easybakes

Kuih Cara Berlauk

2012-07-23T12:21:00.000+08:00

First day of work week in fasting month. Hopefully everything goes on smoothly & I can go home cun2 at 5.00 to prepare for iftar. Tonight is going to be a buzy night for me. I have planned for something and may Allah grant me the ease of doing as per what I had mapped out, insyaAllah & aminnn..

I made this kuih cara berlauk yesterday for iftar. Recipe is easy peasy although personally I think it could be better. Maybe without tasting the 'lauk' having made for the first time in Ramadhan, I may have misjudged a bit on the recipe part...my bad. Still good though, no fault of the recipe but I crave for one kuih cara berlauk that I tasted before..Now that one was really superb but then it was my mom who gave them to me who got it from her guru ngaji. Her guru ngaji in turned had ordered it from some lady. I don't think I can get hold of the recipe as it was pre ordered kuih. Fret not, I will try again making this kuih during my 'off days' so that I can get as taste of the 'lauk' & adjust it accordingly. Ok guys...have a good week ahead!

Ingredients:

For the batter
2 cups multipurpose flour
2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk ( I used half packet of coconut powder)
1 egg
1 tespn salt
A little tumeric powder to colour the batter yellow
*Mix all ingredients and filter.

For the filling
1 cup minced meat
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspn black pepper
1 tespn curry powder
1/2 teapn tumeric powder
1/2 tblspn oyster sauce
1 tblspn chillie sauce
Salt and sugar to taste
* Stir fry as usual.

Method :

1. For the batter, mix well and filter into a jug with long nozzle for easy pouring.

2. Grease the mould with cooking oil using screwpine leave or pastry brush.

3. Pour in the batter 3/4 full into the mould not to let overflows. Put on the lid (I recommend casserole lid coz you can see thru) and wait until the batter half-cooked.

4. Put in the fried minced meat. Garnish with chillie or spring onion/celery.

5. Put on the lid and leave to cook.

6. Take them out using toothpick or fork. Serve warm.

Source: RinnChan

Onde2 Pumpkin or labu for 1st Iftar

2012-07-22T13:56:00.000+08:00

As salam everyone

Alhamdulillah, we managed to fulfill the 1st day of fasting yesterday without any glitch whatsoever. I guessed the few days of fasting during Rejab & Sya'ban helps, syukran. Had the breaking of fast at my mom's place as my sis & the gang had decided to have their iftar there too, being the first day & all. Penuh sarat dining hall rumah my mom yg dah sedia comel itew. The younger kids also fasted a whole day & I hope it will continue throughout the month, especially Tintin..Don't ponteng2 arr baby girl.. U sudah besar, seharusnya puasa full this year :)

Made some onde2 labu after seeing it at Maz's place. Berasap2 kuih coz I took the pic immediately after onde2 itew dimekap with the kelapa parut :) Onde2 memang laku especially during Ramadhan. But I think I prefer the original green onde2 as to me pumpkin aka labu memang more 'kena' if dibuat APAM..heheh, betul tak babe?...dah peminat tegar Apam Pumpkin kan apa nak buat...just adore the taste so when I buy another pumpkin I am so gonna make Apam pumpkin! But for a change, boleh jugak lah try to make onde2 labu if you want, sesajer bagi variasi to tekak ;)

Onde2 Pumpkin @ Labu
Source: Maz (thanks Maz)

300g labu/pumpkin
tepung pulut secukupnya
gula melaka secukupnya - dipotong kecil
kelapa parut secukupnya - gaul dengan garam secukup rasa
3 helai daun pandan - dicarik dan simpulkan

Cara

1. Kupas kulit labu dan rebus dengan sedikit garam sehingga lembut, kemudian keluarkan air rebusan dan lecek lumat. Sejukkan dulu.

2. Bila labu dah sejuk, dalam periuk didihkan air bersama daun pandan.

3. Dalam bekas yang sesuai satukan labu dan tepung pulut (tepung ni masukkan sikit-sikit) dan uli hingga jadi doh yang lembut dan tidak melekat ditangan.

4. Amik doh dan leperkan kemudian letak 1 potong nisen/gula melaka dan tutup kemas. Masukkan dalam air yang telah mendidih dan tunggu hingga bebola tadi timbul. Kemudian boleh la diangkat dan masukkan dalam kelapa tadi. Golek-golek agar kelapa bersalut seluruhnya. Buat sampai habis. Siap...

See!!! berasap2 cik onde2 labu kita!

Some of the juadah at mom's place. The rest had their usual staple of rice with ayam masak merah while we had fried kuay teow yg abosultely yummilicious.

Okay peeps, that's all...Now gotta think what to cook for iftar today as we anak beranak berbuka puasa di rumah aja...Taa...

Nutella bread, from basic sweet dough

2012-07-18T11:59:00.000+08:00

Happy midweek peeps..

Just a few days left before Ramadhan is here. I am soooo looking forward to it, as I am sure most of us will too. Mudah2an diberi kesihatan to fill this coming holy month with amal ibadah sebanyak yang termampu. I don't think I will be posting anymore this week, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslim readers & friends Selamat meyanmbut Ramadhan yg bakal menjelang..maaf jika ada keterlanjuran bahasa yg tidak disengajakan. Semoga kita semua diberkati Allah, dipanjangkan usia untuk bertemu Ramadhan kali ini dan juga diberi kesihatan..aminn..

This basic sweet dough recipe memang an all time fav at this house. Ianya lembut, gebu & sedap. Just add whatever filling you desire. Usually I will bake this when the kids come over for their tuition. I wonder how they will be this fasting month when there are no food served. Ada energy kah dia orag ni nak belajar..or will there always be absentees??hmmm..I'll wait & see.. Ok peeps..gotta go now..Ta...

Doh Asas Roti Manis
Sumber resepi: rosmarlina @ jintanmanis.com

Bahan-bahanya
300gram tepung roti
50gram tepung gandum
2 sudu besar susu tepung@skim milk
3 1/2 sudu besar gula + 1/2 sudu kecil garam
1 biji telur ( tinggalkan sedikit untuk gliss pada roti nanti)
2 sudu besar butter@marjerin
180ml susu suam@air suam
2 sudu kecil yis
1 sudu kecil bread improver@ boleh ganti dengan 2 sudu besar water roux

* untuk gliss*
baki telur+2 sudu besar susu segar@air +beberapa titik madu ( I added sprinkles of damarera sugar)

*untuk filling*
nutella ~ kids love it!

Cara-caranya ( Doh Roti)

1. Buat doh roti, Kaedah 1, penggunaan Bread Maker (BM), masukkan semua bahan Doh dan ikut arahan menguli pada BM masing-masing dan tekan Start, tunggu sampai siap di uli dan boleh terus ke langkah no. 4 di bawah.

2. Kaedah 2, Jika uli tangan, masukkan semua bahan doh di dalam bekas adunan dan uli hingga tidak melekat pada tangan, Tips untuk dapat doh yang lembut, ambil plastic bersih dah letakkkan doh di dalam plastic tu, ramas-ramas beberapa minit, lebih kurang 8 hingga 10 minit, keluarkan dan uli semula dalam bekas adunan, anda akan dapat doh yang lembut dan elastik.

3. Kemudian perap doh dan tutup bekas adunan dengan plastic wrap atau kain bersih dan biar doh naik dua kali ganda. Selepas itu tumbuk-tumbukkan doh bagi mengeluarkan angin.

4. Bagi doh seberat 100g jadi 9 bahagian, bulat2 kan, leperkan & letak filling nutella. Kemudian bulat2kan semula. Susuan dalam loyang bulat yg telah digrease. Biarkan naik dua kali ganda dan gliss permukaan bun, bakar pada suhu 180 darjah selama 18-20 minit atau sehingga permukaan bun perang.

5. Sejukkan atas redai, dan simpan di atas bekas bertutup bagi mengekalkan kelembutan nya.

Tips tambahan- sebelum roti dibentuk, bulat-bulatkan kecil kemudian rehatkan doh seketika selama 7 atau 8 minit dan tutup doh dengan kain bersih, masa ni penting bagi mendapatkan bentuk bun yang elok teksturnya , dan juga bagi memastikan permukaan doh licin dan cantik apabila siap dibakar nanti.

- Ros suka campurkan sedikit tepung gandum dalam adunan roti ros kerana ros sukakan rasa padat dalam roti yang dihasilkan, tidak terlalu lampung atau ringan, dan juga kenyang apabila di makan.

get ready & tarikkkk...

Strawberry Cheese Tarts

2012-07-16T20:16:00.000+08:00

Strawberry Cheese Tarts made some moons back :) I wanted to clear my folder of unpublished entries, so this is one of them. Thickness of the tarts left much to be desired but then, buat makan sendiri, ok lah if not as perfect. Recipe again taken from friend...thanks ya friend..hehe...

