Fruits And Veggies Dipped In Fiery Rojak Sauce

We ate out last night , not that I like to eat out but once in a while I need to pamper myself , for once I was being served :p but came back looking for some dessert. I remembered Piggy Cuz gave us a bottle of homemade rojak sauce and it has been sitting in the fridge for a month , I think. So, I went to the fridge and rummaged for fruits or veggies that can be dipped with the sauce and hallelujah ! I found these ( mango, celery, yellow zucchini and ambarella aka as kedondong in local language ) in the fridge drawer and I cut them up and had a tongue searing hot session with the sauce. My goodness ! it was pungent hot but delicious at the same time. I dipped the fruits and veggies with the deliciously pungent hot sauce and Daddy was grumbling how hot the sauce was but I noticed that he ate them non-stop despite the fiery hotness :p and the whole lot was finished in less than half an hour…haha which Malaysian could resists such a wonderful and tongue searing hot rojak sauce. Thanks Piggy Cuz for those homemade Rojak Sauce. Of course, half way thru I had to rush for a glass for icy cold drink but it got worse, the tongue was like being set ablaze...that fiery ! Then I remembered some one once told me to gurgle with very warm water. It will reduce the fiery sensation on the tongue....:p ooppps I forgot about it so had to suffer a while :)

To Piggy Cuz,

“ Yup , I know you didn’t make them but your Twins ! You must ask her to share the recipe with you so that you can teach me how to make them ” :p

this homemade rojak sauce was pungent hot

only a true Malaysian can take the fiery hotness!

top: pungent hot homemade rojak sauce

top left: mango , yellow zucchini, raw celery
bottom: ambarella aka kedondong in the malay language

all these fruits and veggies were good for the gastro

after a scrumptious dinner :)

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food "

~ George Bernard Shaw ~

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Turkey Ham Sandwich

Dinners lately have been simple affairs ,since I am hooked on the new drama series ?? Of course not, juz that lately I have been too lazy to cook anything fanciful or dishes that is time consuming. Daddy agrees that since cooking something elaborate takes up too much time and the washing up after dinner…let it be simple. Whew…how I love to hear that . He is a bit lazy of late too :p . I do the cooking and he does the washing up…fair isn’t it ;p

So that explained it…the simple dinner we had last nite was juz Turkey Ham Sandwich and tin mushroom soup…can? I was too lazy to make my own fresh mushroom soup…ohh what has become of me… I guess it’s the idiot box’s fault ! :p :) There is a Chinese saying that “ if a cow does not want to drink water, you can’t push his head now ”. Frankly speaking, I love eating this way…healthy and time saving. So if you are not in the mood to cook and wants something simple yet healthy, this is it. Turkey Ham Sandwich – sit in front of the idiot box with a bowl of hot mushroom soup is so relaxing for the soul. Blissful indeed ! :)) I have lots of excuses when it comes to cooking simple but fact remains…the big boss of the house must agree to simple dinner ! :)

slices of turkey ham sandwiched between lettuce ,tomatoes

and cheddar cheese...simple yet delicious & healthy

complement well with japanese mayo and chilli sauce
ohhh...so tasty okay,
finished off with green apples for dessert :)




Food is the most primitive form of comfort.

~ Sheila Graham ~




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Fettuccine Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a traditional French Provencal vegetable stew, usually made with aubergines, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions, seasoned with herbs and garlic . It is usually served as a side dish, but may also be served as a meal on its own or as filling for savoury crepes or as toppings for pizza. But for once I tried it with fettuccine and I tell u , it was fantastically yummy. I can’t stop blabbling about how good it tasted with the fettuccine :) I am glad that I matched it with fettuccine and the result was two thumbs-up! Perfect combination! Feel free to drool at the photos here….a teaser really for my Piggies..haha ,see the Momsie wicked streak is resurfacing again :p Don’t worry, let them salivate over their keyboards once in a while, do the saliva glands good :)

I will be cooking one dish meal very often now ( shhh....don’t let Daddy hears this ^ * ) coz I am so hooked to the HK drama :p but I will still be baking some stuffs later…I have a few more on my To-do list that I want to try out :)

I added some fresh korean mushrooms to the ratatouille which

consists of yellow & green zucchini, aubergines,tomatoes,

green peppers,garlic and onions, italian herbs

the korean mushroom has a slight crunch...I heart it :)

this is so very good, easy to prepare and healthy too!

