♥LOVE2COOK♥ ...Food & Life...

♥...Potato Samosa (using spring roll sheets)...♥

2012-01-26T22:45:00.000+08:00

wIt's been a week I'm living with a wired finger. Another 5 weeks to go...hurmmmm!
Well, I've been totally resting my hand from doing any hard work for now. Thank God, hubby is here to help me out.

I wanted to have some samosas with tea and I did it with a helping hand...my hubby's of course :)

Simpler version of using the ready made spring roll skins (kulit popiah). I forgot to request hubby to snap the steps of rolling the samosas. Shall do it again next time.

We used whatever ingredients left to make these yummy samosa filling.

POTATO SAMOSAS Filling :~

3 pcs large potatoes ~ diced
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 onions ~ diced
2 cloves garlic ~ diced
1 green chilli ~ diced
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp meat curry powder
salt
1/2 cube of anchovies stock (kiub pati ikan bilis) ~ optional
corriander leaves ~ chopped
water
cooking oil

Methods :~

Heat oil in wok and fry the cubed potatoes until golden brown. (You may also boil the whole potatoes until cooked)
Remove the fried potatoes on a plate. Reduce oil and stir fry cumin seeds, garlic, onions and green chillies.
Add 1/3 cup water, chilli powder, curry powder and salt. Leave to boil. (Add more powders to suit your spiciness).
Add in the fried potatoes and stir well. Cook for abt 2 minutes. Add anchovy cube if you like. Mix together.
Lastly, add chopped corriander leaves.

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Wrap your spring roll skins into samosas and fill in with the potato.
Glue the edges with flour paste.
Deep fry in lots of oil until golden brown and drain on paper towel. Ready to be served!

Happy Tea-Breaking with Potato Samosas!!!

♥...Studio Light Set ~ A New Year Gift & About My Finger...♥

2012-01-15T15:15:00.000+08:00

Hello again!

Firstly, introducing my newest gadget in house...a pair of Sprite s180w Studio Lights :)

It's a New Year gift from dear Hubby, who knows well what I need for my food photography. Not a professional photographer though, but lacking of sunlight during a photoshoot is really a troublesome. Never been happy at all. I hope to practise more and deliver good photos.

The light set comes with;

2 x S180w lights
2 x 180W flash tubes
2 x 50W modelling bulbs
2 x 1.8m light stands
2 x 50x70cm softbox
1 x carrying bag
1 x wireless trigger/receiver set

Thank you so much dear Hubby for a wonderful gift!!!

Had to put onhold all my plans to play with the latest toy due to a mishap happened last Sunday. I slipped in the bathroom and hit my left ring finger (I'm lefthanded) on the toilet bowl, thus resulting in a fracture. My finger swelled double the size, bent side ways, and unbearable pain!!!

I got my finger scanned and the doc plastered the injured finger to the middle one. The finger became bruised and terribly swollen a day after. I went for a follow-up today and the doc suggested I go through a surgery to straighten my crooked finger. Owh no!!! The swelling at the fractured area hasn't subsided and thinking of the surgery makes me so worried.

My hubby will be back this Monday and we'll decide on what to do. If yes, I'll be going through a surgery on Tuesday...and don't know how long my finger will take to recover after that. And know what...my Hubby's birthday falls on Tuesday, 17th! :(

I've been told to keep my injured finger free from work, thus not been cooking since the mishap! With this, I'll be taking a break (don't know till when, whether or not I go for the surgery)...until my finger recovers and I can start working, cooking, shooting and posting (typing with one hand is just so difficult).

So, till I meet you all again...do take care while working and don't do any stunts like I did!!! The suffering is not easy. Hope to see ya'll soon with a fine finger soon. Bye!

♥...Fish in Spicy Coconut Gravy/ Ikan Masak Lemak Cili Padi & My New Year Gift...♥

2012-01-05T23:15:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone!!! Seeing you again in the new year :)

I'm sure New Year has brought lots of new dreams and resolutions for everyone. As for me, the same thing every year...LOSE WEIGHT, a resolution that has been brought forward for many years now, lol!

January is always a month of happiness for us. The New Year...and my Hubby's birthday on 17th. This year, we have triple bonanza!!! My Hubby will be returning home this month. He left to work last year, and we'll be meeting again this year...wow! Hoping he could return before his birthday *finger crossed!

On other note, Rishie has moved on to Primary Year 2. And, as usual...my daily chores started after a long school holidays.

So, these are the happenings for now...let's check out the dish.

This would mark my first food post for the year. A famous Malay style dish, and it's my favourite! :)

A quick version of mine, best served with white rice...and best if it's made spicy, using bird's eye chillies.

FISH IN SPICY COCONUT GRAVY / IKAN MASAK LEMAK CILI PADI by love2cook

Ingredients :~

(A) Marinade for 15 minutes

7 blocks of fish ( I used Threadfin / Senangin )
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt

(B) Blend together to form a paste

5 pcs shallots
3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger
1 inch fresh turmeric
1 onion
12 nos bird's eye chillies ( add or less to your preference) ~ I used all green :)
2 stalks lemongrass

(C)

2 cups thin coconut milk
3/4 cup thick coconut milk
2 pcs tamarind pulps
1 pc screwpine leaf (pandan) ~ knotted / OR kaffir lime leaves
salt
cooking oil

Method :~

Fry the marinated fish blocks in oil until golden brown or cooked.
Reduce oil and stir fry the blended paste. Place the pandan leaf in and mix together. Cook covered for 3-5 minutes. Stir gradually.
Add thin coconut milk, salt and tamarind pulps. Allow gravy to boil a few times.
Add thick coconut milk and fried fish blocks. Mix slowly. Cover for another 2 minutes, leaving the gravy to boil. Check for salt.
Add some water if you want a lighter gravy. As for me, I'd always liked it thick!

NOTE : You may try making this dish using chicken. OR fried bean curds / tofu.
Add red bird's eye chillies for little reddish :)

Received a New Year gift from dear Hubby, which arrived yesterday!

Will keep you posted on what I've got!!! Here's the first shot of the box.

Can someone guess what's inside??? ;)

♥,,,HAPPY 2012 FOLKS!!!...♥

2012-01-01T18:40:00.000+08:00

CHERISH 2011!

WELCOME 2012!

HERE'S WISHING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!!

MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED

AND STUPENDOUS YEAR AHEAD!!!

Dear friends, an e-card for you all! Fish images are from our marine tank...owned by my dearest Hubby :)

See ya'll again next year!!! ^___^

♥...Recap of 2011 @ Love2cook...♥

2011-12-30T12:20:00.000+08:00

2011 has just passed at it's own pace, almost to the end now, giving us lots of good and bad memories to cherish. Many would have achieved or gained something in this year, my heartiest congratulations to you! Let us cherish every moments of 2011 and welcome the soon-to-come 2012 with hands wide open! :)

I thought of doing a short recap on my food posts in 2011, based on those received highest visit counts and comments. I will be skipping a few here. Wanna thank each and every one of you for all your visits and valuable comments/views at my space. All that encouraged me to keep going eventhough I felt like retiring from Bloggywood at times. But seems like that is not gonna happen, for now, atleast ...haha!

So, here I start from January till December 2011. Please click on the images to view the posts/recipes...:)

Chicken Manchurian

Lemon Yoghurt Muffin

Bread & Butter Pudding

Banana Cake

Crispy Anchovies

Roti Jala / Lacy Crepes

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings

Mustard Greens with Coconut and Tofu

Triple Joy Brownies

Cheesy Butter Cake

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fried Mackerel

Super Moist Eggless Chocolate Cake

Hot & Spicy Mayonnaise Prawn Fry

Boiled Egg Sambal

Sticky Caramel Chicken Wings

Quick Tofu Fa with Lychees

Mayonnaise Saucy Chicken

Nasi Lemak with Prawn & Quail Egg Sambal

Sicilian Orange Cake

Whipped Cream Cake

Dry Chicken Rendang

Eggless Cake Brownie

Almond Sugee Cookies

Eggless Banana Pancake

Thank you for being here!

♥...Squids in Red Coconut Curry... ♥

2011-12-26T18:40:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas Folks! So how is the celebration getting on??? Sure you all had loads of fun and the joy will continue till New Year. Enjoy!!! :)

Here's a simple yet easy to make and delicious squid curry. I'm not a big fan of squid except for the cripsy fried rings...

Rishie loves squids made curry, so this is for him.

SQUIDS IN COCONUT CURRY by love2cook

Ingredients:~

800gm squids ~ cleaned and cut into rings
5 cloves garlic *
2 inches ginger *
1/4 tsp mixed spices (cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek)
1 pc onion ~ sliced
2 green chillies ~ sliced
1 large potato ~ cut into big cubes
1 sprig curry leaves
2 tbsp seafood curry powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 large tomato ~ sliced
water
salt to taste

Method :~

Pound together garlic and ginger.
Mix curry, chilli and turmeric powder with a little water to form a paste.
Heat oil in wok and saute mixed spices, onions, green chillies and curry leaves until fragrant.
Mix in pounded garlic and ginger paste.
Add squids and potatoes. Mix and cover the wok for 4 minutes.
Add the mixed powder paste. Stir well with the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.
Add coconut milk, water and salt. Let the curry boil for few minutes, lastly add tomato.
Turn off heat after few boils. Curry is ready to be served! :)

♥...Banana Pancakes, Eggless :)... ♥

2011-12-24T08:30:00.000+08:00

Let's breakfast with Banana Pancakes...add topping of your choice; maple syrup, caramel sauce, grilled banana, a scoop of ice cream or any fruits!

BANANA PANCAKES, Eggless by love2cook

Ingredients :~

1 1/2 cups plain flour ~ abt 180gm
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsps sugar ~ depends on the banana sweetness
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups fresh milk ~ abt 325ml
2 ripe bananas ~ mashed
margerine

Method :~

In a bowl, whisk together plain flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
Add milk gradually, keep whisking until it forms a smooth batter. (You may just blend these ingredients together).
Add mashed banana into the batter and mix.
Heat a nonstick pan with margerine. Scoop some batter and pour over the pan, cook awhile and turn over. Fry until it turns golden brown. Set aside.
Repeat till done and stack!
Ready to serve!

We had the pancakes topped with ice cream and grilled bananas.

I'm gonna have mine now! What about you??? ;)

Here's wishing my friends around the Globe!!!

♥...Chicken Fried Mayonnaise Sambal...♥

2011-12-16T09:06:00.001+08:00

A quick post for today!!!

CHICKEN FRIED MAYONNAISE SAMBAL by love2cook
(Ayam Goreng Sambal Mayonis)

Ingredients :~

(A) Marinade together

1 chicken ~ cut and cleaned
1 tsp coarse blackpepper
1 egg
salt

(B) For Sambal (blend together)

3/4 - 1 cup dried chilli paste
6 pcs shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
2 pcs candlenuts (buah keras)
1 inch fresh turmeric

Other ingredients:

2 onions ~ sliced
1/2 - 1 cup cornflour
2 tbsp mayonnaise
salt
sugar
water
oil

Cooking method :~

Marinade ingredients A for 15 minutes.
Coat chicken pieces in cornflour and deep fry in oil until golden brown. Set aside.
Heat oil, saute the blended paste until fragrant and oil parts. Add onion and stir.
Add sufficient water, sugar and salt. Allow to boil. Add in fried chicken pieces, mix well.
Let simmer for 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Add mayonnaise and mix evenly. Dish out.

Thanks for visiting :)

♥...Spicy Rolls (Popia Pedas)...♥

2011-12-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

A snack which topped my favourite snacks list recently. So easy to prepare, so easy to munch! Anytime, anywhere...

Wow...close to an ad right??? Haha. Okey friends, here's my short return to the bloggywood with a simple yet crunchy snack, made with fried spring roll sheets and anchovies sambal. You don't have much to do except for rolling the sheets one by one.

Recipe adapted from a lovely cook cum mother, Mas who blogs her food at Mas: Duniaku :)
Thank you Mas for sharing the wonderful recipe. Rasanya dah banyak kali Love bagitau kat Mas pasal popia pedas ni yang tak sempat nak snap kan. Hah...baru dapat chance!

Here's the recipe, translated. Please head over to Mas' blog for more!

SPICY ROLLS ( POPIA PEDAS ) by Mas

Ingredients :~

One pack of spring roll sheets ( I used the medium size )
1 egg ~ beaten OR form a glue paste using plain flour and water

Ingredients for sauce:

4 tbsp dried chilli paste
1 medium onion - ground
1 clove garlic - ground
dried shrimps - optional
salt to taste
1 cube anchovies stock
5 tbsp of sugar

Add-ons :~

anchovies ~ cleaned and washed
roasted peanuts ~ x add
roasted sesame seeds ~ x add

Preparation :~

Neatly roll each spring roll sheets, glue the ends with egg mixture or flour paste.
Using a scissor, cut each rolls oblique about 2inches long.
Deep fry in oil until light brown, remove and drain on paper towel.
Reduce oil, and saute the grounded paste and chilli untill fragrant. Add salt and anchovies stock cube, stir.
Add sugar and stir again, let the mixture thickens.
Turn off heat and put in the fried spring rolls, mix well evenly and add anchovies, peanuts and sesame seeds as desired.
Allow to cool and store into an airtight container. Happy Munching!!!!

