Milee's Kitchen

Fish Pie

2011-05-24T15:28:00.002+08:00

Just felt like digging into a warm soft pie and to my mind all that could mean was Fish Pie!

After looking at various recipes this is what I did.

2 Perch fillets with some prawns
400ml milk
4-5 cloves
1 yellow onion diced
fresh dill
salt & pepper
dash of olive oil
In a deep pan splash some oil to coat the dish then add the fish and cloves, onion, salt and pepper and pour in the milk to cover the fish. Place in the oven and bake at medium heat for 20 minutes. Once cooked remove the fish to cool with the prawns and once cool enough flake the fish into bite size pieces.
Reserve the milk (strain it and keep aside)

5-6 big potatoes cleaned and boiled till soft then mashed with some butter, salt, pepper and the reserved milk to make a smooth mash.

In a pan stir fry some yellow onions in some butter then add some sliced mushrooms and green peas and stir well. After a few minutes add some chicken stock and reduce to thicken the mushrooms. Keep aside.

In a deep pan, heat some butter and then add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Take off the heat and mix the roux well and add the remaining milk reserved from the fish. Add some nutmeg and cracked black pepper and return the pan to the heat and keep stirring for about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick and creamy. You may add some fresh herbs like dill to the sauce and more chicken stock if the sauce is too thick. Taste for salt and keep aside.

In a well greased shallow baking pan, add the fish and prawns, then add the mushroom and green beans. Next add the sauce and spread the mixture well. Finally spread the mashed potato on top, sprinkle with some grated Parmesan and bake for about 20-30 minutes until the pie is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Ceaser Salad

2011-05-24T15:14:00.003+08:00

After a long hiatus I have started cooking again. What's been cooking are quick and easy dishes as the focus now is Michael our 11 week old baby boy:-)

Anyway finally made my very own Ceaser Salad, the recipe was adapted from various recipes found on the net.

Ceaser Salad sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 egg (put into boiling water for 45 seconds)
1/3 cup olive oil
some capers
2 pips garlic (smashed)
Pinch of salt and Pepper
Mix everything except the oil, whisk it all well and then steadily add the oil and keep whisking till well combined, chill till ready to use.

I grilled some chicken breast and used some romaine lettuce, boiled eggs, tomatoes, Lebanese cucumber, oven toasted almonds all combined together and topped with the dressing and generously grated Parmesan.

Served with a side of home made garlic toasted bread with fresh dill.

Enjoy

Salmon Burgers

2010-07-20T01:15:00.000+08:00

I've never been a fan of salmon. It probably has something to do with the smell and the fact that it's a fish! gasp! but the kids love salmon and it's a superfood (packed with omega 3 fish oils). Was relieved to find this recipe online. I've made it a couple of times and it always comes out great.

Ingredients: (Makes 4 burger patties)

800gm salmon fillet
300 ml breadcrumbs
4 large shallots, finely chopped
250 ml cooked bacon, finely chopped
180ml flat leaf parsley
30ml honey or maple syrup (can be skipped)
1/2 tsp paprika
pepper to taste
zest of 1 lemon
4 burger buns

Method:
Pulse salmon in food processor until ground. Stir in shallots, parsley, bacon, pepper, paprika, lemon zest and honey.

Add in breadcrumbs gradually while mixing until you reach desired consistency.

Form mixture into 1 inch patties and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Preheat grill / over to 190 degrees. Grill each side for approx 6 minutes.

Serve with salad. Thai chili sauce or dill mayo.

Masala Prawns

2010-07-14T06:54:00.003+08:00

This recipe is courtesy of Mercy, she makes the best and most delicious prawns masala! I make this quite often and it seems to be a hit, thanks Mercy!

6-7 Red onions blended
2 inch ginger blended with 1 bulb of garlic
7 tablespoons (or more) of Chili powder mixed with some water to make a thick paste
Lots of curry leaves
Salt & Sugar for taste
1 1/2 kilos of big Tiger Prawns (about 25 pieces)

In a pan use some oil and fry the Prawns a few pieces at a time then set aside, add some more oil and stir in the blended onion followed by the blended ginger and garlic. Let this simmer and cook for about 8 minutes then add the Chili powder paste and let this cook over a low fire for about 15 minutes or more. Add salt and sugar followed by the Prawns. Add lots of curry leaves and let this cook for a further 10 minutes.

Best eaten with hot steaming white rice! Enjoy!

Corn Avocado Salad

2010-06-30T21:31:00.003+08:00

Your choice of greens (I used romaine, lettuce and a bit of rocket)
2 tomatoes quartered
2 avocados quartered
1 can of corn kernels
1 red onion sliced
Salt & Pepper
Fat Free Italian salad dressing.

Toss everything together and chill until ready to be served.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Potato Leek Soup

2010-06-30T21:23:00.002+08:00

2 heads of cauliflower cut up
4 potatoes quartered
2 leeks chopped
250 ml or more of chicken/vegetable stock
Dried Oregano
Dried Thyme Or used some Mixed Herbs
One yellow onion diced
4 pips of garlic smashed
some butter
some thick cream (optional)
Chopped English Parsley
Salt & Pepper

In a deep pan (I used a pressure cooker), saute the onions and garlic in some butter then add the leeks and saute further. Next add in the potatoes and cauliflower followed by the dried herbs and pepper. Let this cook for about 8 minutes then add the stock and taste for salt. Cover the cooker and let it simmer for about 20 minutes (or longer if required). Uncover and use a hand held blender and blend the contents. Lastly add the thick cream if using and garnish with some chopped English parsley.

Enjoy!

Chilli Beef

2010-05-16T11:58:00.003+08:00

Have some large sliced beef pieces pressured cooked to your liking and reserve the liquid.

In a blender add 3 quartered red onions, 7 pips of garlic, 1/2 inch of sliced ginger and wild ginger (lengkuas), a few slices of wet turmeric (kunyit) and about 12 red chillies. Add some water and coarsely blend. Keep aside. Next blend some soaked dried chillies coarsely.

In a wok add some oil and throw in a cinnamon stick and star anise followed by 3 bruised lemongrass stalks and mix well, next add the fresh chili blend and stir for about 5 minutes followed by the dried chili blend, add more oil if needed and cook this chili paste well for about 10 minutes. Next goes in the beef, some quartered potatoes and half the reserved liquid. Put the lid on and let this cook for a few minutes then stir, add salt and more liquid, put the lid on and let it cook further for about 10 - 15 minutes. Taste for more salt, add some thick soy sauce and serve with hot steaming white rice!

Pepper Crab Curry

2010-05-16T11:44:00.003+08:00

This is an adaption of the recipe for Pepper Chicken.

Here is what I did:-

3 tablespoons of black peppercorns, 3 sliced yellow onions, 6-7 pips of smashed garlic and 2 quartered tomatoes with 3 tablespoons of grated coconut. In a pan add some oil then throw in the black peppercorns, followed by the sliced onions and garlic, stir till aromatic and follow with the grated coconut and the tomatoes. Stir well and let this cook for about 6-7 minutes then allow this masala to cool.

In a blender add some sliced green chilies (about 3) then some sliced ginger and add on the cooled masala. Blend with a but of water and halfway add a bunch of coriander leaves and blend further.

In a deep pan, add some oil, once hot throw in one cinnamon stick and star anise, some curry leaves and cloves then add in the blended ingredients and stir well. Leave aside for 5- 10 minutes whilst stirring

Buffalo Wings

2010-05-02T09:05:00.005+08:00

This was also made for the pot luck over the weekend. On Friday I marinated some chicken wings with some butter, chili powder, cracked black pepper, salt and 1 packet of Mc Cormicks buffalo wings marinated. Added some olive oil and rubbed the marinade into all the chicken wing pieces. Set aside in the fridge overnight.

Saturday I broiled the chicken wings for about 45 minutes in the oven. While the wings were broiling, I melted 1/4 stick of butter with half a bottle of Hot Sauce (you can use any type I used Tabasco) together with some Paprika powder. Stir this well over a low heat and then let it cool.

When the wings are out of the oven, brush each wings with the hot sauce and plate up with some celery and blue cheese dip.

Easy peasy and finger lickin good! Enjoy!

Minced Lamb Pie

2010-05-02T08:35:00.002+08:00

Made this over the weekend for a pot luck.

You will need some minced lamb, 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, 2 big yellow onions diced, 2 bay leaves, some mixed herbs, diced carrots, canned green peas (drained), diced brown mushrooms, diced green pepper, chopped cauliflower, chopped parsley.

For the sauce - some coarsely ground black pepper, black pepper sauce, Steak Sauce, Worceshtire and a dash of concentrated chicken stock and a small carton of thick cream.

In a deep pan, add some butter and olive oil, add the onions and bay leaves followed by the garlic, stir well and until aromatic. Next add the minced lamb and brown a bit followed by the mixed herbs. Next goes in the carrots green pepper and cauliflower. Add the mushrooms and stir well. Season with salt and cracked pepper. Next add all the sauce except the thick cream. Let this simmer a bit. The last bits to be added are the chopped parsley and finally the thick cream.

Boil some potatoes and mash well with some butter, milk and salt. Line a pie pan with the meat mixture and top with the potatoes. Lastly brush some egg over the top of the potatoes before baking for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Char Kuey Teow

2010-04-27T21:08:00.002+08:00

Normally when I want to make something new Joe is very supportive but when it came to me deciding to make Char Kuey Teow he asked me "WHY"?? I suppose for him there is nothing close than a hawker stall fried char kuey teow....BUT I thought I would still go ahead and tonight I did! No regrets, sure it wasn't hawker standards but it was still tasty and home made.

By the way Joe is eating out tonight!

Mince lots of garlic, clean some prawns and soak the prawns for 30 minutes in some cold water with 2 tablespoons of sugar. I also had some cockles, fish cake cut into slices, kucai cut into 1 inch pieces and beansprouts.

For the sauce mix together 5 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of thick sauce and sugar, some white pepper powder, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and salt.

1 packet of store bought kuey teow and some blended chili or store bought chili boh and 2 eggs.

In a very HOT wok, pour in some oil and when its pipping hot put in the minced garlic, followed by the prawns, stir a bit then add (chinese sausage if using) in my case I added the fish cake followed by the beansprouts and the kuey teow noodle. Quickly add the sauce mix and keep stirring well. Next push all the ingredients to the side of the wok, add more oil and break and egg or two, stir it well and combine with the noodles. Next add the cockles and chili boh (about 2 - 3 teaspoons). Stir on high heat and follow with the kucai. If it is lacking salt add more sauce or salt.

This is best eaten hot off the wok and with some sliced chili in soy sauce. Enjoy!

Pound cake

2010-04-25T21:36:00.004+08:00

I rarely bake cakes but suddenly had the desire to try out this cake that I saw on this other blog - the pioneer woman cooks. Her cake looked so awesome, can't say mine looks anything close to the beauty that she produced BUT it tasted quite nice :-) It was moist and very very suitable to have with a nice cup of tea.

I reduced the sugar and yet it was still sweet so go easy on the sugar if you try this. Here is the recipe from the blog. (I didn't have both flavourings and used instead just Lemon essence and Butter emulco).

3 sticks Butter
3 cups Sugar
5 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Butter Flavoring
2 teaspoons Lemon Flavoring
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Sprite, 7-UP, Or Sierra Mist
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add butter and lemon extracts and mix well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add soft drink, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix briefly.
Pour into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until the cake is no longer jiggly.
Remove cake from oven and invert pan until cake drops out. Slice and chow down!

