KARI SEMALAM

Okay...I am actually updating my humble blog whilst watching THE ROYAL WEDDING Prince William & Princess Kate Middleton on E Channel :) I know, its awesome, huh?

Guess what I cooked today at 4 p.m.just before the Royal Wedding started? I cooked fish curry. I named it KARI SEMALAM [Yesterday's Curry] because it will taste better the folowing day. Usually, I'll use Spanish Mackerel but today, I tried using Salmon. I couldn't find Spanish Mackerel at the market today. But I strongly suggest you to try your level best to find Spanish Mackerel when you want to try cooking this recipe. Here's the recipe for all of you to try.


KARI SEMALAM RECIPE

2 cuts of Spanish Mackerel
[cleaned and rubbed with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Rinse and put aside]

50g [about 8 tablespoons] of fish curry powder (mixed with a little water to form a paste)

2 slender Asian Eggplants, halved lengthwise, cut into three pieces

6 ladies fingers

2 fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges

3 green chillies

1 cup of tamarind juice (taken from 2 tbsp of tamarind paste)

1 cup of coconut milk

4 cups of water

3 sprigs of curry leaves

vegetable oil for frying

salt to taste


Pounded ingredients:-


7 shallots

3 cloves garlics

1 inch ginger

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds


Methods of Cooking:-

1)Heat vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat and cook all the pounded ingredients until fragrant.

2) Then, add in the fish curry paste

3) Add coconut milk, tamarind juice and water, mix well.

4) Add the eggplants, ladies fingers, tomatoes, green chillies and curry leaves. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

5) Add the fish and season with salt. Bring to a boil and simmer (reduce heat a little)until the fish is cooked. Remove from heat and serve with white rice or simply enjoy it with white bread.

It is so easy to cook this dish that you can have it with your family and friends within an hour. So, it fits very well for a busy woman and also for overseas students who must be very busy with their studies.



That's how the curry looks like in the pot. YUMMY!



I used this brand of curry powder. BABA's Fish Curry Powder. For those of you living overseas, you may try to find the curry powder at the Asian Markets. I managed to find BABA's Curry powder in Australia. There is a chinese shop selling foodstuffs from Singapore and Malaysia.



Curry Leaves. The fragrant will make loads of difference.



Green Chillies, Tomatoes, Asian Eggplants (hidden behind the tomatoes)



Ladies Finger



Tamarind Juice



Salmon. Like I said, please..please..please use ONLY Spanish Mackerel. Your curry will taste nicer with that fish.


Remember to keep the unfinished curry in the fridge for next day's consumption. Just in case you wish to add more ladies fingers & eggplants the next day, you may do so. After bringing the curry to boil, add the vegetables and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then, enjoy Yesterday's Curry!

Let's Shred Away Our Problems!

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


This is Ethan, my god son :)



The picture above was taken last Wednesday, after school. Time was 7.30 p.m, in my office.



I said this to Ethan last week, "Ethan, come and shred away your problem. Draw the bad people in your life and shred them!" So..he drew.



And we witnessed that bad person being shredded! YIPPEE!! A great way to de-stress.



Look at that HAPPY face. I love him very much.

SIMPLE CUPCAKE :)

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


Last weekend was a fun one :) I joined a baking class at one of the bakery shops. Nothing lavish. Just something so simple to make. Perhaps, you can make it, too. To all overseas students, DON'T SAY YOU CAN'T! Find some time to enjoy life. And cooking / baking will not only help you to de-stress but is also able to help you make friends and have fun. YOU MUST LOVE WHAT YOU DO. If you love to eat, you must love to cook and/or bake, too.



The smell of a freshly baked Vanilla Cupcake. Mmm..YUMMY! I would never forget that delicious smell coming fresh from the oven. HEAVENLY!!!



The deco above looks pretty bad, huh? Please forgive me. I usually have Cs for my arts back in school *naughty laughs*



I brought home 2 boxes full of decorated and undecorated cupcakes. I baked them all.





It's not that easy to decorate a cake. But it's worth the try.

Would you like to try the recipe?