Don't like the spicy version? Then try this...Fry the spring rolls as per recipe, then coat with icing sugar immediately. Enjoy! :)

♥...812 -> Rishie hits 7 !!!...♥

2011-12-08T14:00:00.000+08:00

Birthday celebration continues in my family this month too!!! It's none other than Rishie, our first bundle of joy, born on 8 December 2004, turne 7 today :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RISHIE!!!

MAY YOU STAY HEALTHY AND CHEERFUL!!!

WISH YOU EXCEL IN YOUR STUDIES AS ALWAYS!!!

LOVE YOU BABY.....

FROM PAPA, AMMA AND ASHIKA ;)

He's lucky coz Papa is around for his birthday this year and received his chosen birthday gift a day before.

Here are some shots of Rishie with his gifts. We'll be taking him and Ashika for an outing today, and a surprise cake tonight! :)

p/s: I hope to be back with my food posts soon, so pls stay tuned. Thank you for coming over :)

Rishie with his Bumble Bee mask :)

His Rally Racer...

See ya'll again!!! Take care and have a great day!!! ^____^

♥...Ashika's 3rd Birthday Celebration Pics...♥

2011-12-02T17:00:00.000+08:00

Hello and goodday to one and all...my cyber friends, readers, visitors and followers :)

Back again to share some pics from my daughter's birthday party!

We hosted a dinner party in conjunction with Ashika's 3rd Birthday at the Royal Gourmet, Premiere Hotel, Klang last Saturday, 26 November.

Themed Mickey and Minnie, the hall was beautifully decorated with Mickey and Minnie helium balloons. We also brought in Mickey and Minnie mascots together with Chee Chee Clown just to entertain the kids. As expected, the kids had loads of fun the whole evening. Can see so much joy in their eyes when they saw Mickey and Minnie, and more during Chee Chee's magical and game show. :)

Not forgetting, the cake is also a specially ordered 3D Mickey and Minnie!

Overall, the evening turned out a grand success with overwhelming crowd which we didn't expect at all. The food, catered by the hotel, also did not disappoint our guests. Felt so happy and satisfied when everyone complimented on the food. Was truly happy that we had the best team to work with, be it the decorators, music, cameramen, photographer and the hotel caterers :)

Here are few shots from total 300 pics photographed on the day. Thank you for viewing :)

The Premiere Hotel, Klang

Minnie Sign :)

The entrance to Royal Gourmet

Welcome by Mickey :)

Backdrop...

The whole stage!

VIP Table :)

Party packs !

Floating helium balloons :)

The 3D cake and cuppies...

Mickey Ice Carving

Ashika with my younger sister and niece :)

Shots of Ashika, in the room while waiting :)

Down the lift :)

Ashika making her grand entrance with Mickey and Minnie!

On the way to stage :)

Ashika with Minnie! She got a little nervous though...lol

Ashika with her Mommy and Brother :)

Poses from Mickey and Minnie :)

Shots of Chee Chee Clown with the kids :)

Ashika and the kids are enjoying to the max :)

Kids receiving party packs from Mickey and Minnie!

A dance number from Rishie :)

That's all for now! Thank you for viewing...;)

♥...1411 ~ Our Darling Ashika's 3rd Birthday...♥

2011-11-14T21:50:00.000+08:00

14 November 2011 marks Ashika's 3rd year since she was born to this world. An Angel who brought lots of happiness into our life, as a daughter, as a sister. Life is certainly colourless without her. Here's wishing her a Beautiful 3rd Birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET PIE ASHIKA!!!

WE LOVE YOU SO SO SO DEARLY.

HUGS AND KISSES FROM

PAPA, AMMA AND ANNE RISHIE!

Faces of Ashika just for all lovely aunties, uncles and friends out there ;)

Again, heartiest thank you to all of you for wishing Ashika on her birthday today. God Bless :)

♥...711 ~ It's My Birthday! & Corn Flakes Cookies :)...♥

2011-11-07T21:50:00.001+08:00

Hey, I turned 32 today! :D

Thanking everyone who've been wishing me through mails, FB and here! Thousands apologies for missing in action from Bloggywood! Sometimes I just feel like quitting but no heart to let all the efforts and time I spent on my blog go to waste. So, will be updating eventually, might not be regular though.

Thank God for giving me another birthday to be spent with my beloved kids. Hubby is in Angola, so missed his gifts! Lol! :)

Here! Corn Flakes cookies for you all. Enjoy and have a great time! God bless...

CORN FLAKES COOKIES

Ingredients :~

125gm butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
125gm self raising flour
1 1/2 cups corn flakes
additional corn flakes for coating ~ crushed
1/2 cup sultanas
chopped nuts ~ optional
chocolate chips ~ optional

Method :~

Beat butter and caster sugar till light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla essence. Beat well.
Fold in self raising flour, mix well using a spatula.
Mix in corn flakes and sultanas in the flour mixture.
Take 1 tsp of mixture, make a ball and roll over the crushed corn flakes. Place on greased tray.
Repeat until done, leaving space between each balls.
Bake until light brown for 15-20 minutes.
Cool baked cookies on wired rack, then place in airtight container. Done!!!

Sorry for the blurry image, taken in real rush last night :)))

♥...DIWALI WISHES FROM LOVE2COOK...♥

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000+08:00

WISHING OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, BLOGGERS, READERS, VISITORS, GUESTS AND RELATIVES;

HAPPY DIWALI!!!

MAY THE LIGHT OF FESTIVAL BRIGHTENS YOUR DAY AND YEAR AHEAD

HAVE A SAFE AND ENDLESS CELEBRATION

WISHES FROM: LOVE2COOK & FAMILY :)

♥...Almond Sugee Cookies...♥

2011-09-12T21:00:00.000+08:00

I suddenly felt like munching my most favourite biscuit...Sugee Cookies! Not wasting any time, I headed to the kitchen and started preparing. This time, I added some powdered almond into the mixture. There's nothing else I modified from my original recipe, except for additional sugar and ghee. See my original post on Sugee Cookies HERE.

You may also add chopped almond nuts.

ALMOND SUGEE COOKIES (BISKUT SUJI BADAM)

Ingredients :~

2 cups wheat flour (sifted)
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup powdered almond
7-8 tbsp ghee(room temperature)

Method:~

Mix flour, powdered almond and sugar. Add ghee spoon by spoon and form a soft dough.
Now, make balls and place them on baking tray, giving a little press with a fork. U may also use a cutter to make them into ur favourite shapes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 20 minutes. Leave it cool at room temperature. Done!

Btw, my Hubby reached home safely from Denmark yesterday and we'll be going for a holiday with our little ones for a week. So, till we meet again...do keep well and thanks for visiting my space!

If this is your first visit here, thank you very much for coming over! Please do leave your link and I'll visit you once back :)

BYE!!!

♥...Eggless Cake Brownie and Awards...♥

2011-09-09T21:30:00.000+08:00

Seeing you again on a beautiful Friday. This will mark my first post for the month of September. So sorry for not have visited your blogs lately...will try my best to make up as I'm pretty busy with other personal stuffs.

A thought to share my Eggless Cake Brownie made me return for awhile...;)

This basic brownie recipe is quite similar to my Triple Joy Brownies. Here, I've substituted eggs with buttermilk and baked a super moist eggless brownie. Not forgetting to mention that this is my second time baking it as my first attempt was a little disaster. The brownie broke into pieces while being tranferred from pan to rack. Yeah, I was not careful. But that did not stop us from enjoying the crumbed brownie...lol!

EGGLESS CAKE BROWNIE by love2cook

Ingredients:~

113gm butter
125gm dark chocolate, chopped
200gm fine granulated sugar ( add or less )
1 cup buttermilk ( I used Paul's brand )
50gm plain flour
40gm dutch processed cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
chopped walnuts

Method :~

Combine butter, dark chocolate and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until chocolate and butter melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature.
Add buttermilk and stir.
Gradually add mixture of flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Stir until well combined and mix in chopped walnuts.
Pour into a greased and lined rectangular tin, bake until done. ( I baked for 40mins at 170C)
Allow the brownie to cool before slicing. It's good to have warm too :)

As I was a little rushing, I sliced them before completely cool to serve my kids, who waited impatiently. They just enjoyed it warm. Such a satisfaction when they asked for more...especially my son who is a great food critic! It's not easy to get a good review from him...hahaha!

Remember, this is a super moist Eggless Cake Brownie...^____^

Still hot on the inside!

And, before I leave...I'd like to share couple of Awards I received from 2 wonderful bloggers! Thank you ladies for passing me the awards, truly honoured and I apologize for posting them late.

First award is from a newly found bloggerfriend, Umi Honey, who blogs her mouthwatering dishes, recipes with videos and thoughts at Umidishes :) Really glad to have found her through google. Thanks sis for the award!

Second award is from a friend who never fails to make you fall for her food and beverages. She is Ms Jayanthy from Tasty Appetite. Thanks Jay for keep sending me awards! :)

I'm taking this opportunity to pass the awards to all my friends in BLOGGYWOOD! Not gonna list a few and miss others. So everyone are welcomed to accept the awards from me :)

Thank you for accepting!

Have a Great Day!

♥...Eid Mubarak wishes and Devil's Food Chocolate Cake...♥

2011-08-28T18:30:00.000+08:00

Hari Raya is just near the corner and I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim blogging friends, readers, visitors, followers and silent readers, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri....Eid Mubarak!

Wish you all are having a great time preparing for the big day! To those leaving for hometowns, 'balik kampung' ...have a safe journey back to your loved ones.

Something for you all,

photo by: My Hubby ;)

Now moving to a deeeeeeeeeeelicious cake I made last week. Regret for not making this cake much earlier.

Bookmarked it from Kak Ayu's blog. I doubled the ingredients for the cake and followed the same quantity of ingredients for the cream cheese and chocolate ganache.

Check out the recipe! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

DEVIL'S FOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:- ( This is the original recipe, I doubled the cake part in blue )

For cake;

1 cup all purpose flour ( 2 cups )
1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder ( 1/2 cup )
3/4 tsp bicarbonate soda ( 1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt ( 1/2 tsp )
1/2 cup granulated sugar ( 1 cup )
1/2 brown sugar ( 1 cup )
65g butter ( 120gm)
1 large egg ( 2 eggs )
1 tsp vanilla extract ( 2 tsp )
1/4 cup buttermilk ( 1/2 cup )
1/2 cup warm water ( 1 cup )

Method:-

Set your oven at 170C
Prepare your cake tin.
Sieve flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate soda, salt, and set aside.
Beat butter with sugars until light and fluffy, add eggs.
When all well incorporated add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder etc) and alternate with liquid ingredients (buttermilk + warm water) in three portions, last incorporate the vanilla extract.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until just cooked.

Cream Cheese Frosting;

250g Philadelphia cheese
125 butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
juice of a squeezed slice of lemon

Beat the cheese and butter, just until creamy, add the icing sugar, vanilla and lemon juice.

Chocolate Ganache;

200ml double cream with at least 30% fat content-I used whippping cream
250g dark chocolate, chopped finely
a pinch of salt

In a double boiler, warm the cream until just at boiling point, add the chocolate & salt and stir. When the chocolate has melted, remove from heat and continue stirring until all well mixed.

Let the cake cool completely, spread the cream cheese frosting and pour the ganache on top.

WISH YOU A GREAT WEEKEND

♥...Anchovies & Quail Eggs Sambal...♥

2011-08-19T23:45:00.000+08:00

Another simplest dish from me. This is actually the first time I'm combining anchovies and quail eggs in a sambal, and it happened to be our dinner last night. I've posted my Prawn & Quail Egg Sambal before.

And the result...okey, I shouldn't be praising my own cooking. Asked my son ( my food critic after my Hubby ) said it's so tasty and delicious, that he kept asking for 2nd and 3rd helpings. That means, I passed the test...haha!

ANCHOVIES & QUAIL EGGS SAMBAL by love2cook

Ingredients :~

1 cup cleaned anchovies
15 pcs boiled and peeled quail eggs
1/4 cup dried chilli paste ( cili boh ) ~ I used super hot dried chillis
5 shallots ~ chopped
3 cloves garlic ~ chopped
1/2 inch ginger ~ chopped
1/4 tsp tamarind paste
water
salt to taste
sugar to taste
cooking oil

Method :~

Fry anchovies till crispy and keep aside.
Reduce oil and stir fry chopped garlic, shallots and ginger until fragrant.
Add chilli paste and stir for 5 - 10 minutes.
Add about 1/2 cup water and tamarind paste, salt and sugar.
Stir and let the gravy boil.
Once the gravy thickens to desired taste, add quail eggs and mix.
Lastly, add in the fried anchovies. Mix well together, allow to simmer and turn off heat.
Ready to be served with plain rice or nasi lemak :)

** The amt of dried chilli paste used depends on how spicy or less you want the sambal to be.
** As usual, I prefer thick sambal. Thus, I let the gravy boil and thickens.

Have a great weekend!

♥...Dry Chicken Rendang...♥

2011-08-16T22:18:00.001+08:00

Sorry friends, I'm going out in awhile...so not gonna write much today. Straight to the recipe...