Beef Stew over Fettuccine

2010-04-25T21:25:00.003+08:00

You will need some nice long cooking beef meat for this.

Cut meat, coat with some flour and fry in a deep pressure cooker with some butter and olive oil, just brown the pieces all over then remove.

In the same pot add 1 big cubed yellow onion, some minced garlic and a sprig or two of rosemary (any other herb you have on hand will also do).

Next add in some cubed carrots and brown mushrooms. (you may want to add celery, potatoes, etc feel free). Follow this generous amount of cracked black pepper and then pour in a whole can of beef broth or beef consomme soup. I also added some worchestire sauce and some chicken thick stock. After mixing well, put the lid on and let this cook for about 30 minutes before removing the lid and tasting the meat for tenderness. Once ready, mix 2 tablespoons of flour with double the amount of water and pour the same in the stew, the stew should thicken to the consistency that you desire.

Remove from the stove and allow this to sit for a bit before serving over some fettuccine or mash. Enjoy!

Koay Teow Soup

2010-04-19T21:04:00.004+08:00

Keeping with Jason's noodle theme I decided to prepare my version of Fish Ball noodle soup for dinner today.

For the broth:
1 inch old ginger cleaned and left whole
1 bulb of garlic, stabbed and left whole
1 red onion cleaned and sliced in half.

In a deep pan heat some oil and add the ingredients above when its aromatic, add a handful of ikan bilis (dried anchovies) and dried shrimp, stir well for a few minutes till lightly browned then add 700ml of water. To this add some chopped chinese cabbage and let this simmer for 20 minutes.

Next add some salt, white pepper, sesame oil and if needed half a cube of ikan bilis stock.

Now the broth is made, add the spare parts - we had prawns, fish balls and cuttlefish. We topped the soup with fried tauhu, choy sum and taugeh with spring onion.

Enjoy!

Soto Ayam by Mr Siri

2010-04-18T21:15:00.001+08:00

Otherwise known as Spicy Malay Chicken Soup! I was a little apprehensive about having this for Sunday dinner especially since my idea of great Malay food was limited to only satay and nasi lemak. It was sedap to the last drop! Here's the recipe if you decide to give it a go:

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves 4

1/2 chicken (cut into medium size pieces)

1 onion sliced

1 stalk serai (lemongrass) crushed

2 cm piece of galangal (crushed)

3 dried daum salam (asian bay leaves)

2 cups water

cooking oil

salt

Pounded Ingredients:

8 shallots

4 cloves garlic

1.5 cm kunyit (turmeric)

pepper

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 tsp fennel seeds

3/4 tsp coriander seeds

Other Ingredients

1/2 packet of mee hoon (soaked in hot water)

3 stalks of spring onions (chopped)

4 tbs fried onions

4 homemade bergedel goreng (fried potato patties)

Method

1. Heat oil. Fry sliced onion and pounded ingredients till fragrant. Add water, serai, galangal & bay leaves. Cook till it almost starts to boil.

2. Put in chicken and salt and cook till chicken is tender. Remove chicken, shred the meat and set aside.

3. Bring the soup to a boil once more and remove from heat.

4. To serve: Dish out mee hoon into individual bowls. Add chicken meat and a bergedel. Pour in hot soup and garnish with spring onions and fried onions. Enjoy while piping hot!

Rock Melon Salad

2010-03-28T20:22:00.003+08:00

Super easy salad, toss together some rocket and other mixed green leaves, add salt & pepper, sliced red onion, some pharma or as in my case some beef slices,rockmelon, tomatoes and a zesty lemon vinaigrette. It would have been complete with some crumbled feta.

Enjoy!

Kuih Keria

2010-03-21T20:12:00.002+08:00

This is a Malaysian doughnut of sorts - it is made from sweet potato.

I was very impatient and didn't really bother with the shape and all, but the taste was lovely.

2 medium sized orange sweet potato, washed and boiled till tender, then remove skin and mash.
1/2 cup plain flour and 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda (mix together) then add to the mashed sweet potato. You will need extra flour to bind and hold the shape in place, then fry in some oil till browned.

The idea is to then coat each doughnut in some melted sugar.

Lovely with a glass of tea, enjoy!

Pasta with Cream Sauce

2010-03-16T22:34:00.003+08:00

Very simple prep, the sauce was not thick and overwhelming but if you prefer something thicker and stronger add some grated cheese at the end.

Your choice of pasta cooked and kept aside
In a pan add some butter and olive oil and stir in chopped yellow onion and chopped garlic. Also add 1 bay leaf and stir well before adding chopped chicken fillets (you can use shrimp or anything you like). Stir in some mixed herbs and some liquid chicken stock. Once the chicken is nicely browned add the capsicum and mushrooms or your choice of veggies. Stir well before adding pepper and salt. Lastly add one carton of thick cream and stir well. If the sauce is too thick add some milk. Before removing from the fire add some chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Bangers & Mash

2010-03-16T09:09:00.004+08:00

This turned out quite well and was very easy to make.

One yellow onion sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 pips of garlic chopped
1 sachet of onion gravy
Oregano
Butter
Salt & Pepper

In a pan add a tiny bit of oil and stir fry the sausages (I had beef and chicken chorizo or you may want to grill the sausages in the oven.

Remove from heat, add the butter and the onions and stir well before adding the garlic. Once translucent and tender add the chopped tomatoes and oregano. Let this simmer a bit before mixing the onion sachet (mix the sachet contents with hot water). Taste for salt and if necessary add more salt and pepper. Lastly add in the sausages and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. (You can also leave the contents in the oven to simmer before serving).

Serve over mash and we had this with a side of Baked Broccoli with Gouda cheese. Enjoy!

Tuna Salad

2010-03-10T07:12:00.003+08:00

2 cans Tuna chunks in oil
1 red onion sliced
1 Japanese cucumber sliced
1 tomato
6-7 red radish sliced thinly
Some celery
Avocado(I didn't have any)
Pepper
Salt
Cottage Cheese (1/2 the tub)
Mayo (Generous amount)
1/2 lemon juice
A pinch of sugar

Mix everything up and chill in the fridge. When ready to eat lay it over a bed of iceberg lettuce.

You can also try this with a Vinaigrette dressing, enjoy!

Grilled Beef Steak Salad

2010-02-22T21:42:00.003+08:00

Marinate some beef steak pieces with salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, mustard and Worcester sauce for over an hour.

Chop 1 red onion, 1 each red, green and yellow bell pepper, some marinated feta, Lebanese cucumber, cherry tomatoes halved and mix all these with some mix green (including rocket).

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and refrigerate.

On a grill pan cook the steaks for 4 minutes on each side, allow to rest before slicing and serving over the salad. Pour your choice of dressing over before digging in, we had Italian dressing, yums!

Smoked Salmon Salad

2010-02-15T21:56:00.005+08:00

This is so easy to put together, slice some onions, olives, cherry tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, Japanese cucumber, mixture of chopped red, green and yellow bell peppers and a bag of mixed salad greens.

Salt and Pepper, some lemon juice and top with smoked salmon. We had this with honey mustard dressing and some garlic toast.

Rocket with Breakfast Beef and Feta

2010-02-07T00:22:00.004+08:00

This salad is best paired with any cold cut or if you have prosciutto. I used Breakfast Beef which worked out well.

I used a packet of rocket and added some mixed greens to balance the taste of the tangy pungent rocket.

Added some sliced red onion, avocado, cherry tomatoes and cucumber. Also some feta for added zing!

For the dressing I chopped some 5 pips of garlic and fresh parsley and added that to the juice of 1 1/2 lemons. To the mix I added some balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon of mustard, some cracked black pepper, salt sugar and olive oil. Gave all this a good shake in a vinaigrette bottle. Chilled the dressing and used it when we were ready to dig in.

This is a very refreshing salad (recommended for a really hot day). We had this with some brushetta on the side. Enjoy!

Sweet Sour Prawns

2010-02-07T00:07:00.002+08:00

Quick and easy stir fry!

Clean the prawns (leave the shell on) and coat with cornflour and fry in some oil for about 3 minutes (it will turn beautiful orange!)

Slice thinly:
Yellow onions, garlic, ginger, spring onions, red/green chillies and some pineapple (you may add cucumber, green pepper etc)

Sauce (mix together)
Generous amount of tomato sauce, chili sauce, plum sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and some white pepper. Add a bit of water to this sauce mixture.

Once the prawns are fried, leave a bit of the oil behind and fry the onions, garlic, ginger and garlic. Next add the red and green chillies. Once aromatic add the sauce and more water if its too thick. Keep stirring and adjust taste with salt, pepper or more sauce. Add the pineapple and stir before adding the prawns. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes before throwing in the spring onions.

Eat this hot off the wok with white rice. Yums!

Salami Bread Loaf

2010-01-07T16:32:00.002+08:00

Not knowing what to have for dinner we opted for something super easy and fuss free.

This is great as an appetizer or as a side for a bbq.

Ingredients:
French loaf halved.
Some tomato paste (layer on the french loaf generously).
Butter-softened (about 1/4 of a stick)
Into the butter add some sliced yellow onion, pineapples, (can add olives), chopped parsley, 3-4 pips of smashed garlic,
beef salami sliced cut into bite size pieces and added into the butter mix (or any other meat that you prefer).
Mix it all up add some black pepper and salt to taste.

Layer each french loaf generously with the butter mix, grate mozzarella cheese on top each loaf and bake in the oven for about 8 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

This MUST be eaten while its still hot out of the oven! Enjoy!

Pepper Chicken 2

2010-01-03T13:59:00.004+08:00

In the archives of this blog you will find an earlier Pepper Chicken Peratel that I have made. Today's version has been modified a bit with the addition of tomatoes and the blending of the masala.

1/2 chicken cut into bite size pieces
Marinate the chicken with 6-8 tablespoons of yogurt, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 2 tablespoons of Coriander powder, 2 teaspoons of cumin powder, salt and some quartered potatoes (let this all marinate for 2 hours or more).

Chop 2 big yellow onions, 2 tomatoes and 8-10 cloves of garlic. In a small pan add some oil and fry 3 tablespoons of black peppercorns. Then add in the chopped yellow onions and garlic and fry this a bit before adding the tomatoes. Cook this for about 7-8 minutes then let it cool aside. In a blender add some sliced ginger and 5-6 sliced green chilies, add in the cooled onions and blend this with a little bit of water. Half way through add a handful of fresh coriander leaves and continue blendingn until al ingredients are well combined and this is now the pepper masala.

In a wok add some oil and when it is hot add some curry leaves, 2 sticks of cinnamon, about 6 cardamons, 5 cloves and 3 star anise, once aromatic add the pepper masala and cook this for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes add 2 tablespoons of chili powder. Follow this with the marinated chicken and add about 2 small cups of water. Add salt to taste, close the lid of the wok and let this cook for about 30 minutes (stir the chicken routinely). Remove the lid and continue to cook the chicken until the gravy is thick and creamy.

Lastly add some vinegar.

Serve with some white rice and cucumber salad and Enjoy!

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

2009-12-14T16:21:00.002+08:00

This recipe was so simple and it turned out brilliantly, thanks to Tracy of Shutterbean. She did this and it was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

All you need are:-
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons finely ground Earl Grey tea
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Put butter, sugar and zest in a mixer and mix for about 3 minutes till fluffy. Then reduce speed and add the tea followed by the flour a little at a time.