I am happy to report (even though no one is asking) that my fridge is functioning well. There's no more leak inside it to date. Hopefully berterusan hendaknya, aminnn.. Everytime I bukak my fridge now, the inside is gleaming like a brand new fridge..hahaha...ni lah akibat dah defrost, wiped clean & pat dry selama 4 hours :). The freezer sangatlah terang dan bersih & all tupps berlabel! Moi like it very much. How long the fridge can tahan like this, Moi not sure, coz sometimes it's not only the boys yg menyelerakkan the fridge with sumbatan segala mak nenek..tapi moi jugak adalah salah satu culprit. Dude? Ohhh...dude tak bersalah coz everytime nak letak stuff, pasti dia tanya, "Ok if I put it near such & such?" Sgt terpuji..Yg lain...yg lain main sumbat aja sometimes, double deck, triple deck pon ada...no wonder the fridge menagis dalaman coz tak tahan dgn we all..maafkan saya..

I am so looking forward to Ramadhan yg bakal menjelang. I sincerely hope that I'll be able to do the things that I've promised myself to do..insyaAllah, amin..

Ingredients
1 egg
125g butter
6og icing sugar
250g flour
1/2 vanilla essence
1-2 tbsp water

Method
Preheat oven 160C
Mix all ingredients and divide dough into small balls (size shud be as big as ur thumb)
Press dough into a tart mold.. prick dough with fork and bake it for 15mins

Cream Cheese
Ingredients
250g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
60g butter
60g Icing sugar
1 egg

I used strawberry filling

Method
Beat all ingredients until smooth & flat
Pipe in a little bit of blueberry fillings and then pipe in cream cheese.
Do whatever pattern u like on ur cream cheese filling and continue to bake for about 5 minutes.

BAHAN PASTRY
1 biji telur
100g butter
75g icing sugar
200g tepung gandum

CARANYA
Semua bahan disatukan dan diuli sehingga menjadi doh
Bulat2 kan doh sebesar ibu jari dan tekan dlm acuan tat & cucuk2 kan sikit dgn garpu.
Bakar selama 15minit - 160°C

KRIM CHEESE
250g keju Philadelpia/Tatura (atau apa2 brand yg halal)
60g icing sugar
1 biji telur

CARANYA
Pukul semua bahan sehingga halus & rata
pipekan dulu sedikit blueberry filling kemudian tutupkan pula dgn krim cheese
lepas tu barulah dilorek mengikut corak disukai
(sedikit krim cheese + sdikit bluberry kaler - dan dilorekkan ke atas prmukaan tat)
kemudian di bakar sekejap

Source: Babe & Am Flora

Bluder Cheese & the fridge

2012-07-14T13:22:00.000+08:00

I was up early this morning with one mission in mind. Nothing to do with baking but I wanted to thaw my fridge inside out. There seems to be water leaking inside the fridge although the freezer seemed to be working fine & the fridge is cooling as per normal. It's only water dripping somewhere from the freezer which leaked into my fridge. Called up dude and he said to unplug the fridge for abt 4 hours after I cleaned all traces of ice & water. He;ll take a look when he's back and see if the mcgyver in him can fix the problem, if not....can I request a new fridge dude before the fasting month arrives? Satu minggu jer lagi nih! Hopefully the fridge will miraculously baik & tak sempot...please...

On a separate note, I made these wonderful bluder cheese bread, recipe taken from who else, but Ms Rima..hehehe...From the look of it, tak payah beli recipe book gamaknya..don't know bila nak khatam as I tend to take my pick from her recipe that she has tried & tested...ngeeeeeee :).. Ok, I wanna peep at the fridge again & see the condition...hopefully things are fine and I don't have to fork out some moolah for the repairman or worse still a brand new fridge...err...pat new fridge tu not the worse lah deep down my heart, to be honest..hehehe....coz suddenly macam nak terlompat kinjang sket if dapat hadiah fridge baru..tersuka sket especially if no need to fork out my own dough :)...cakap jer..ya dude!

Ingredients
(A)
500g high protein flour - bread flour (I used 250g flour, 250g bread flour)
100g sugar
11g instant yeast
1/2 tsp bread improver
4 egg yolks
200 ml ice water

(B)
100g butter / margarine
5g salt

(C)
100 gr grated cheddar cheese
100 gr butter

Method
- Stir ingredients A, knead until lumpy
- Add in B, continue to knead until smooth elastic. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Pounch down dough, divide dough into 25 balls, each weigh 40 grams. Let it rest for a further 10 minutes.
- Mix ingredients C.
- Take one ball, add in C and roll it into round or longish shape, do the same to the rest of the dough.
- Let it stand 30 to 60 minutes, depending on ur surrounding, brush top with egg yolk, bake dough 180C for 20min

Source: Babe & NCC

(p/s - to somebodi, pls muntah ijo lagi! muahahahahaha)

Strawberry Oreo Chiffon Cake

2012-07-13T13:25:00.000+08:00

Salam all

It's Friday already..how time flies..I wanted to post something earlier but then tak kesampaian. There's lots of other things to be done & blogging which I love, had to take a back seat. maybe for the time being & the foreseeable future..entah... Wanted to close down this space ada ker satu orang tu mendayu2 bilang..alaaaa....don't la..i like to read back what you rambled abt the kiddos la.....hahaha...ada ker itu reason dia..Maybe I can saiko that somebodi to learn how to bake or cook pulak so I can post the pics of his bakes instead but then he only reti masak that potato with that scrambled egg dish aja..hmmm...

This strawberry oreo chiffon cake I baked some time back. Loved the texture & tatse. Baked twice already. The last time was that blueberry one..but didn;t get a chance to post the pics. This cake I like very much..not the terbegik kind. Moist and delicioso! But then in the end makan sekeping jer...and don't know when boleh makan lagi cake..asyik kena hamput with DrQ everytime I see her. She told me to quit baking & look for another hobby like excercising!! Cis!!! ni DrQ...perli ka???

Have a great weekend folks...

Ingredients
6 egg yolks
100g strawberry yogurt
150g flour - i used cake flour
4g baking powder
100g caster sugar
3g salt
100g vegetable oil - i used canola oil

6 egg whites
1g cream of tar tar
100g sugar
50g of strawberry oreo - cut into tiny bits
enough strawberry paste or purplered/pink colour

Method
- Preheat oven 150C
- Whisk egg yolks with sugar till pale in colour.. add in yogurt and also oil.. add in ur sifted flour, baking powder and also salt.. lastly add in purple colour (i used wilton gel) - set aside
- In another bowl.. whisk egg white with cream of tar tar till foamy.. slowly add in sugar a little at a time and whisk till soft peak.
- Scoop 1/3 egg white meringue and add to egg yolk mixture.. fold in gently. once combined.. pour ur egg yolk mixture into meringue and continue to fold in gently and lightly.. once mixed pour half of ur mixture into a 22cm tube pan.. sprinkle half of ur oreo blueberry.. pour the rest of ur mixture and lastly throw in the rest of ur oreo strawberry..
Bake it for 50mins.. once baked.. turn ur chiffon pan and once its cool.. take it out of ur pan

Source: Bisousatoi

Tortoise bread saga

2012-07-02T12:28:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Anie. Tortoise buns aku dah buat. Sekadar melepas kan stress belaka. Ni recipe..

Ingredients (Dough) : Makes 6 Tortoise Buns
250 gm high protein flour
50 gm caster sugar
1/2 tsp fine salt
10 gm milk powder
1/4 tsp bread improver
1/4 tsp teh bread softerner
30 gm egg (lightly beaten & weighed)
6 gm instant yeast
20 gm butter
125 ml water

Chocolate Filling :
I used Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets or you can use any Dark Chocolate Chips or any Chocolate filling of your choice.

Method :
Mix yeast with warm water and set aside until it bubbles.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the rest of the ingredients except butter.
Mix till a dough is formed and knead in the butter until you get a smooth dough.
Proof dough for 50 mins or until doubled in size.
I used my Breadmaker.

To shape the tortoises :
Punch dough down
Divide into 6x60g for the body, 6x12g for the head and make 4 little balls each for the legs and 1 tail.
Shape each portion into a round ball.
Make an indent in each ball for the body part and place 1 tablespoon chocolate chips (or more or less to taste).
Cover the chocolate with the dough and roll to seal all seams and attach all the legs and tails.
Score the back of the tortoises with a knife.
I melted some choc chips and used a toothpick to draw the eyes and smileys.
Place tortoises on baking sheet coated lightly with cooking spray. Cover with a cling wrap and let it rise for another 45 minutes.
Once proofed, brush the top with the remaining egg + 1tblsp milk and bake in a preheated 190 deg C oven for 25 mins.

Brush with butter once the buns are out of the oven.

Ishhh...how come i end up smelling yr armpit nih??!!??

Mana plak mata lagi sebelah??Yat Maria...oh Yat Maria..how ocme i jin mata bute arr??