DRY CHICKEN RENDANG by love2cook

Ingredients :~

1 whole chicken ~ cleaned and cut into medium size
3/4 tbsp turmeric powder
salt

Blend together
1 inch fresh turmeric
1/2 inch ginger
1 inch galangal
1 onion
6 shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 pcs candlenut (buah keras)
4 stalks lemongrass
10 pcs bird's eye chilli
_______________________________

1 pc screwpine leaf ( pandan ) ~ knotted
3/4 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2 slices tamarind pulps
1 large turmeric leaf ~ shredded
2-3 tbsp coconut paste (kerisik)
cooking oil
salt
sugar

Method :~

Mix chicken pieces with turmeric powder and salt. Deep fry in oil until 3/4 cooked. Set aside on a paper towel.
Stir fry blended paste and screwpine leaf until fragrant. Cook with lid covered for about 15 minutes over low flame. The longer the better. Stir once awhile.
Add coconut milk, water, tamarind pulp, salt and sugar. Let to boil for few times, over low flame.
Add shredded turmeric leaf.
Mix in the fried chicken, cook covered for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
Check for seasoning. Add coconut paste (kerisik). Mix together until gravy thickens.
Ready to be served.

* You may also add 4 tbsp dried chilli paste to the blended ingredients to make the rendang more spicy
* Rendang tastes really good if you saute the blended ingredients longer, especially if you add dried chilli paste in it.

Share your CHICKEN RECIPES on FACEBOOK :)

Thank you for reading,

♥...Whipped Cream Cake...♥

2011-08-13T23:30:00.000+08:00

I'm in the midst of clearing my bookmarked list again. This cake has been shared by famous cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum in her Rose's Heavenly Cakes book.

Recipe also available in her blog, Real Baking With Rose Levy Beranbaum. Check out her books on Amazon! I've included the video of Rose making the cake at the end of this post.

This particular cake has no butter but whipped cream and it tastes like a butter cake :)

The preparation is very simple, less hassle. Baking time is about 25-35 minutes. Use bundt pan for best result. Rose has advised to cool the cake completely but we had it warm coz none of us could wait to gobble the cake!

Here's the recipe, copied directly from Rose's blog. She has given a proper, detailed recipe and I don't wish to screw it up by editing. So, here you go!

WHIPPED CREAM CAKE by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Serves: 8 to 10

Batter Ingredients

Cake Flour or bleached all-purpose flour, sifted (2 1/4 cups cake flour or 2 cups all purpose--measured by sifting into the cup and leveling it off: 8 ounces/225 grams) ~ I used 225gm cake flour
Baking powder (2 teaspoons)
Salt (3/4 teaspooon) ~ I added 1/2 tsp only
Heavy cream, cold (1-1/2 cups/12.3 ounces/348 grams) ~ I used Paul's Thickened Cream
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Pure vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
Superfine sugar (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/8 ounces/225 grams)

Special Equipment

One 10-cup fluted metal tube pan, coated with baking spray with flour (Bundt Pan)

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C (350°F/175°C if using a dark pan).

Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt and then sift them together to make the mixture easier to incorporate.

Mix the Liquid Ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, whip the cream, starting on low speed, gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla just until lightly combined. On medium-high speed, gradually beat the egg mixture into the whipped cream. The mixture will thicken into mayonnaise consistency (unless high-butterfat cream is used). Gradually beat in the sugar. It should take about 30 seconds to incorporate it.

Make the Batter

Add half the flour mixture to the cream mixture and, with the whisk attachment stir and fold in the flour until most of it disappears.
Add the rest of the flour mixture and continue folding and mixing until all traces of flour have disappeared.
Using a silicone spatula or spoon, scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Run a small metal spatula or dull knife blade through the batter to prevent large air bubbles, avoiding the bottom of the pan. Smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula.

Bake the Cake

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted between the tube and the side comes out completely clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.

Cool and Unmold the Cake

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. With a small metal spatula, loosen the top edges of the cake and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Cool completely.
The cake requires no adornment, but I love to serve it with a light dusting of powdered sugar or a large dollop of lightly sweetened Whipped Cream (page 115). ~ I dusted with powdered sugar

Notes

Do not chill the bowl and beaters for the heavy cream because the eggs will not emulsify as readily if the whipped cream is too cold.
High-butterfat (40 percent) heavy cream produces a finer, more tender crumb. This cream is generally available only to bakeries and restaurants, but it is certainly worth asking your local baker to sell you a container.

Watch Rose in the making of Whipped Cream Cake on Youtube!

Wish You A Lovely Day...

♥...Puding Tauhu ( Tofu Pudding )...♥

2011-08-10T22:05:00.000+08:00

Don't get carried away with the title, this pudding has nothing to do with tofu or beancurd. :)

I guess the similarity of Tofu Fa or Tau Foo Fah's texture and smoothness made Kak Nor to title her dessert as such. This pudding is truly milky, guess why...b'coz it has mixture of coconut milk, evaporated and condensed milk. Serve the pudding chilled with fruits cocktail / lychees / any fruits! I forgot the whole world when scooping it!

Thank you Kak for a simple yet DELICIOUS dessert...yummmm! Here's the translated recipe for easy reference by all...

PUDING TAUHU ( Tofu Pudding ) by Kak Nor, SecubitGaram :)

Ingredients :~

1/2 packet agar-agar strips (18gm) ~ soaked and drained
1.5 litre water
1 cup thick coconut milk
1 small can condensed milk ( I had 230ml)
1 can evaporated milk
4 tbsps sugar ( I added 6 tbsps)
2 screwpine leaves ~ knotted

Method :~

In a separate bowl, combine coconut milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk. Leave aside.
In a bigger saucepan, bring to boil water and agar-agar strips until dissolved. Add sugar and screwpines leaves.
Add the milk mixture and stir until few boils. Turn off heat immediately.
Leave the mixture to lukewarm. Pour into prepare small glasses/ramekins/bowls/moulds.
Allow to cool before chilling until the pudding sets.
Add chilled fruits with some sugar syrup before serving.

* Kak Nor originally topped the pudding with lychees and sugar syrup, I used canned fruits cocktail and the syrup.

* I added drops of colouring to make the pudding more inviting, thanks Rishie for the idea!

Thank You for coming over...

♥...Fish Sambal with Coconut Paste (Sambal Ikan Berkerisik)...♥

2011-08-08T22:30:00.001+08:00

Seeing you all again on a bright Monday!

Fish sambal could be anyone's favourite, but have you tried adding coconut paste, kerisik in your fish sambal? If yes, you must have enjoyed it. If no, then do try adding it. :)

To make kerisik or coconut paste, you need 1 whole grated coconut. Toast in a small wok over low flame until it turns lighter brown. The aroma is to die for!

Leave to cool then blend until fine in a grinder. For best result, ground using mortar and pestle. This paste can be kept in fridge for some time. Can be added in chicken / mutton rendang and curry.

I've even added just the toasted coconut in my Banana Coconut Fritters HERE before!

Now here's the basic simple recipe of my Fish Sambal with Coconut Paste (Kerisik). You may exclude the coconut paste if you don't wish to add.

FISH SAMBAL WITH COCONUT PASTE ( Sambal Ikan Berkerisik )

Ingredients :~

6 fish blocks / steaks ( I used threadfins) ~ rub with 2 tsp turmeric powder and some salt
5 pcs shallots **
3 cloves garlic **
2 cm ginger **
1 pc candlenut ( buah keras ) **
2 cm shrimp paste ( belacan ) **
1/2 cup or more blended dried chilli paste
1 large onion ~ cut into rings
1 pc dried tamarind pulp / 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
sufficient water
salt to taste
sugar to taste
2 tbsp coconut paste ( kerisik )
cooking oil

Method :~

Blend together ingredients marked **.
Deep fry the fish blocks in oil until cooked. Set aside.
Stir fry the blended ingredients until fragrant and add dried chilli paste.
Cook for 10 minutes or until oil parts.
Stir in onion rings. Add water, tamarind, salt and sugar. Let the gravy to boil a few times.
Add coconut paste and mix. Check for salt.
Add fried fish blocks in the sambal. Mix evenly until fish is well coated with the sambal.
Dish out, serve with plain rice!

Thanks for being here, have fun and keep well! Cheers :)

♥...Go Blues...Go Bees...♥

2011-08-06T09:10:00.002+08:00

I know I've been missing from blog quite awhile. Most of you are aware that I'll be like a chipsmore when Hubby is in town...hehe!

First and foremost, let me wish my dear Muslim friends and readers a blessed Eid Mubarak. Happy Fasting :)

No food post for today...but on Chelsea FC vs Malaysia! I know it's kinda late update, seriously I had no time to spare but still wanna record the special day in my blog...hehe!

Glad to share some pics shot by my Hubby during Chelsea FC's recent Asia Tour to Malaysia. (He bought a new lens just for the show!!!) Chelsea FC faced Malaysian team on 21st July 2011 at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Hubby, being a hardcore fan of Chelsea FC bought the grandstand front row ticket soon after ticket sales announced, that was 2 months before the game. I know he was truly happy to see his most favourite stars live in action! He always amazed by saying every player's names. Not only Chelsea players but other clubs too...haha :)

He too never miss the opportunity to witness his stars live training on 19th July. Our son, Rishie, a Chelsea fan in the making went along to the training session.

Here are few photos from hundreds of pics taken on both the training and match day...hehe!

Won't be able to post all here...:)

Rishie :)

Stamford Lion Mascot ...

Drogba...Hubby's Top Fav!

Torres...

Terry...

Terry, Kalou and Drogba...

Terry...

Torres in action....

The crowd...

Super Franky Lampard!!! :)

Again...Drogba :)

Anelka...

Gotcha!!! Someone's Arsenal Jersey being stripped off!

Well done Chelsea FC and Malaysian Team!

Okey, now moving on to the Bees!!!! Happened last Sunday...once we returned home from a vacation.

A huge colony of bees were making our shoe cabinet their new home. Rishie opened the cabinet and ran inside the house saying he got bitten by an insect and there were lots of them near the cabinet. I immediately shut the main door, looked outside the house and saw bees!!!

In just a blink of the eye, they started flying throughout our porch, gazebo and side walkway. We were so shocked to see hundreds of them! Nothing but bees roaming outside the house! Such a nightmare...

They flew back to the shoe cabinet after 10 minutes of roaming.

Thank God, Rishie was alright as no stinger left. Just the sting mark and little swelling, that too disappeared the next day.

Hubby quickly called Bomba (Fire Brigade) for help as other pest control companies were closed on Sunday. They informed us not to go out from the house and that they could only come over in the night. This is because the bees will be inactive in the dark. We also kept enough bottles of aerosols for them.

We stayed inside until the Bomba team from Sri Andalas, Klang arrived in their brigade vehicle around 9:45pm. There were about 5-6 of them. The bees, not at all aware of the surroundings, end up killed in the mission. Pity, but nothing else could be done for ours and neighbourhood safety.

Once the fire brigade left, we cleaned up the entire cabinet just to ensure no more bees. Hubby worked the most as I was feeling little uncomfortable after seeing the bees. Just felt like something bugging me all the time....lol!

Anyways, we'd like to thank Pasukan Bomba dan Penyelamat Sri Andalas, Klang for their time and quick action in getting rid the bees colony. TERIMA KASIH!!!

Unfortunately, we couldn't snap any pics during the mission as we had to stay inside the house with all doors and windows closed. This only picture was taken from quite a distance by Hubby in the evening.

Gosh!!!! How dare you all came to our shoe cabinet!!! Hehehehe :)

Thank God nothing happened to our boy.
Can't imagine how it would have been if he got stung by more bees.
Luckily he was fast enough to run inside the house.

Thanks for being here, have a wonderful day!

♥...Sicilian Orange Cake...Again!...♥

2011-07-19T18:45:00.000+08:00

Hi and welcome to Love2cook's space! ;)

Anyone there looking for me? Sorry...I'm like a chipsmore now as Hubby is in town and we spend time mostly outdoor.

Hardly have time to blog and therefore I'm sharing yet again the Sicilian Orange Cake I posted HERE before. Like I said in my previous entry on the cake, this cake would be the best orange butter cake we've had and I love baking it. Whole kitchen smells really good!

I bought a bundt pan at Jusco yesterday and wanted to use it immediately. So, here's the Sicilian Orange Cake...again! I did not make the icing this time...as the cake alone was too good!

Do try the cake friends, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Okey friends, come join us for some cake now...have fun and keep well!

SICILIAN ORANGE CAKE (adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)
Source ~ Ellie from Almost Bourdain

Ingredients :~

250 g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
250 g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
250 g self raising flour
85 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

For the icing:

125 g icing sugar
5 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Method :~

Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and line a 22-cm clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper.
Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.
Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.
For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and leave to set. Serve cut into slices, and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

♥...My Giveaway Winners Announcement!!!...♥

2011-07-07T17:10:00.000+08:00

I'm so happy and thrilled to announce the 2 lucky winners of my recent Giveaway! Winners chosen via a draw on random.org.

And they are....

ROSMARLINA BINTI ABD GANI

@JINTANMANIS.COM

SONIA@NASILEMAKLOVER

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS AND HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!!!