Fettuccine Ratatouille

Fettuccine enough for 2 persons

Cooked in hot boiling water till al dente. Runs cold water over the cooked fettuccine. Add some olive oil to the fettuccine so that they won't stick together.

Ratatouille :

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes – diced
1/2 yellow zucchini – diced
1 small green zucchini – diced
1 small green pepper – diced
1 long aubergine – diced
1 onion – diced
some fresh Korean mushrooms – washed and drained dry

1/2 tbsp of Italian herbs or more if want it stronger
1 tbsp of tomato paste
2 tbsp of tomato sauce
2 pips garlic – chopped
1 cup of water
olive oil
sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Saute the garlic and onions with some olive oil till fragrant in a wok, add in the tomato paste, italian herbs and tomato sauce and all the diced vegetables except the mushrooms. Stir fry till the veggies are well mixed, add 1 cup water and stew the veggies till soft over small fire. Add in the mushroom last and cook for another 6 minutes. Add salt to taste. Make sure there is enough sauce to coat the fettuccine. Pour over the cooked fettuccine . Garnish with cheddar cheese and served hot.

Enjoy!

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Salmon Baked In Parchment

I choose to cook simple at times when I am in the lazy mood or when I am hooked on something serious but I promise you , this is FABULOUS! Salmon Baked in Parchment , impossible to dry out , moist and juicy and the fish doesn’t get all broken up with handling, and hardly any mess to clean up afterwards–now, that’s my kind of cooking when I am hooked on a new drama series ! :)) :p

Of all the fishes in the world, I heart Salmon the most…haha here is where I can increase my Omega 3 fatty acid intake. I chose to baked it in parchment paper…retained the moistness of the fish and the aroma of lemon & herbs is trapped in thus making the baked salmon delicious ..mmmm I will baked this again , that’s for sure. Easy and time saving and tastes wonderfully good!

step 1 : Sprinkle black pepper , sea salt and lemon juice on the aubergine slices

sprinkle fillet with sea salt, black pepper, chopped lemon rind,

place a hefty sprigs of fresh thyme on top of the fillet

Step 2: Place the aubergine slices on the parchment paper,

lay the salmon fillet on top and top with lemon slices

drizzle some olive oil on the fillet.

Fold the parchment over the salmon fish to seal
and baked for 18 -20 minutes (depends on size of fillet)
at 250 º C

I love the color...it whets my appetite...:p

looks so appetizing even before it is being baked in the oven :)

Cut open the parchment parcel and let the steam escape

and behold ..this is good and I can have the whole piece to myself :p

Salmon Baked In Parchment

Ingredients:

1 piece salmon fillet

sea salt

ground black pepper

1 aubergine ( cut into slices )

3 sprigs of fresh thyme ( tarragon, rosemary, dill or basil can be used )

1 lemon - squeeze juice, rind - chopped

olive oil

Preparation:

On a 12 inch square piece of baking parchment , exact size is unimportant as long as it’s big enough to create the packet.

Grind some toasted black pepper onto your salmon fillet , sprinkle with a little sea salt–on both sides. Place the fillet on top of the aubergine slices ( squeeze some lemon juice on the aubergine , sprinkle salt and some ground black pepper over the aubergine ).

Sprinkle top with chopped lemon rind and fresh thyme (you can also use fresh basil, tarragon, thyme or rosemary). Pour some olive oil over your fish fillet. ( you can dot butter on fish if you like)

Fold two opposite sides of the parchment paper up and over the salmon, roll down and flatten the fold against the fish. Take the open ends and fold over the salmon to seal; flip the packet over with the seam on the bottom.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 250 º C

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Thank you Tracie Moo for this Award!

A big Thank You to Tracie Moo of Bitter Sweet Flavours for making me a recipient of this Best Blog Award :)) Haha…looks like I can’t rest my butts after receiving this award of encouragement ….:p I will have to crap more in future :p but most important I would like to thank all of you for dropping by my humble blog whereby a place where I can display my bakes . Thanks for making my humble blog a better place for other foodie readers to hang out. Exchanging ideas and sharing recipes here is fun !