Divide dough in half and place in baking paper, roll into logs or any shape that you desire (You will see I failed at shaping my logs properly:-)Freeze the logs which you should cover in a paper towel for about an hour, then remove and cut them and bake them for about 10-12 minutes.

These are so delish ! Enjoy!

Brown Butter White Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

2009-12-14T16:06:00.002+08:00

The title itself is such a mouthful but please know this was really simple and fuss free.

Start with melting 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in a pan for a bout 5-7 minutes until some brown bits form. Leave aside to cool.

You will need:
1 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup coarsely cut macadamia nuts (but I used hazelnuts)
1 cup white chocolate chips

In a mixer mix the sugar and the butter for about 3 minutes then add the 1 egg and mix for a minute. Next add the essence and the milk and combine. With a spatula, mix in the entire flour ingredients and then fold in the nuts and the choc chips.

Scoop teaspoons full and lay on baking paper and bake in a pre heated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Note - this is a super sweet treat ! Recipe was adapted form a cooking blog that I have now forgotten how bad of me but just wanted everyone to know this was the best cookie that I have ever baked!

Crab Sothy

2009-12-14T15:52:00.002+08:00

My nephew loves crabs but he can't as yet take too spicy a curry so he prefers sothy which is a coconut based curry with no chili powder.

This is very simple, you will need the milk of one coconut, separate it into 1/4 cup of real thick milk and the remainder 3/4 cup should be very thin coconut milk (more water combined to give it a less thick consistency).

Cut and wash the crabs and leave aside.

Pour about a tablespoon of oil into a pot and season a tablespoon of mustard seeds and 1/2 tablespoon of fenugreek with some curry leaves. Then add some sliced onions, chopped garlic and a few slices of ginger and 1-2 green chilies sliced, stir this well and add some turmeric powder. Into this mixture add 1 anchovy cube stock and let that mix and melt away. Next quarter 2 tomatoes and add them in and follow with the thin coconut milk. Add some salt and let this simmer till the tomatoes are tender. Next goes the Crabs and after a bout 5 minutes add the thick coconut and taste for salt.

Do not let the sothy over boil. It was lovely to eat this with white steaming rice and a side of sambal belacan !
Enjoy!

Kong Po Chicken

2009-12-10T08:42:00.005+08:00

This dish is a favourite when we eat out at Chinese restaurants. The restaurants normally stir fry cashew nuts, chicken fillets, green and red peppers with onions and ginger together with their "secret" sauce. I decided to get creative and use whatever I could rummage in the fridge and out came:-

Some purple cabbage
Some flat mushrooms
Green peas
Red Pepper
Dried Chili (cut into small pieces)
Ginger sliced
Garlic chopped
1 onion sliced
Oyster sauce
Black Vinegar
Thick soy sauce
Chicken fillets cut into cubes marinated with some white pepper, light soy sauce, sesame oil and cornflour for about 30 minutes, then shallow fried and kept aside.

In a frying pan without any oil dry fry the dried chili then remove, add some cooking oil and stir in the ginger followed by the garlic and onions. When aromatic, add the dried chili and let this stir for a bit. Follow this with all the veggies and chicken. Now add 1 tablespoon or more of oyster sauce, about a tablespoon of thick soy sauce, and the same amount of black vinegar, give this a quick stir then add a tiny bit of sugar. If its dry add 1/4 cup of water and let this simmer for about 3-4 minutes, then finish off with a bit of cornflour to thicken up the sauce.

Enjoy!

Christmas treats!

2009-12-06T19:21:00.007+08:00

I decided to dive straight into some cookie/biscuit making over the weekend and these are the results:-

Peppermint bark

Next was Chewy Ginger Molasses Biscuit

And the last was Dried Fruit Oatmeal Biscuit!

Butter Prawns

2009-11-27T21:28:00.003+08:00

I have been longing to try this popular Chinese prawn dish out and figured that today I will just set out trying my luck! It turned out pretty good and very enjoyable. My only suggestion is to eat this dish when its pipping hot just out of the wok!

The ingredients are incredibly simple!
500gm prawns shells kept on and trimmed
20 green chili padi's sliced
Lots of curry leaves
Chicken stock granules (1 tablespoon)
Corn flour to coat the prawns before deep frying
4 egg yolks mixed well with about 5 tablespoons of evaporated milk
6 tablespoons (or more) of butter.

In a wok add some oil and deep fry the prawns that have been mixed with some corn flour and keep aside. Discard the oil and add the butter in and put the flame on low and gently melt the butter then add the egg mixture in slowly while constantly stirring. Add the chili padi, curry leaves and chicken stock granules and continue stirring before adding the prawns and coating it well in the mixture.

Serve hot with steamed white rice. We had this for lunch with some Kai Lan stirred fired with salt fish and Kam Heong La La.

Enjoy!

Goreng Pisang and friends

2009-11-22T21:39:00.003+08:00

I have yet to meet any Malaysian that does not like Goreng Pisang so I hope that those reading this post will give this recipe a try.

There is a specific type of banana to buy for Goreng Pisang and if you are at the market just ask the vendor and they will point out the variety (the variety I love is called "Pisang Raja").

In a deep bowl mix 1 cup wheat flour, 1/4 cup rice flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, salt and about 185ml water. For a dose of crunchiness you may want to add some baking soda or if you have a tiny bit of "kapur sirih".

Coat each sliced banana and fry in very hot oil. This is really a great tea time snack.

We had this with some other favourites which were an indian classic Puttu and some steamed lepat pisang which when I have more time I will post the recipe here.

Squid Stir Fry (Peratel)

2009-11-22T12:14:00.004+08:00

Squid/Sotong Peratel is quite a tasty and satisfying Sunday lunch grub. Served with a side of stir fried ladies finger (okra) and mooru curry (curd curry) you will surely be licking your fingers clean!

Clean squid and cut to desired pieces
Clean and boil some potatoes (3/4 done)
Blend some ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chilies with a little water
Slice 2-3 red onions
5-6 cloves
3 star anise
1 1/2 tablespoons of fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons of cumin powder
3 tablespoons of Kashmiri Chili Powder
Curry Leaves
Salt and a squeeze of lime juice

In a frying pan heat som oil and add the sliced onions and stir. Then add the fennel, cloves and star anise followed by the ground paste of ginger and garlic. Stir this a while before adding in the squid and potatoes and the cumin powder. Stir this until well combined and then add the chili powder and from this point reduce the heat and stir every few minutes to avoid the bottom burning. Add salt to taste and then cook this till you get a deep brown colour as the coating on the squid. Add the lime juice, more salt (if needed) and a dash of sugar. Lastly sprinkle with the curry leaves before serving.

Enjoy!

Spinach Fritters

2009-11-22T09:19:00.003+08:00

This is a simple snack to make especially for tea or breakfast.

Combine some wheat flour with an egg, salt and 1 cube of anchovy stock (mashed up, some pounded garlic and mix well and add enough water for a thick dough. Add in spinach which has been sliced and mix well.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a deep pan, when very hot spoon the mixture into the oil and with a slotted spoon turn over and remove when golden brown. This is best eaten with some bottled chili sauce.

Note - you can add some chopped onions, sliced green chilies, prawns etc to the dough for variety! Enjoy

Steamed White Pomfret

2009-11-22T09:11:00.003+08:00

White Pomfret (White Bawal) is a great fish to be steamed. We had this with some white rice, stir fried spinach and some really hot sliced chili in soy sauce - heavenly!

Rub fish well with salt (go easy with the salt since you will be using soy sauce as well). Add some white pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Leave the fish aside.

In a pan heat some oil and fry till crispy some finely sliced ginger and garlic remove and keep aside. Add these fried stuff over the fish together with some sliced red cilies. Steam for under 10 minutes and before serving sprinkle the ginger/garlic oil over the fish together with some coriander leaves.

Enjoy!

Baked Potato

2009-11-15T20:42:00.004+08:00

Stab the potatoes all over, wrap in foil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 1 1/2 hours then slit in the middle and place some salted butter, shredded cheese and return to the oven for a few minutes for the cheese to melt. Remove and add your desired toppings, we had minced beef sauteed with some onion garlic and oregano, a few spoons of baked beans and some sour cream on the side. Go crazy and try whatever this is a sure win recipe!

Omelette and 3 Bean Salad

2009-10-28T11:38:00.003+08:00

Here is a protein packed simple dinner we had last night.

Omelette
Whisk 4 eggs and stir in the sliced fresh mushrooms, sliced Spring Onions, salt and pepper. In a little olive oil spread the egg mixture and once almost cooked add a few slices of mozzarella cheese turn over half the mixture and its done!

3 Bean Salad
1 can Butter Beans
1 can Black eyed beans
1 can pinto beans or any other beans you prefer
1 large red onion diced
1 can flaked tuna in water (drained)
1/2 yellow, green and red bell peppers
a good bunch of english parsley chopped
3 pips garlic diced
Italian Vineggrate
Salt & Pepper
Drain the beans and mix everything together and chill before serving.

Grilled Chicken with Rosemary baked Potatoes

2009-10-26T10:42:00.002+08:00

Potatoes
Wash and half the potatoes, then marinate for an hour or so with some olive oil, salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard and dried rosemary. When ready bake in the oven for about 50 minutes.

Bean Gravy
Baked beans 1 can cooked with some yellow onion which are sauteed with a drop of butter. Add some pepper and some endamame beans for colour and crunch. Also add a table spoon of tomato paste and equal portion of plum sauce.

Chicken
De-boned thigh pieces marinated with oyster sauce, Worcester sauce, cracked black pepper and salt. When ready to cook grill and serve with the roasted potatoes, some garden salad and the bean gravy.

Prawn Pasta Salad

2009-10-22T21:00:00.003+08:00

Mix in with some cooked pasta of your choice the following:-
Red onion sliced
Red,Green and Yellow Bell Peppers sliced
Black Pitted Olives sliced
Cubed tinned pineapple
Cubed cheese of your choice (we had Herbed Gouda)
Cooked Prawns
Cracked Black Pepper
Salt
1/2 cup or more of Italian Vinaigrette

Toss everything together and allow it to chill in the fridge before serving.
Enjoy!

Warm Chicken Salad

2009-10-20T23:13:00.004+08:00

I mixed some cumin, black and white pepper powder, salt and dried rosemary into the fillet chicken pieces. Then I stir fried them in some butter with some chopped garlic and added some fresh button mushrooms to the mix.

Finished off with some balsamic vinegar.

Assembled some iceberg lettuce, sliced yellow onions, tomatoes, carrots, sliced boiled eggs and that was a quick and light dinner tonight!

Mutton Varuval

2009-10-10T12:14:00.007+08:00

The recipe for this varuval can be found in my April 08 and May 07 postings on Beef and Chicken Varuval. The only thing I did different today was that I used Kashimiri Chili Powder instead of ground chili paste when I prepared the mutton to be pressured cooked.

I will say this again - this dish goes so well with an icy cold beer !

Enjoy!

Fried Chicken with Garlic Toast and Salad

2009-10-10T07:55:00.006+08:00

Fried Chicken is something that I have wanted to give a go for sometime now. From the various recipes out there I noted that buttermilk is the key ingredient and the overnight marinating or longer seals the deal. Getting buttermilk for some reason is hard! So for the short cut to buttermilk I mixed a tablespoon or two of lemon juice to some milk and used that instead.