WINNERS KINDLY EMAIL ME YOUR MAILING ADDRESS AND CONTACT NUMBER TO love2cook.msia@gmail.com

Updated list of participants joined my GA as at July 3rd
(with follower and FB id)

Kitchen Flavours
Priti Singh
Azatiesayang / kak yang
Azura Rahman
Intan Berlian
Sonia
Krishnaveny
QueenPink
Dayang Jack
Meoww Cat / Izzara Itazzi
Mimieloma
Cekodok
Ita
Anim Seran
Mysweetlove Aisya / Ayuerazak
Baby_Wanie / Nurul Syazwani
Cynmaine's Mum
Nana / Fauzana Ismail
Jieda
Tiefazatie
Cempaka Kuning / Norzie Hany
Cute Mum / Nurul Dania
Mama Shifa / Mimie Shifa
Amirah Azhar
Anin / Ummu Syahmi Anin
Deqlis / Ellismelia Mohamad
Sah_Banu / Sahbanu Osman
Ibu Ayra / Rosfariedzah Rusli
Eb_Ezrin
Chaleeda
Tukang Cerita / Cik Emma
Michelle Anastasia Vincent
Fazdillah Kamarudin
Rosmarlina
Puan Nina
Izzaty Hedry
Mama Zharfan / Suzi Fadhilah
Peacenownhereafter
Cma Shiema
Jamilah Jaa
Fieda / Rafidah Salleh
Umiliza989
Sriya
Tanushri
Joanna Esther Nayagam
Anne B
Ucu Faridah
Umi Nazirah / Siti Khairiah
Apash
Ak Yuyunz
Coklat Lovers
Praba Shanmugam
Ibunda's Delight
Sharmimi
Bambam
Muhammad Syahmi
Mariah_smile
Fara anak Abah
Chocolate Gal
Sreethinisree
Suzlin
Shruthi Vanee
CikPuanHady
Aarthi
Nea Flerida

♥...Tofu in Yoghurt Curry...♥

2011-07-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who joined my recent Giveaway! The GA which closed yesterday, 3rd July 12:00 midnight, received a total of 65 entries. A number that I did not expect at all!!!

A draw via random.org will be held in few days time and watch out this space for the winners announcement soon after!

Okay, back to today's post title. Tofu is one of my most favourite and I love to eat them fried, steamed, in sambal etc etc. This time, in a curry...that too a yoghurt curry. Perfect with plain rice.

TOFU IN YOGHURT CURRY by love2cook

Ingredients :~

3 nos firm tofu ~ cut each into triangle
1/4 tsp mixed spices (cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds)
2 cloves garlic ~ chopped
1 cm ginger ~ chopped
1 onions ~ sliced
2 green chillies ~ sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
1 large potato
1 carrot ~ cut lengthwise
1 large tomato ~ cut 4
1 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tbsp fish curry powder
3 tbsp yoghurt
700ml water (depends on gravy thickness you desire)
salt

Method :~

Fry tofus until all sides turned lighter brown. Sprinkle some salt over tofus once you place them in oil. Set aside the fried tofus.
Keep abt 4 tbsp oil in wok and saute the mixed spices. Add garlic, ginger, onion, green chillis and curry leaves. Stir awhile and add potatoes.
Add water, chilli powder, curry powder and salt. Cover lid and let boil for few minutes or until potatoes cooked.
Add carrots and tomatoes. Allow to boil few times and add yoghurt, mix.
Lastly, add the fried tofu and mix well. Check for salt. Dish out...

♥...Love2cook Malaysia turns 2 & A Giveaway!...GA CLOSED!!! ♥

2011-07-04T00:00:00.000+08:00

THIS IS A STICKY POST, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR OTHER LATEST!!!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED ON 3RD JULY, 12 MIDNIGHT!!! THANK YOU!!!

4th June 2009, the day I started http://love2cook-msia.blogspot.com. And today 4th June 2011 marks it's 2nd Blogoversary with total 391 posts. Well, it could have been more if I never take breaks here and there, haha...

So, what made me to blog and that too on food? Honestly, I started cooking quite late after marriage. I never had the interest in cooking and always give excuses to mum about oil splashing, time consuming etc etc about cooking. After marriage, I cook just to fill the tummy. Still remember my rice turned into porridge, chicken and fishes sticked to pan while frying...:)

Luckily, I had only one person to critic on my food at that time and he happens to be my Hubby, my backbone all these while. His honest views and comments helped me alot to improve and slowly built the skills and interest in me. He too sometimes rocks in the kitchen, cooking his favourite dishes for us. He'll make cooking a real fun thing to do. Now my son and daughter are good critics too! ;)

Finally, I started cooking little often, trying new recipes from the net and cookbooks. I called my Mum almost everyday to ask for her recipes with additional queries. I actually started the basic from her dishes.

I then surfed the net and tried other's recipes from a cooking portal, Myresipi.com. I too posted my dishes there. It's the point where I found most of my Malay bloggy friends and in touch with them until now. ;)

Then came the idea of a blog. I discussed with Hubby on my intention to open a food blog and given green signal straightaway! I created my blog, did whatever needed, played with html, layouts etc etc and finally, a blog is done!

I enjoyed changing layouts and headers of my blog until I stayed on the current one for past 8 months. Learning html codes and other widgets are also interesting.

Other than food matters, I too blog on my kids. I know it has been long time since they made their special appearance here. They too very busy like Mummy! ;)

What do I get by blogging? A Circle of friends, knowledge, information and satisfaction! So happy and satisfied seeing others trying my recipes and giving good comments and compliments! I learnt so much from my cyrberfriends who are great cooks. As the saying "Sharing is Caring" was very true in my case. Every blogger willingly shared their tips and lots of info with me.

Being a homestay Mum, blogging has really occupied my time well. Especially when I have absolutely nothing to do. Yup, family is first for me, blog is next. That's why you don't see updates from me at times.

Anyways, I'd take this opportunity to thank all my friends, readers, bloggers, followers and commentors for your support these 2 years!

I'd like to reward you for your support thus announcing a Giveaway in conjunction with my Blog's 2nd Birthday.

WINNERS WILL RECEIVE A BOX FULL OF GOODIES FROM

LOVE2COOK MALAYSIA ^____^

Simple T&C applies;

The Giveaway is open to bloggers and readers residing in Malaysia only.
Be my blog's Public Follower via Google Friend Connect (located under my blog header).
"Like" my FB Page LOVE2COOK MALAYSIA (if you have a Facebook account).
Leave your name together with your blog link (if you have) at the comment space under this post. Mention 'Join' if you are interested. (pls do not repeat your entries).
Send in your entry by 3rd July 2011, 12:00 midnight Malaysian time.
2 winners will be announced after a draw via random.org.
Winners to contact me via email providing name, mailing address and contact number within a week from date announced. Failing to do so, another winner will be chosen.

That's so simple na! So gear up, send in your entries! Will you be one of the lucky 2 winners???

I shall be updating the list of participants from time to time here.

Updated list of participants joining my GA as at July 3rd
(with follower and FB id)

Kitchen Flavours
Priti Singh
Azatiesayang / kak yang
Azura Rahman
Intan Berlian
Sonia
Krishnaveny
QueenPink
Dayang Jack
Meoww Cat / Izzara Itazzi
Mimieloma
Cekodok
Ita
Anim Seran
Mysweetlove Aisya / Ayuerazak
Baby_Wanie / Nurul Syazwani
Cynmaine's Mum
Nana / Fauzana Ismail
Jieda
Tiefazatie
Cempaka Kuning / Norzie Hany
Cute Mum / Nurul Dania
Mama Shifa / Mimie Shifa
Amirah Azhar
Anin / Ummu Syahmi Anin
Deqlis / Ellismelia Mohamad
Sah_Banu / Sahbanu Osman
Ibu Ayra / Rosfariedzah Rusli
Eb_Ezrin
Chaleeda
Tukang Cerita / Cik Emma
Michelle Anastasia Vincent
Fazdillah Kamarudin
Rosmarlina
Puan Nina
Izzaty Hedry
Mama Zharfan / Suzi Fadhilah
Peacenownhereafter
Cma Shiema
Jamilah Jaa
Fieda / Rafidah Salleh
Umiliza989
Sriya
Tanushri
Joanna Esther Nayagam
Anne B
Ucu Faridah
Umi Nazirah / Siti Khairiah
Apash
Ak Yuyunz
Coklat Lovers
Praba Shanmugam
Ibunda's Delight
Sharmimi
Bambam
Muhammad Syahmi
Mariah_smile
Fara anak Abah
Chocolate Gal
Sreethinisree
Suzlin
Shruthi Vanee
CikPuanHady
Aarthi
Nea Flerida

♥...Ayam Seri Harum / Fragrant Chicken...♥

2011-06-29T23:30:00.000+08:00

Synonym to the title, this chicken dish is truly a fragrant and aromatic one. Thanks a ton to Kak Nor of Secubitgaram for this wonderful recipe...you made my day kak! Was scratching my head on what to cook today as it's been raining since morning. I felt like having something really spicy too...like curry mee! Slurrpppppppp...unfortunately not!

Having every ingredient as required in the recipe, I finalized on this chicken for today's menu. As for the kaffir lime leaf, I used only one piece, coz my tummy usually don't feel good if I have any food with the leaf...not sure why though.

I added bird's eye chillis to make the gravy more spicier.

Kak Nor, this recipe is sure a keeper for me! I loved it...so do my kids! We had it with plain rice and raita. Really it's so delicious..2 thumbs up!!!

Okey, let's check out the yummy recipe.

AYAM SERI HARUM / FRAGRANT CHICKEN
by KakNor, Secubitgaram

Ingredients :~

3 / 4 chicken ~ cut free form
1 / 2 tsp salt
1 / 2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tablespoons ~ dried chilli paste
1 large onion *
3 red onion *
3 cloves garlic *
1 inch ginger *
1 inch fresh turmeric * (blend together ingredients marked * )
2 stalks lemon grass ~ slightly crushed
1 / 2 cup thick coconut milk
1 cup water
3 pcs dried tamarind slices ( I added 1 pc only )
3 pcs kaffir lime leaves ~ shredded ( I added 1 pc only )
7 nos bird's eye chillis ~ slightly crushed ( my addition )
1 / 2 cube chicken stock
salt and sugar to taste
cooking oil

Method:~

Mix the chicken with salt and turmeric powder. Fry until half-cooked, remove and set aside. Saute chilli paste, add lemongrass and bird's eye chilli, stir awhile.
Add in the blended ingredients and stir until aromatic and oil parts.
Add coconut milk, water and tamarind slices.
Bring the gravy to few boils. Add chicken, lime leaves, salt, sugar and chicken stock cube.
Cook until gravy thickens or as you preferred. ( I didn't make it dry ).
Dish out and ready to be served with rice!

♥...Easy Chocolate Milk Pudding...♥

2011-06-27T23:45:00.002+08:00

Of late, I've been receiving lots of comments complimenting my easy to-do recipes. Many readers of mine thanked me for posting easy peasy dishes, which helped them alot in cooking despite their busiest schedule. Some even asked how do I come up with easy recipes. Some say I helped to boost their interest in cooking.

OWH WOW!!! Really, am so happy to hear these...

My heartfelt thank you for all your encouragements. Yes, I prefer preparing easiest yet delicious dishes for my family. I'd always think of a dish that can be prepared in less time...mind does the job all the time, hehe! I write recipes keeping in mind to serve all level of people. If it helps the newbies who just started cooking, there's no better joy than that. Simply becoz I was a newbie too...

Remember, I do constant trials...with passes and many failures!

When I'm about to bookmark a recipe, I first drool at the dishes presentated, then analyse the ingredients and time consumed in preparing the dish. Not that I'm so busy, but I need to spare time accordingly eventhough I'm a homestay Mum. Sometimes laziness...hahahahaha! (Okey, that's the truth!)

Alright, enough said...let's move on to an easy dessert from me. :)

EASY CHOCOLATE MILK PUDDING by love2cook

Ingredients :~

1000ml chocolate flavoured milk
10gm agar-agar powder
3 tbsps sugar
3 tbsps heavy cream
1 tbsp chocolate paste / emulco

Method :~

In a pot, bring to boil milk, agar-agar powder and sugar until dissolved. Stir constantly.
Add heavy cream and chocolate paste. Continue stirring for 3 minutes.
Pour the mixture into moulds. Cool at room temperature first and chill in refrigerator until set.

For variations :~
a) Use Strawberry flavoured milk and add strawberry paste. Or any other flavoured milk.
b) Put only 5gm agar-agar powder if you prefer the scoop type soft pudding.
c) Make a layered pudding using flavoured milk and fresh milk.

It's all up to you...now join us! Enjoy your day!!! ;)

Sending my pudding to SpicyTasty's Quick and Easy Recipe Mela

♥...Prawn & Quail Egg Sambal and Nasi Lemak...♥

2011-06-25T23:30:00.009+08:00

Son requested Nasi Lemak for lunch...guess he's aware that Mummy never made it quite some time. Used to have Nasi Lemak atleast twice a month with anchovies sambal / chicken sambal / prawn sambal at home.

Today, it's prawn & quail egg sambal. Here's the recipe...

PRAWN & QUAIL EGG SAMBAL by love2cook

Ingredients :~

1 kg large prawns ~ clean and shelled
15 pcs quail eggs ~ boiled and shelled
3 shallots **
4 cloves garlic **
1 medium sized onion **
2 inches ginger **
2 stalks lemongrass **
1 cm shrimp paste (belacan) **
2 tbsp cleaned anchovies ~ soaked in water for 5 minutes **
10 - 15 pcs dried chilli ~ soaked in hot boiling water for 5 minutes **
5 pcs bird's eye chilli (optional) **
salt
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
water ~ about 1 cup
cooking oil

Method :~

Blend all ingredients marked ** until it forms a paste. Add little water if needed.
Add 1 tsp salt to prawn, mix and keep aside for 10 minutes. Fry prawns in oil until half cooked and drain on paper towel.
Stir fry blended paste until fragrant and oil parts. Stir gradually.
Add water and allow the gravy to boil. Add tamarind paste and salt. Boil again.
Mix in the fried prawns and quail eggs. Mix together and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Check for seasoning. Dish out and serve.