Cepat arr cik kak oii..lembab betul arr cam tortoise..vontot ko plak aku nak tercium..jgn melepas dah..ko tgk yg lain pon memvontot aku gak

Aiii...masih lagi smell the armpit??hmmm..tak taw la apa nak cakap

Adehhh!! cam nak terkucil aku panjat platform nih..ehhhhhhhhhhh...mata aku...

Sikitttt lagi tergolek bijik mata aku nih..Yat apsal ko suruh aku naik platform ni Yat?

Errr..tak jadik naik...phewww!! baik aku lepak gak..nak pi cari gam tampal mata aku yg nak tergolek kluar ni..

Siannn ko! tak dapat carik gam..mata dah tercabut pong!! ..ishish..ganas arr ko! jap aku ajak member lain bincang camna nak plastik surgery ko

bincangbincangbincangbincangbincangbincang......eh..kita 2 orang jer yg meeting? yg dua ekor tu tak habis lagi cium tiak??weii...keisankan lah member kita weii..cam dah pasrah mata dia bergolek tu

Apa la nasib asyik kena cium tiak! eh..ko feeling eh? mana pegi bijik ata ko lagi satu?

ni jangan tanya arr! constipation sket!

Source: CMG

Beef floss buns

2012-06-28T12:55:00.000+08:00

Made these beef floss buns erm...erm...when eh? Tak hingat! berperam too long in the folder since blog hibernation mode was on the other time.I was looking at the beef floss when suddenly I was reminded of my gosok periuk. I think it;s about time the gosok periuk ditukar as it's a bit berserabai at the moment and it has no longer retained it's 'bun' shape. a bit like this beef floss aja aku tengok. talking about gosok periuk, apa omputeh panggil gosok periok eh? pot scrubber ka? apa eh? eh..asal plak cakap pasal gosok periok nih! ishhh!

Anyway, nak cakap pasal beef floss buns ni pun tak berapa ingat dah rasa dia...tapi ku rasa bleh tahan sedap gak lah..this house apa jer jenis roti dia orang sapu except roti yg diselet belen2 durian pastry cream itew...hehehe..tu ai sorang jer yg balun..lain tgk jer sambil geleng2 kepala tunjuk disapproval..yek eleh...tak suka bau dia kunun..puihhhhh...tahu la dikau, tu bau durian amatlah feeling nya taw..steam kodok orang kata..sket lagi bule 'high' muahahah..

Laters peeps..gotta do sumthing first....tata..

Ingredients

Basic sweet bun dough
300g high protein flour
75g low protein flour
½ tsp salt
60g castor sugar
1 tbsp milk powder
10g instant dried yeast
1 egg
180g water
30g butter

Glaze
1 egg, beaten

Topping
Some mayonnaise
100g ready-made chicken floss

Method

Sift both flours into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Add salt, sugar and milk powder, then beat for 10-20 seconds.
Stir in yeast and egg, then pour in water gradually. Mix into a dough. Add butter and knead into
a smooth and pliable dough.
Remove dough to a lightly greased bowl.
Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to proof for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size.
Remove dough to a lightly floured table top. Scale the dough to portions of about 75g each
and shape each piece into an oval. Put the shaped dough on greased trays, spacing them well apart.
Leave to rest for 25-30 minutes to allow the dough to rise again.
Brush the buns with glaze and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 15 minutes.
Cool the buns on a wire rack. Use a serrated bread knife and cut the buns open. Spread with a little mayonnaise. Replace the tops and brush a thin layer of mayonnaise on the top. Sprinkle beef floss.

Source: Amy Beh

Durian Puff...to die for!

2012-06-25T14:08:00.000+08:00

As salam everyone

It's been quite a while since I last post an entry.So many things happening that at times I felt a little overwhelmed. That is why I've been quiet of late. With dude being away so often lately, some things just have to take a back seat while I manoeuvre & navigate the more pressing needs. And things in my office aren't helping either. So often now I am not in the SG office having to be in our upnorth or the 'next door' office and that requires travelling. If things ran late, I am stuck there! With dude away, I do not fancy leaving the boys on their own too much without any parent supervision or presence even though they are big enough to be independent. Ok lah, I don't want to dwell so much on this as someone may be skodenging here, you know.

Thanks to all the comments, fb pms & emails asking for my well being. I am grateful for all your kind thoughts, really..muchas gracias, terima lah kasih bebanyak, Babe, LG, CS, Mokwo, Queenie, Rita, Ina, K Nur, QZ, RN & all yg tak tersebut disini & also those yang mungkin ada gak tanya dalam hati...muehhehehehe).....lap u guys many2 lemons. I hope with the more 'relaxing timetable' I was promised at work, I'll be able to continue doing what I love here..posting my baking entries & my merepek-merabaning.

You know, sudahlah lama aku pendam hasrat nak makan durian. Apatah lagi asal nak beli durian aja, sure ada mata yang memandang serong dan sinis setiap kali aku lalu tepi kedai durian sebelah supermarket tu. Mesti nak tanya 20 questions apa yang aku bawak dalam plastic bag supermarket tu. Ada tak packet2 durian yang telah disenbunyikan dengan sengaja atau tak dalam berbondel2 plastic bag tu. Ko taw lah, durian kalo dah masuk dalam kete musti baunya harum semerbak kan? So since member ketiadaan, apa lagi, beta belilah durian dengan aman damainya without secubit rasa guilty :) Ku bawak dalam kete pong with the aircon on full blast, ku tersenyum gumbira menghidu aroma durian sepuas2nya. Pun dalam pada itu, ku tahan ayaq lioq yg terasa cam nak terjejes sebab belom dapat testing si durian dalam packet tu.

And you know what (lagi)..this duriam pastry cream recipe from Rima's blog yg aku buat with the durians, memanglah to die for! Seriously!! First time testing the durian puff after amik gambar, aku rasa aku terpengsan jap oleh keenakan si puff ini. Second time aku baham tu durian puff after having them chilled in the fridge tu, nikmat terasa cam nak pengsan datang lagi, tapi ku tahan jebat! Dalam pening lalat menikmati kesedapan the durian cream tu, tak sedar aku dah terbaham 5 ketul in 1 sitting. The puff comel2..sekali ngap, dah masuk mulut. When you bite, the cream oozes out with the bit of choc ganache on top..aduhhhh..the feeling tak leh describe..hehe...melampaukan. But arr, this durian cream especially with the whipped cream added amatlah sedapppp. No need to jaga my waistline la babe, yg sememangnya tak der waist nih..hahahah...I ratah gitu aja the balance durian cream yang balance. Duduk depan laptop tengok syarahan agama sambil makan durian cream yang masih dalam mixer bowl..boleh gitu..ahakss..

Anyway, thanks babe for sharing this absolutely fantastic recipe. Masih terbayang2 lagi kesedapan the puff ni. Akan ku buat lagi sebelum bulan posa agar tak angau this puff nanti. Here's the recipe if you guys wanna try..

Ingredients
125 g water
125 g milk
100 g butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
150g flour
5 eggs

Method
1. Sift flour on paper.
2.Place water, milk, butter and salt in a pot and heat until butter melts and the mixture starts to boil.
3. Remove from heat and pour in all the flour while continu beating.
4. Put back on the stove and mix until the dough forms a ball and leaves the side of the pot.
5. Remove the pot and pour the dough into a mixing bowl. Using a beater start beating the dough for 2 minutes.
6. Add eggs one at a time making sure thoroughly mixed. Dough should be soft and shiny.
7. Place into piping bag and pipe into shpaes.
8. Bake in a preheated oven 180C until it's golden brown.

Durian pastry cream

Ingredients
125g durian flesh (I used 220g)
300ml milk
110g sugar
40g corn flour
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping cream- whip until soft peaks form (Omit if ur looking after ur waistline lol)

Method
1. Blend durian flesh and milk
2. Add in sugar and salt - place it in a pan
3. Heat the milk/durian until it starts to boil. Add in corn flour and continue to stir.
4. Add in egg yolk and continue to stir using a whisk until small bubble appear. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove and pour into another container and cover with cling film. Cool down and chill for 2 hours.
6. Once cold fold in the whipping cream. Place in fridge until ready to use.

Close up lagi...sedap arr!!!!

Source: Babe & KG (for the le pate chouz)

Mee Bandung Easybakes

2012-05-18T08:26:00.000+08:00

I have not been baking lately with all the stuff going on around me. Just managed to snap this pic. Last night's dinner for the gyus. I plan to try out some chiffon cake this Saturday. It's gonna be another long day as I have to bring that makcik kementot's sister out for her birthday outing. She doesn't want any presents...and no party for her this year.

When I asked her why, she said she's lazy to clean up the house after the party..Cehhh!! bule gitu? Anyways, she just want to spent time with us and if we could kindly buy her movie tickets, it'd be greatly appreciated she said. Eh??/ kata tak nak prezen kan...Ok lah girl, happy birthday to you anyway..may you succeed in life and that you are blessed by Allah always.

