random ramblings.

today is random rambling day...

my son and i is not feeling 100%. we've been having asthma attack for quite sometime now. so last monday we went to see a lung specialist @ Damansara specialist hospital. As for my son he went to see pead but specialized in chest/lung. i can't say that the visit is all plasant, i was kinda...i mean we were kinda shocked by what my son's doctor told us...or rather lecture us on.

1stly he ask all sorts of question on what he eats "does he eat anchovies? crackers?chocolate? instant noodles?soy sauce? bla bla bla" then he explained that for most reason his patients illness are caused by allergy of food. he even showed me the chemicals breakdowns of preservatives or what not which i was not exactly paying much attention as i was still kindda in a stunt. its not that i don't know that nowadays our food is becoming poisonous to our body...mmmm how should i explain its the way that the doctor 'explained' to me is what got me a little bit agitated you know...its like he is implying that i purposely feed poison to my children and it is i that caused the illness for being ignorant about the commercialization of food or what not that eventually is taking a toll to our body.

he was like "if you love your family feed them with love care of what you feed them with its not just about HALAL but the best of HALAL food (makanan halal yang terbaik)" i just froze there...its an insult for one although that he is right but he can say it in a more civilized way you know what i mean? then he went on saying that my son/children should avoid eating :
- colored food and drinks
- canned food
-canned drinks
-colored chocolate
- yellow noodle (due to the high boric acid content)
- anchovies / ikan bilis
- belacan
- cencaru
- msg
- instant noodles
- instant food and drinks
- all sorts of soy sauce
- fast food
- vitegen
- yakult
- chickens
and the list went on and on...when he said that my son can't eat chocolate my son's eyes watered instantly then he went on saying that no vitegen or yakult too instantly my son was crying his heart out coz that was all his ultimate favorite food. the doctor say all the above have high preservative and additives which caused all sorts of allergies.

he highly recommend us to go ORGANIC or as ORGANIC as we can be. and that somehow pisses me off... i know that he's right i do but for the whole thing he didn't know me or my family to be accusing me not feeding my family with LOVE...he didn't do that we do try to be as organic as we possibly can but that is just impossible to live 100% organic because we tend to want or have to or eventually eat some of the above...

ok lets face it ORGANIC stuff is EXPENSIVE...and for us thats not within our monthly budget. and for the record we only drink ALKALINE or MINERAL water (we have the machine for this), NEVER drink R.O because its acidic in nature. we try to avoid drinking carbonated drinks whenever we can...we i mean I don't use MSG/ajinomoto in my cooking for more than 4 years now ...you can see all my recipes have NO MSG included. and just lately i have my very own herb garden i even grow my own water spinach! we do try to eat as healthy as we possibly can but it seems not enough...

and no soy sauce???? how is that???? most of our cooking revolves around soy sauce one way or another...its just crazy to just avoid everything...like this you might as well starve coz almost everything have additives and preservatives. and why is ORGANIC is even expensive you don't use pesticides (no cost there), feed the chicken with normal chicken food (supposedly be easier to find and cheaper) no antibiotic shots for the chicken (no cost here)...

*screams out loud* as a cook, this is a challenge...crazy challenge...the truth is that i can't live with out SOY SAUCE full stop. is there such thing as organic soy sauce??? argh....*bangs head on the table* and 'natural chocolate' what is that? what does it mean? never heard of it...

luckily my doctor (not my son's) is a more gentlemen and told me that just try my best to avoid those things and that he knows that is almost impossible to avoid everything. and what i've been doing is already in the right track. that had actually put a smile back in my face. although he gave me the bad news that my asthma is getting serious and that i must pay extra attention to it. i need alot of rest and take my medication regularly.

mmm...i know that my asthma is getting fierce lately coz i haven't been able to sleep, i have that short of breath accompanied with that chesty cough argh its horrible. and with all of that i feel more and more tired even during the day i just feel like sleeping in you know?...and i am not those person who sleeps a lot or take a lot of naps. sometimes i feel like my body is falling apart i can no longer second guest my body...i am a person who can just feel what my body wants and need when i just listen to it (am i making any sense?)..i have some kind of 6th sense about my body health...for example; i know that i'm pregnant even before i check that i'm pregnant, and if its just a regular cold i can just self heal with some home remedies just by listening to my body. and now i can't...and its scares me.