Marinate the chicken pieces with herbs of your choice (I used Rosemary and Oregano), some Kashmiri Chili Powder, and sliced onions. Make sure the butter milk nicely coats of the pieces of chicken.

Mix together in a bowl some flour (1 cup or more as you will use this to coat the chicken) some five spice seasoning, ground black pepper, salt and a dash of paprika.

When ready to fry the chicken (make sure the oil is pipping hot). Drain the chicken pieces and coat generously in the flour and fry in the hot oil.

I served this with some garlic toast and potato salad. Enjoy!

Lamb steaks marinated with yoghurt and cumin

2009-10-01T20:22:00.007+08:00

We had a nice dinner today to celebrate Joe's 1st day at the Big Blue IBM...anyway surprised him with some grilled lamb and mash with gravy. Since I was not feeling well we had some chicken soup along with it.

The longer the lamb is marinated the better.

The marinade:-
1 tub of yoghurt
2 teaspoons of cumin powder
Generous amount of coarsely ground pepper
A few dashes of Worcester sauce
Some English parsley finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic smashed
Salt to taste
Mix the lamb pieces with the ingredients above and leave aside for a few hours.

I used a grill pan and cooked the lamb pieces for about 8 minutes for a well done piece of lamb steak.

Serve with mashed potato and gravy. Enjoy!

Tandoori Chicken

2009-09-28T10:49:00.003+08:00

Tandoori Chicken has fast become one of our favourite meals at home. The trick to tasty tandoori is ensuring that the chicken pieces have spent a couple of days sitting pretty in the marinade (in the freezer of course!).

The ingredients are approximate and you will need to vary this according to your own taste buds.

Tandoori paste for 1 whole chicken
Cut chicken into 4 pieces and stab it in the meaty places (to allow for the marinate to seep through)
Combine generous amount of plain yogurt (a whole tub is good)
Salt
About 1 1/2 tablespoons of more of Kashmiri Chili powder (or any other Chili Powder)
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
Some sprinkled coarsely ground black pepper

Marinate all the chicken pieces with the ingredients above and freeze. Thaw the chicken at room temperature for about 1 hour before roasting the chicken pieces in the oven at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Serve with some dhall and naan on the side.

Enjoy!

Fish Puttu

2009-08-31T09:37:00.007+08:00

The fish in this dish is traditionally made from Shark meat but you may use Tenggeri (King Fish) and practically any fish that has ample meat on it.

The fish is washed and boiled in some water with a teaspoon of turmeric. After it has cooked, it has to be cooled and then use a fork to shred the fish meat into shreds. The bones should be removed and if using Shark meat the bones comes off easily.

In a frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil and once hot add a few sprigs of curry leaves, mustard steeds, cumin seeds and mix well. Then when it is aromatic add a couple of tablespoons of scrapped coconut and stir it for about 4 minutes before adding roughly 2 tablespoons of Plain Chili Powder. Keep stirring this mixture for 6-7 minutes before adding the shredded fish meat and let this cook for another 5 minutes, add salt and season accordingly.

It is lovely eaten with rice and a curry dish. We had this with Pepper Chicken (Picture to the left above and recipe also found in this blog). Enjoy!

Baked Salmon

2009-08-19T17:22:00.004+08:00

I am getting real awful at keeping this cooking blog going. I keep thinking yes I will post something but never get the chance too because the food is gone before I can snap a picture and also because our helper does most of the cooking these days!

I am posting here a simple baked Salmon recipe, absolutely fuss free and some what light.

Ingredients
Salmon fillets marinated with a drizzle of olive oil.

In a pestle and mortar pound some garlic, chopped parsley and salt, then rub this mixture onto the salmon pieces and sprinkle with some crushed black pepper. Wrap in foil and leave to marinate in the bottom of the fridge for a few hours.

Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes then slit some holes into the foil packages and play on pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes (less or more depending on the thickness of the fish.

Serve with steamed veggies, french fries or some sliced baguette.

Enjoy!

Cold Shrimp Salad

2009-06-11T15:45:00.006+08:00

Due to popular requests from the Pantai team here is the recipe for an easy peasy salad.

Ingredients
1 packet mix salad greens
1 yellow onion sliced
2 tomatoes chopped
1 japanese cucumber
4-5 celery sticks sliced
1 cup red cabbage sliced thinly
Some sliced black olive
2 ripe avocados cubed
2 full boiled eggs chopped
500gm shrimp cleaned and pan fried with a dash of butter, salt and pepper
Generous amount of Salad Cream and Mayonnaise

Method
Assemble the green on a serving plate, add the onions, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, red cabbage and olives. In a separate bowl combine the avocados with the egg and mix in the salad cream and mayonnaise. Layer the avocados and eggs around the serving plate and top with the pan fried. Lastly sprinkle some salt and pepper all over and leave in the fridge before serving.
ENJOY!

Easter High Tea Part 2

2009-04-16T07:35:00.002+08:00

This post continues from the last post. This year for a change we decided on a local and western spread for Easter as a high tea. There were jugs and jugs of tea made and I forgot to take a snapshot of our very own teh tarik "pulled tea"!

Enjoy the pictures!

Easter Comeback

2009-04-15T22:07:00.002+08:00

After a long disappearance Milee is BACK! Truth is the camera gave up on me and its taken about 6 months of hints and pleas for my dear mother to finally get me a camera!! Yes yes I am such a baby:-)

Here is a sneak at what we were had for Easter high tea at home. On display you will see freshly baked Banana Cake, Kuih Dadar (Thin pancake rolled with scrapped coconut and brown sugar), Bread Pudding with Nutella and Cucur Udang (Shrimp in batter). I am more than happy to share receipes on request. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Garoupa

2008-10-12T21:53:00.003+08:00

This recipe is the same as the Sweet and Sour Pork recipe you will find in one of my earlier posts. Just coat the cleaned garoupa with generous amounts of corn flour and deep fry till golden brown and serve the sauce over it.

We had this for lunch and paired it with stir fried broccoli, carrots, mushroom and prawns in oyster sauce...must say it was a good pairing! Enjoy!

Sausage Peratel

2008-10-12T21:39:00.002+08:00

Well I sure have taken my time to get back to this cooking blog and I have to say its going to be hard keeping this going as these days I have a helper who does most of the cooking and she is sooo good there is little need for Milee to cook!

When I do I will post here. So here is a simple fuss free sausage peratel that has an Indian influence, its got paprika but you may wish to go for the true indian chili powder if your taste buds can handle the heat.

I used freshly made sausages from the butcher so no casing and all. We had lamb, beef and chicken chopped, 1 big bombay onion sliced, 2-3 cloves of garlic smashed, 2 each red and green chilies sliced, spring onion chopped, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, some mixed herbs, curry leaves, salt and olive oil.

Just stir fry the onions, garlic and chilies in the olive oil till lightly golden, then add the sausages and give it a good fry before adding the paprika and black pepper. Then after about 6 minutes add the mixed herbs, curry leaves, salt and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add the spring onions and taste for salt. If you like you may sprinkle a little vinegar before removing from the heat.

This is great with some toasted bread or as is with some chilled beers!

Roast Pork Belly

2008-06-17T08:34:00.003+08:00

This is what I would call "snap" dinner, because it hardly took any effort.
I marinated some pork belly with chinese five spice powder, salt, pepper, hoisin spare rib sauce and terriyaki honey sauce for about 2 hours. Then pan fried the pieces for a about 4 minutes before popping them in the oven to roast for another 30 minutes.

Made a side of mixed peas and carrots with corn sauteed in some butter and bacon.

Simple enough.

Kai Lan with Salted Fish

2008-06-12T08:45:00.003+08:00

Lazy is simply what I have been! I have been cooking, in a rush actually and more often than not Joe and I just want to dig in...the time between snapping a picture and eating has somewhat diminished:-))

Anyway here is a simple recipe to all time favourite Chinese dishe (in our household anyway!)

Kai Lan with salted fish
Trim the stems and wash well and leave to drain
Chop 3 garlic pips
2 sliced red chilies
Fry and cube a nice fleshy piece of any type of salted fish
1 teaspoon of sugar
A little salt and
Oil

On high heat pour enough oil to fry the salted fish well, until its crispy, proceed to remove the salted fish and in the remaining oil add the chopped garlic and red chili. Stir this for about 4 minutes before adding the Kai Lan, give a few quick stirs and some add the salt, sugar and salt fish and cover with a lid and let it cook on high for about 8 minutes or so.

That simple! Eat this with hot steaming rice and any other side dish like steamed ginger fish or soy sauce chicken....yummylicious. The sugar gives it a caramelised twist!

Pork Patties with Mash Potatoe

2008-04-26T18:00:00.005+08:00

Having no energy to get to the wet market bright and early this morning, I settled on challenging myself to whip up lunch at 4pm with whatever I had on hand!! The result - Pork Patties and Mash.

Minced Pork (500g) mixed with two big boiled potatoes, salt, pepper, chopped red onion, 2 cloves of chopped garlic,some frozen peas, 3 chipatola sausages chopped, 2 green chilies sliced, 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, fennel powder and 1 teaspoon paprika powder and a bit of bread crumbs all hand mixed with some olive oil. Shape into patties, coat with egg and dip in crumbs before shallow frying.

Mash - 3 big potatoes boiled, and while its hot mash it with butter, salt, pepper and some cream.

White gravy - heat some butter and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, on a low heat cook the flour well into a roux without burning it, then add some chicken stock and use a whisk to combine well. If its too salty add some heavy cream.

There you have it - lunch at 4pm:-)

Devil Pork Curry

2008-04-12T18:17:00.003+08:00

Well as the name suggest, this dish is intended to be devilish red hot and spicy!! Preparation work for this dish takes some time and the list of ingredients is long but once you get everything on the stove, its simmer simmer simmer all the way:-) It is recommended that you cook the curry a day ahead as it will soak it all that delicious favour from the lemon grass and ground paste. Anyone interested in the recipe just needs to holler....right now I am just too lazy to get into details.

Ginger Beef

2008-04-12T17:58:00.004+08:00

I marinated some beef with thinly sliced ginger, some ground onion, thick soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil and chinese wine and left it in the freezer for a couple of days. Today I thawed it and stir fried some yellow sliced onions, garlic, and 4-5 sliced red chilies till aromatic before adding in the beef. After stirring it for a good 4 minutes I added enough water to cover the meat, closed the lid of the wok and let the fire do its part. After 20 minutes I added some sliced potatoes and closed the lid again and left it to simmer for another 30 minutes (adding water along the way every now and then). Just 5 minutes before removing it from the fire I added generous amount of spring onions.

Lovely with a side of broccoli stir fried with garlic, red chili, prawns, fresh shitake mushrooms and some abalone sauce!

Beef Varuval

2008-04-12T17:47:00.003+08:00

This beef varuval is similar to my version of Chicken Varuval, the only difference is the first step of pressure cooking the sliced beef with some ground chilli, coconut milk, 2 cinnamon sticks and some curry leaves.

It was tender and very tasty with steaming white rice.