Our Nasi Lemak set...Coconut Rice, Prawn & Quail Egg Sambal, Cucumbers and Fried Anchovies...:)

Shots taken in real hurry coz The Cook's tummy started making noises...hahahaha! As usual only the gravy for me. Would like to join us?

Thank you for being here and have a great weekend!

♥...Mayonnaise Saucy Chicken...♥

2011-06-23T14:30:00.002+08:00

Experiments with frequent trial and errors make good cooks. I'm thriving to be one, so thus the endless learning in cooking field.

This time, I experimented chicken and mayonnaise. Hahahaha, sorry for posting another chicken dish so soon! None can deny my love towards chicken! :)

An idea struck me when I was preparing Hot & Spicy Mayonnaise Prawn Fry recently. The combination of sauces and mayonnaise with fried chicken, did it's magic actually. Prepared specially for the kids, non-spicy

Received good comment and compliments from my son, who is currently my food tester (Hubby away in Canada). Personally, I too liked the creamy chicken. Something different than the usual spiced fried chickens I make. I'm sure this is not the end, as I'll be coming out with another experiment real soon!

For now, sharing with you the first one... simple but a satisfaction for sure, I hope the same with you too! (with crossed fingers) ;)

MAYONNAISE SAUCY CHICKEN by love2cook

Ingredients :~

1 whole chicken ~ cut free form
2 eggs
1 tsp coarse blackpepper
salt
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cornflour

for the sauce

3 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp sweet & sour sauce ( may sub with tomato ketchup )
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce (optional)
4 tbsp mayonnaise

cooking oil to fry
1 tbsp olive oil for sauce

Method :~

Clean chicken, pat dry with paper towel.
Beat eggs in a bowl. Mix in blackpepper, salt, flour and cornstarch.
Add chicken pieces in and rub thoroughly with the egg mixture. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Deep fry the chicken pieces until cooked. Drain on a paper towel.
Now make the sauce. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add all sauces except for mayonnaise. Stir and add in the fried chicken pieces, mix. Turn off the heat.
Add mayonnaise to the chicken, mix and coat well. Dish out immediately and ready to be served.

Best eaten whilst still hot!!!

So, what's your verdict??? ^____^

♥...Quick Tofu Fa with Lychees...♥

2011-06-21T21:25:00.003+08:00

Reposting my Quick Tofu Fa, which I've shared with you HERE before. Often sold in pasar malam (night markets), this is one dessert liked by almost everyone. As you know, it's made from soybean. Check WIKI for more info on this mouthwatering dessert...

I used smooth tofu rather than making it as per actual procedure. Hehehe...it's called the lazy version of mine...but a quick one though! Of course it don't taste as the authentic tofu fa, but it's good enough for me when I crave for it...

This time round, I steamed the smooth tofu, let it cool first and added chilled can lychee syrup and fruits.

Don't forget to drain excessive water from the tofu before adding the sugar syrup. You may sub with any other fruits that you prefer...

QUICK TOFU FA WITH LYCHEES

Steam Smooth Tofu for 10-15 minutes.
Drain excessive water emerged from the tofu. Leave the tofu to cool. Scoop few slices gently and fill into individual serving bowl.
Add chilled lychee fruits and sugar syrup. Done!

(You may have it with plain or palm sugar syrup like the original)

Missed my kids latest pictures? Check out my earlier entry...

RISHIE & ASHIKA

I'm happily sending this quick dessert to SpicyTasty's Quick and Easy Recipe Mela

(i) No. of servings :~ 3 pax
(ii) Preparation time :~ 15 minutes
(iii) Spice level (rating out of 5) :~ 0

♥...HappY Father's DaY from Rishie & Ashika...♥

2011-06-19T18:00:00.001+08:00

YES, WE ARE BACK!!!

Hello uncles, aunties and friends... near and far ones!!! How are you??? Been sometime since we last met! Hope all of you are doing good with beloved family.

Many has asked Amma about us through comments and emails. That's so sweet of you alls. Thus, we decided to make a comeback with our latest shots. Not many actually...but enough to show you how we look like now. Errr...hoping you are interested! hik hik hik...

And before that, it's Father's Day worldwide...

"So here wishing our dearest Papa a wonderful Father's Day!!!

We are missing you so much Papa...wish you could be here now!

Return soon from Canada...we celebrate, k!"

Our wishes goes to all Fathers out there too. Enjoy the day with your lovely family...

Ok, you may start checking out our pics now...hihi :)

Ok, gotto go!!! Take care & till we meet again, kisses to all of you!

Adioz from Rishie and Ashika ♥♥...

p/s: Shots are mostly from Amma's handphone :)

♥...Sticky Caramel Chicken Drumsticks (Fried Version)...♥

2011-06-17T21:05:00.001+08:00

Original recipe says Sticky Caramel Chicken Wings. Since I used drumsticks, the title has been renamed.

To suit my kids' taste buds, I fried the chicken drumsticks before making the sauce. ( Original recipe: Cook chicken in the sauce, covered with lid, leaving the mixture to boil and thickens).

Posted my Mutiarazura in Myresipi.com, this recipe has become a real hit among bloggers and non-bloggers. Finally it hits my kitchen too...

Check out the recipe, with some modification.

STICKY CARAMEL CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

(Fried Version)

adapted from Mutiarazura's Sticky Caramel Chicken Wings

Ingredients :~

(A)

4 pcs chicken drumsticks
1 egg ~ beaten
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt
1/2 tsp coarse blackpepper

(B) for the sauce :~

3 cloves garlic - minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 / 4 cup (60ml) honey
cooking oil

Method :~

Marinate chicken drumsticks with all ingredients in (A) for 30 minutes.
Deep fry chicken drumsticks in oil until cooked. Drain on paper towel.
Heat 2 tbsps of oil in wok, stir fry ginger and garlic. Add all sauces and honey.
Stir over low heat and let the mixture boil.
Add in fried chicken pieces and mix thoroughly until the chicken coats well with the sauce. Leave for few minutes and turn off heat. Serve hot!

* I sprinkled some toasted sesame over the chicken before serving.

♥...Boiled Egg Sambal...♥

2011-06-15T23:45:00.003+08:00

When the mood swings away, when the body feels like resting as much as it can...(simple term :lazy), this is how I'll cook. Surprisingly my son and daughter especially, enjoys the dish with plain rice.

The eggs are boiled, peeled and fried prior to making of the sambal. Just boiled eggs are okey too! May also substitute with normal fried eggs or omelettes.

BOILED EGG SAMBAL by love2cook
(i) No. of servings :~ 3 pax
(ii) Preparation time :~ 30 minutes
(iii) Spice level (rating out of 5) :~ 4

Ingredients :~

3 eggs ~ boiled and peeled
3 shallots *
1/4 cup cleaned anchovies * ~ soaked in water for 5 minutes ( *pound together, just coarse)
1 small sized onion ~ diced
3 dried chillis ~ halved
1 tbsp chilli powder ( add more if you want spicier )
1 cup water ( reduce if you want thicker gravy )
salt

Method :~

Heat oil in wok and fry the boiled eggs until golden. (You may skip this). Leave aside.
Reduce oil and stir fry pounded shallots and anchovies until it turns light brown.
Add onion and dried chillis. Stir for few minutes and add water.
Add chilli powder and salt. Let the gravy boil for few times and thickens a little.
Place the eggs in and mix well. Ready to serve!

Now, isn't that simple??? ^___^

Sending this quick and easy Boiled Egg Sambal to SpicyTasty's
Quick and Easy Recipe Mela

(i) No. of servings :~ 3 pax
(ii) Preparation time :~ 30 minutes
(iii) Spice level (rating out of 5) :~ 4

♥...Light Cheese Cake...♥

2011-06-13T23:45:00.000+08:00

My Sunday morning project! Light Cheese Cake as it's named by my dear friend, Hasue! A great cook and baker with lovely kids, writer of Hasue : I Love My Life.

Haaah Sue, ni dia my version of your cake! Memang sedap weiiiiii!!! Sedap sampai jilat garfu...thanks for sharing ya! Allow me to spread the recipe to others here...thanks again my friend!

Hasue shared some tips and pictorial steps on the making of this cake HERE!

LIGHT CHEESE CAKE by Hasue

Ingredients :~ 8" pan ( I used a loaf pan )

• 125gm cream cheese (add up to 150gm if you prefer more cheesy )
• 300ml fresh milk
• 80gm butter or margerine ( I used butter )
• 80gm plain flour
• 80gm refined sugar
• 3nos A sized eggs ~ separate egg yolks and egg white

• few drops of vanilla essence / lemon juice ( I added lemon juice )

Method :~

Heat up fresh milk in a saucepan and add cream cheese. Stir constantly using a hand whisk until cream cheese melted. Add the butter / margarine, stir until melted, turn off heat and set aside.
Beat egg whites with sugar until a stiff peak is formed.
In the larger bowl, beat egg yolks until fluffy. Add cheese mixture and stir.
Sift in flour gradually and beat again using low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed and stir slowly using a hand whisk.
Finally fold in the beaten egg white until well combined.
Pour mixture into greased and lined cake pan. Place the cake pan in another pan containing hot water.
Bake at 160C for 45 minutes (or until done) using steam bath method.

Note :
You may sprinkle some almond nibs/flakes or grated cheddar cheese over the cake mixture before placing it in the oven.
You may substiture fresh milk with chocolate or strawberry flavoured milk.

The result ??? A truly soft and light cheese cake is done! Ooooo yummyyyyyy.... ^___^

I managed to save few slices for a photo session. That too vanished soon after..

Join my Giveaway HERE!!!!

♥...Hot & Spicy Mayonnaise Prawn Fry...♥

2011-06-11T23:45:00.001+08:00

This was one of our lunch menu today. I've actually quit eating prawn but still cook it for my dear family who really loves seafood unlike me. I don't really fancy seafoods except for fried fishes. My Hubby and son can eat prawn and crab anytime. For me, the gravy alone is enough.

Here's another prawn dish from my kitchen. My son enjoys it, though it's little spicy due to addition of bird's eye chilli.

A simple and quick prawn dish which will make you go for second and third helping. Haha ;)

HOT & SPICY MAYONNAISE PRAWN FRY by love2cook

Ingredients :~

(A)

1 kg large prawn ~ skinned & veined, leave the tail intact
1 egg ~ beaten
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt

(B)

2 cm ginger ~ chopped
5 lemongrass stalks ~ sliced lengthwise
10 - 15 nos bird's eye chilli ~ chopped ( reduce or add as you wish )
3 - 4 tbsp chilli sauce / Thai chilli sauce
1 tsp sweet soy sauce
1/2 cup water
salt
1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
cooking oil

Method :~

In a bowl, mix together ingredients (A) and let to marinate for 15 minutes.
Fry the marinated prawn in oil until golden. Drain on a separate plate.
Reduce oil, stir fry ginger and lemongrass until fragrant. Add bird's eye chilli and mix.
Add chilli sauce and sweet soy sauce, stir. Add water and salt, let the gravy boil.
Mix in the fried prawns.
Quickly add mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. Ready to serve. ;)

Best eaten Hot!!!!

Happy Weekend and Take Care!!!

Psst...Are you in Malaysia? Don't forget to join my 2nd Blogoversary Giveaway HERE!!!

♥...Chicken Perattal / Indian Style Chicken Stir Fry...♥

2011-05-31T23:30:00.000+08:00

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo everyone! How you all been?

Well, it has been quite some time since I blogged! I was extremely busy with family and other things, and now fallen sick. Still recovering here, home rest!

Presenting you a chicken dish from my very own kitchen. Argghhh yeah, chicken and me are close enemies!!! I enjoy eating them anytime...hahaha!

This is just another version of my Indian Style Chicken Stir Fry, rich with spices. Do give it a try and enjoy!

CHICKEN PERATTAL

Ingredients :~

To blend dry or with little water
5 pcs shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
3 stalks lemongrass
1/2 inch fresh turmeric
1 inch galangal
-------------------------------

1 whole chicken ~ cleaned and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt
-------------------------------

1 pc cinnamon stick
2 pcs cardamom
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion ~ sliced
2 pcs green chillis ~ sliced
1 stalk curry leaves
1 pc dried bay leaf
1 1/2 tbsp meat curry powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
salt to taste
little water
cooking oil

Method :~

In a bowl, mix chicken pieces with turmeric powder and salt. Let it marinate for 15 minutes and deep fry until golden brown. Set aside.
Reduce oil in wok and saute cinnamon stick, cardamom and cumin until fragrant. Add sliced onion, green chillis, curry and bay leaf. Keep stirring.
Add blended paste and stir for 5 minutes. Add in curry and chilli powder. Add salt.
Mix thoroughly and add some water according to the thickness you preferred.
Let the gravy boil for few times. Add fried chicken pieces and keep stirring for almost 10-15 minutes until the spices mixed well and the gravy becomes dryer. Check for salt.
Done, ready to serve.

p/s : You may add 1/4 cup of thick coconut milk to make the dish more creamier.