i sound like a lunatic i know but thats just me, i'm special that way. am i really falling apart? or even worse am i dying?...thats a scary thought...honestly that's what i've been feeling...dying...probably due to the shortness of breath feels like dying..i don't know may be i'm lacking or Oxygen in my brain *lol*

nvm about that i've got stronger medication now and it does helps a little but still having the wheezing and fatigue but not as crazy as before. follow up check ups in 2 weeks it should be OK.

sorry that no recipe in this entry i just feel like rambling away today, plus i don't have any mood to do anything fancy with all the restrictions... but for tonight i do plan to make seafood broth. i shall post it in a future entry.after my hearty pick me up porridge/congee entry which i will post soon...or which ever come first...

MYstyle: Vietnamese Beef Noodles (Pho)

the broth, i didn't chop the cilantro for the broth because my children hate veges so what i did was i wash it and dip in a warm water then i tie it up. you can see the knotted cilantro here....

this is a bowl of my husband dinner for tonight i cling wrap it so that later he could just heat up the broth and enjoy the dish - its good presentation too.

i know that i've been idle, its only because my sister just got married last Friday (we had alot to do and still do). speaking of which i'll be having some food tasting at one world hotel, bandar utama later tonight. since i'm the only one invited i felt guilty for my husband and kids that i had to leave them behind (we drew straws...) so before i go i thought of making something simple for them to eat...and vietnamese beef noodles came to mind.

the Vietnamese Beef Noodles is also known as Pho or Vietnamese Pho (which pronounced as Fuh and NOT poo or pu or poe am i making any sense at all?) which i've made a fool our of myself miss-pronouncing the word in a fancy Vietnamese restaurant. so now you know...

anyway...this is my version of the Pho noodle recipe based on my convenience and preference and i personally think that this recipe just done it, its easy and tasty.


what you need for the broth..:

some good beef bones - the marrow will give you the beautiful distinctive beef flavor.
about 1lb meat - chuck or rump or brisket will do
2.5ltr water
2 large onions halved and charred
2" galangal root / lengkuas charred the crush
4" of ginger cut into half also charred then crushed - both charred Laos,onions and ginger will give it a bit of that smokey flavor.
Pho spices :- wrapped in mouslin cloth - 1tsp, coriander seeds, 1 med cinnamon stick, a couple of cardamom seeds, 1 star anise, 5pcs of cloves.
1tbsp salt or to taste
1tbsp sugar or to taste
1/4 c of fish sauce
1/2 stalk of cilantro

-> you just need to dump in all the ingredients except beef balls and boil away. once it reaches boiling point reduce heat and let it simmer until the broth reduced a little.

-> beef ball to be added just before serving (this is to avoid swelling of the beef balls)

the Noodles:

Flat Rice noodle / kue tiaw (not sure how to spell it) or regular rice noodle would do and in my case i use yellow 'fat' noodle ^_^
shredded carrots
some bean sprouts
chopped Cilantro
some fresh basil (daun selasih)
some mint leaf
lime wedges
finely sliced onion and red chillies. - for garnishing

=> you just blanch the noodle until just soft or if you're using dried noodles boil it according to the packaging. then place it in a bowl of individual serving and top all of the veges and garnishes. on the side place the thinly sliced cooked beef . serve your broth Hot.

=> also what you can do is to thinly slice frozen beef and marinade it with a dash of fish sauce. then just placed the delicate thin beef strips on top of your noodle along with the other stuff of course and the just pour in the extremely HOT soup/broth . this way the beef won't be over cooked and it'll hold its flavor better - this, i personally think is how you should enjoy your pho noodle!


mmm...somehow i think that my explanation is a bit off but i can't seem to put my finger in it...
anyway, should you just have any sort of question feel free to ask and i'll be happy to help you.

happy cooking!