Okay peeps, have a good weekend ahead and have a lovely time with your family. I am soooo looking forward to play with my oven again..it's been quite a longggg time..Sigh!

Takyah resepi la ya..dah selalu nah masak this easy peasy dish! See ya!

My thoughts & prayers with you, my friend

2012-05-16T06:52:00.000+08:00

She sat there looking at me, with pain in her eyes, the tears falling softly. The grief so huge & immense that I felt so helpless, wanting to sooth her pain but knowing nothing I could say that could erase the hurt & loss she must have felt, even for a second. I reached out to her..and there we were, hugging tight with tears in our eyes, oblivious to the surrounding stares of curiousity.

I met her again by chance after more than 17 years of us parting ways. She used to be one of my best mates back in my teenage years.I remember her easy going nature & her infectious laughter, always laughing at every silly jokes that I cracked, sometimes with tears running down her cheeks, clutching her aching sides, having laughed so hard. She would always end her laughing hysteria with "Yat..Gosh..you are so hilarious!"..always..everytime.But sadly that wasn't the phrase that greeted me now.

We parted ways when she got married & moved overseas following her hubby.I lost all contact.Heard from another close friend some years back that she's living happily with her other half even though they were not blessed with any kids. Still they were happy, having accepted fate that they were just meant to be together without any offsprings of their own. That was the only news I had, thereafter, no one knows as she had moved to yet another town.

And here I was, listening to her heart as she told me of her loss. 2 years had past but the pain that she felt is still raw & strong. They say time heals all wounds.Does it really?

It was just like any other day. As always, she sent him off at the door & kissed his hand and asked what he'd like to have for dinner. Then out of the blue, nasi minyak orang kahwin, he said with laughter. Why? she asked..curiousity getting the better of her. As a rule, her other half always have sandwiches or pasta, not rice for dinner. Too heavy for his stomach he said. But that day he requested for nasi minyak orang kahwin as he said he suddenly has a longing for it. She could still picture the scene, as clear as day in her mind. She teased him back asking if he wanted to marry another one as suddenly he craved for nasi minyak orang kahwin and he said to her with such love in his eyes & lifting her chin saying..how in the world could he even think of having another woman when Allah has bestowed him the greatest woman of all, his beautiful wife.

She didn't think much of this. She went on her daily routine. She cooked his requested meal. She didn't feel the day any different than any other day except it turned out to be the most different day of all. She lost her other half that same very day. He was involved in an auto accident when some mindless person decided to overtake another vehicle and cut into his path, head on. That other driver lived with some minor injuries but not him. He didn't have a chance to have the last meal he requested...My friend is now a widow.

She went through life on auto pilot the days after his passing and not a single day gone by without her shedding a tear. She slept clutching his last worn shirt every single night, only to be awaken every so often. Her only solace was that her other half's last touch & words to her was of endearment.She still have dreams of him even now, although not as frequent as before. And she always wakes up feeling the lost. How could she not? He was all that she had. There were no offsprings to continue his legacy and for her to be comforted & surrounded in times of loss. When you love someone so much, sharing their joy, laughter, sadness, fears & dreams and to have that taken from you in an instant. No goodbyes...no nothing...

I just cannot encapsulate her loss & pain.Although she has long accepted his departure as takdir, it still does not erase her wounds. I can only pray for you my friend.That you stay strong & that the pain will lessen with time....And that when the time comes for us all to be with our Creator, that you shall be reunited with your life's love. Take care my friend..

Of plants, house rules & swimming sessions

2012-04-28T07:30:00.000+08:00

Salam all..happy weekend :)

I am off & away...before that I'd like to remind you...yes you Dudan..don't forget to water my plants, aite.

I've post some of the plants pics here so that you can be reminded of your chore..alaaa..bukan banyak mana pun..some only, depan rumah jer...hehe

Besides that, these pics serve as documentary proof & bukti sahih that these plants exist prior to my departure. Still segar bugar..especially the pandan plants!

This is my curry plant (exhibit A). 1 batang, cabang dahan ada 14..Daun2 tak tekira banyak dia..never mind...pelan2 nanti aku kira...so if I come back, kaler daun tukar brownish or layu semacam jer..siap!!!!

This is my pandan plant (exhibit B). Since ada 2 pokok pandan rimbun gak, to differentiate, aku namakan pokok pandan ni Pandanus Amaryllifolius or screwpine, nama manja dia. Pon rimbun gak..Batang 2, helaian pandan dia aku dah kira....ada 74. If I come back tinggal 73...siap!!!

This is another of my pandan plant (exhibit C). This one nama dia POndanus Amaryllifolius or screwdriver, nama manja dia. Sama rimbun gak..Batang 3, helaian pandan dia aku dah kira....ada 86. If I come back tinggal 85...siap!!!

This one pulak of my mint plant (exhibit D). Greek legend has it that the mint herb was formed when Persephone discovered that Pluto was in love with a nymph named Minthe. She was so jealous that she turned Minthe into a lowly plant. Pluto was unable to undo the spell, however he did soften it so that the more Minthe was tread upon, the sweeter she smelled. And so the mint plant was born...or so legend states.Betul ke tak lom pasti lagi. Nanti aku tanya Cik Som..or Queenie..muahahha...

Ni close up daun dia..just in case pokok ni kondem coz you-know-who tak siram, at least ada this pic to mengubat lara ku..But before that, if anything happen jugak...siap!!!

This one I don't know the name..but not for makan (exhibit E)..Paling senang nak hidup..Kejap jer dia rimbun sampai berurai2 daun2 dia..many times dah kena trim by Chef cum hairdresser. Ada 5 flowers & 3 baru nak tunas..kalo balik tinggal 4 & 2..siap!!!

Ni close-up sket pic of the bunga..just in case Dudan pikiak nak klentong aku that this is NOT a flowering plant..so before dia bedekkan aku, ni 1 lagi bukti sahih that it IS INDEED a flowering plant..No bedek2 me that this pokok never berbunga okay..

So Dudan, that's your chore..don't forget aite, wait I buy for you singgam. Having said all that, please note that house rules STILL APPLY! regardless ketiadaan the bosses at home. Curfew still ON okay..and no partayyyy tupperware at home arr...if not...siap!!!

Ta ta...nak praktis kuak rentang, kuak rama2..paling tak silent movie..hiakhiakhiak!!! Bye..Doakan I selamat sumernya..ya aminn!

Simple Cranberry Pound Cake

2012-04-27T21:54:00.000+08:00

Pound cake counts as one of my favourite everyday cake. Besides that condense milk pound cake, I also love pound cake with bits of dried fruit & nut thrown in. Originally, the cried cranberries that I used for this cake is meant for that kek lapis, but then nowadays, ada sibuk sket during weekends with the kid's study session that the cranberry kek lapis hanya tinggal mimpi aja.

This cranberry pound cake is fast & easy to make, that's what I like in a cake.Next time I shall try using other type of fruit & see how it goes. On a separate note, it's quite funny watching the reaction of some people here in my office. The time is just round the corner for us to receive another much awaited 'letter' I was just commenting to this colleague that the time is coming soon eh..what with April month ending. She haughtily replied that we shouldn't expect something which we ain't sure we gonna get.She said that she is not like us who keep talking about the said letter :). It is better not to expect anything & if we do get it, then it will be a very pleasant surprise indeed!. Yek eleh!!! I thought dalam hati..cam real jer kan.

And then yesterday, we got our usual slip without any letter in sight. Oh well..I said, if ada rezeki adalah lah kan..kalo tak der, hentak2 kaki, tarik2 tudung, menangais cam mak dara dalam citer kassim selamat pun tak dapat punya. So......imagine my surprise, when this colleague yg cakap she tak mengharap dapat that letter & that she mencebik pasal we all tak habis2 talk about the letter came to me with muka merah padam menahan sebak ker marah ke & exclaimed to me..."Yat..Yat..eh...NO letter la????eh how come no letter arr? We are suppose to get what....this is April month! no letter...no letter..did YOU get THE LETTER??" dia tanya aku sambil tangan dia meramas2 slip yg dia dapat without the accompanying letter tu.

Muahahhahaha....mana lah aku tak terketawa tengok her reaction? khakahkah..kata tak expect the letter pong? sekarang ni her reaction lagi with muka merah padam & tangan meramas2 geram..hahahaha...Aku cam nak cakap jer.."eh..I thought you are not expecting anything? you perli us yg terkinja2 bertanya pasal surat?" hahaha..anyway, now I know lah..saper yg diam2 lepu in this office tapi menggelapu nak kan that letter sebenarnya!..Pegang rezeki la kawan..tu baru afdholl kan...

Ok..sebelum I kena debik with this colleague, go and try the cake if you have the time okay..This is one of the cake that I like, with the lembut texture & sedap taste..okay friends..have a great weekend ahead!