♥...The Most Fabulous Banana Cake...♥

2011-05-06T22:30:00.000+08:00

This is one cake I've baked more than 5 times! No doubt it is one of our favourite banana cake ever...

Recipe originally adapted from Belinda Jeffrey's Mix and Bake book and I got it from Divya's yummy blog.

THE MOST FABULOUS BANANA CAKE by Belinda Jeffrey
source : Divya Easycooking

Ingredients :~

110gm plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 very ripe large banana (about 1/2 to 3/4 cups when mashed) ~ I used 2 bananas
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter
50ml sour cream (or buttermilk as in original recipe) ~ I used buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method :~

In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Mash the banana with a fork. Make sure the banana is really ripe.
Beat sugar and egg, add mashed banana. Then add butter and beat for another minute until the mixture is thick and creamy.
Next, add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and beat until just blended.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and fold until just blended. Don't overdo the mixing part.
Pour into greased pan and smooth out the top layer evenly.
Bake at 180C for about 40 mins or until the top turns golden brown and the cake passes the skewer test. Remove and let cool completely.

♥...Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Cake...♥

2011-05-02T08:00:00.011+08:00

My son asked for a chocolate cake, but I so wanted to bake this marble cake after seeing Namitha's. Somehow managed to convince him that I gonna bake a cake with lots of chocolate flavours in it.

Not to disappoint him, I added cocoa in half of the batter. Please don't ask me where the marble disappeared...hahaha! Truly soft and delicious cake, do try it...no regrets.

VANILLA & CHOCOLATE MARBLE CAKE adapted from Martha Stewart and Archana Thomas.

Ingredients :~

113gm unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups cake flour (may sub with 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour + 1/4 cup cornflour)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

Method :~

In a bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beat until well combined. Add vanilla.
Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with buttermilk. Beat over low speed.
Set aside 1/4 of the batter and add cocoa, stir until well combined.
Spoon batters into a cake tin in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.
Bake about 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer tin onto a wired rack for 10 minutes. Release cake from tin and cool completely.
This cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Watch out, Humungousaur is waiting!!! :)

♥...Vegetarian Lamb Curry...♥

2011-04-27T08:00:00.002+08:00

Made this dish for my Mum using soy made lamb pieces and the Spicy Lemongrass Paste, mentioned in my previous post. Received good comments from a great cook...^____^

She's a Vegan but spicy lover. So this dish suited her well...

VEGETARIAN LAMB CURRY

Ingredients :~

1 pack soy made lamb pieces
1 large potato ~ cut 6
1 pc cinnamon stick
2 pcs cardamom
6 pcs shallots ~ chopped
2 green chilli ~ sliced
1 stalk curry leaves
1 large tomato ~ cut 6
2 tbsp Spicy Lemongrass Paste
1 tbsp meat curry powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk ~ may sub with yogurt or evaporated milk
salt
cooking oil

Method :~

Heat oil and deep fry lamb pieces and potato. Keep aside.
Reduce oil, saute cinnamon stick and cardamoms until fragrant.
Add shallots, green chillis and curry leaves, stir for a while.
Add the Spicy Lemongrass Paste, mix.
Add water and meat curry powder. Stir and boil.
Add coconut milk, potato, tomato and salt. Bring the gravy to boil for few times.
Finally, add in the fried lamb pieces. Mix evenly and let boil for 2 minutes.
Dish out and ready to serve with steamed rice.

♥...Vietnamese Spicy Lemongrass Chicken...♥

2011-04-21T17:00:00.000+08:00

Bookmarked this straightaway when I saw it at Sonia's blog. Being a chickenlover, I too love it spicy! A dish which suited my taste 100%...oooh yumm...

Gonna try again with other parts of chicken and also fry them first next time. Something for a change...

I too sometimes make my own chilli paste, saute them longer in wok and store in refrigerator. The chilli paste used for this dish is something similar like I do, just an additional galangal from my side.

Check out the recipe...thanks to Echo's Kitchen! We enjoyed the dish with steamed rice and forgot the whole world! Yeayyy ...

VIETNAMESE SPICY LEMONGRASS CHICKEN
by Echo's Kitchen

Let's make the Spicy Lemongrass Paste first...

Ingredients : 2-3 times cooking

4-5 stalks lemongrass ~ use only the white part
25 pcs fried chillis (soak in hot boiled water for 5 minutes)
1 1/2 inch of ginger
8 cloves of garlic
1 inch galangal ~ my addition
1/2 cup of cooking oil ( you can also use 1/3 cup for less oil version )

Blend all ingredients except for oil with some water if needed until it forms paste.`
In a pot, heat oil and saute the blend paste over low-medium heat. The longer it's sauteed the better. I used to do it up to an hour, depends on the quantity.
Saute until the paste becomes thick.
This paste can be stored in an airtight container and kept chilled.

For the Chicken...

Ingredients :~

2 tbsp Spicy Lemongrass Paste
1-1.5 lb chicken pieces/chicken breast pieces (marinate with a pinch of black pepper powder and some salt)
1 tsp meat curry powder
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce/ fish sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar/ palm sugar
1/2 cup water

Method :~

Heat up a cooking pan, cook the chicken pieces WITHOUT oil, cover if needed, until the grease starts to release. (BUT If using skinless chicken/breast, you will need to add 1 tsp of oil or so to grease the pan ~ I used nonstick pan)
When the grease released is visible, stir in the chopped onion, and cook for another minute.
Add curry powder, stir well and add Spicy Lemongrass Paste, stir for another minute.
Add water, salt, soy sauce/fish sauce and sugar.
Bring it to boil and stir until the mixture thickens a little.

♥...Super Moist Eggless Chocolate Cake...♥

2011-04-18T23:00:00.001+08:00

Good Monday everyone...here I am with another bookmarked recipe. Noticed many has tried and still trying out this cake, and the temptations tortured me to the max. Thus provoked me to bake it too! This would be the moistest chocolate cake I've eaten, seriously! Not just moisty but super moisty, that too eggless!

A cake which don't require chocolate toppings or ganache. Too good as it is...don't ya believe me?

Recipe owned by a good friend of mine, Kak DayangJack from Dapurku Sayang. Thanks dear for sharing a wonderful recipe with us yet again.

Here's the recipe, translated to English for easy reference by all...

SUPER MOIST EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
by Kak DayangJack

Ingredients :~

6" / 7" pan

     * 1 cup flour
     * 1 tsp baking powder
     * 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
     * 1/2 cup cocoa powder
     * 2 tbsps milk powder
     * 1 1/4 cup cold water (from the fridge)
     * 1 cup brown sugar ~ I used caster sugar
     * 1 tsp vanilla essence
     * 1/2 tsp coffee/ choc emulco ~ I used choc emulco
     * pinch of salt
     * 1/2 cup vegetable cooking oil or corn oil
     * 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice ~ I used vinegar

Method :~

    1. Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a cake tin.
    2. Sift flour with baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder in a large bowl.
3. Add milk powder, salt and sugar. Stir until well mixed.
    4. Add cold water, cooking oil, vanilla essence and coffee / chocolate emulco. Stir gently
        using a whisk. Make sure the mixture is not lumpy.
    5. Finally add vinegar or lemon juice. Stir immediately the mixture until well combined.
    6. Pour batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until done.
    7. Cool the cake. Add your favourite toppings.

It's so easy na, no mixer needed! A bowl and a whisk will do...

Unable to snap more pics to show you how moisty the cake is on the inside, as my kids were waiting so impatiently to taste the cake. Can you see 2 extra plates there? :) Actually Mommy couldn't wait to gobble it too...

p/s: This is a scheduled post.

♥...Happy Tamil New Year 2011 Update...♥

2011-04-14T20:30:00.000+08:00

Wishing my Dear Friends and Family...

Just returned home after a tummy bursting vegetarian lunch at my parent's house. My Mom prepared such lunch...wonder how she could make so many items at one time!

If it's me, I'd cook only rice, main dish and one side dish! Hahaha...

Every dishes cooked traditional way, for something spicy would be Tofu Sambal and Fried dried chilli! ;)

I missed to shoot the payasam! Haishhhh...

No curries this year, so we added tairu in the meal...hehe ;)

Okey friends, some pics of the banana leaf meal!

Thank you so much for wishing us today! ;)

♥...Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies (5C)...♥

2011-04-13T23:00:00.000+08:00

One of my son's favourite cookies...

The cookie is little soft and crunchy on the inside...;)

CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (5C's)

Ingredients :~

226gm unsalted butter ~ room temp
250gm cream cheese ~ room temp
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg ~ room temp
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Method :~

In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Keep aside.
Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add in egg and vanilla essence, beat until well incorporated.
Add flour mixture and mix well.
Add chocolate chips and stir until well combined.
Drop spoonfuls of batter onto a non-stick pan or tray lined with baking paper.
Bake for 15~20 minutes or until cookies turn light brown.
Cool cookies on wired rack before arranging into airtight containers.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee! ;)

♥...Threadfin Fish Curry / Ikan Senangin Masak Kari...♥

2011-04-11T21:30:00.000+08:00

Started to cook fishes again! I'm not a good fish eater, except for the fried ones or curries that my Mom makes. Of late, my taste bud is changing and I too feel that I should feed my kids more fishes than chickens! Hehehe...

Made some curry using Threadfin fish or it's best known as Senangin in Malay. Simply tasty and meaty fish, whether you make it curry, fry or asam pedas!

THREADFIN FISH CURRY / IKAN SENANGIN MASAK KARI by love2cook

Ingredients :~

2-3 slices of Threadfin ~ cleaned
1/2 tsp mixed spice seeds (mustard seeds, cumin seeds & fenugreek seeds)
4 garlic cloves ~ chopped
1/2 inch ginger ~ chopped
1 onion ~ sliced
2 green chillis ~ sliced
1 stalk lemongrass ~ lightly crushed
1 sprig curry leaves
3-4 large lady fingers ~ chop off both edges
3 cups of water
2 tbsps fish curry powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
80ml coconut milk ~ optional ( I added)
1 large tomato ~ cubed
2/3 tsp tamarind paste
Oil

Method :~

Heat oil in wok. Saute mixed spice seeds. Add onion, green chillis, lemongrass and curry leaves. Stir until fragrant, add garlic and ginger. Stir for 1 minute.
Add water, tamarind paste, fish curry powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and let it boil for 5 minutes.
Add coconut milk and lady fingers. Let it boil again for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes.
Now, add the fish blocks. Cover the wok and cook under medium heat for another 8 minutes or until fish is cooked. Stir gently once awhile.
Check for salt and dish out.

*** Adjust the amount of water used according to your preference. I'd always prefer thick curries.

I too fried some threadfin to go along with the curry and rice.

♥...Awards...♥

2011-04-10T11:00:00.001+08:00

Time for Awards again...

My heartiest Thank You to these lovely ladies who have kept me in their thoughts! Do visit their space...

Sisterhood Award from Jay, Tasty Appetite...

7 Facts and Lovely Blogger Yummy Awards from Vimitha, My Culinary Trial Room

7 facts about Me, guess some knew about it by now...

* Like spicy foods... ^____^
* Enjoy baking cakes, but hate cleaning the utensils
* Not good with cake decorating
* Like to sip cold drinks all the time
* Often get headaches
* Gaining weight ( lazy to exercise! )
* Currently addicted to PS3 ( Monopoly and Tekken) ~ thanks to my Hubby! ;)

One Lovely Blog Award from Noorsha, 1001 Cerita 1001 Rasa...

Cute Little Chef Award from ...??? Sorry dear Friend, saved the image but forgot to note the blogger's name! If it's you, pls buzz me!

And now, I'm happily forwarding these Awards to all my Blogger friends listed below. It's quite a long list by random selection. Sorry if I missed out anyone here. Take all or select whichever you like...hehe...;)

Kurinji Kathambam

Kak Hazila

Malar Gandhi

Kak Chik Mimi

Santosh's Kitchen

Simply Food

Kak Azatie
Kak Zarin

Sonia

Kak Rosaliza

Priya, Easy N Tasty Recipes

Kak Lina_pg

Kak Nor

Kak Ummi

Kak Hana

Hasue

Nadiah Sidek

Noorsha

Jay

Vimitha

Kak Rose

Sue Nenie

Kak Sheila
Kak Nieza

Mr Mama

Mamasyipah

Mamafami

MamaHawa

Mak Qis

Sinaran Menu

Fimere

Quay Po

Munaty

Kak Ina KL

Aruna Manikandan

Sri Devi
Uma's Culinary

Nadji

Jagruti

Cool Lassie

Federica ~ Italy

Pari Foodelicious

Mary One Perfect Bite
Kak Ieda

Priya Sreeram, Bon Appetit

KiranJay

Kak Madihaa

Kak Intan

Mas

Izah Daut

Kak Nur

Kak DayangJack

Divya Easycooking

Kak CManggis

McKantin

Devi Freshers Cook Book

Kavitha Aromatic World

Biren, Roti N Rice

Sonali Pradhan, Only Fish Recipes

Kak AlongRoz

Nithu Bala

Sushma Mallya

Vimala

Archana

Sanjeeta KK

Priti Singh

Satya, Super Yummy Recipes

Ayu Safieza

Leen Hussain

Faradean

Sri Devi

Fathima

Suhaina

Lissie
Kak Norli
Sanyukta
Reshmi Mahesh
Reshmi

Sonia Nair

Priya's Feast

Nitha Amateur Perceptions

Krishnaveni

Pushpa
Divya's Recipes

Biny Anoop
Mamasya

Kak Inahar

Prajusha
Gayathri

Mokwonik

Deliah's Deli

Pavithra

Katerina, Culinary Flavours

Deepa, Hamaree Rasoi

Panch Pakwan

Premalatha

Joy, Kitchen Flavours

DG, Tested and Tasted

Padhu

Kak Yat Maria

Kairali Sisters

Raks Kitchen

Priya's Recipes

Aipi US Masala

Prathibha

Hari Chandana

Kak Lizahanum
Ina79

Priya Mahadevan

Suja Sugathan

Kak Ayu
Shanthi Krishnakumar
Mira Marlena
Madhura Manoj

Ooops...it's getting longer and longer ;)

Unable to link due to bad internet connectivity here.