SIMPLE VANILLA CUPCAKE FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS *naughty winks*

4 eggs
110 g sugar
150g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp emulsifier [ovalett]
1 bar butter, melted
30g full cream milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

almond/ hazelnut nibs & chocolate chips for sprinkling [you may omit this if you dislike nuts. You may replace with strawberry jams/ rasperry jams ¬ whichever you prefer]

Methods of Preparation:

1) Preheat oven at 170 degree celcious. Arrange cupcake cups on the baking tray.

2) Sift flour and baking powder. Put aside.

3) In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, flour mixture, castor sugar and emulsifier on medium speed. Start with slow speed for the first 5 minutes. Mix until the batter turns light, whitish and creamy. [If you do not have any machine mixer, you may whisk with your hand]

4) Pour in the melted butter, milk and vanilla essence. Mix at slow speed.

5) Scoop the batter into the cupcake cups about 50% of the cup. Sprinkle some nuts/ choc chips. You may also add in some jams if you prefer.

6) Bake at 170 degree celcius for 20-25 minutes. It is baked if you insert a cake tester and it comes out clean.

7) Let the cake cool before serving.

8) You may decorate them with melted chocolate, fondant decoration or simply with buttercream.

I prefer them original, without any buttercream nor fondant. ENJOY!!!

CURRY LEAVES :)

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


If you are currently living in a country where it isn't easy to obtain CURRY LEAVES, please make sure you grab hold of a packet if you see one.



That's how CURRY LEAVES looks like.

And, with coconut milk; you can do up a great dish, too.



Think of this, too *naughty winks*

Yes, PRAWNS.


Please guess what is the dish that I am going to share with you today?


EASY-PEASY PRAWN CURRY

Prawn 500 gram

salt for cleaning prawns

cooking oil 6 tbsp

coconut milk 200ml

water 200ml

meat curry powder 2tbsp

3 stalks of curry leaves

salt to taste



Finely Ground

Shallots 8, peeled

Garlic 3 cloves, peeled

Ginger 2.5cm knob, peeled


Method:-


1) Remove prawn feelers and legs. Rub prawns with salt and rinse with water.

2) Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and fry ground ingredients until fragrant.

3) Add in meat curry powder.

4) Then, pour in coconut milk and water. Stir well.

5) Bring to boil. Add in the prawns.

6) Season with salt to taste and stir.

7) Add in curry leaves.

8) Simmer until gravy thickens.

9) Turn off the heat and ready to serve with white rice or white bread.


ENJOY!

Blessed Good Friday :)

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~

To all my Christian Friends~ Have a blessed Good Friday!

Question: When Is Good Friday 2011?
Good Friday 2011 is the day on which Christians commemorate the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, the act that brought salvation to all who believe. It is the culmination of Holy Week 2011, which begins on Palm Sunday 2011, and it takes place two days before Easter 2011.

Answer: Good Friday falls on April 22, 2011. To find the date of Good Friday in other years, see When Is Good Friday?

WISHING UPON THE STAR :)

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful::: ~PATIENCE IS VITAL~ HAPPY MONDAY, everyone! ENJOY THE WEEK AHEAD, okay? *naughty winks*

KUAH BAYAM MERAH :)

One of the many dishes that I cooked this week is KUAH BAYAM MERAH [Red Spinach In Coconut Milk].




It is an easy dish. So, for those of you who are students and do not have much time to spend in the kitchen, you can try cooking this.

Here's the recipe:-

Red Spinach

Chinese Hard Tofu

Dried prawns {shrimps} 1 tablespoon, soaked to soften and ground

Shallots 5, peeled and pound

Garlic 2 cloves, peeled and pound

Bird's eye chillies 6 [add more if you want it hot]

Fresh tumeric 1.25cm knob, peeled and pound

water 2 cups

coconut milk 200ml, extracted from a coconut and 200ml of water

salt to taste

Tumeric Leaves 1, sliced thinly

Method:


1) Heat cooking all in pan and fry shallots, garlic,tumeric for about 5 minutes.

2) Add dried prawns and bird's eye chillies. Stir well.

3) Then, add in coconut milk + water, tofu and salt to taste.

4) Slowly add in the Red Spinach and tumeric leaves.

5) Stir over low heat until gravy boils. Continue to stir for about 10 minutes.

6) Turn off the heat. Ready to serve.


That's easy, huh? ENJOY!