Ingredients

180 gm good quality butter

220 gm self raising flour or (all purpose flour added with 1 tspn bkg powder, sifted 3x)

100 ml fresh milk

140 gm sugar

2 large eggs

1 tspn vanilla essence

50 gm dried cranberries - coat with flour

almond slices for top

Method

Heat oven to 175C.

Line base of 8"x3.5"x3.5" loaf pan with parchment paper & grease with butter.

Beat butter & sugar till white, light & fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time & continue beating.

Add vanilla essense.

Reduce speed & add in flour, coated cranberries & milk, alternating the additions. Mix well.

Pour into prepared pan. Top batter with almond slices & bake at 175C for about 45-55mins. Test with skewer when done.

Cool onto a wire rack.

Source CMG

Mee Soto Ayam, No attitude really!

2012-04-26T20:55:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, when you cook dishes without any specific recipe, 'main campak-campak' like the Malay saying, the dish could turned out simply delicious! I am not 'fanning' myself but this mee soto ayam that I made is one of the days that my 'main campak-campak' dish turned out to more than up the mark according to the discerning taste of one makcik kementot.

And that begedil , fulamak!! terangkat vontot babe makan, coz it wasn't me who made them .. ahakss!! Those were courtesy of my MIL, she had kindly packed a tub full of semi fried begedil & freeze them so that we could have those begedils again in times like this.

Talking about begedil, I read online sometime back that there's this stall in one famous food centre, manned by a husband & wife team. The sold mee rebus & mee soto, including the famous bagedil. It was stated that & I quote "No amount of money can buy you a bagedil separately!" If you were to patronise this stall, besides not being allowed to buy just the bagedil on it's own and if you do buy their mee rebus or mee soto, you are only allowed to buy ONE (1) begedil only, you also have to tahan the attitude of the seller. Attitude problem ka makcik? hehe...People have been complaining but they still patronise the stall as the dishes sold there are very delicious or so they said.

To me, delicious or not, you have to be nice to your customers, after all, they are paying for your food. No doubt they are bound to be some customers from hell, demanding this & that...but if you can't fulfill their 'unreasonable' request, whatever they may be, just tell them so nicely. No need to snap at your customers or give them dirty exasperated looks.

One more attitude that I cannot tahan is when the seller just couldn't be bothered to acknowledge your presence when you stand in front of their stall waiting for them to lift up their head to acknowledge you so that you could place your order. I always feel 'serba salah' if they buat bodoh and continue doing whatever they were doing at the time. Should I just place my order? She was in the midst of preparing someone's order & it seems rude to me to just place my order. Macam main sondol aja kan.. At the very least, even if she didn't want to look at the customer as she's busy preparing the food, she could just nicely.." yes..what's your order?" at least you'll know that's your cue la kan...

But the most important of all, to me is cleanliness! I'm sure you've heard of horror stories on the state of some coffee shop or food centres kitchens. With the wet & messy kitchen floor, cockcroaches/rodents here here & there...urrrghhhh...don't get me started. That's why sometimes, I feel I'd be better off making the dishes for my loved ones from scratch. At least I know the food is prepared in a clean kitchen & with dashes of love thrown in as extras..free of charge! And you don't have to worry if there's any spit or sweat thrown in for good measure..muahahaha..

Cream Cheese Neopolitan

2012-04-24T15:58:00.000+08:00

This is gonna be a short & sweet post. After the breast cancer translation saga from my previous post, I decided to put in the translated version of this recipe taken from CMG.God knows what else that translation thingy gonna spew if I were to still have it..hehe..

So here's the recipe below if you are keen to try. Frankly , I couldn't quite recall the taste of this cream cheese neopolitan cake as I baked it some time ago.As usual, the kids yang gasak the cake. Originally, the recipe calls for a roll cake but as I'd forgotten to check on the cake after the oven had finished doing it's job....... the cake was left a tad too long on in the oven. So rather then risk a broken roll, I decided to just divide the cake into 2, slather cream cheese in between...and voila...a cream cheese layer it had become.

Source: CMG (Thanks!)
Published: Jelita mag 2012

Ingredients (Cake)
155 gram tepung optima ( I used Super Fine flour)
3 biji telur gred A (3 large eggs)
35 gram mentega, cair dan sejukkan (35gm butter, melted & cooled)
30 ml susu segar (30ml fresh milk)
1 camca teh esen vanilla (1 tspn vanilla essence)
1/4 camca teh pewarna makanan unggu violet (1/4 tspn violet food colouring)
1/2 camca teh pewarna makanan merah jambu (1/2 tspn orange food colouring)

Ingredients (Cream cheese)
180 gram cream cheese (180gm cream cheese)
50 gram mentega (50gm butter)
1/2 camca teh lemon jus (1/2 tspn juice of lemon)
Sedikit parutan kulit lemon (some lemon rind)
Gula aising secukup rasa, diayak (anggaran 1 - 2 camca besar) (approximately 1-2 Tblspn icing sugar, sifted)
I added some strawberry paste (Thanks Naz of (Cuteoven small kitchen) for the tip!)

Cara (Method)
Panaskan oven pada suhu 180C, alas tin berukkuran 11 inci x 11 inci x 1 inci dengan kertas minyak, biar lebih sedikit agar senang untuk mengalihkan kek nanti. Ketepikan. (Heat oven to 180C. Place overhanging baking paper in a 11" x 11' pan & grease well)

Masukkan tepung optima, telur dan air kedalam mangkuk adunan, putar perlahan hingga semua sebati, kemudian tinggikan kelajuan dan putar hingga kembang ( 7 - 8 minit). (Place flour, eggs & milk in your mixing bowl & mix at low speed until incorporated. Then increase speed & mix till light & fluffy for abt 7-8 minutes)

Tuang mentega cair dan gaul rata dengan spatula. Bagi adunan kepada 3 bahagian dan warna kan unggu, merah jambu dan satu lagi biar tanpa warna.(Pour melted butter & mix with spatula. Divide into 3 portion. Leave 1 plain & mix the other 2 portions with violet & orange food colouring each)

Sudukan berselang seli tapi agak berselerakkan pada dulang pembakar. Ratakan dan lorek sedikit dengan chostick. Bakar 20 - 25 minit. Keluarkan dan sejuk atas jaringa, Boleh sapu krim cheese tadi atasnya dan gulung kemas, simpan dalam peti sejuk 30 minit sebelum dipotong dan hidangkan.(Place spoonfuls of batter at random, level & marble it. Bake for 20-25 mins. When cake is baked, cool onto a wire rack. Place cream cheese on top of cake & roll, or divide cake into 2, place cream cheese in between. Slice & serve)

Cream cheese

Satukan semua bahan untuk krim cheese dalam mangkuk adunan, putar hingga sebati dan putar lagi hingga kembang dan keputihan, boleh digunakan untuk menggulung kek tadi. (Mix all the ingredients in a mixer & beat well till incorporated.)

Note:

I slice the cake into half & spread the strawberry flavoured cream cheese - made them into layer cake instead of roll cake :)

Lost in translation

2012-04-21T14:14:00.000+08:00

What the...?

No wonder I receive emails asking for translation..muahahah..I thought the google translate works..but with this, I guessed not la..ada kah patut? (translation "there should I?")

Prawn Noodle, if marajuk

2012-04-20T13:27:00.000+08:00

One quiet night, I made this delicioso prawn noodle all by myself in the kitchen. The bedroom doors were closed tight. I guessed nobody wanted dinner. Well...never mind. If you merajuk with me though it's no fault of mine, well...whatever la. When people merajuk, the house became very quiet. Except for the klentang-klentung of the kuali no other sounds could be heard.

If not, this house can be pretty noisy, what with everybody wanting to habaq their day's events all at the same time. I can be pretty loud too especially when I'm excited..hehe..but not that kind of excitement la, okay..jangan pikiran dok terbayang 2 bulans mari or yg merepek meraban, taw..what I mean is the 'clean' excited version ;)

Have you heard the expression, talking with the hands? Well..I am that kind of person, when amongst family members or close kaki, the more excited I become, the more exaggerated my hand movements will be..that's just me..unlike dude, who is a more calm & compose guy..cakap teratur, cool & maintain jer.. unlike the wifey..many times jugak la, the wifey dapat se-das dua teguran macam ni "ermmm..shhh..shh...relax..calm down woman! (sambil member ketawa sinis tgk bini dia makin eksited bercerita) Don't you think potong steam kalo tengah syiok bercerita, kena tegur cam tu..tak ker terbantut perasaan?)

