Homemade Cracker

The Light & Crisp Fish Crackers

Hi, before i blog about my next recipe i just wanna apologize for not blogging with pictures. I've been having problems with picture uploading. it kept saying server rejected...what ever that means. I wrote to blogger and blogger replied saying that the problem is not from them its from picassa and that i should deal with them. But don't you think that blogger should be able to assist the problem even for a bit? i am disappointed with that. coz its been day that i've been trying to upload my pictures...blogging is no FUN with out pictures right?

anyway at the 'discussion board' someone replied and gave me the solution and surprisingly it worked (finally!). my assumption is that the 'new' up loader by picassa is faulty and apparently i was not the only one that have this kind of problem. this means that this is not a remote case. the old up loader works just fine. now i'm using the old uploader to up load pictures, its a bit of a hassle but it'll have to do.

ok back to my recipe...
I learn this from Ibu Jameela. I always wanted to make my own cracker with whatever flavor that i like...all MSG-less ...I made these with sardines and even corn beef hahah yes corn beef...it tasted soo beefy =p...i was just experimenting as i have corn beef leftovers. according to Ibu Jameela you can even use just chicken cubes, or anchovy cubes for flavoring its be as good. But unfortunately my family don't do MSG.

btw, this recipe is different from the 'keropok leko' this is the cracker variety not the sausage variety.

HOMEMADE CRACKER.
the recipe is more on the estimation side. eg: if you like more fish then by all means but my ideal is like 2:1 of fish and starch. and just about 1/4 of rice.

sardines - about 200g take the flesh only
tapioca starch - 100g (this is a plus minus thing if the end dough is loose just add a little bit more)
rice - about 1/4cup meshed or blended
1clove garlic - meshed
a pinch of white pepper
salt to taste (can't remember how much i put in i just estimate and taste along the way) but you should get it slightly saltier than normal.

mix everything in until it becomes a dough. then mold it into a log. a medium size log is best, coz if its too big it'll take longer to cook. once that done boil the log for about 40minutes or so. the bigger the log the longer you'll have to cook it. Then let it cool over night in the fridge preferably 24hrs. by then the log will harden and it'll be easier to slice. A tip for slicing, you'd need to oil your knife before slicing so that you'll be able to slice smoothly. After slicing, sun dry it until its really really REALLY dry. this usually takes about 3-4 days under the sun. then its ready to fry!

meshing the rice with pastel and mortar.

mixing in the fish flesh and starch and meshed rice

the cracker log

the cracker log after boiling it for almost 1 hour.

Thinly sliced crackers

my homemade cheese...

the cheese texture..like cottage cheese no?...but you can packed/compact it if you like abd drain off moisture.

This is what happens when i tried to fluff it....it fluffed! whoaaaaaaaaaa isn't it awesome ?

gorgeous !

frost the cake!

it tasted so smoth & velvety and i'm not talking about the cake ;) its creamier too. but i made this with a low fat milk so i supposed that this is a low fat cheese?

This is just a 3 day old vanilla essence. the color will change according to age. so don't worry.


DIY Vanilla Essence a non alcohol version.

what you need
11/2 c food glycerin
1/2c warm water
2 vanilla pods
glass jar preferably dark glass jar - i use my old coffee jar (its a clear jar)

1st sterilize the jar then add in the glycerin and warm water. Stir well. then cut the vanilla pod in the middle length wise and scrape the seeds out and put in the glycerin mixture. when you can put the pod in the glycerin mixture too.Stir & mix well. close the lid and shake it, shake it some more. then let it sit there like all preserved should. give them 2-3weeks before using it.

shelf life? i think so long you take care of it i.e not contaminate it with other ingredients while using it it would last you a very long time.

homemade Sundried Tomatoes

Last night i was surfing the net and stumble upon this blog where the writer phrase the glory of sun dried tomatoes, how sweet, flavorful and nutritious it is. It is good on its own, great binging snack and surprise! kids loves it too...and true enough my vege hater son likes this unlikely snack. Sun dried tomatoes have the same nutritional value as the fresh tomatoes they are made from: they are high in Lycopene, antioxidants, vitamin C and low in sodium, fat, and calories. anyway seeing all those pictures of yummy tomatoes *ahem* dried up tomatoes....*shrugs* mmm to be honest i hate raw tomatoes and i can't imagine those people able to just bite into the red plump and juicy tomatoes...yes tomatoes are sweet and sour at the same time i give you that but there's this certain 'raw' taste that i can't seem to swallow...you know what i mean? but when it is cooked correctly i love it to bits...

unfortunately ready made sun dried tomatoes are not easy to find in Malaysia. but lucky for us it is easy enough to make yourself and be proud of it hehehehe~ the method is i presume the same with dried fruits...it make sense huh? ok what i did was...oh wait the ingredients...what you need

* 1kg of bright red ripe tomatoes
* 2clove of garlic chopped
* some dried herbs i use parsley and thyme
* kosher salt or sea salt
* olive oil to brush and some to preserve.

wash tomatoes and then slice them. i divide a tomato (mine was a large tomato) into 4 nice thick slices. slice all tomatoes.
*you wouldn't want to slice it too thinly coz it will shrink A LOT!
then pat it dry and brush them with olive oil and sun dry it for 2-3 days in a row, take it in during the night.
2nd day, you brush the tomatoes again and sprinkle garlic, herb mixture and salt then let it dry again.