The rules for these awards are:

~To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.

~Pass the award to 5 other blogs that you've discovered and think are great!

~Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award

Now I would like to pass this award to :-

Daily Delicious
Angie’s Recipes

Makan King and Queen
Motormouth From Ipoh

What2See: The Best of Penang Food

Once again, thanks Tracie for this wonderful thought .

I appreciate it very much !

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Tofu With Sizzled Soy Sauce Garlic Oil

Tofu….mmmmmmm I love tofu , plain or with toppings! I can have the whole piece all to myself especially if it is prepared this way. Chopped some garlic and make garlic oil by frying the chopped garlic till lightly brown. Add in some light soy sauce while the oil is hot …the sizzling sound plus the aroma of fried garlic was enough to set my saliva glands in motion. Pour the hot garlic oil dressing on to the hot tofu…wow, what a simple and easy to make delicious tofu dish.

this is so simple to prepare......a delight to eat too :)))

it tastes wonderful..the aroma of garlic oil and sizzled soy sauce

blends well....yummy

the tofu was silky and every mouthful was like
eating a savoury dessert...haha

Healthy and delicious at the same time!

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Corned Beef On Toast

I came home late from work yesterday and I thought we will eat out but to my surprised Daddy had prepared something delicious and it was Corned Beef stir-fried with mixed vegetables ,red onions and some red chillies. What a wonderful surprise! Isn’t it wonderful that at times the boss of the house takes over the wokking? :P

So, we had corned beef with baguettes. I bought the frozen baguettes last Saturday from Intrico, a shop that sells all baking products . A light and simple dinner for a change , after all I was too tired to go out or cook anything for us. It was a wonderful dinner…a time of exchanging news and a time of debate….haha over News topic! No debate no fun :p :)) This is what makes the marriage last.....lotz of good homecooked food and lotz of debate over small things :p

Since I don’t have to cook I have plenty of time and energy to do some photo shootings of the baguettes with corned beef :)) and posted it up here for my Piggies to see what their dad had cooked for their Momsie ^ * I am sure they will go ooos and aarrrs :) This is so much better than their hostel food :P

cut the baguette into slices, dribble olive oil on the surface

and sprinkle dried rosemary on it and baked for 8 minutes

topped them up with the stir fried corned beef
with mixed vegetables, onions and chillies
the rose was from the garden :p

Daddy's favourite food....Libby's Corned Beef
he cooked the corned beef and I served it with toasted baguette

I topped some with mozzarella cheese and it was yum....

dinner was just these slices of goodness

Thanks Daddy for such a wonderful and delicious dinner!

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Cinnamon Walnut Raisin Rolls

The aroma of buns baking in the oven is simply divine. The whole house would be filled with the smell of freshly baked buns for the whole night...the best aromatherapy for me :))

Each time my Piggies come home, I will bake buns for them to take back for their breakfast and supper and they love it. The best way to make them happy is bake them buns! All I have to do is to pick one basic dough from all my bun recipes, improvise a bit, and a new bun is born! This time, I baked Cinnamon Walnut Raisin Rolls. It was delicious and of course my Piggies were happy when they took in the aroma of cinnamon emanating from the oven, they knew what was coming. Cinnamon is the family favourite. Cinnamon in apple pies and cakes and curries so for this time it is buns/rolls :))

I baked some sausage buns for Piggy boy, for it is his all time favourite and I also baked some garlic butter buns for them both . See , from one simple basic bun dough I created 3 varieties… I love baking buns when I am not stuck to the idiot box :p

Here are the buns/roll I baked for the Piggies over the weekend. Soft, light and delicious buns to satiate their hungry stomach :p The way to my Piggies’ heart is through the stomach…haha very aptly phrased :)) I wished I had baked more so that I could share some with my Piggy Cuz. So , for the time being P C will juz have to drool from her monitor screen :p

brush on the surface of rolled out dough with butter,

sprinkle natural molasses sugar or brown sugar

and cinnamon powder and chopped roasted walnuts

and raisins evenly on the surface

roll into a swiss roll and cut into 6 equal pieces,

place them in greased muffins pan and baked

at 200 ̊ C for 15 minutes till evenly browned

sun tanned gorgeous looking cinnamon walnuts raisin rolls :p

3 varieties of delicious mouth-watering buns/rolls

top left : sausage buns

bottom left : cinnamon, walnut & raisin rolls

bottom right: garlic butter buns

these are the buns I baked over the last weekend

The Piggies will be well fed for the next few days :p
No perservatives and no improver ...healthy homebaked goodies !