Eh..actually I wanted to tell the story about somebody merajuk kan..accidentally tercerita pasal aku plak..Ok..as I was saying, somebody merajuk after having his opinion shot down not too gently (dah opinion tu not right, so harus kena shot down kan..) but then in hindsight, I shouldn't have shot it down with a M-16, patut I tepis2 manja dulukan..but then being me..too ekcited to voice my opinion plak, tak terfikir ada orang tu amik hati..(err..ingat orang jantan ni keras, tak der hati..muahhahaha..sekali tak..ahaksss, ada gak perasaan)

Anyway, since orang merajuk, I just served dude and myself a bowl of prawn noodle..Dude, always wanting the kids to have dinner together everytime we got the chance wanted to call them to the table, but I told him, no need la, somebody merajuk, so no need to call for dinner la..takper la biar la kuah prawn noodle tu sejuk gitu jer dalam periuk, it's okay la if they all don't wanna eat..aku cakap..(eh..bunyi macam aku plak yg merajuk ek..muahhahah). So to compromise & to please the wifey also by not shooting down her opinion, this was what dude did..

He made some exaggerated sounds with the fork beating against the bowl & exclaimed loud enuff for orang merajuk to dengar albeit the closed door. "GOSH!! This PRAWN NOODLE is soooooooooo SEDAP!" SEDAP!!!...emmmmm...SEDAP!!!..all the while making funny faces at me..hahahah..terketawa aku tgk muka dude, tebiat agaknya orang tua ni!

True enuff, secepat kilat bunyi pintu terbukak. Merebut to the kitchen to see betul ke ada their fav prawn noodle. Masa ni aku rilek jer, still maintain makan dengan sopan nya, wlpn nak ketawa jugak tgk orang merajuk tercari2 ada lagi tak prawn noodle or really cuma buat santapan untuk boss & assistant boss aja..
"err...er...any noodle for us mom?" budak merajuk tanya sambil senyum kamben gurun.." I thot U merajuk, don't want dinner, so kira nak makan la? aku tanya.."Of course la nak!" member bilang dengan tak malunya....."Cannot merajuk long with you whattttt...rugiiiiiii..hehehe"

"Love you, mom! I never merajuk with you kan, only abang, so can I get extra.." somebody bisik to me..Sure..aku cakap..extra sawi ok...sebelum member abis cakap..hahaha...dah udang ration sorang dua..yg dalam pic tu bedek jer..for photo shoot :) mana bule makan banyak udang..cholesterol kan..tul tak?

Moral of the story:

Orang merajuk akan rugi prawn noodle
Orang tak merajuk akan untung extra sawi

Sekian...

Apam Indon, another APAM

2012-04-18T21:56:00.000+08:00

Hello & salam :)

Another variety of apam called Apam Indon. Tastewise is a bit similar to the apam mekar. Texture is soft & gebu. What's that I hear in the background ek? ada someone snickering ek, that this household asyik nak meng-Apam aja..hahaha..saper tu ek?? Snickering2 pun, kalo aku hulur se-tub, ko nak tak, dear?nak kan.. ahaksss!

Anyway, saw this Apam Indo at Azlita's place & since then I saw quite a number of people have tried her version. I am no exception, except that instead of using chocolate for the bottom & top layer, I used pandan paste instead. Rasanya? rasanya tetap maintain babe!

Actually, lately ni ada jer sangkak whenever I want to start posting. Whilst typing, surely there will be someone nudging for my attention..and the funny thing is some of the things that they ask for, aku really dunno where they are..Dah bukan aku yang punya, howdehek would I know kan.. Bukan aku yang simpan pong barang korang..and I've already reminded you guys, i don't touch your stuff unless benda tu bersepah kat luar or unless aku cuci baju & you all degil takmo clear the pockets, so whatever coins & notes, chief laundrette jumpa dalam pocket, kira halal, chief laundrette yang punya..alah...bukan banyak mana pong! paling2 bule beli roti breakfast, you all jugak yg makan kan..heheh..so next time, clear the pockets before dumping the clothes in the washer aite?

Ok, that's it for today..till we meet again..when...I dunno la..hopefully sooner than later la..Kalo lama2 sangat, kadam terus la ni blog!Eh..before kadam tu..nak kena post dulu step by step buat apam dot2 filling tu..kalo tak pengsan kena kejar keliling dusun arr dengan cik 'kak' tu..muahhahaha!

APAM INDON
By: Blackmore Forum Cari
Rujukan : Azlita

5 iji telur
1 sudu kecil ovalette
1 sudu kecil esen vanilla
300 gm tepung gandum
300 gm gula halus
250 ml susu segar atau santan~ ita guna santan
1/2 sudu kecil baking powder
sedikit garam
pewarna
Panaskan kukusan.Untuk mengelakkan air menitik ke atas kek, balut penutup dgn sehelai kain.
Sediakan loyang ukuran 9 inc
Oleskan dengan minyak dan alas dasar loyang dengan baking paper

Ayakkan tepung bersama baking powder.
Campurkan garam ke dalam susu.
Putar telur dan ovalette pd kelajuan tinggi hingga kembang.
Masukkan gula sedikit demi sedikit. Kemudian masukkan esen vanilla.
Kurangkan kelajuan mixer. Masukkan tepung gandum sedikit demi sedikit berselang seli dgn susu.
Bahagikan adunan kpd 3 bahagian. Masukkan perwarna yg disukai.

Masukkan adunan adunan pertama ke dlm acuan. Kukus selama lebih kurang 10 minit atau smpai bhgn atas tu tak melekat.
Ulangi kaedah yang sama untuk lapisan yang ke2 dan ke 3
Adunan yang terakhir hendaklah dikukus selama 30 ~ 40 minit atau sehingga apam masak sempurna

Apam Polka Dot, The Story

2012-04-11T21:03:00.000+08:00

Made these apam polka dots for the kids' study session. I tell you those kids can really eat, especially if it involves apam with nutella filling. I only made a batch coz besides apam, I also made a pot of mee bandung & some fruit cocktail for them to eat as well..What do you know..I put 8 apam polka dot with nutella filling on a plate, for so called for starters while the kids were revising and I kid you not..under 5 minutes, all 8 apam were gone, shared between 2 girls. Only bits of the paper cups, all scrunched up were left on the plate!

So, being the kind hearted aunt, I put another 4 on the same plate..haizzz..how long you think those apams lasted? I asked them if they did have any breakfast at home that morning. I thought the answer is gonna be NO, since all the apam polka dot, licin in such a short time. But then they told me they already had breakfast before coming over. One had nasi lemak, the other had prata telur x 2! I guessed it's either the apam polka dot that I made is seriously sedap gilos, or these budak2 ada pelihara cacing kerawit dalam perut arr!

Actually kan, they reminded me of myself when I was a teenager, makanla banyak mana pun, tetap sekeping badan refuse to naik. Check kat doctor, takder plak cacing dalam perut, nak cakap makan tak baca bismillah, but then these kids siap dengan baca doa makan sambil usap2 muka penuh syahdu..tak taw plak sambil usap muka or lap air lioq..that I dunno!

Later in the night I received a text from one of the girl's mom, requesting that I make a tub full of these apam polka dot (or dotless) for her son, coz her daughter having been given some apam by me to bring home, 'generously' gave only 1 piece to her abang for celah gigi & she just refused to give any more coz she has declared that apam polka dot as her favourite. Kesian si abang cuma dapat 1, after much begging his sis still takmo bagi one more. So si abang gigit2 belen2 apam yg melekat kat paper cup tu..hahaha...

Teruk la this girl..even after her abang stated that he is going off to be enlisted in the army next week & may not get to have this apam, she still munch whatever apam she has left with gusto..merataplah si abang cakap adek pelokek tai* idong masin, nak lari pi cari batu belah batu bertangkup, still masih tak dapat..so si abang wlpn dah cukup umur nak masuk army, pi ngadu ngan si mummy, asking his mummy to text me to order 1 tub full of apam before his NS stint..so tu lah pasal, this coming sat, I will be making tubs full of apam, kesian plak kalo si abang lari cari batu & penyek kempunan tak dapat makan apam polka dot ni...haizzz kids!

Ingredients

3 cold eggs

275 gm all purpose flour

200gm castor sugar

150ml fresh milk

3 tspn baking powder

1 tspn ovallete

Filling of your choice ~ I used nutella

Colour of your choice

Method

Mix all ingredients (except food colouring) & filling in an electric mixer & mix well for 6-8 minutes.

Divide batter into portions with additions of food colourings of your choice

Put them in separate piping bag

Arrange papercups in cup holders & heat up steamer.

Pipe in batter into paper cups fill in with filling of your choice & cover it with batter.

You can either dot the top of the batter or marble them up ~ your choice

Steam in preheated steamer on low heat for about 10-15 mins until done.
If you steam them in medium or high heat, you'll get a 'blossomed' apam instead like some of mine in pics :)

Zebra Pudding

2012-04-09T16:23:00.000+08:00

Hi

Before I post further, this zebra pudding I made a week ago coz it's been quite some time that I've made any pudding for the household. Gave some to my mom & passed her some in a small container to pass on to my sis. So..what can I say about this zebra pudding..except that it's yummy indeed! Coz my sis called me up soon after she had a taste & asked for the recipe.Sorry sis, I couldn't post it earlier coz you know la the situation at the moment kan..? So..sedap right, this pudding? I append the recipe below which I got from Yasa Boga recipe book so that you can try & make some.Don't forget to use quality chocolate okay, it makes a difference & really sis.., this zebra pudding recipe is simple & nice to boot! Try to make some, aite? And when you returned my container tu...ahem! letak la apa2 yg patut..haha..