We Malaysian are lucky coz the tomatoes can dry up in just 2 days or sometimes 1 1/2day (coz its really hot here) then you can have your snack or preserve it... i was sun drying my tomatoes today until it start raining late afternoon so i have to go for plan B. that is Oven dry tomatoes.

to Oven dry it you need a low low low heat, and let it dry for 1-1.5hrs if you have fan in the oven but if like me my oven don't have that feature so it took me slightly more than 2 hrs.
but today i cheated a bit instead of using 100c i crank it up just abit ooo about mmm 120c then towards the end i crank it up abit more to 135c coz i can't wait to eat coz after sprinkling the herbs and garlic, i can hear my tummy rumbles coz its soooooooooo fragrant!
but if you were to follow my step becareful coz you might burn them instead so set your timer and check on them once in a while and see how they are doing.

PRESERVING SUN/OVEN DRIED TOMATOES

to preserve your homemade sun/oven dried tomatoes, just prepare a glass jar, sterilize it 1st
though then fill those yummie tomatoes up then fill in olive oil until it fully cover the tomatoes.

TIPS

* you can use the olive oil from the preserved to saute whatever coz it'll be infused with flavors (tomatoes, garlic and herbs) or just toss it with pasta or salad with some vinaigrette.

* when you used up your tomatoes refill your olive oil making sure covering the remaining tomatoes

Mini Cheese Shortbread Tart

this is no ordinary tart... its crust is actually made from shortbread cookie recipe which i personally think gives it a rather refreshing taste then the ususal pastry tart crust...although the ingredients is almost the same but its the method of making it makes a lot of difference in taste and texture.
hence i prefer this crust than the later. this just shows how versatile shortbread can be...

if i'm not mistaken, shortbread was scottish in origin and was served exclusively during chrismas, like us serving lemang or ketupat palas for Eid celebration. but nowadays it seems that we can have it all year round in different froms such as this cute miniature tart shells enjoyed as tart.

Although making these tart shells was not THAT eazy particularly bacause of its almost super soft dough (does that make any sense?) anyway you need to pat/dust your hands with some flour while handling the dough other wise it'll be difficult because we need to mold the a little dough into a ball then press into a miniature tart/muffin pan then bake them until just delicately browned.

why i love this crust is because you can make it ahead of time and freeze it.

Here's the recipe:

For Crust :-
1c room temperature butter
55g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2c flour - and some extra for handling/molding
30g cornstarch

preheat oven at 175c.
cream butter and sugar then add in vanilla mix well then add in flour and cornstarch. mix until just incorporated. then start molding into the tart tins. when done chill it for a while, this will reduce the puffiness when baking. then bake for about 15-20 mins depending on oven, mine actually took approximately 25mins or just make sure it browns lightly than its done.

TIP: halfway during baking time carefully prick the crust with a bamboo stick if it puffed up then check again in 5 minute or so and repeat if needed.

Cheese Fillings:-
230g cream cheese
350g sweetened condensed milk (susu pekat manis)
juice and zest from 1 lemon
1tsp of vanilla essence

Garnish:
variety of berries - mini strawberries or black berries, blueberries, raspberries all make a beautiful and appertising garnishes.

cream all fillings ingredients until nice thick and fluffed but DO NOT OVER BEAT or it will turn runny. then pipe the fillings into the tart shells and garnish it. let chill for a while before serving. of transfer fillings into a piping bag and let it chill until serving time then pipe it into tart shells,garnish and serve.

easy huh?
ok hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do...any question feel free to ask.. ;)

happy baking!

DIY: Planting Your Herbs...

for today post, i thought of writing about planting your own herb ...i've got a reader who is keen on planting her very own herb garden but can't seem to get it grow.

so here's some tips (esp. for those living in Malaysia) on planting your herbs. this tips mostly works on all types of plants/herbs

i got mine a baby rosemarry plant initially bought at coldstorage for i think a mere RM5.90 if i'm not mistaken.i also bought my parsely and basil there..you could probably find some in a nursary, as most of them have at least 5-8 types of herbs that you can purchase.

i suppose buying a baby plant makes things easier (long wait for a bud growing from the seeds can be a bit depressing for me). the tricky part is when you transfer from its original pot.

the tip is that you should be careful not to break its original soil when you try to get it out from the pot. so be gentle.

then wet the rosmarry soil gently keeping in mind not to break the soil. then prepare the bigger pot, fill in the soil half way then wet the soil. make a hole or a space for the plant/rosemarry with its original soil to put in then cover it with soil up to the brim then wet the soil again.

plant like Rosemarry, dill, mint can grow from its stem (batang) so you can cut and plant it again. alot simpler than from its seeds. ;)

for successfully growing rosemary are: Sun, Good Drainage and Good Air Circulation. (well for most plants too excep for thyme, thyme loves cool places)

water it once or twice a day depending on the heat of that day.