I used the garlic bun recipe


Edited :
P/s This post made it to Foodbuzz Today's Top 9 ( 22th July, 2009):)))
Thank you for all the buzzes :))))

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Durian Layered Cake

This is one helluva cake and it was so scrumptiously good that every mouthful was delightfully satisfying… I know some of you may not even like the smell of durians but this is one awesome cake . I baked two small 4” diameter round sponge cake and sliced them into 3 layers each and stacked them into a 5 layered durian cake ! One slice of course went to Charco , my four legged son :) He was eyeing my cake and salivating away, so 6 became 5 ! ;0 :0

I was excited to make this cake myself and I wanted to make it as near as possible to the one I had eaten some time back. That durian cake costs a bomb. The cake was given as a gift to us by my dear nephew Ernest, who sadly had gone home to be with the Lord last year :( Gosh, I mizz him and this cake is specially made in honour of him. I know he will definitely be happy looking down and most probably be rubbing his chin and say “ you managed to make it after all ”! :p

When he brought the cake to us , we asked him how much that durian cake cost. He wouldn't tell us ….he said, EAT FIRST , I will tell you the price of the cake later. Not only the cake was a bomb…the price was a bomb too ! RM150 for a kilogramme! And I am glad I succeeded in recreating one nearly as good as the professional one and it turned out to be wonderfully good. The sponge cake was light and moist, the durian filling was creamy rich and sweet and of course with the sweet aroma of the King of fruits. This cake must be eaten chilled……one word to describe this cake…HEAVENLY !

the sponge cake was light and moist

Ernest must have been guiding me all this while :))

6 became 5 , Chaco is the culprit

look at that thick creamy durian filling...so rich..mmmm

I have recreated one nearly as good as the proffessional ;p

and I am pleased..I managed to capture

the essence of the cake :))

the frosting sucks...haha I need to improve in this area

errr....I think I can never be good....not artistic at all :)))

This cake is dedicated

to my dearly departed nephew Ernest

for the inspiration he gave when he was with us.

He loved this cake!

Durian Layered Cake

For the Sponge Cake

Ingredients:
4 eggs
½ cup sugar, divided into 2 portions
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup superfine flour
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
¼ tsp lemon juice
50 ml milk

Cointreau Liqueur– spray on the layered sponge * optional
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 180 ̊ C

Sift the flour together with the baking powder twice to airate the flour.

Separate the egg yolk from the white .

In the bowl with the egg white, add the cream of tartar and lemon juice and beat until thicken. Add in ¼ cup of sugar and beat further until the mixture shines.

In another bowl, beat the egg yolk with the remainder ¼ cup of sugar until the sugar dissolve.

Add milk and vegetable oil into the egg yolk mixture and stir to mix well.

Fold in the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture.

Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg yolk flour mixture into the egg white until blend. Repeat with the remainder of the egg yolk in 1/3 portions.

Pour the mixture into 2 parchment paper lined 4” circular cake pan. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or till cooked. Remove from the oven and invert cakes on a cake rack and let it cool completely before cutting them into 3 layers each.

Creamy Durian Fillings

Ingredients:
300gms of fresh durian pulps
100gms of non-diary whip cream

Preparation:

Whip the non-diary cream till it can holds its form
(Do not over whipped )
Gently fold the durians pulps to the cream till evenly mixed
Chilled in the fridge till ready for use.

Frosting:
200 gms of non-diary whip cream – whip till it is stiff and hold its form


Assembling the cake

Cut the sponge cake into 3 layers each. Spray each layer with cointreau and apply a thick layer of durian cream filling, place the 2nd layer of sponge, spray the cointreau on the surface, apply the durian cream filling…repeat until finished.