Please do accept the awards and spread to yours! Keep the award ball rolling...;)

♥...Custard Tea Cake...♥

2011-04-07T23:59:00.000+08:00

This cake became a sudden hit among my fellow blogging friends, and I don't want to be left out too. Such a scrumptious cake with custard filling. Heaven with a cup of tea or coffee...

Seen this recipe at Nigella.com posted by Jocelyn
Thanks to Ida at 1001 resepi for promoting... ^____^

CUSTARD TEA CAKE

Ingredients :~

For cake;

125 g butter
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup custard powder
1/4 cup milk ( my addition, batter was dry)

For custard;

1 tbsp custard powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp butter ( I used abt 10gm)
2 tsp vanilla essence

Method :~

Make the custard first. Blend custard powder, sugar and milk in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until the mixture boils and thickens, then stir in the butter and vanilla. Allow to cool.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until well combined. Sift the flour and custard powder and stir into the creamed mixture.(Add milk if you need)
Spread half of the cake batter into a greased and lined cake tin. Then spread the custard mixture.
Spread the remaining cake batter over the top.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Allow the cake to cool in the pan. Once the cake is cold dust it with icing sugar.

Thanks for stopping by, have a good day!

♥...Fried Spanish Mackerel / Ikan Tenggiri Goreng...♥

2011-04-04T23:00:00.000+08:00

This is how I'd enjoy fried fishes. You may substitute the Spanish Mackerel with any fishes of your choice. Pomfret is good too...

FRIED SPANISH MACKEREL / IKAN TENGGIRI GORENG

Ingredients :~

5 blocks Spanish Mackerel
1 tsp minced garlic *
1 tbsp chilli powder *
1/2 tsp turmeric powder *
1/4 tsp corriander powder *
1/2 tsp gramdhall powder (optional) *
1-1/2 tsp rice powder *
little water *
salt *
1 tbsp lime juice *

1 large onion ~ cut into rings
3 dried chillis ~ sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
oil

Method :~

In a large bowl, mix ingredients marked * until it forms a paste. Add more water if it's too thick.
Place the fish blocks in the bowl and mix together with the paste. Leave it aside for 1 hour.
Heat oil in wok and deep fry the marinated fish blocks. ( I prefer deep frying. You may also fry using little oil )
Turn over the fish blocks once awhile. Once cooked, rest on paper towel before arranging on a serving plate.
Leave about 2 tbsps oil in wok. Stir fry the onion, dried chilli and curry leaves until fragrant for 2 minutes over low heat.
Spread on the fried fish. Serve!

Goes along with plain rice and fish curry...

♥...Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing...♥

2011-03-31T20:30:00.000+08:00

This would mark my blog's first post on cupcakes. I've actually tried and tested few cupcake recipes. Some were excellent, some were just okey. Sharing an extraordinary with you all today!

CARROT CUPCAKES with CREAM CHEESE ICING
source : Philadelphia

Ingredients :~

200gm self raising flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
225gm grated carrots
200ml oil (sunflower or groundnut oil)
100gm brown sugar (I used 100gm caster sugar + 100gm brown sugar)
85gm chopped pecans ( skipped)
50gm sultanas
4 eggs ~ lightly beaten

For icing

200gm cream cheese
100gm icing sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon rind
2 tbsp pecans, roughly chopped (to sprinkle) ~ skipped

Method :~

Sift together flour and cinnamon powder into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Mixture will be quite runny.
Spoon mixture into prepared cupcake moulds. Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.
Cool on wire rack once done.
For Icing :~ Beat all ingredients except for pecans until smooth. Top the cuppies with icing and sprinkle pecans over.

*** The carrots I bought were not sweet enough, thus I added more sugar.

Delicious cuppies...especially when you have it chilled. Enjoy!

♥...Short Break & Noodles...♥

2011-03-28T22:00:00.000+08:00

Pleased to announce that the owner of this blog will be on short break for 2~3 days due to laziness sitting on her head! Hahaha... hey just kidding!

Okey here's for you... a bowl of stir fried noodles, vegan style. Enjoy!

Ingredients :~ shallots, garlic, fried tofu, mustard greens, carrot, yellow noodles, dried chilli paste, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sesame oil, little water, little salt, oil.

Hehehe, didn't I inform you that I'm lazy right now! See you all around soon.

Btw, did I miss any awards collection from your side? Kindly buzz me...sorry friends! ;)

♥...Cheesy Butter Cake...♥

2011-03-24T20:00:00.000+08:00

A scrumptious cheesy butter cake...couldn't resist when my son suggested we have it with some strawberry conserve I bought few weeks back.

CHEESY BUTTER CAKE

Ingredients :~

250gm cream cheese ~ room temp
150gm butter ~ room temp
250gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
220-250gm caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice or vanilla essence
1 tbsp lemon zest ~ optional
4 grade A eggs

Method :~

Whisk plain flour and baking powder together.
In a mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and caster sugar until creamy. Add eggs one by one, beat until well incorporated.
Add lemon juice and zest (if you do), mix well.
Fold in flour and mix until well combined and pour into a greased and lined cake tin.
Bake at 160°C for 45-50 minutes (oven settings may vary).
Once baked, allow to cool on wire rack.

* Addition of lemon is purely optional. You may substitute with vanilla essence.
* Do try topping the cake with assorted berries, fruit jams, preserve or conserve like we did! ^___^

As usual, we couldn't wait for the cake to cool completely. Hahaha...

♥...Buttermilk Panna Cotta...♥

2011-03-21T20:30:00.000+08:00

Sweet Monday to my beloved friends, readers, visitors and followers! Let's start the week with a BIG smile. Wishing all of you a pleasant week ahead...

I'll be sharing another dessert, which is really easy to make and of course worth trying! If you love milky or creamier desserts, then list it in your to-do!

Buttermilk Panna Cotta as I've named it...goes well with any fruit toppings or purees! Assorted berries will make the dessert extra delicious. Since I don't have any, mango made justice. Could have been better with pureed mango. Anyhow, the choice is yours.

BUTTERMILK PANNA COTTA

Ingredients:~

220ml whipping cream
250ml buttermilk
1/4 cup caster sugar (adjust to your preference)
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp powdered gelatine
2 tbsp water
fruits (flesh or purees)

Method :~

Put 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatine over. Let stand until gelatine softens.
Meanwhile, add whipping cream and sugar in a saucepan. Stir over low heat for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolved. Add vanilla essence.
Whisk the gelatine mixture into the cream mixture, stir until gelatine dissolved. Set aside to infuse for 4 minutes.
Whisk buttermilk into cream mixture. Pour into greased ramekins or glass moulds. Cover the moulds with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-5 hours. The longer the better. I made them a night before!
Serve your Buttermilk Panna Cotta with sliced fruits or purees!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking...

♥...Triple Joy Brownies & Met a Reader...♥

2011-03-19T23:59:00.002+08:00

Hi friends, how you all been? Alright, I'm back to blogging again. Hubby already in Cape Town, joined the vessel. We had real blast during his last break, missing him terribly!

Baked some brownies for my kids today. Basic brownie, topped with Cream Cheese and Dulce De Leche. That is why I named it as Triple Joy Brownie. Hahaha...

Brownie recipe adapted from Philadelphia. I've adjusted accordingly to suit our taste buds and added Dulce de Leche as well.

TRIPLE JOY BROWNIES

Ingredients:~

125gm butter
125gm dark chocolate, chopped
200gm fine granulated sugar
3 eggs ~ lightly beaten
50gm plain flour
40gm dutch processed cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
180gm cream cheese
40gm caster sugar
sufficient Dulce de Leche

Method :~

Combine butter, dark chocolate and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until chocolate and butter melt. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs.
Add flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, stir until well combined. Pour into a greased and lined rectangular tin.
Beat cream cheese and caster sugar until smooth and creamy.
Spoon cream cheese mixture and dulce de leche randomly on brownie and swirl with the tip of a knife. Bake at 170ºC for 35 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to cool before slicing. Enjoyyyyy!!!

Truly yummylicious brownies...try it!

Before I make a move, let me share a sweet story meeting one of my blog reader, Cik Maryam in Kuala Lipis, Pahang recently. As you all know, I've not posted any pics of myself in my blog. I just wanted to keep low profile at my best...hihi!

We visited my uncle and his family last weekend. Unfortunately Ashika fell sick and feverish when we reached my uncle's place. Might be due to long travel, yeah the road was super jammed all the way from Ampang to Bentong.

We took her to a nearby clinic. After seeing the doctor, my Hubby took Ashika to the car while I was waiting to pay the bill.

A young lady seated on the chair was looking real curiously at Ashika as she was taken to the car. The lady straight forwardly asked me if I'm from Kuala Lumpur and I said yes. She then asked if the little girl is Ashika? I said yes too. She happily asked me if I'm Kak Love (sis love)? And I said yes too! Hahaha...

I immediately recognized her when she introduced herself as Maryam. Yeah, she signed my Guestbook long time ago. Well, I do remember all my friends and readers...atleast most of them! Haha..

I saw the joy in Maryam's face when she knew it's me. She infact said it's a small world! Yup, it is very true Maryam! It is indeed a small world. Too bad Rishie didn't come along to the clinic, we left him at my uncle's home.

Maryam, I apologize for have not talked to you much longer as the situation wasn't really good at that time. Ashika was unwell and I had to leave. Anyhow, glad meeting you Maryam! Thanks for reading my blog all these while. You caught me! ^____^

This is the Maryam I'm talking about. The lady in violet. ;)

Phew, typed too long today...adioz for now!

♥...Mustard Green with Coconut and Tofu Stir Fry...♥

2011-03-11T16:15:00.000+08:00

Although Chinese-style stir fried vegetables are always our preference at home, sometimes I do make vege dishes this way too. Could hardly see a full green leaf there as they are all coarsely chopped. Hehehe. Goes well with any fish / squid / egg curries. Choice is yours... ;)

Here's the recipe...

MUSTARD GREEN WITH COCONUT AND TOFU STIR FRY by love2cook

Ingredients :~

2 packs mustard green ( I used the short ones about 800gm) ~ coarsely chopped
1/4 cup grated coconut
2 firm tofus
4 garlic cloves ~ chopped
1 medium sized onion ~ sliced
1 green chilli ~ sliced
salt
cooking oil

Method:~

Heat oil in wok. Fry cubed tofus until golden brown. Sprinkle some salt over the tofu while frying. Drain on paper towel.
Reduce oil in wok, stir fry garlic and onion until fragrant. Add mustard green, continue mixing.
Add chilli, salt and coconut. Mix evenly.
Lastly, add fried tofus. Check for salt, add more if needed. Dish out!

Thanks for being here!

♥...Prawn and Quail Egg Masala...♥

2011-03-01T11:50:00.005+08:00

This is yet another simple dish loved by everyone in my family.

PRAWN AND QUAIL EGG MASALA by love2cook

Ingredients :~

800gm small prawns ~ cleaned ( I prefer small sized prawns for this dish)
10-15 nos boiled quail eggs
2 garlic cloves ~ finely chopped
1 cm ginger ~ finely chopped
1 large onion ~ sliced
3 dried chillis ~ sliced
1 stalk curry leaves
1 1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
salt
cooking oil

Method :~

In a bowl, mix prawn with chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and salt. Leave aside.
Heat oil in wok, stir fry garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the prawns and fry awhile.
Add sliced onions, dried chilli and curry leaves. Mix together and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Add boiled eggs, stir evenly and let simmer for another 3 minutes. Check for salt, add more if needed.
Dish out, ready to serve.

pics from my lumix! dslr battery out...hehe..

Enjoy your day and Happy Cooking...!!!

♥...Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings...♥

2011-02-22T17:00:00.001+08:00

Hi friends, how you all been today? I finally managed to post from my re-formatted notebook today.

It's been quite some time since I last posted my chicken recipe na! So, here is another fried chicken recipe from my kitchen. I used chicken wings, you may sub with other chicken parts.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN WINGS by love2cook

(A)

12 pcs chicken wings ( I separated wings and drumlets)
2 garlic cloves ~ finely chopped
1 cm ginger ~ finely chopped
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp cayenne powder / chilli powder (optional)
1/4 tsp ground blackpepper
salt

(B)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour ( add more if needed)
1 tsp cayenne powder

Oil for frying

Method :~

Mix ingredients (A) in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for atleast 2 hours.
Put ingredients (B) in a ziplock bag. Place few pieces of marinated chicken pieces into the bag, zip and shake well.
Deep fry the chicken pieces in batches and drain on paper towel.
Serve with chilli or tomato ketchup.