Roasted Pork Ribs

2008-03-23T13:21:00.003+08:00

After refraining from meat during Lent, I thought roasted pork ribs would be a great way to welcome meat into our diets:)

I marinated the ribs with cumin and paprika, salt,pepper and Chinese 5 spice powder for about 3 hours then placed he ribs on a wire rack with some chicken stock in the bottom pan and roasted the ribs meat side down for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes I turned the ribs over and placed sliced lemons all over the ribs and continued to roast for 20 minutes, then I removed the lemon slices and basted the ribs with a mixture of tomato sauce, Tabasco and Chinese spare ribs sauce. Over the next 2 hours I continued to baste the ribs at 20 minute intervals.

We had the ribs with a side of Rosemary potatoes, roasted veggie and gravy. **Made the gravy from the chicken stock and drippings of the ribs. Pretty awesome way to welcome meat back into our diets!.

Mushroom Tomato Pasta

2008-03-09T14:02:00.003+08:00

This pasta is full of mushrooms, green pepper and tomatoes which is what I had on hand. Tasty and easy to prepare if you are in a rush and want to indulge in something simple.

Swiss Brown Mushrooms
Canned Button Mushrooms
Shitake Mushrooms
1 yellow onion chopped
4 pips of garlic chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can of tomato puree
2 tablespoons of oregano
2 tablespoons of mixed herbs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons of paprika

Saute the onions and garlic in Olive oil and add the green pepper and bay leaf and stir for 5 minutes before adding the mushrooms. After a few minutes add the tomatoes and herbs and stir for 3 minutes before adding the paste and puree, let this mixture boil on low heat for 10 minutes, then add the paprika and pepper. Lastly add some salt (if required).

Fried fish with Potato Peratel and Rasam

2008-02-23T18:06:00.004+08:00

Some meals are purely comfort meals..today's lunch is one of my favourite simple hits home kinda meals. Meals like this transport me to the days where I couldn't wait for mummy to finish frying the fish so I could dive into the food!

Fried Fish
This small fish are perfect for frying, they are called selar kuning and are inexpensive. Just marinate for at least an hour with chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and about 3 tablespoons of milk. Deep fry the fish just before serving.

Ikan bilis Potato Peratel
Cube 4 potatoes and cook in the microwave for about 10 minutes and keep aside. Chop 3 medium size onions and 2 green chilies. Pour oil in the frying pan and once the oil is hot add some mustard seeds (about 1 tablespoon) and some curry leaves followed by the onions and green chilies. Stir it and once aromatic add 1 cube of ikan bilis (anchovy) stock cube. After 3 minutes add in the potatoes and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of chili powder and some turmeric powder. Keep stirring for about 8 minutes before adding salt and some water just to coat the pan and cover to cook for 7 minutes. Before removing from the stove add another sliced green chili and more curry leaves.

Rasam
Pound some cumin and black pepper,a pinch of turmeric powder with 3 cloves of garlic, a small onion and 2 dried chilies coarsely. In a small pot add a tiny bit of oil and add a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds, once it pops add some curry leaves and the pounded ingredients. Stir for a few minutes before adding a bowl of tamarind water and one quartered tomato. Add half a cup of water and salt to taste and bring it to one boil.

Enjoy the simple spread with some fried pappadums and hot fluffy rice!

3 Bean Salad

2008-02-17T21:40:00.003+08:00

This refreshing bean salad is great as a side dish to almost anything! You can use any beans you like and you can just about empty anything else you like in this salad. I used kidney beans, garbanzo and green beans. To that I added chopped parsley, tomatoes, avocados and a red onion. The dressing was a mixture of juice of one lime, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cumin powder, salt and pepper. Really easy to prepare and very easy to eat!

Fish Curry (Aunty Lee's Version)

2008-02-08T14:33:00.000+08:00

I finally picked up the phone and got Aunty Lee to share her famous fish curry recipe with me. She has always said that it's an easy recipe and by the time I got off the phone with her I realised that she was right.

This fish curry has no coconut milk and can be made in less than 30 minutes. We had it for lunch today with some fried fish, cabbage stir fried with carrots and papadums. It was simply lovely, thanks Aunty Lee for sharing.

5 pieces of fish cutlets (I used Tenggiri)any firm white fish will do
5 medium sized onions blended with 6 pips of garlic, and inch of ginger and some water. When it is well blended add 2 green chilies and some curry leaves and blend coarsely.
4 tablespoons plain chili powder
One lime sized or more of tamarind mixed with a small bowl of water
2 tablespoons fenugreek
3 tomatoes quartered
4 green chilies sliced long
1 glass of water
Salt

In a pot heat oil and add the fenugreek as soon as it splutters add the blended ingredients and stir well till aromatic. Add the plain chili powder and quickly stir to incroprate well for about 3-5 minutes (add a little water if too dry), after 3 minutes of so add half the water and cook on low heat for about 7-9 minutes, then stir well before adding the rest of the water and the tamarind, season with salt. Bring it to a boil before adding the fish pieces and the sliced green chilies. At the next boil add the tomatoes, extra curry leaves, remove from the fire and cover with lid until ready to serve. The longer it sits the better it will taste!

Sambal Prawns

2008-02-06T14:40:00.000+08:00

Made this last weekend and only managed to find the time today to post it!

I am getting pretty lazy so I picked up a packet of freshly ground dried chili at the market, got the prawn vendor to shell the prawns and bought cleaned peeled small onions and some cleaned garlic!! Terrible isn't it?

1 kilo medium sized prawns
15 small onions, 7 pips of garlic, 1 inch ginger, 1 inch piece of roasted belacan all blended together with a tiny bit of water
1 packet ground dried chili
Tamarind water (1/4 cup)
2 small limes
Sugar, Salt and some Black pepper

Fry the blended ingredients well in some oil before adding the ground chili and on low heat stir and cook the chili for about 15 minutes. Add the tamarind, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and stir in the prawns, cook for 10 minutes and lastly squeeze the lime. (Only add water if you find the paste too thick, I did not add any water).

Eggplant Moussaka

2008-01-27T19:59:00.000+08:00

I was wondering what to do with the left over gravy from this afternoon's lunch. It was a toss between Eggplant Parmigiano or Moussaka. I did not realise that the Parmigiano calls for a meatless sauce, so Moussaka it was.

I decided that I will make do with whatever ingredients I had on hand. From my scoop around the net I noticed that its important to salt the eggplant slices and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes before draining and wiping BUT I really didn't have the patience and time for that. So here is my fuss free, dump whatever you have Moussaka.

1 large Eggplant sliced, salted and rubbed with olive oil and roasted in the oven
Meat Sauce
Breadcrumbs
Cheddar cheese shredded
Parmesan Cheese for dusting in the end

Bechamel Sauce (Non Cheese)
Melt 1/4 stick of butter and add 3 tablespoons of flour, stir with wooden spoon and add some milk and keep stirring on low heat before seasoning with salt, pepper and some nutmeg. Remove from heat and add one egg yolk and stir again on the stove for a short while before removing from the heat. The mixture should be thick and creamy.

Lay breadcrumbs in an oiled pan, layer the roasted eggplants and layer meat sauce over followed by another layer of eggplant (I only did one layer), add the bechamel sauce and bake for 30 minutes, then top with shredded cheese and Parmesan and bake for another 10 minutes, let it cook before serving.

Coney Dogs

2008-01-27T12:39:00.000+08:00

Today's lunch is not the typical Sunday fare around here, its too simple and quick for a lazy Sunday, but its nonetheless very satisfying. Coney Dog's messy to eat, beat you won't stop at one!

Pork Sausages (Lightly Pan Fried in some butter)
Sausage Buns (steamed)

Coney Sause
1 yellow onion diced
3 pips garlic minced
Tomato paste
Yellow mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Sugar
Chopped Green Peppers
Paprika
Cumin Powder
Minced Beef

Some shredded cheddar cheese

Saute the onions and garlic in some olive oil, add the minced beef. When browned add the green peppers and fry for 5 minutes before adding the tomato paste, cumin, paprika, mustard and worcestershire sauce to taste. Let it simmer for a few minutes and its done.

Pepper Chicken Peratel

2008-01-24T09:02:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was a public holiday so I made my way to the market. Was tempted to cook some chicken curry but ended with making Pepper Chicken Peratel. Peratel in Indian cooking means to have a consistency of a gravy that is more thick and which envelopes each piece of chicken as opposed to a curry which has lots of thin gravy. It turned out well and I can see myself serving this when we have guests over.

1/2 chicken cut into small pieces (marinated for an hour or longer with 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 3 big tablespoons of freshly ground black pepper and some salt, add cubed potatoes if using)

Grind into a paste
5 Green Chilies
1 inch ginger
7 pips of garlic

Slice 2 yellow onions
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
4 cloves
2 tablespoons of Fennel
Curry leaves

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon fennel powder

Optional
Garam Masala
Roasted and pounded black pepper
Vinegar

Method
Fry the cinnamon, star anise, cloves curry leaves in some oil before adding the sliced onions, followed with the fennel seeds. Once fragrant add the blended ingredients and let it cook for 5 minutes before adding the chicken and stir well. Fill the marinated pot with water and leave aside. After stirring the chicken for 5 minutes add the chili powder, cumin and fennel powder. Stir well before adding the chicken and potatoes and water from the marinated pot. The water should be just above the chicken pieces. Close the lid and let it cook for 15 minutes while stirring every few minutes. After 15 minutes remove the lid and let it cook for a further 20 minutes or until the gravy has thickened to the consistency that is preferred.
Finish off with more black pepper, some store bought garam masala and a dash of vinegar.

It pairs very well with a side of rasam and stir fried ladies finger (okra).

Mughlai Chicken with Rice Pilaf and Pomegranate Raita

2008-01-10T22:01:00.000+08:00

After watching Nigella last week on TV seductively making this North Indian curry buffet as she called it I was hooked on the idea of trying it although I was a bit sceptical if the richness of the chicken and the sweetness of the raita would suit our taste buds. After today's meal I am pleasantly surprised as all the flavours simply came together and what a meal it was! The rice on its own was superb, I made in the rice cooker and since I didn't have basmati rice I used normal rice.

The recipes can be found at www.foodnetwork.com. I varied the chicken by using breast and thigh pieces, I used ghee instead of oil, I added ghee in the rice preparation as well and I used more chili flakes, more ground almond, more water to grind the paste for the chicken and some flour to thicken the gravy at the end.

Brown Rice & Bacon Stuffed Tomatoes

2008-01-05T13:50:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year to all fans of Milee's kitchen.
Madam's back in action thanks to a christmas gift (Panasonic Lumix woohoo!) from my Siri. The gift has resulted in me cooking almost every day....and actually enjoying it. Hmmm! Win win I suppose :-)

Enough talk; here's the grub we just had for Saturday lunch with grilled chicken chop and green salad.

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes or 2 red/yellow bell peppers
20g butter
2 spring onions (chopped)
2 rashers bacon (chopped)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 cup cooked and chilled brown rice or 1 can corn kernels
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated cheese

Slice off about 2cm off the top of each tomato. scoop out tomato pulp carefully with teaspoon. Chop pulp finely.
If using bell peppers, slice them into half (horizontally). Scoop out and discard seeds.

Fry bacon and till crispy. Add butter, spring onions, garlic and onion and fry till fragrant.

Add rice, breadcrumbs, cheese and tomato pulp and cook till quite dry. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Spoon filling into tomatoes, stand tomatoes in ovenproof dish or muffin tin and bake in moderate oven for 20 mins.