Cream Puff Au Chocolat: cream puff with chocolate cream fillings

Cream Puff...its our family favorite dessert or tea time snack...made these babies yesterday...actually yesterday i had a pudding craving (i know what's with me and cravings?) been searching the net looking for the best pudding recipe but most of it were way to complicated for me...i was feeling a tad bit lazy at the same time...

then...i decided to just use custard powder and start mixing with milk, a pinch of salt and loads of melted chocolate and a dash of vanilla...the chocolate kinda mask the 'custard powder' taste, you know the instant custard powder can sometimes have that powdery and somehow uncooked custard taste (well thats just how i think it taste like...uncooked coz its still taste powdery)
it turned out great only my only dissatisfaction its too sweet for my liking. i didn't add additional sugar because i thought since i'll be adding loads of melted chocolate that its be just right for me...but i was right not to add in extra sugar because it turn out too sweet for me and i feel that i can't eat the pudding alone or on its own...

so i spent half of the day thinking what can i do with it and i thought of cream puff... well i thought of making strudel at first but i don't have any puff pastry, too lazy to make from scratch (although it would be nice though with the combination of sour-ish fruits and non sweetened cream and the crispiness of puff pastry that would be marvelous indeed) ...so cream puff it is.

this is the recipe that i have kinda perfected over the years and letting you in on my so called secret to my choux pastry recipe for cream puff.

1c water
90g butter - cubed
1c flour - sifted 1
tsp salt
1tsp sugar
3 eggs

1. pre heat oven at 180C. and prepare greased baking pan/tray and lined with parchment paper.
   
2. in a pot (preferably medium-large pot for easy handling) heat water until almost simmer then add in the butter. stir until all dissolves
3. when you see that the butter mixture starts to simmer then add in the flour and start stiring until it forms a dough and did not stick to the pot.
4. remove from heat.
5. add in eggs one by one. and stir until the egg is completely combined in dough then add another egg and repeat the step until all eggs are incorporated.
6. now you can start dropping a dollop of dough you may use spoon or pipe it into place. i just use 2 spoons..
7. then bake for 30-40minutes or until golden brown.

TIPS:
~ Do not open oven to check on the choux pastry with in the 1st 20 minutes. this may cause your pastry to not rise properly.

~ make sure that the pastry is golden brown to make sure the doneness if you take out the pastry pre maturely it'll deflate and loose its nice round shape/puff.
...although for this one i did took the pastry out prematurely and it deflate like crazy but i re bake it immediately and it puff back into shape...but this was not always the case...i think i just got lucky, don't purposely try this ok!

~When you simmer the butter mixture, don't let it go to the boiling point...i find that if you let it boil, it somehow effects the dough...and it didn't quite have that beautiful puff to it...

I hope this will help you baking a better choux pastry...HAPPY BAKING!

p/s: the cream custard filling i don't have the recipe i just simply dump all the ingredients i've mentioned earlier and thats it... sorry..^_^

RANDOM WEDNESDAY: DIY pin bunga

today is the day that i thought of doing something random heheheh~ actually i haven't been cooking/baking as much as i should because i am rather busy preparing for my sister's wedding this April. I'm in charge of making the DIY silk flower brooch and the above is my tutorial but its in Malay. why i did it in Malay? because there's so many diy tutorials in english out there so i thought i spread some knowledge to my fellow Malaysian readers (and also to those who understand Malay language)

however i do apologize on the sound or the way this tutorial is made, its my 1st time making any tutorial plus i don't have anyone holding my camera phone so i improvise mmm~ other than that i hope you enjoy it and benefit from this tutorial.

i will (its my long dream/ angan angan on making videos about baking or cooking) somehow try to make videos on cooking or baking....but just don't hold your breath for it...d=p)

Bubur Cha Cha / Cha Cha Porriage

i suddenly have this crazy craving of bubur cha cha so i thought today i just go and make some...and since the cha cha dried dough can be bought from the local market i thought "this should be eazy and i'll have my cha cha in no time"

to my luck, i went all over bangi market...well almost all they were out...OUT i tell you but i can't shake the craving...argh so i went back home and go straight online to find a recipe for making the cha cha dough...and guess what? there was none...only recipes that uses the store bought cha cha dried dough....at that point i feel like pulling my hair off coz i keep thinking about 'bubur cha cha'

in desperation i called my mom (she knows everything...lucky me) and ask if she knows how...crossing my fingers she said " owh...thats ez you just need....." heheheheh~
awwww~ suspen kah? ok i'll share the recipe because i'm nice and generous....=p

so here is what you need to make the cha cha dough:

1c rice flour
1tbsp tapioca flour
1tbsp corn flour
1/2tsp salt
1tsp lime paste (air kapur) * if you don't like the alkaline taste yo can reduce to half teaspoon.
1cup water (plus minus add more if the dough is tough)
colorings

mix all ingredients in a pot. in a medium heat mix until it forms a dough and didn't stick to the pot. divide into 2 or 3 portions and give some colorings to the respective dough. take another clean pot boil water and then by using cha cha mold press it until it comes out noodle like . if you don't have the mold you can always use your seive (one that have bigger holes) or your ladle with little holes which is what i use for mine...the cha cha noodle is ready when it floats. take it out and put it in a cold water to prevent it from sticking from each other.

Cha cha gravy:

250ml coconut milk
1/2c water
1/2tsp salt
150g palm sugar (the sweetness is up to your liking reduce if you don't like it too sweet)
2 screwpine leaves knotted

dissolves palm sugar with water in a heated pot. then add in the coconut milk. reduce heat to medium - low . stir constantly to avoid the coconut from breaking oil. add in salt and screwpines.
stir...as it simmers add in the cha cha noodles. let it boils a while then remove from heat.

the view from the pot...

TIPS:

1. if the coconut gravy is too thick you may just add in water but remember to have a taste and make sure that it didn't turn bland.
2. sometimes the coconut milk curdles when heated, don't panic you can just pour the coconut milk in a blender and blend away...just the coconut milk, not the cha cha noodles ok!
3. always add salt in you coconut base dish to enhance the coconut taste.
4. you can also add in 1tbs of pearl sago, or sweet potato in this dish, it'll sure add some texture...i add my leftover sweet potatoes in mine ^_^
5. if you can't find palm sugar, i suppose you can substitute it with brown sugar...but it won't have that distinctive aroma and color of the palm sugar though...or perhaps using molasses sugar is better...
   

my Herb Garden

thyme
Thyme is a herb of the mint family Lamiaceae and it is the dried leaves and flowering tops that are used to flavour food. The shrub is native to southern Europe, the Mediterranean and central Asia. Essential oil extracted from thyme has antiseptic and anesthetic properties. Thyme has a special scent that goes well with many dishes. It gives an excellent taste to fish when used as a marinade. It is also one of the ingredients used in many herbal mixes, and adds a delicious fragrance to stews and meat dishes.

baby basil growing.... ^_^

ulam raja / cosmos plant
ulam raja if translate it directly means 'king's salad'. this herb is usually eaten raw with sambal belacan (chili paste mixed with shrimp paste and some other ingredients). The Malays believe that the herb is good for health and contains anti-aging properties or awet muda, and that it tones up blood circulation, strengthens the bones and promotes fresh breath.

basil / selasih
Basil is said to have a warm, resinous, clove-like flavor and fragrance. This stimulating fragrance fills the air when one brushes against a basil plant in the garden. The leaves and flowers are used as a condiment to flavor salads, soups and stews in the West. From tomato, egg or cheese dishes to meat, sausages, fish sauces and even vegetable juice drinks, basil is added to enhance the flavor of the dishes.

In Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, basil is commonly used in meat dishes and noodles. The Chinese makes an appetizing soup with basil leaves, eggs and dried shrimps. However, the flavor of fresh leaves intensifies when cooked. For maximum flavor, add basil towards the end of the cooking.

water spinach / kangkung tree
ermmm water spinach is very easy to grow and taste great too...it can be eaten raw or cooked like you would with spinach.

rosemary
one of my favorite herbs, they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements a wide variety of foods. A tisane can also be made from them. When burned they give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing. Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6

pandan leaves aka screwpine
Daun pandan is the Malaysian and Indonesian name for this fragrant leaf. Screwpine leaf was the name given by English traders who traveled to Asia. In Southeast Asia, pandan leaf is used to wrap chicken, meat, fish, and desserts before they are barbecued or steamed. They add distinct, sweet, floral-like notes to these products. Malaysians, Indonesians, and Thais add the bruised leaves or its extract to flavor rice dishes and glutinous and tapioca-based desserts and puddings. The whole leaf is used to wrap chicken and other meats before they are grilled or barbecued