For Successful planting:

YOU NEED:

a GOOD pot thats - have large surface and deep, not shallow. plant like mint loves a large surface area for it to grow.

Check your SOIL once in 2 weeks - making sure that the plant's root is not cluttering, meaning that the plant's root should have room to grow if not you need a new pot - bigger and deeper ones.

after a month or two, if your plant seem to be NOT growing, unhappy, again check its roots, if its cluttering, then time to change the pot. and you could trim off the excessive roots with a SHARP knife or scissors.

organic fertelizers works wonders for herbs.

Choosing SOIL - use the mixed partly fertalized soil. it works best for me. plus you don't have to worry about fertalizer for a month.


ahhh~ tip for basil,

this is how basil flower looks like

when it grows, it'll have flowers, and lots of it! you would need to pay more attention to it. the flowers tend to cause the flowered part of the branch to die so you would need to snip it out before it completely matures (turn brown). plus its making the leaves less aromatic and flavorful...somehow...so you don't want that.

Thyme:

this is a fussy plant for us in Malaysia as it loves cool place with a little sunlight. it also loves water. the roots grows very fast and you'll need to check on it frequently.

hmmm...anything else i've missed out?...*paused & pondering* nvm i'll get back when i remember something ^_^

so cilantro hope this will help you start your garden. Thank you for reading.

homemade seasoning for meat and burger

today i have nothing to do and have nothing to cook from my freezer we only have our frozen home made burger patty so i decided to make burgers for dinner. its a rainy day today but lucky for me that it was sunny this morning up to 2pm or so...got my laundry done..so happy.

anyway i wanted to have a different taste to my 'original' burger so i thought i could add some seasonings on to my burgers while cooking it...my usual store bought seasoning was out (argh~ haven't been to the supermarket for the longest time) so i decided to mix my own...
and it turned out fantastic.


my MEAT and BURGER seasoning:

1tsp of :

1. mix herbs (oregano, parsley, bay leaf, rosemary...can't remember but you can buy it ready made for this one)
   
2. paprika
3. black pepper
4. ginger powder
5. sugar

and 1/2 tsp of white pepper.
3tbsp salt

blend or grind all of this until it become powdery then ready to use..keep it in an air tight container.

i don't have pictures for this one coz no point its all dark and gloomy...sorry!

Seri Kaya - Pandanus Coconut milk jem

to be totally honest...i haven't been 'cooking' or 'baking' for days now. mostly its because of the wedding that i'm trying to organize *argh~ its such a headache!* and my mom...she's really fickle about things especially the wedding favors...major headache for that one...but i think i understand why she's fickle, mainly coz of the price things doesn't come cheap these days and we need to give away favors to about estimation of 500 guests! and the price reduction for 500pax is not much unless its 1000pax or more and who do they think we are? celebraties?politicians?tv persoanlities? i mean even US celebs didn't have that much guests for their weddings...unless you're lady Diana right? or somesort of celebrated royalty or something...

anyway...i just let mom decide on that n do her thing i'll just decorate it afterwards...*just hope that afterwards is not too after*

so this recipe i made myself with my own estimation after being told by my mom about whats actually in the store bought kaya jem...and i've made this last month i think *ponder* mmm i think so...so i'm posting this recipe today as its in my picture bank =P (pictures that i've taken/collected and have yet to publish it here)

I like this recipe very much (not because i made it myself) because it didn't use any corn starch or flour or any other thickener and it last almost 2 months now *yeah i experiment with it about the expiry* kept in a glass jar in a fridge, still tasted good and no signs of deterioration...

SERI KAYA...
500g sugar
4large eggs
500ml coconut milk
4pcs of pandanus leaves/ screwpine leaves -knoted
1/2tsp of salt

1. for a long lasting coconut milk, heat it until simmers then set a side.
   
2. Divide sugar into 2 parts.
3. teh 1st part of sugar is to be caramelized with gentle heat.
4. once caramelized, add in the other part of sugar into the caramel.
5. mix well then reduce the heat or if the heat is too hot remove from it for awhile.
   