Xmas Cookies

2007-12-28T12:44:00.000+08:00

Just a little peek show of my first attempts at Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Diamond Cuts.

p/s - Oatmeal cookies didn't make it to Xmas...they were gone long before Xmas:)

Soy Sauce (Kicap) Chicken and Mixed Veggies

2007-12-28T12:26:00.000+08:00

I served this to our relatives from London after they returned from their short trip to Langkawi.

1 whole chicken cut into small pieces and marinated for about an hour or more with light soya sauce, thick soya sauce, oyster sauce, chinese wine, roasted and pound black pepper and a few slices of young ginger;
1 yellow onion sliced
3-4 pips of garlic sliced
5 pieces of soaked dried mushroom sliced
A few pieces of dried chili snipped
Dash of vinegar

Method
Fry the onion and garlic in some oil till aromatic and then add the snipped dried chilies, stir a bit and follow with the marinated chicken. Stir well before adding some water to cover just above the chicken. Cover and let it cook covered for about 15-20 minutes. Remove cover and add mushrooms and keep stirring periodically for the next 15 minutes, taste for salt, pepper and add a dash of vinegar before removing from the fire.

Claypot Chicken Rice

2007-11-25T12:57:00.000+08:00

One of my favourite hawker stall food is Claypot Chicken Rice. The best part is the little burnt brown bits of rice:-) After surfing the web I gathered 3 recipes and set about making today's lunch after discovering that I can make this in the rice cooker! I was a tad bit sceptical because it seemed simple to make. The results? Certaintly a keeper!!

3 cups of Rice, washed and drained, add 1 tablespoon of thick soya sauce, 2 tbsp of light soya sauce, some sliced ginger, a cup of chicken stock, pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil (then enough water to cook the rice in the rice pot as you would normally do).
2 chicken thighs and 2 chicken wings cut into bite size pieces
2 chinese sausages sliced thin
15 chinese mushrooms soaked in hot water and sliced
1/2 bowl of chopped spirng onions
Some minced garlic
Some thinly sliced ginger

Sauce to marinate the chicken pieces and chinese sausages for over an hour
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of light soya sauce
3 tabelspoons of Shoaxing chinese wine (rice wine)
1 teaspoon full of white pepper
A generous dash of liquid chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon of cornflour
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
A fleshy piece of salt fish

After an hour heat a wok and add some oil and fry the salt fish, remove and shred the salt fish and keep aside, add the thinly sliced ginger and garlic into the oil and fry till aromatic before adding the marinated chicken. Stir well and add the mushrooms. (Put the rice to cook in the rice pot around this point). Keep stirring the chicken and add abot 4 tablespoons of water at a time if the chicken is drying out too quickly. Add more white pepper and a dash of thick soya sauce and keep stirring till 3/4 cooked. Stir in half the spring onions and remove from the heat. (If lacking salt, add some salt).

When the rice is minutes away from being fully cooked, add the chicken into the rice pot and close the lid and let it cook and keep warm to steam further for 15 minutes. When ready to serve add the remaining spring onions and salt fish.

Eat with some sliced bird's eye chilis in soya sauce.

Stir Fried Shell Pasta

2007-11-20T08:11:00.000+08:00

Last night's dinner is not for the faint hearted! If you cannot take the "heat" skip this meal:-) Joe had to settle for a very "dressed up" instant noodle soup while I gobbled this spicy pasta down.

Shell pasta, boiled and drained (any pasta will do)
Minced garlic (2 tablespoons)
1 yellow onion diced
4 red chillies sliced
10 bird's eye chilies sliced
Prawns shelled
Fish Balls sliced (chicken fillets would be a good replacement)
Brown Mushrooms sliced
Sawi (Choy Sum) Blanched
2 tabelspoons of chili paste (store bought)
Anchovie cube stock
1 egg

Sauces
Thick Soya sauce
Light Soya Sauce
Black Pepper
A dash of vinegar

Saute the onions, garlic, red and bird's eye chilies in some oil. When aromatic add the anchovie cube stock and stir before adding the prawns and fish balls. Keep stirring until the prawns change colour then add the chili paste and stir continously for about 5 minutes before adding all the sauces, break an egg and let it set for a few minutes before stirring the mixture. If the mixture is too dry, add a few tablespoons of water and add the blanched choy sum, stir for a bout 5 minutes. Add in the drained shell pasta and toss well. Taste for salt.

Dhall with Sardine and Fried Anchovies

2007-11-19T08:02:00.000+08:00

Tired of the grilled, roasted and tossed routine Joe and I were yearning for some "basics"...so rice and curry it was! I did not even need to make a trip to the market, everything I needed was in the pantry/fridge.
The dhall is courtesy of Delia, mine of course pales in comparison to hers.

Dhall
Green spilt peas (1 1/2 cups or more) washed and boiled with 3 cups of water, 2 pips of smashed garlic, some oil, a sliced green chili, 1/2 teaspoon small cummin, some turmeric and salt.
To fry in ghee
Fennel
Mustard seeds
1 sliced Big red onion
Good bunch of curry leaves
1 cube anchovie stock
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

Others
Tamarind water
2-3 ripe tomatoes quartered
Some spinach leaves
Salt and

Once the dhall is cooked well, add the tamarind water and stir then add the tomatoes and fry the spices in the ghee in a small pan. When the onion is aromatic, add the fried spices to the dhall and taste for salt. Let it boil well and adjust for any other seasoning before switching off the fire to add the spinach and remove the pot from the fire.

Sardine
1 can of sardine
1 big red onion sliced
1/2 inch of ginger sliced
3 pips of garlic smashed
2 green chilies sliced
1 red chilli sliced
Tamarind Water
2 tabelspoons of chili powder
Salt

Mix the chili powder with the tamrind water and leave aside. In a frying pan, saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and green and red chilies well. Add the tamarind/chilli paste and stir continously for about 5 minutes before adding the sauce from the sardine tin, stir for another 3-4 minutes before adding the fish pieces in and then tasting for salt.

Fried Anchovies
A cup of cleaned anchovies - fried and drained
A cup of sliced potatoes, par boiled, fried and drained
A cup of red onion sliced
Good bunch of curry leaves
10 birds eye chilies sliced (or use some cut dried chili)
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 small lime
Salt and Pepper

Fry the onions, bird's eye chillies till aromatic in some oil, add the curry leaves and then add the potatoes and anchovies and 1 teaspoon of the chili powder and stir continously for 5 minutes before adding the squeezed lime juice. Taste and add if needed salt and pepper.

Buffalo Chicken Wings and Rosemary Potatoes

2007-11-11T22:02:00.000+08:00

I had marinated for a week some chicken wings with:
-Hot sauce, I used Tobasco
-Some Cayenne,
-Paprika,
-Black Pepper and salt.
Before roasting the wings for about 40 minutes I rubbed the pieces with some butter and a dash of lemon juice.

For the potatoes I par boiled and then drained them well before tossing in some olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and then lined them in a greased tray and baked for about 20 minutes.

We had this tonight with a side of sauteed zucchini and mushrooms.

Chicken Goulash

2007-11-05T22:15:00.000+08:00

I decided to try something totally different for a change, so i roasted a few chicken pieces over the weekend and refrigerated them. Tonight I made a goulash sauce and topped over a chicken thigh. It would have been perfect with some buttered basmati rice or creamy mash but I had it plain.

Roasted Chicken pieces (marinated with Chinese five spice powder, mustard, salt and pepper).

Sauce
Saute 1 big yellow onion chopped, some chopped garlic in some olive oil and then add some oregano followed by cubed green and yellow zucchini and 2 tablespoons of paprika. Quickly add a can of diced tomatoes and 1 small can of tomato paste, stir and add some Chinese five spice. Give it a good stir before adding a cup of chicken stock. Let it simmer, add some sugar (1 teaspoon), a dash of lemon juice and pepper to taste. Finish it off with a tablespoon or more of sour cream.

This sauce is thick and will go well with grilled fish or prawns too.
You may want to add 1/4 cup of wine if you like after the stock is added.

Beef Burritos

2007-11-04T21:47:00.000+08:00

Been trying to lay off rice and it ain't easy that is all I am going to say!! Dinner today was simple, Joe is away so there is no one to please but myself:-)

Minced Beef
3 pips of garlic chopped
1 yellow onion dices (yes I am into yellow onions:-)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
Good squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 can refried beans
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped Japanese cucumbers
Shredded cheese
Soft shell tortillas

Fry the garlic and onions in olive oil and add the minced meat and let it brown before adding the paprika, oregano and cumin. Let it fry a bit and then add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Warm the tortilla shells and spread some refried beans, top with the minced meat, the tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheese (I added a teaspoon of salsa as well...yums!)

Pumpkin Pie

2007-11-04T21:31:00.000+08:00

With Halloween just gone by I was yearning for some Pumpkin Pie, which would make some people go ewwwwwww....unfortunately this all Amercian pie has little following here in Malaysia...but I am an exception of course!!

2 cups of Pumpkin that has been boiled drained well and mashed
1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
1 can Evaporated Milk
Dash of vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
1 ready made pie shell

Mix the sugar and the dry spices along with the salt in a bowl. Beat the 2 eggs and add the eggs to the sugar mixture along with the pumpkin and vanilla essence, gradually stir in the evaporated milk and fold in well. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 30-40 minutes until the pie sets well and is dry when tested with a toothpick.

Note : It is indescribably delicious with a dollop of whipped cream when serving but I didn't have any on hand. Picture quality is low as I used the handphone.

Chicken Soup with Penne

2007-10-21T12:37:00.000+08:00

I have been taking a break from cooking mainly for two reasons, we are on a diet and I am simply too tired after hectic days at work. Today I told myself lets do something simple and not too taxing and healthy enough by our standards. So I made our usual Chicken soup with Penne or you may use any type of pasta that you may have on hand.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
1 yellow onion diced
1 whole bulb of garlic
2 pieces of 1 inch ginger
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground white peppercorns
One cup of chicken stock
Celery sliced
Carrots
Sugar snap snowpeas
Cubed potatoes
Mushrooms
Spring Onions
Penne

Method
I used the pressure cooker, poured some oil and sauteed the chopped yellow onion, the whole bulb of garlic, 2 whole pieces of cleaned ginger and after 4 minutes I added the celery and stirred well. The chicken pieces were put in and left to brown for at least 5 minutes before I added the bay leaves and about 1 tablespoon of white pepper, then added enough water to cover the pieces and I put the lid on and let it boil for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes I removed the lid and took all the chicken pieces out and removed the bones, put all the meat back into the stock, added one cup of the stock and more water and followed with the carrots and potatoes, after 10 minutes add the spring onion and let it boil, add more white pepper and salt if needed, follow by adding the mushrooms and then the penne. Once the penne is cooked add in the sugar snap peas and let it boils for 5 minutes before removing from the fire.

This is a great soup for a cold day or when you are just not feeling your best. Enjoy.

Choc Cake with Choc Frosting

2007-10-07T13:15:00.000+08:00

Bryan and I went about making this cake on Saturday afternoon. Madam supplied the recipe for the cake and I picked up the frosting recipe from the net. I may have "dried" out the cake by placing it in the fridge after frosting it:-( But other than that it turned out lovely and was our tea time snack on Saturday. The sprinkles were of course Bryan's idea!

Roast Chicken

2007-10-07T12:37:00.000+08:00

I went to bed thinking that I would make Mutton Curry for Sunday lunch, I woke up however feeling like I did not want to spend Sunday morning slaving over the fire. So Chicken Roast seemed like little effort and off I went to the market to get me a nice plump bird.