not sure what it is but it is very fragrant, the plant looks like chive but smaller, really i'm not sure coz i didn't use the leaves to cook but the roots that also looks like between garlic and shallot. ...next to it is actually lemon grass

peri peri /bird eye chili
this plant seem to be very happily planted in my pot it grew double its size just in 2 weeks and since then this baby never stop producing hot chilies / hot peri peri =p

daun salam / Indian bay Leaves
I never knew that the salam leaf is a family of bay leaves...no wonder the leaves looks familiar and not to mention fragrant....lol...anyway if i were to translate the name literally it means peace leaf...The leaves may be used fresh or dried; they are common in the cuisines of Sumatra, Jawa , Bali and of course Malaysia. They are applied to meat and, to a lesser extent, vegetables; in order to release their flavor, they must be fried or cooked for a while.

my parents eats this as salad but in a rather small portion with other Malay salad such as cucumber, kesum, long bean, ulam raja etc...

daun kesum...i'm not sure what it called in english but i think its Vietnamese Mint (i stand to be corrected) is alos known as the laksa leaf amongst the Malaysian. Very fragrant. it is used in laksa gravy, asam pedas, nasi kerabu ...
it grows rather easily the leaves are elongated, with soft stalk, each segment of the stalk has the potential to grow into another bunch of mint leaves because roots sprout from the stalk itself.

mint
The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem. The leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams.

and that all from my back yard garden herbs...my latest craze hehehehe~

Kelantan Traditional Snack: Squid stuffed with glutinous rice

you can see that the glutinous rice is nicely cooked inside the squid

This popular snack during tea-time. the squid is stuffed with glutinous rice and bathed in an aromatic coconut milk gravy. The stuffing is basically soaked in coconut milk before it is stuffed into the squids.

this is my dad's favorite dish. it is sweet with a hint of savory taste. store bought stuffed squid is never as good as homemade, its always too sweet and you usually can't really appreciate the flavors.

anyway i made this today since yesterday's pasar tani (market) only have cute petite squid. my mom once told me that to make this dish the best squid is the young squid or the smaller squid rather than the large one. this is probably because if you were to use large squid you may risk the flesh of the squid being tough as the process of cooking this is rather long (coz you need to make sure that the glutinous rice is cooked inside the squid) besides smaller portion is somehow fun to eat.

what you need:

1 can/pack coconut milk
12 small squids (you can make more)
100g glutinous rice (you may add more if needed)
1.2 cm ginger
1 screwpine leaf (daun pandan) - [optional but with this it'll be more fragrant]
2 shallot
100g palm sugar/brown sugar
a pinch of salt
toothpicks to secure the squid.

This is how you make it:

1. wash glutinous rice and soak it in the coconut milk for a minimum of 30minutes (the longer the better) then toss it and keep the coconut milk aside for later use.
   
2. mean while wash and clean squids. discard all dark ink and its bone. Do not remove the skin.
3. stuff the glutinous rice 1/3 full in the squid and attach back their heads and secure it with a toothpick. this is to allow the glutinous rice to expand and cook in the squid.
4. heat the coconut milk and add in ginger, shallots and screwpine.
   
5. then add in the stuffed squids cook until the stuffing is thoroughly cooked. to know when the glutinous rice is cooked, the squid will look expend and when you touch it, it should feel soft yet firm due to the expended cooked glutinous rice and the texture of the squid.
6. once cooked take out the squids and set a side.
7. then add in palm sugar and salt into the coconut milk stir constantly so that the coconut milk won't break and become oily. do this at a medium to low heat.
8. the gravy should be thicken after awhile. have a taste making sure that it is sweet with a hint of saltiness. then remove from heat and add in the cooked squids and let it sit for several minutes, then ready to serve.

TIPS:

• you can adjust the thickness of the gravy to your liking by adding water.when you do this make sure you check back your taste (sugar and salt)
• use fresh coconut milk is always better than using packed/instant coconut milk.
• palm sugar is the original ingredient but you can substitute with brown sugar or white sugar. but using white sugar will loose its beautiful brown color on the gravy. so perhaps you can try and caramelized the sugar first just to get the color although this may render the original taste slightly.

any questions you may ask me and i'll be gladly answer your questions.