenyang :D

1. rebus telur. dah masak, mash with some mayonnaise. add a little fine salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. take a slice of bread. susun dengan daun salad n tomato, put on a bit of chili sauce.
3. take another slice of bread, slap on the egg mix.
4. put the two slice together, slice diagonally, voila! dinner siap!

ok sandwich tak payah la tulis step by step anis oi. amatur gila.

this is more like a note for my hubster kalo dia teringin nak makan sandwich n i'm not around ok. dia memangg like me being right-handed (of course, i'm a leftie. duh! ) when it comes to cooking. hopeless!

abang, this is for u. :D

n this was our dinner for tonight:

menggelegak

dinner for two

PASTA WITH SPICY CHICKEN SOUP

1. boil a pot of water. meanwhile, slice onions, garlic, ginger n cili padi n dump into the pot.
2. add a level tbsp perencah sup. also add half a cube of chicken stock (no msg added).
3. add a tsp of bawang goreng. also add kayu manis n a clove of bunga lawang.
4. add pieces of chicken, and a handful of curly tricolor pasta.
5. reneh sampai pasta masak, n bawang goreng almost disappear.
6. add some carrots.
7. add a little salt n pepper. garnish.
8. done!

notice i'm sooooo dependent on my trusty bawang goreng to kick my cooking up a notch. thats the most cherished tip my mum gave me. add some while ur boiling ur soup, gravy, curry, whatever malay cooking. u'll taste the difference.

but i dunno, maybe its juz me, u fellas yang tak suka makan bawang or bawang goreng probably won't feel the same.

enjoy makan! i did :D

kedah mari

hari tu my kari tulang terlupa la nak letak resepi here. karang lupa pulak:

KARI TULANG

Ingredients

1/2kg tulang campur daging (basuh dan selawat dulu)
minyak utk tumis
4 heaps tbsp serbuk kari daging
1 level tbsp serbuk perencah sup
1 biji tomato (besar)
1 sprig curry leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 biji bawang besar
1 inch halia
1 tsp bawang goreng
kayu manis, jintan manis, bunga lawang
1-2 tbsp susu cair
garam

1. crush garlic n potong bawang besar ikut suka hati. panaskan periuk, masukkan minyak. dah panas, tumis bawang besar n garlic. api jgn besar sangat.
2. dah wangi, tumis sekali kayu manis, jintan manis, bunga lawang. then halia, daun kari n tomato.
3. masukkan serbuk kari n serbuk perencah sup. masukkan air sikiiiittt je, make it into a thick paste. kacau sebati. biar dia pecah minyak dulu.
4. masuk air sikit lagi around half cup.
5. sila bersabar. biar dia thicken dan rencah kari tu betul2 masak.
6. dah pekat elok, masukkan tulang dengan daging. add enough water to cover tulang. masukkan bawang goreng n susu cair.
7. reneh kari tu saaammmpaaaii la daging di tulang tu, orang kedah panggil, 'lekang'. means daging tu dah tak lekat di tulang. add in water from time to time, n kacau from time to time. api sederhana saja, takut hangit yg di bontot periuk tu. masak sampai kuah tinggal about a quarter of what it was initially.
8. when its half done, masukkan garam dan sikiiittt gula sesedap rasa.
9. all this will take about 1+ hour, minus preparation time.
10. u can garnish with extra bawang goreng n daun sup.

u can also add kentang if u want, but since my perception towards kentang is rather negative (walaupun dia sedap) so i did not put in any. n my recipe is all sebenarnya campak2, ejas la mana patut ok.

1/2kg might seem a lot for 2-3 ppl, but hari tu tak cukup ok. dont say i didnt warn u! :D

my dinner last night

had some cheezy garlic bread last night. x ambik pic. as usual.

cheezy garlic bread

1 stick baguette (french loaf)
2 cloves garlic
2 heaps tbsp butter
1/2 level tsp dried oregano leaves
a few twists of freshly ground black pepper
a cup of grated cheddar cheese

1.heat the oven at 150c.
2.chop garlic finely. mix together garlic with butter, oregano leaves and black pepper. leave to sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. cut bread diagonally. slather on the garlic butter mixture on both sides of the bread. sprinkle some grated cheddar on the topside of the bread.
4. arrange bread on a tray n pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is a bit brown on the edges.
siapp!

we had it with mushroom soup added with chicken and broccoli. sedap! thank u cik campbell! :D

b4 i forget

i know i should've written my meatball recipe somewhere... so b4 i totally forgot what i put in:

Cheezy Meatballs


1 cup minced meat
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
cheddar cheese - cut into small cubes
1 medium sized onion- finely chopped
1/2 heaping tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp oyster sauce
salt n coarse black pepper
an egg- beaten

combine all in a bowl except egg and cheese.. knead until well mixed..

add egg bit by bit.. u might not use all of ur egg.. add enough egg juz until well combined and the dough don't stick to the bowl..

take a pinch of the dough, flatten it, add a cube of cheese and gentel to make the meatballs.

makes about 10+ small meatballs.. depending on how big ur pinch is.. ;)

these can be baked in oven about 10-12 mins, but don't forget to check once in a while and turn them.. can also be fried on nonstick frying pan (covered) with a tsp of oil for about 10-12 mins as well..

hmmm... the more i cook, the more that i cant remember what i put into the dish.. so definitely will post more recipes after this... hehehe...go go chayo!