6. then in another bowl mix the coconut milk, eggs and salt together
7. then add in teh coconut mixture into the caramel little by little while mixing to avoid teh eggs from scrambleing (if it does don't worry we can still save it)
8. once you pour in all the coconut mixture in back to the fire and stir the mixture until its well thicken. then remove from heat and pour into your glass jar and let it cool
9. the mixture will harden slightly once cooled...its like custard...its a matter of fact i think it is custard....

* if you should ever scrambled the eggs while mixing it with teh caramel, you can later blend it smooth and then continue cooking...*wink* don't waste still can be saved.
** if you think you'd like to reduce the sweetness by all means..but don't reduce it too much as it will effect the thickness of the custard/jem.

if you're wondering about the jar...you can buy it at Metrojaya or Isetan

Homemade Ice Cream - Dolce Vanilla Chelin Style

I've actually made this sometime ago using my brand new ice cream maker. yeah, now i have an ice cream maker. it was my birthday gift from hubby...he didn't figure it out by himself but i did told him about my wish list and the ice cream maker is one of them. We had a hard time finding it. apparently they didn't keep stock (they as in Seng Heng, Best Genki, Courts Mammoth and other appliance shop and this also including Metrojaya kitchen department) they only have display set. I initially wanted Kenwood but since we went and search coutless shops with no avail i was about to settle with any brands that they might have. then we went to this one store i can't remember the name was it Hup Seng or something can't remember, it was our last try and lucky for me they have 1 at stock. And hurray for me...

After getting that, i ran to the grocery shop and purchace ingredients for ice cream to experiment. And this is my 2nd try. the 1st try didn't freeze well coz i didn't wait for the mixture to cool... (ya lah too gang ho to try new gadget..excited maaa~) BIG mistake!!!

Anyway there are basically 2 type of ice cream custard base and non custard base. custard base are those with egg in the mixture and there are also sorbet which i will eventually try and make some too...the recipe that i'm posting is the custard base and it call for a lot of egg yolks.... ^_^
you can imagine that custard base is alot richer and creamier that those are not custard base and of course its not suitable for those on diet!

what you need:
9 egg yolks
500ml whipping cream
250ml milk
30ml/2tbsp vanilla extract
100g sugar (you can add more sugar if you like it sweet)

1. Prepare the ice cream make as instructed by the manufacturer.
   
2. heat milk and whipping cream on a gentle heat until simmer then remove from heat.
3. while doing that, mix egg yolks and sugar until creamy.
4. then add in 1/3 of the milk mixture in the egg mixture while you constantly whisking the mixture. then add in slightly more of the milk mixture, whick well. then pour in the egg mixture in the milk mixture and mix well. (this will reduce chances for the egg to scramble)
5. cook in a medium heat until the mixture thickens like custard.
6. cover the custard with cling wrap right on to its surface to prevent skin forming. let it COOL completely <---make sure you cool it or it won't freeze well..
7. once the custard is cooled, on the ice cream maker then slowly pour in the pixture while the paddle of the ice cream make is moving.
   
8. let it churn until the ice cream is ready.
9. the ice cream should be spoonable. transfer the ice cream and let it freeze for at least 2-3 hrs before consuming for better result
   

this presentation, i topped it on a tart crust and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

For Variation:
you can add in fruits like strawberry or blueberry jem just when the ice cream is almost ready, then it'll be a strawberry ripple/bluberry ripple...yummy..

i actually made the strawberry ripple ice cream but forgot to take pictures...

Make Your Own Sausage/Hot Dog

This is how the sausage/hotdogs looks like when wrapped with the plastic wrap

It all started when hubby became allergic to chicken...we (my son and i) wanted to buy hot dogs but in the market its mostly chicken hotdogs which hubby couldn't eat so i was browsing the net searching for recipes and i finally found one good one so i owe it to Ringo from MYR. Although I've altered it to our liking ^_^ but the method is the same non the less... so here it is...

You'll need...
500g minced meat
1tsp salt
1tsp sugar
1/2tsp nutmeg
1tsp ground black pepper
1tsp oregano
1tsp Parmesan cheese
1tsp grated garlic


Cling/plastic wrap
heat proof ziplock

1. mix all ingredients until well blend and smooth.
2. divide the mixture into 6-8 portions (depends on how many grams you want your hotdogs be) i make a 50g hotdogs
3. roll the mixture into a 5-6" log, then wrap neat and tightly, twist and tie a knot at each end of the hotdog.
4. repeat until all finished. pack the wrapped hotdpgs in a heat proff ziplock.
   
5. boil water in a sauce pan when it starts to simmer then put in the hotdog pack and weight it with a heavy plate or such.( the pack will float you you need to keep it down)
6. boil in a low heat for 45mins. then let cool and you can enjoy your sausage/hotdogs as you wish ^_^

-> originally the recipe calls for potato starch about 2 tsp. but i omit it coz i wanna that PURE meaty feel heheheh~
->i haven't take any picture of the final product...i'll update soon