I marinated the chicken with some salt, freshly grounded black pepper, paprika, mixed herbs and some terriyaki sauce. Then I set about slicing some Japanese cucumbers, Romano tomatoes and added some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I boiled some potatoes and once cooked I mashed them with some butter, evaporated milk and salt.

After an hour I drizzled some olive oil over the chicken and put it in the oven (turning once) for 1 hour at 160 degrees.

Once the chicken was cooked I removed the pan juices to a pan on the fire and added 1 teaspoon of flour to make the roux, to this I added half a cup of chicken broth and 1/4 cup of water. Once it reached the consistency I desire I removed it from the fire and sieved it into a gravy boat.

Simple and fuss free meal of Roast Chicken with Mash and Balsamic tomatoes and cucumber!

Pepperoni Bacon Ciabatta Sandwich

2007-10-01T21:40:00.000+08:00

The weekend was spent recovering from the hectic week that was had as such the kitchen was closed! Tonight however I made this sandwich for an easy and light dinner and it went down well for both Joe and I.

I sauteed some bacon bits with some pepperoni bits and then added one sliced yellow onion and a some butter. To this I added a sprinkling of paprika, oregano and pepper. Toasted the sliced buttered ciabatta and garnished with salad mix, tomatoes, Japanese cucumber, cheese, grainy mustard, mayo and some tomato sauce before topping with the sauteed mix...needless to say it wasn't the easiest sandwich to eat:-) The taste however made up for the mess!

Rosemary Chicken Salad

2007-09-23T17:38:00.000+08:00

I was just simply too lazy to go to the market this morning and so finally at 11am I rummaged through the fridge and came up with this salad. I feel very satisfied when I am able to use up whatever that has been sitting in the fridge, today I used leftover sour cream, olives, relish, mustard, jalapeno peppers, half a tray of chicken fillet among other items.

Ingredients
Marinate a few pieces of chicken fillets with salt, pepper and paprika.
Combine 2 tablespoons of plain flour with 1 tablespoon of corn flour, season some salt and pepper and add some dried rosemary and coat the chicken fillets in this flour before shallow frying;

Mixed bag of salad leaves
1 tomato quartered
1 Onion sliced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 carrot sliced into strips
Strips of shaved cheddar cheese

Dressing
2 tablespoons of relish
3 tablespoons of sour cream
1 tablespoon of salad cream
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
1/4 cup olive oil

Method
Combine the salad leaves with the onions, tomatoes, green bell pepper, olives, and carrots and sprinkle some salad and pepper and leave in the fridge to chill. Mix the dressing all together and keep aside in the fridge. Shallow fry the chicken pieces and serve on the chilled salad before serving.

Chicken Fajitas

2007-09-20T09:22:00.000+08:00

This was really super quick and easy!! I started cooking at 8pm and by 8.45pm we were digging into our fajitas....it is however one messy dish to eat!!

I grilled some chicken fillets and then removed them from the stove and proceeded to saute 1 yellow onion in some oil with green and red bell peppers and added the grilled chicken pieces back before pouring in the store bought Fajita mix. Then I added 1/4 cup water and let it simmer and it was ready to be eaten with warm tortilla wraps layered with sour cream, guacamole and shredded cheese....lovely! (Chopped tomatoes would have been a great addition but I was just too lazy to chop some:-)

Pan Fried Salmon with Lemon Butter sauce

2007-09-18T22:26:00.000+08:00

Tonight's dinner was light and easy enough to prepare. I simply pan fried a salmon fillet and topped it with some lemon butter sauce which I got from the net. Although its appearance was nothing like the picture from the net, it tasted lovely paired with the salmon. I had this with a side of steamed veggie.

Ingredients
1 salmon fillet pan fried
Boil:
Clam broth (I used canned broth)and reserved the clams for another day
Milk - about 1/2 cup
1 pip of chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
A drop of red wine (although the recipe called for sherry)

Butter (4 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoons of lemon juice
White pepper powder

Method
Let all the boiling ingredients reduce to half its quantity and then sieve and leave aside. In a separate pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and when it starts to bubble sprinkle the flour in slowly and use a whisk to mix, stir for a few minutes before adding the sieved mixture and continue to whisk, if it all becomes too thick add some water, follow with the lemon juice and the white pepper powder.

This sauce/gravy is a great accompaniment to any seafood dish.

Prawn Masala

2007-09-17T09:21:00.001+08:00

This recipe is courtesy of Delia. Its a spicy dish with thick gravy and taste even better after sitting in its gravy for sometime. I varied Delia's recipe by adding 1 tablespoon of Chili powder, 2 tomatoes and some sliced green chilies.

Ingredients
Large Prawns - 1 kilo

Fry with 1 teaspoon of oil and then blend with water:-
Thumb size ginger
10 small onions
25 pieces dried chilies
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons coriander (seeds or powder)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fennel
1 cup scrapped coconut

To fry in some ghee:
1 big onion sliced
Curry leaves
1 Cinnamon, 2 star anise's, 4 cloves, 2 cardamon pods
4 green chillies sliced
2 tomatoes quartered
1 tablespoon chili powder

1 lime or some vinegar
Salt to taste

Method
Fry the cinnamon, star, cloves and cardamon till it pops and add the sliced big onion and curry leaves and green chilies. When aromatic add the tomatoes followed by the blended masala, add the 1 tablespoon of chili powder. Allow the masala to cook for some time (10 minutes or more) on a low heat, stirring often to avoid burning. If need be, add a little water at a time. Add the prawns and cook for a further 10 minutes while adding salt, lime/vinegar and water as required.

Seafood Marinara

2007-09-12T21:15:00.000+08:00

Made Bolognese and this Seafood Marinara last night as we were having a lunch do at the office before ramadhan begins tomorrow. Since it was to be consumed by Muslims as well I omitted using white wine and in place used the juice of 1 lemon, it made a good substitute!

Ingredients
Prawns, Squid, Mussels, any firm white fish (or any other seafood)
1 yellow onion diced
10 pips of garlic chopped
One bowl of chopped English parsley and 1/2 bowl of coriander
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato puree
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon (or more) of dried Oregano
1 teaspoon of Paprika
Some butter and Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Black Olive slices - 1/4 cup

Method
Saute the onions and half the chopped garlic in some olive oil till fragrant, then add the oregano and paprika and stir before adding all the canned tomato sauces and combine well, leave on low simmer. In another pan, heat some butter and saute the remaining garlic then add the squid, prawns and stir a few minutes before adding the mussels and fish and keep stirring, the seafood will produce water so do not add any additional water. Add the juice of 1 lemon and stir before adding all the contents including the broth to the sauce mixture. Let it all gently simmer for less than 5 minutes and add the black olives, chopped parsley and coriander, taste for salt and pepper. Serve with your choice of pasta.
* If using wine, substitute where lemon juice was used.

Milee's Butterhead Avocado Salad

2007-09-10T22:04:00.000+08:00

This is my very own creation and Joe being my biased other half gave it a perfect 10!

I used a bag of prepacked salad leaves (mostly butterhead) with 1 red onion sliced, and 1 avocado sliced and some roasted chicken breast. I sauteed some fresh mushrooms in butter with some minced garlic and added some chopped English parsley and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Mixed separately some olive oil, juice of one lemon and some balsamic vinegar and tossed the salad in this vinegratte.
It would have been 11 out of 10! with some Romano tomatoes but I forgot to get some.

That simple and that was dinner tonite!

Fish Sambal with Herbs

2007-09-09T11:28:00.000+08:00

Whenever I go out for Malay food at a stall near the office I always end up ordering fried fish cooked in sambal. The sambal is not the typical sambal instead it is loaded with Malay herbs like serai, daun limau purut and the additions of spring onions and coriander root. Its a simple and tasty dish and I decided to make this for our Sunday meal.

Ingredients
1 big Black Pomfret (Bawal), deep fried with salt and some turmeric

Slice finely:
1 yellow onion
5 pips of garlic
1/2 inch fresh ginger
2 stalks of lemongrass (serai)
5 leaves of kafir lime leaf (daun limau purut)
3-4 stalks of spring onions
3-4 stalks of coriander
2 red chillies

3 tablespoons (or more) of ground chili paste
Thick Tamarind water
1 lime
Some sugar, salt and pepper

Method
After deep frying the fish, dish it out on a shallow dish over a bed of some lettuce. In the same frying pan, reduce the oil and fry all the finely sliced ingredients until aromatic, then add the 3 tablespoons of ground chili paste and keep stirring the paste for at least 8-10 minutes. Add the tamarind water and let it simmer for less than 5 minutes before adding a small squeeze of lime juice, followed by some sugar, salt and pepper. Remove from fire and pour over the fried fish.

Fish & Chips

2007-09-02T21:20:00.001+08:00

I must credit the batter recipe here to Katie and Ron Pearce. On one of their visits here, Ron gave me the secret to that fluffy batter, simply some beer:-) I remember on that occasion using half a can and the other half Ron gulped down in a flash much to Katie's dismay:-))

Today's fish and chips could have been better, I think I rushed to fry the pieces without waiting for the oil to be boiling hot resulting in me having to refry the pieces when I realised the insides were not cooked! And it would help if you had one of those fryers instead of the stove top frying. I realised as the fries were frying that we did not have any tarter sauce so I improvised by mixing mayo with some cucumber relish...it was as good as the real thing!

Dory Fillets (next time I will use Pollock)
Mix together some Cayenne, Paprika, Salt and Pepper and marinate with the fish fillets.

Batter - Mix together some flour, some bicarbonate soda, some beer (or you may use soda water) and a pinch of salt. Whisk it well and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Before frying just coat each fish slice with the batter and slip into boiling hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain and serve hot.

Mutton Dalcha

2007-09-02T20:50:00.000+08:00

This recipe is my grandmother's version and it is a staple feature at our dinner parties. I use either Australian or Indian dhall/lentil whichever is available and I cook in the pressure cooker so the mutton bones are well cooked and almost falling off the bones.

Ingredients
Mutton Bones - 1kg washed and drained
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Small cumin - 1 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 3 pips smashed
Salt - 1 tsp
2 cups dhall/lentil
(Boil all the above in a deep pot or use pressure cooker with 4 cups of water, till the mutton is well cooked and the dhall has mushed).

Remove the lid and;
Add vegetables of your choice (Carrots, Potatoes, Parsnip, Eggplant)
Mix 2 tablespoons of meat powder with 1 tablespoon of Chili Powder with 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk, mix till smooth and without any lumps then add it to the boiling dhall, follow with some tamarind juice and let it cook till vegetables are done.

In another pan add 3 tablespoons of ghee and fry 1-2 big onions sliced with 1 cinnamon, 1 star anise, 4 cloves and 2 teaspoons of fennel, few slices of dried chili and some curry leaves. Fry till fragrant and then add it to the dhall and stir well. Taste for salt and pepper.

Fried Rice

2007-09-02T14:15:00.000+08:00

Fried Rice @ Nasi Goreng is an easy going dish, you can add just about anything you like and almost everyone can make this blindfolded even!! Since we had a big spread waiting for us for dinner on Friday at Sophia's place, Joe and I settled on some fried rice for lunch.