I've been on hiatus as some may notice..Sometimes, it's just tough to juggle being a WM, nowadays I'm stressed at the office with all the hullabaloo and sometimes it kinda get carried forward to the homefront. Try as I might to switch off the bad mood at the office like a light..but sometimes it kinda 'follow' you along until your home..sheeshh..hate it when that happens!

And to make matter worse, there's a slight issue with my health. Nothing so serious for the GP to sent me to a specialist yet, but still..the issue is there..Crappy things sometimes happen in twos or threes..guess I just have to 'deal' with it..or better yet..I think I need a HOLIDAY!! Yess!! that's what I think I need, don't you think? Sipping iced cola, relaxing somewhere having a spa or two....somewhere where there's no phone signal..away from everything..hmm...let me think where..

So next few weeks if I don't update, that means I am already somewhere sipping that iced cola or that I've decided to close down this space...not that it hasn't crossed my mind!

Till then..ta! Take care of yr health peeps!

Ingredients

7gm agar2 powder ( I used 9gm)
600ml milk
125g sugar
2 egg yolks, briefly whisked
2 egg whites
75gm dark cooking chocolate (melted) I used Valrhona choc

Method

In a medium pot. combine agar2 powder & milk. Stir until agar2 powder has dissolved. Stirring constantly, cook mixture over low heat & bring to boil. Add sugar & stir until dissolved.

Place whisked egg yolks in a bowl. Add a ladleful of agr2 mixture to egg yolks & whisk briefly until combined. Return to pot agar2 mixture & stir until combined. Return to boil while stirring all the time. remove from heat & set aside.

In a clean & drymixing bowl, whisk egg whites with an electric mixture at high speed until stiff peaks form & mixture is doubled in volume, Lower speed and ladle agar2 mixture into egg white mixture gradually & whisk until combined & warm.

Transfer about half portion of whisked mixture into a separate bowl. Add melted chocolate to this portion & mix well.

Ladle plain & chocolate agar2 mixture alternately right into centred of a prepared mould until mixture is used up. Allow mixture to spread out in mould on it's own without stirinh. Leave to cool, then chill to set.

Source: Yasa Boga Agar2 creative chilled dessert

No....this is not the pudding...this is the zebra cake :)

Almond Fudge Topped Shortbread, yummy!

2012-03-29T16:51:00.000+08:00

Hello all..

How have y'all been? I wanted to post this almond fudge topped shortbread which was inspired by my friend in N.Z on Tuesday or the latest yesterday but something just happenned, something beyond my control..Sigh! How I wish I could let it all out here but I think the timing is still not right yet.Anyway, let me talk about this yummy treat.

Anie made her mouth watering chocolate dipped shortbread recently & wanted to do the same but I thought I'd try something slightly different just to entice the boys. So I topped the shortbread with Valrhona choc ganache with generously scattered toasted almond slices. The outcome....not a single bars left..all eaten by the boys (young & old ;) ) as well as moi...hehe..really yummy, I loike!

You know something embarrassingly funny happen yesterday. I was blog hopping finding new recipes as well as simultaneously commenting my kawas2's blog for the yummy dishes. At the same time I was hooked up on my ipod listening to music whilst typing comments. I think kan, I accidentally opened up 2 comment box at a time and I got confused when typing the comments for the food.

Part ni aku tulis Melayu okay sebab sgtla malu kalo that person datang my blog & baca apa I tulis..hahaha..Aku ada pi blog pompuan omputeh yg terkenal jugak la..I tengok dia ada buat sesuatu (tak leh tulis apa, nanti dia tahu)..abeh tu ada sorang kawan tu buat sesuatu kuih menggunkan roti..so aku ada sedap tulis comment dalam bahasa melayu mengatakan waduhhh sodap arr ni kuih yg gunakan roti, blablabla..panjang gak aku merepek pasai roti..hahaha..bila aku dah post tu comment, aku tengok, apsal plak ada tulisan yg comment tu akan visibleafter blog owner's approval..eh??? aku bilang..eh apsal lak ek? selalu takda..so bila aku check balik kan...................

Halamakkkkk...comment box kawan Melayu aku lagi kosong tak bertulis..muahhahaha..aku pi tulis potpet2 ckp Melayu kat blog omputeh tu kahkahkahkah!! err..terus aku jadik malus..tak jadi nak teruskan comment kat blog kawan tu..and aku terus tutup computer..tak taw lah member omputeh tu paham ker tak apa aku merepek kat comment box dia....sebab kalo dia translate pakai google pong musti byk words tak der meaning sebab ko taw lah, bila merepek ckp melayu, byk words short form atau spelling lain2..aduhaiii kelakar seram arr..harap2 dia tak click link aku & tanya aku balik apa yg aku merepek..hahah..

So next time, no more bukak blog macam perakus nak tgk all the good food sekali harung..padan muka aku..haha..so bottomline kalo buat 3 keje dlm satu masa, it is so not advsisable..pada aku lah...korang tak...hahahah...ok..selamat hari khamis!

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour

210g dark chocolate (I used Valrhona)
150ml whip cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Sliced almonds, toasted*

Instructions
Heat oven to 180C. prepare 8" pan with parchment & grease lightly.
Beat butter, powdered sugar and salt in large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy.
Add flour; mix well. Press with spatula or back of a spoon evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

heat whip cream in a bowl over simmering hot water until just before boiling. Add cooking chocolate stir gently over low heat, stirring constantly until mmelted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla essence. Spread evenly over shortbread.
Garnish with almonds; press down firmly. Chill 3 hours or until firm. Cut into bars.

*To toast almonds: Place almonds in dry nonstick skillet; cook over medium heat, shaking pan until nuts are lightly browned. - I did it in a toaster for a few minutes only.

Seriously sedap this shortbread..thanks Anie for the inspiration. Original recipe adapted from eaglebrand.

Pandan Marble Bread

2012-03-26T16:53:00.000+08:00

Salam to all

Happy Monday peeps! So how was your weekend? Buzy? Buzy eating, shopping, baking or cleaning the kitchen? hehe..just like our dear friend in N.Z.Frankly it was a bit of all the above for moi. As usual on a Saturday, the kids would come for their study session, only this time round I asked them to come an hour earlier as we planned to go to Jacob Ballas in the late afternoon and I need to also buy some pots that were on sale.

Woke up pretty early & made some Pandan Marble buns which I saw @ CMG's. The bread turned out soft and the pandan taste was pretty nice too. As the kids prefer sugar on top of the buns, I sprinkled some damarera sugar instead of sesame seeds like the original recipe.

That was Saturday..my Sunday was spent baking some 'ehem' & also cleaning my kitchen. As Ive bought some pots, a small pan & a 'spiffy' electric kettle, I decided to clean the kitchen, especially the cabinet area where I wanted to put the newly bought stuff. Well...I was cleaning & scrubbing the stove, then I move on to the cabinet top, the sink, the fridge..and on..and on..I even went on to re-packed & re-shuffle the stuff in the pantry & threw away a bag full of expired stuff when God knows when..geeeezzz..I felt so guilty. But then I was quite in a happy mood too seeing my kitchen nice & sparkling clean with the dining table free of any stuff.

Someone was commenting that I should just do bit by bit as it was a working day the next day..but then kan..when you are on a roll, sudah jugak nak stop :) In the end, it was like 90% done by night time with another 10% left undone. This 10% is cleaning the wall tiles..I was quite knackered already by then & gave up cleaning the tiles. I shall 'threatened' or 'bribed' (depending on my mood for the boys to do it for me..but then kan, kitchen is my area, nanti dia orang hancai bocai clean & not up to par, I sendiri yg akan fedup..hmm..lets see la come this weekend..I hope o get it done by then.

Okay peeps, here;s wishing everyone happy working on a Monday..hopefully no crazy sh*t for me here in the office..Ta..