Frosting the cake

Spread the whipped cream on the sides and top of the cake . Decorate with cream piping as desired. Place the cake in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

* the Cointreau adds flavour to the sponge cake and keep your cake moist :)

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

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Cajun Roast Drumstick

At times , I can be quite lazy and yesterday was one of those days where laziness took over , to avoid the washing and scrubbing of used wok, I just put the drumsticks to roast in the oven :) Marinated them with whatever spices I have and let the oven to do the necessary…while I go prepare a simple salad to go with the drumsticks.

Last nite, we had Cajun Roast Drumsticks and boy..it was really finger-licking good. Crispy skin drained off natural fat during the roasting process ...was scented with the Cajun spice….added with the chopped fresh oregano …a to die for piece of drumstick~deliciousness :) It was a once in a blue moon indulgence for us :p The whole house was filled with the aroma of cajun roastedness...I simply love this spice ..haha something I must have in my pantry at all times :)

half way through the roasting, take out and

sprinkle more cajun and paprika on the drumstick

natural fat drained off during the roasting process
leaving a crispy skin to our delights

remember to line the baking tray with parchment
paper for easy clean up later.....the natural fat will melt
and dripped on the paper.

the yellow bits on the drumsticks are chopped garlic
a tray full of cajun roasted goodness
crispy on the outside and moist juicy tender on the inside

^ *

Cajun Roast Drumstick

Ingredients

6 chicken drumsticks with the skin on

Marinade
Salt ( to taste)
honey

Cajun seasoning
Paprika

Fresh oregano – chopped

* amount not given coz I just sprinkle on the spices without measuring :p **

Preparation :

Rub some salt and honey onto the drumsticks , sprinkle Cajun and praprika evenly on the drumsticks , leave to marinade for at least 1 hour or best to leave it overnight in the fridge for better taste. 10 minutes before roasting , chopped some fresh oregano and sprinkle all over the drumsticks.

Preheat oven at 250º C and roast the drumsticks for 25 minutes , take out and sprinkle more cajun & paprika on the drumsticks and continue to roast for another 30 minutes till cooked. Remember to keep turning the drumsticks for even browning of the crispy skin.

* * for some sinful indulgence… I brushed some garlic butter on the drumsticks 10 minutes before taking them out of the oven…mmmmm sinful arteries clogging agent !

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Mango Puffs

I spent the whole of last Saturday besides doing the marketing….......B *A * K * I * N *G away :P . I was so attracted to this Peach Puffs which I came across while looking for inspiration to bake something new :) I knew I can’t leave it alone…. for the itch urge was too great …so ended up having this for dessert with a cuppa of hot black coffee ! Of course I can’t eat all this alone, so evenly distributed among Piggy cuz and niece and nephew….and kept two for myself * wink,wink** coz waistline is getting broader and the skirt doesn't fit now :P

I have some mangoes in the fridge so I used fresh mangoes instead of peaches…it turned out okay but the shape is errr ..….taste wise it was good , smell delicious with the cinnamon and nutmeg powder . The brioche dough was a bit too soft and it was hard to handle and the end result was SOME very out of shape cinnamon delicious mango puffs….maybe the resting time in the fridge was not enough ( should be at least 24 hours rest time in the fridge ... I sat it there for only 4 hours) or I missed out some texts in my eagerness to get to the dough done. Everything was perfect except the dough was a bit soft , I was not able to roll into a thin sheet. So instead , I just take take a small ball of the dough and using the thumbs to push the dough upwards to line a tart case like making the Portugese egg tart. Filled with rich almond cream and topped with diced mango….mmmmm DELICIOUS though the puffs were a bit out of shape. Can never beat the original one :)) Mine may not attract you but go hop over to Little Blue Hen

I was attracted because she used the brioche dough in place of the normal puff pastry and it was a marvellous bake alright and she is such an innovative person.....

enough resting time, the dough would be firmer :))

I forgotten to make the dough pastry thinner so
by the time it proofed the second time it was a bit
thick, if thinner you get to taste more of the fillings :(

big and puffy .....errr...but cute though :p

you can serve them in ramekin if you like :)

delicious with a cuppa of hot black coffee...agree with me?

Click here for the recipe

Thanks to Little Blue Hen for such a creative puff :)))

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