Ingredients
Cooked rice - 4 cups
Chicken breast - chopped up into small pieces
Prawns
Squid - sliced
Small onions (7) and garlic pips (6) chopped
Spring onions chopped
Long Beans chopped
4 tablespoons ground chili
2 tablespoons thick kicap
1 egg whisked
Salt & Pepper

Fry the onions and garlic and then add the chicken, followed by the prawns and then the squid. Let it cook for a bit before adding the ground chili and stirring well. Let the chili cook a further 7 minutes before adding the long beans follwed by the thick kicap and stir it for 5 minutes and then whisk the egg in and fry well. Taste for salt and pepper and add the cooked rice and continue to fry the rice for 5-7 minutes before removing from the fire.

Serve with sliced chillies in light kicap.

Beef Pies

2007-08-26T19:52:00.000+08:00

While my nephew and I were busying ourselves with the Banana Cake, I also had the pressure cooker on the stove simmering up some delish beef for some Beef Pies. Again the recipe was off another blog (http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au) and it came out well. I wiped up the gravy with some croissant and it was so favourable...of course I am certain it helped that I was generous with the Red Wine!! The pie topping was different as it had mashed potatoes in it and so it sort of crumbles in your mouth...really nice!

Beef Filling Recipe
1kg beef, diced (we used round steak)
1-2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups (500ml) red wine
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper

Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Brown about one third of the beef at a time so as not to overcrowd the pan. Set browned meat aside.

Add onion to the saucepan and saute until softened. Add garlic and flour and cook for a minute, stirring and scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and return beef (and any juices) to pan.

Cover saucepan and reduce heat. Simmer for about 1 ½ hours until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. If the filling mixture is too liquid toward the end of the cooking time, uncover the saucepan to reduce the sauce.

Remove bay leaf and transfer filling to a pie dish (about 1.5 litre capacity), or a number of small ramekins if you would prefer individual pies (pictured above).

Roll pastry out between sheets of baking paper. Cover pie/s and trim excess pastry.

Brush pastry with egg and make a few slits in the top of the pie/s. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.

Potato Pastry Recipe
200g self-raising flour
150g butter
200g mashed potato, cooled
Pinch salt
Beaten egg, to brush top of pie

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in butter, add potato and mix until pastry forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Note: I added extra garlic, loads of coarsely ground black pepper, some cubed carrots and some green peas for colour actually! And since I had some extra mashed potato I threw that in as well....also this dish has a thick sauce sort of like a nice well simmered stew and would have tasted fab just with a side of soft rolls and some sauteed veggies.

Banana Cake

2007-08-26T19:11:00.000+08:00

Saturday afternoon I had the pleasure of cooking with my 3rd guest chef - my 3 1/2 year old nephew Bryan:)! He was such a great help in the kitchen, he started off our session of making Banana Cake (which by the way is a household favourite around here) by what else but mashing the bananas!

After doing that for about 5 minutes he told me very politely that he was tired and needed a rest and went to join his Uncle Joe in front of the TV...but he was back before long to help me process the rest of the ingredients into the food processor.

The recipe is off another blog and turned out very well and just like the recipe assured it was super moist. Needless to say everyone enjoyed it!!

125g butter, softened (if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt with the flour)
330g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
280g (1 very slightly rounded cup) very ripe, mashed banana
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence)
2 large eggs (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
100ml (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) buttermilk
225g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius fan-forced. If you don't have a fan-forced oven, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 22cm diameter springform pan.

Place butter, sugar, banana, vanilla and eggs in a food processor.

Process for about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of processor. Add buttermilk and pulse to combine.

Sift flour, salt (if using) and bicarbonate of soda together into a large bowl. Add flour mixture to food processor and process until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared tin.

Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer or knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Leave cake to cool on a wire rack.

Spread cooled cake with cream cheese icing. Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Icing
90g cream cheese, softened
45g butter, softened
210g (1 2/3 cups) icing sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sifted icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add lemon juice and beat to combine. Spread icing over top and sides of cooled cake.

For a buttermilk substitute, try using 90ml (1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons) of milk mixed with 10ml (2 teaspoons) of lemon juice. Combine the milk and lemon juice (the mixture should curdle) then allow to stand for 10 minutes before using.

(I did not prepare the cream cheese icing)

Paprika Stir Fried Corn Beef

2007-08-22T09:29:00.000+08:00

On weekdays, Joe and I hardly eat dinner at home but on that rare occasion that we are both home early I normally rummage through the pantry for some tin stuff. And yesterday we decided on Corn Beef. I normally make Corn Beef with Indian Chili Powder but last night I decided to substitute the Chili Powder with Paprika. Paprika has a more subtle taste and doesn't overpower the tasty corn beef, it was really simple and most of all fast to prepare.

Ingredients
1 can corn beef
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 pips garlic, sliced
1 inch ginger, chopped finely
2 pieces each green and red chillies
1 teaspoon or more of Ground Pepper
3 teaspoons Paprika

Method,
Stir fry the onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chillies in some oil till fragrant. Add the corn beef and stir well. Generously add the ground pepper and paprika and keep stirring for at least 6 minutes or so. No need to add salt as the corned beef is salty on its own.

Eat with bread as we did or rice.

Fish Curry

2007-08-20T09:21:00.000+08:00

It has been a number of years since Delia has shared this recipe with me but I have yet to master it!! I am still learning to fine tune it...having Delia's fish curry with some yoghurt is just heavenly but for lunch yesterday I decided to serve it with a side of tapioca...it was a very satisying lunch and strangely we were a wee bit intoxicated later!

Ingredients
5 slices fish of your choice
30 dried chillies, soaked for an hour in hot water and then ground in a blender with 1-2 tsp of cumin and equal portion of coriander and some turmeric. (Add some 1/4 cup of water to ease with the blending)

Fry in some oil the following and reserve half the portion:-
10-15 small onions, sliced
5 pips of garlic sliced
2 inch ginger sliced
Some curry leaves
4 green chilies sliced

1 tablespoon or more of mixed spices of alba, fennel, cumin, mustard seeds (I used a store bought packet of mixed spices)
Half a bowl of tamarind water
2 tomatoes - quartered
1 coconut milk
Salt and Pepper

Method

Remove the fried onions and separate it to 2 portions, add some oil and fry the mixed spices till they start to splutter then add one portion of the fried onions and stir for 2 minutes before adding the ground chili, lower the heat and stir this mixture for at least 10-12 minutes to ensure that the chili is cooked well, add some salt too, if need be add more oil. After 15 minutes add the tamarind water and let it boil, when it comes to a boil add the fish pieces and let it boil some more before adding the coconut milk, adjust to taste with salt and pepper or more tamarind if required. After the next boil remove the pan from the fire and let it sit with the lid closed until ready to be served.

Joe's Chicken Curry

2007-08-20T08:55:00.000+08:00

I had one of the most fantastic surprises for dinner on Saturday night, Joe decided he will whip up dinner! I was not allowed anywhere near the kitchen and when I did get close enough I was nicely told to exit the kitchen:-) Its been 12 good years since he has slaved over the stove and my oh my what a treat his chicken curry and cucumber salad turned out to be, not to mention the way he layed the table and chose a suitable white wine to wash the curry down delicioulsy with:-)! It was very tasty and we wiped our plates clean...yes yes I know he is my husband but in this instance I am allowed to be bias!

He has very kindly shared his recipe which I reproduce here:-

Ingredients
Half a chicken
1 yellow onion sliced
4 pips of garlic sliced
2-3 inch pieces of ginger sliced
1 green chili
2 tomatoes chopped
2 potatoes cubed
Coriander leaves to garnish
Pepper and Salt to taste

Spices : a few cloves, one to two star anise and one cinnamon
Powders : 2 tablespoons of meat powder, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon each of turmeric, coriander and cumin (Mixed together and then stirred with a cup of water)

Method
Fry the garlic, ginger and onion in some oil till aromatic, then add the spices and give it a quick stir before adding one chopped tomato and the green chili. After 2 minutes or so add the powder mixture and let this boil for a good 5-7 minutes before adding the chicken and potatoes, add another 1 1/2 cups of water and let this simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Stir the curry every so often. After 15 minutes remove the lid and check the doness of the potatoes, add salt and pepper and add water is needed. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes without the lid and adjust to taste. Remove from the fire and garnish with coriander.

Luncheon Meat Chili Fried

2007-08-14T10:31:00.000+08:00

This is one of our favourite CANNED foods and really so easy to make. Its very versatile and the balance (if any) can be fried with rice and some scrambled egg and scallions to make a spicy Fried Rice or added to bread and toasted...mmmmmm so yummy!

Ingredients

1 can of Luncheon pork meat (chopped into cubes)
1 big onion (yellow) sliced
3 pips of garlic chopped
3 sliced lengthwise green chillies
a good handful of curry leaves
2-3 tablespoons of chili powder
salt and some roasted and ground black pepper

Method
Fry the onions, garlic and 1/2 the curry leaves in some oil till fragrant. Add the cubed luncheon meat and stir for 5 minutes while adding the black pepper generously. Then add the chili powder and stir well, add more oil if its too dry (do not add water!) keep stirring the meat and add in the remainder of the curry leaves and salt. Stir for a further 8-10 minutes before removing from the fire.

Nasi Lemak

2007-08-06T12:18:00.000+08:00

This version is my simple super fuss free version where I use store bought ground chili and despite that Joe whacked 2 rounds at lunch and dinner:-)

Ingredients
Ikan bilis (anchovies)- fried and kept aside (reserve a small portion for dressing the plate and reserve the oil for the sambal)
1 container of store bought ground chili
Eggs - boiled and shelled
Cucumber - cut into slices

Sambal
2 Red Onions ground with 2-3 inch fresh ginger, 5 pips of garlic and roasted belacan (shrimp paste)(about 2 inch piece) (add a bit of water to blend)

Assam (Tamarind) (about the size of a small marble mixed with 5 tablespoons of water)
If you want add you may substitute the assam with juice of about 5 small limes
Salt, Pepper and Sugar to taste

Rice
1 packet Coconut Milk to be used in place of water and add some salt and tie 2 pieces of daun pandan (screw pine leaves) into a knot and add it in the rice cooker.

Method
Fry the Onion blend in the reserved oil for a good 5-7 minutes then add the store bought ground chili and keep stirring and cooking the sambal for at least 10 minutes or more. After 10-12 minutes of cooking the sambal add the asam water/or lime juice and keep stirring, then add salt, sugar and pepper and adjust taste. (I added as much as 3 teaspoons of sugar because the sambal would have been too hot for Joe). Lastly add the fried ikan bilis and stir for 5 minutes before removing from the flame.

Serve with the rice, cucumber, boiled egg and fried ikan bilis on the side.

Roasted Veggies with Penne

2007-08-05T15:39:00.000+08:00

This is courtesy of Halva who very sportingly shared her recipe after I left a comment on her blog. I decided to make this for lunch today thinking that Joe and I could do with the light meal after the continuous dinners and parties from Friday to last night. Anyway all I did was roast some zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, red onions and garlic with oregano, mixed spice, olive oil and some salt and pepper. I also added some balsamic vinegar and put it in the oven for a good 15 minutes while I cooked the penne. The penne was added to the roasted veggies and a good dollop of cottage cheese was added as the final touch...simply lovely. We had this at 12 this afternoon...

and by 2.00pm I was in the kitchen making "actual" lunch....we were starving so I whipped up some Nasi Lemak. I will put up the recipe of Nasi Lemak if I receive any request.