Resepi source: CMG

BAHAN-BAHANNYA
200 gram tepung roti (high protein flour)
50 gram tepung gandum
20 gram susu tepung
125 ml air
3o gram telur (pecahan 1 biji telur, pukul sedikit dan timbang)
60 gram gula halus
8 gram instant yeast
1 camca teh pandan paste
1/2 camca teh bread improver
1/2 camca teh bread softener
1/4 camca teh garam
40 gram mentega
Bijan untuk ditabur atas roti
2 camca besar tepung roti (jika perlu)

CARA MEMBUATNYA

UNTUK DOH :- Satukan semua bahan2 di atas kecuali mentega, paste pandan dan 2 camca besar tepung roti. Gaul rata hingga menjadi doh. Tambah mentega dan terus menguli sehingga mendapat doh yang lembut dan kenyal. Jika melekat, tabur sedikit tepung roti. Bulat2kan doh, letak dalam bekas besar dan tutup dengan plastik bersih, perap 1 jam. KAEDAH LAIN :- Satukan semua bahan untuk doh dalam Bread Maker, kecuali 2 camca besar tepung roti dan pandan paste, pilih setting untuk "doh" dan tekan "on". Tunggu hingga siap.

UNTUK ROTI :- Keluarkan doh tadi, tabur sedikit tepung atas meja kerja. Letak doh dan tumbuk untuk membuang udara. Kemudian bahagikan kepada 2 bahagian yang sama saiz. Amabil 1 bahagian dan letak pandan paste, uli hingga rata, jika melekat, tambah tepung sedikit dari 2 camca besar tepung roti tadi. Kemudian bagi dua lagi adunan hijau tadi. Adunan tanpa warna pun dibagi kepada 2 bahagian juga.
Ambil 1 bahagian hijau dan 1 bahagian yang kosong, gelek menjadi panjang kurang lebih 30 cm setiap satu. Lilitkan menjadi seakan2 tali, seperti dalam gambar. Kerat kepada 8 bahagian sama besar. Ambil setiap bahagian dan bulat2 kan, Susun dalam bekas yang telah dilenser dengan sedikit mentega. Buat hingga siap. Lakukan kaedah yang sama untuk baki adunan..
Perap roti tadi selama 45 minit atau hingga naik sekali ganda dan memenuhi bekas. Sapu telur (baki dari 30 gram tadi) dan tabur bijan atas roti tadi. Bakar selama 20 - 25 minit dalam oven yang telah dipanaskan pada suhu 190C. Sejukkan sepenuhnya atas jaringan.

Golden Kiwi Pudding

2012-03-23T21:56:00.000+08:00

Hi

There were some leftovers golden kiwis in the fridge and I thought as it's been quite a while since I last made pudding, why not try to make some like the strawberry pudding that I've made before?

Tapikan, as the golden kiwis have been sitting for quite a length of time in the fridge, you knowlah, some parts of the fruit dah overly riped & a bit tender to the touch. I was thinking if the sliced kiwis would be supple enough to 'stand' on it's own. Since not all could be used, I think I'd better just make half batch of the actual recipe.

This was the strawberry pudding that I hoped the golden kiwis one would turned out like, the strawberries were fresher & the colour nice & bright. But some days some things just don't turn out like what you hoped. I guessed for an overly riped fruit, it creates more juice than normal & since I didn;t do some adaptation to the amount of liquid, the pudding turned out a bit soggy.

Tatse wise it's okay la, but I am not too happy with the texture. Thank goodness I made just half batch of the original recipe, so that way I only got to finish jut a few pieces of the pudding.

So now that Friday is here, you know how happy I am today. After a 'meltdown' @ the office yesterday, (err..no need to say here la as I know someone from the office has chanced upon my SPACE here & still pretended as if I didn't know..HA!AS IF!), I couldn't pour out my hear here..sheeeshhh!, I will go home today & start my baking therapy.. The kids will be @ my place again today & they have requested spaghetti for lunch, some more sausage bread, friend chicken & some fruits for their makan2..Aku pikir kan, sometimes leh fokai melayan kerenah makan2 budak2 ni..tapi tak per la..asalkan they are happy to eat what I prepared, I don;t care much for the money & effort put in for them every weekend.. Kasi makan budak2 ni pahala beb! Tol tak? With that said, have a great weekend & ta for now! cheers!

Recipe for STRAWBERRY PUDDING (PLS adapt with whatever fruits you desired)

Strawberry Pudding ~ Yat easybakes
7g agar2 powder
100ml water (i used 200ml)
150-175 g sugar (depending on sweetness/sour of strawberries)
300g strawberries blended ( i used 200g- thats all I have)
250ml plain yoghurt ( I used greek yoghurt)
1-2 drops of red colouring
3 egg whites
5 strawberries, sliced

In a medium pot, combine agar2 powder & water. Stir until agar2 powder dissolves.
Stirring constantly cook mixture over low heat & bring to boil. Add sugar & stir until dissolve.
Add blended strawberries, yoghurt & food colouring while stirring all the time. remove from heat & set aside.
In a clean & dry mixing bowl, whisk egg whites with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peak & mixture doubled in volume, Lower speed & ladle agar2 mixture into egg white mixture gradually & whisk until warm.
Arrange strawberries slices in mould & fill moulds with combined mixture. Leave to cool & then chill to set. * Note that you have to work fast as the mixture set pretty quickly, so quickly pour into moulds when the mixture is still warm - so I suggest aranging those slices of strawberries first before hand)
Unmould, then garnish as desired & serve chilled.

Strawberry Filling Layer Cake

2012-03-21T21:39:00.000+08:00

Told ya that I will be having strawberry filling this & that this week, didn't I? So bear with me, aite :)
This time round is the strawberry filling layer cake. Pretty easy peasy cake to bake & then just slather the strawberry filling in between. I just love the paper cuppies, aren't they nice?? courtesy of?? guess who? and I shall err..I shall eat one of this cake for the winner..ahakss!

A word of coution for myself though, when slathering the strawberry filling..jangan sesuka hati menepek tebal itew filling coz the cake is already sweet, so with the mekap tabal for the filling, ada a tad too sweet la this cake! So next time round, I will either mekap tipis the strawberry filling or lessen the amount of sugar in the cake mixture so that it will go well with the filling.

Ok..so that's it for now..I have to go think of menu to cook for the weekend as the kids will be starting their study group at my place this Saturday after a week long break for the school holidays. Need to think of fruits & kuih for them too. Already I have request for that sausage buns yg memang tak jelak2 budak2 ni telan..adehhh..so see you peeps around..have a great midweek!

A
60g melted butter
60g castor sugar
60g AP flour
3 large eggs
1/2 Tbspn ovallete
1/2 tspn baking powder
a few drops of rose essence/vanilla (I used vanilla)
some red food colouring

B
Strawberry jam (I used strawberry filling - store bought)
8" x 11" pan

Method
In a stand mixwer mix ingredients A except the melted butter at high speed for abt 7-10 minutes until the batter is creamy & fluffy.
Add melted butter & fold mixture with a spatula, mixing well.
Take 2 Tbspn of batter & mix with some red colouring to be used for marble effect later.
Grease pan & place a baking sheet in the pan
Pour the mixture in the pan & smooth top. Take the 2 Tbspn of batter that has been mixed with the red colouring & put it inpiping bad. Snip off tip & marble the batter.
Baked at a preheated oven of 170C for abt 20 minutes

When the cake is baked, cool on a wire rack.
Slice cake into half & spread the strawberry filling in between.
Slice cake & ready to serve

Source: Adapted from : Ena lovely kitchen

Pa Amb Tomaquet..nyam, nyam, it's easy!

2012-03-20T21:34:00.000+08:00

Pa amb tomàquet (Catalan for "bread with tomato") is a typical Catalonian food, in fact an everyday food. It is simple to make & is tasty to boot. Well, I've been meaning to make this simple food asap, in fact I was itching to do it as soon as I got the stuff from babe, but I thought for this kind of food, I really need the time to enjoy it & last Sunday was the day. I was up & about very early & after settling the kitchen & the laundry, I decided to go make this Pa amb tomàquet & enjoy it with my cuppa, and boy was I happy! It was simply heavenly!

The basic concept is this, you take bread, slice it half & you toast/grill it, then you rub it with a clove of garlic, You then take half of a ripe juicy fresh tomato & rub it onto the bread, making sure it's soaked with tomato juice.Then you drizzle on some olive oil, sprinkle some salt (I used sea salt flakes sparingly) & you're done with the ever famous simple yet very delicious, Barca dish, the pa amb tomàquet!

I am so, so loving this the pa amb tomàquet & as babe said, it's so easy to get hooked on it! Thanks babe for introducing me to wonderful Catalan everyday food, now, I shall have pa amp tomàquet come every weekend..tan fácil de hacer y deliciosa! Muchas gracias, babe!

Ingredients:
4 slices thick goodcrusty Italian bread or 4 slices French bread ( I used Ciabatta)
1 ripe juicy tomato , halved
1 clove garlic , halved
olive oil , to taste
sea salt flakes

Directions:
Grill or toast bread slices.
Rub grilled bread with garlic halves, then rub tomato halves into bread; really mash them on there- the idea here is to soak the bread tops with the tomato juices.
Discard tomatoes.
Drizzle bread with good olive oil to taste, then sprinkle with some sea salt.
Serve hot.
Now you're in heaven!

Easy peasy & so delicioso!

Recipe source : here