I apologize for not visiting you so often as my notebook just recovered from a serious damage. Moreover, my sweetheart is back home. So, it's more time with family than blogging at the moment.

To my new visitors, followers and readers..thank you very much for being here. Wish I could re-pay your every visits soon. Till then, do take care and have a nice day!!!

UPDATE!!!

THIS RECIPE HAS BEEN FEATURED IN LOCAL FOOD MAGAZINE, SEDAP vol 4: bil 37.

♥...Doughnut / Donut Suria...♥

2011-02-17T18:00:00.000+08:00

My notebook crashed and just came up. Goodness...

I'll grab this opportunity to post my doughnuts! Can't type much, hope the screen don't go blue again...

Found the recipe at Mamafami's. She always amaze me with her bakes. The recipe looked pretty easy, most importantly..it's eggless! So here it goes..

DOUGHNUT / DONUT SURIA

Ingredients :~

(A)
3 cups flour
3 tbsp milk powder
3 tbsp shortening
3 tbsp caster sugar

(B)
200ml lukewarm water
2 tsp instant dry yeast
20ml water ~ extra if needed

Method :~

Mix well ingredients B.
Pour into ingredients A and knead until a smooth and shiny dough forms.
Roll about 1/2cm thickness, cut using doughnut cutter.
Leave to proof for 1/2 an hour.
Fry in oil over medium heat until golden brown.
Drain on paper towel. Coat with icing sugar, melted chocolate or any topping or filling of your choice.

♥...Roti Jala / Net or Lacy Crepes...♥

2011-02-14T21:00:00.000+08:00

Good Monday and Happy Valentine's Day friends...

So how is your Valentine getting on? Enjoying with your loved ones or busy with work? Hehehe..

Well, I don't celebrate this day coz everyday is like Valentines for me (of course when my Hubby is around! hiksss..) But then I do appreciate this day, atleast people can show their love/ confess/ propose to the person they love. And rose price will hike too. Red roses, gorgeous!

So, get into LOVE!

FYI, my valentine will be returning home this Friday..Yeayyyy!

Okey back to the menu today, Roti Jala, or in other words Lacy or Net Crepes. A very famous Malaysian delicacy. We just loved it with chicken or mackerel curry. It's always one of our choice for dinner!

To make the Roti Jala, you will need the special mould, a cup with 5 holes underneath. You can also use any ketchup plastic bottles to squeeze and swirl the lace. But there is one bottle which is quite famous among the Malaysian bloggers called Japanese Mayo Bottle.

Thanks to Kak Nor for letting me know about Daiso at IOI Mall Puchong! I grabbed 3 bottles....hehehe! We've been to IOI many times before but always hanged around the old wing...haishhhh! Never knew Daiso and my Hubby's favourite ACE Hardware are at the new wing.

I had some leftover chicken curry and nothing else came to mind but Roti Jala. You must be wondering what is so special with Roti Jala that I'm talking about right? You gotto try it to know the secret!

Okey, let's have a look at the recipe I'm glued to all these while.

ROTI JALA

Ingredients :~

2 cups plain flour
2 1/2 cups fresh milk ( may sub with thin coconut milk)
a pinch of salt
1 egg ~ beaten
1 tsp yellow colouring

Method :~

1. Put all ingredients into blender jug and blend for 2 minutes until smooth. Scrape the sides of the jug once a while to avoid lumps.

2. Pour the batter into a bowl.

3. Place a nonstick pan over a medium heat.
4. Fill the Roti Jala mould with batter and quickly form a lacy pattern over the pan. Move the mould in a circular motion. Leave it for few seconds.
5. Once cooked, turn it over on a plate. (cook only one side)
6. Fold the crepe into quarters or roll and stack up.
7. Repeat the same with rest of the batter.

Commonly used Roti Jala mould.

Japanese Mayo Bottle from Daiso

I'm no expert in making neat crepes! Hahaha...

Serve with Chicken Curry or any curry of your choice.

Sending my Roti Jala with Chicken Curry to Shaz and Tummy's Muhibbah Malaysian Monday!

♥...Sicilian Orange Cake...♥

2011-02-11T12:50:00.000+08:00

This would be the best orange butter cake I've eaten! Gonna try to sub with lemon the next time...hehe!

SICILIAN ORANGE CAKE (adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)
Source ~ Ellie from Almost Bourdain

Ingredients :~

250 g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
250 g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
250 g self raising flour
85 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

For the icing:

125 g icing sugar
5 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Method :~

Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and line a 22-cm clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper.
Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.
Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.
For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and leave to set. Serve cut into slices, and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

*** I reduced amount of sugar for the topping.

DELICIOUS!!! As usual we couldn't wait for the cake to cool completely. Had it warm...

♥...Dulce De Leche & A couple of Awards...♥

2011-02-09T20:50:00.001+08:00

I decided to post some awards received from 2 blogmates today. Better do it now, otherwise I'll sure forget. Needless to say how forgetful I am actually...

Before that, check out my Dulce De Leche. There are few ways to make this sweet caramel. I chose to boil unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours! It's only 45 minutes if using pressure cooker. The most important thing to remember while boiling the can is to make sure the water level in pot is always above the can. If you let the pot dry without water, an explosion sure to happen! I used a tall pot, so that I didn't need to add any water during that 3 hours.

DULCE DE LECHE
Boiling method :~
(I made 2 cans at one go)

Fill a pot with water. Unwrap a can of sweetened condensed milk.
Place it lying down in the pot.
Cover the pot and start boiling under lowest heat, simmer for 3 hours. Remember you can do it in 45 minutes using a pressure cooker. (Make sure the pot does not boil dry! Add water above the can level).
Once done, take out and leave the can to cool. Caution! Do not open while it's still hot!

For oven method:~ Check out David Lebovitz...

Bookmarked a few recipes to try on with the Dulce De Leche...coming soon! Had it with some vanilla ice cream too...ooo yumm!

Feel like dipping your fingers in????

Now moving on with the awards.

First award is from Eat Little, Sleep Sound by Ms Faradean. Thank you so much for the thoughts ya. I apologize for collecting it really late.

Second award is from Kak Del, Deliah's Deli. Thanks ya kak!

Alright, see you again next time. Take care and enjoy life!

♥...Cream Cheese Orange Souffles...♥

2011-02-07T10:30:00.003+08:00

Good Monday friends!!! Still in CNY holiday mood? Hehe...me yes!

Here's a dessert to cheer you all up. Specially for those loves cheese! The preparation, of course takes a little time. But when you have absolutely nothing to do, try on this.

CREAM CHEESE ORANGE SOUFFLES

makes about 4 ramekins

Ingredients :~

Melted butter ~ to grease the ramekins
Caster sugar ~ for dusting the ramekins

125gm cream cheese
30gm caster sugar
2 eggs ~ separate the yolks and egg white
1 tbsp plain flour
250ml warm milk
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange zest
Icing sugar ~ for dusting

Method :~

Grease 4 ramekins/souffles dishes with butter and dust with caster sugar on the bottom and sides. Leave aside.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Add in the flour and mix well.
Combine the warm milk, orange juice and zest together. Whisk the milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
Transfer to a saucepan and stir constantly over very low heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Leave aside.
Now, whip the white egg in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peak. Fold in the whipped white egg into the milk cheese mixture.
Fill the ramekins with 2/3 full of the souffle mixture. Bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes.
Dust with icing sugar before serving. Have it either warm or chilled.

♥...Crispy Anchovies, My Favourite...♥

2011-02-04T19:00:00.001+08:00

I would regard this dish as number one on my top favourite in simplest food category! Hehehe..

Loved this simple anchovies fry with rice, mixing with some rasam, dhal curry or tairu. Goes well with plain rice porridge too. I'll forget the whole world when having it. Since I don't have any other special dish to share today, why not the anchovies? Hope you don't mind!

CRISPY ANCHOVIES by love2cook

Ingredients :~

1 cup cleaned anchovies
1 medium sized onion ~ sliced
2 garlic cloves ~ chopped
1 tsp chilli powder (may add more)
1 tbsp oyster sauce (may add more)
dried chillis (optional)
cooking oil

Methods :~

Heat oil in wok, fry anchovies until crispy. Drain on paper towel.
Reduce oil in wok and stir fry garlic and onion.
Add chilli powder, continue stirring and add oyster sauce. (make sure the heat is low)
Lastly, add the fried anchovies. Mix together and dish out immediately.
It's that simple!

Happy Weekend!!!

♥...Gong Xi Fa Cai from Love2cook...♥

2011-02-02T19:30:00.001+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

May the year of Rabbit brings you lots of good luck,

joy and happiness!

My special greetings to fellow blogmates celebrating this auspicious day
~~> Mary Moh, Sonia, Sook, Biren, Ann, Joy, Wendy, Anncoo, Jess, Zoe, Pete, Quay Po, Sook, Tracie Moo, Kimberly, DG, Gert, Tigerfish, Tummy, my silent readers, visitors and to the entire world!

GONG XI FA CAI!

♥...Banana Cake...♥

2011-02-01T22:00:00.002+08:00

Happy February 2011!!! WOW, the year just started and we are in the second month already!

I'm so happy b'coz my dearest Hubby would be returning home this month! Hehehe...only God knows how much we missed him and how bored I am without him...the kids too! *sigh..

Anyways, here's another cake I baked recently. Hey, you must be thinking I'm baking quite often nowadays na...yeah very true! I'm kinda addicted to baking now. Not only I could pack them for my son everyday to school but it also helps me to learn the techniques in baking and thus I wish to bake a cake using my own recipe in near future. Hopefully!!!

I found the Banana Cake recipe from Baking Code by the famous Chef, Alex Goh. I never had enough of his books. He is simply a stunning baker!

So, here you go. I've halved the original recipe and skipped sultanas and walnuts as mentioned.

BANANA CAKE adapted from Banana Cupcake, Baking Code by Alex Goh

Ingredients :~

125gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
125gm sugar
125gm banana
pinch of salt
50ml milk
75ml corn oil
raisins (x)
chopped walnut (x)

Method:~

Mash banana with salt.
Beat egg and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the mashed banana. Beat until thick.
Add milk and mix well.
Mix in flour, baking powder and soda until well combined.
Lastly, add oil and mix until well incorporated.
Pour into cake tin ( I used loaf tin) and bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes.

** If you are making cupcakes, add sultanas after oil. Pour the batter into cupcake moulds and sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top and bake.

Simple isn't it. I simply dusted some icing sugar over the cake. Yummyyyyyy!!!

Happily sending this entry to Priya Mahadevan's BEST ‘WESTERN’ DESSERT EVENT

♥...Friday Food Review ~ Eggless Chocolate Cake, 4th recipe!...♥

2011-01-28T22:15:00.000+08:00

Hi friends...Happy Friday to All!!!

I baked an Eggless Chocolate Cake again yesterday. Spread chocolate ganache and chilled overnight. Gave some to my son for his break time in school today. I'm aware of his craze for chocolates, that's why I added choc chips in the batter and choc rice over the ganache. Hehe...

Being an addict to eggless choc cakes, I too liked this cake. Truly chocolatey, delicious and spoon licking good!

I bookmarked the recipe at Veg Bowl quite some time back. The foodie, Ms Mallika has one lovely, yummylicious Vegetarian food blog. She posts variety of dishes, cakes and desserts, made vegan way! Do stop by her blog and drool at her excellent food presentation and photographs...

A good friend of mine, Kak Roz from HomeKreations had also baked this cake and given her verdict.

EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE adapted from Death By Chocolate by VegBowl

Ingredients :~

125gm plain flour
50gm milk powder ( I skipped this)
60ml warm milk ( I had 180ml)
100gm sugar
80gm cocoa powder
50gm melted butter ( I used salted butter)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
A pinch of salt ( I skipped)
20ml coffee liquor ( I mixed 1 tbsp coffee in 20ml hot water)
50gm choc chips ( my addition )

Method :~

Stir warm milk and coffee together. Add in butter and vanilla essence, whisk well.
In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, soda bicarbonate, salt and cocoa powder. Combine well. Fold in the wet mixture and dry ingredients. Mix in the choc chips.
Pour in a greased cake tin and bake for 35 minutes.

For the chocolate ganache (my addition) ;
500 gm cooking chocolate (finely chopped)
300 gm heavy cream
30 gm butter

Heat heavy cream until it boils. Turn off flame. Add chopped cooking chocolate n stir quickly. Finally add butter and mix well. Leave it to cool at room temperature before use.

That's all...thanks for reading! Hehehe...

Cheerful Weekend !!!

Before you go, check out other Eggless Chocolate Cakes I've baked HERE, HERE and HERE!

♥...Bread & Butter Pudding...♥

2011-01-26T10:00:00.000+08:00

A simple and yummy dessert...

BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING by love2cook

(makes 3 ramekins, may also use appropriate pie dish)
Ingredients :~

6 bread slices
butter
raisins
cinnamon powder
225ml fresh milk
2 tbsps thickened cream ( I used Paul's)
1 egg
4 tbsps sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
icing sugar

Method :~

Grease 3 ramekins with butter. Then, spread butter on one side of each bread slices. Cut them into triangles. ( U may leave them squared)
Place bread pieces ( 2 triangles first) in the ramekin. Press a little. Sprinkle some raisins and cinnamon powder.
Now make 2nd layer with 2 more triangles. Press a little and sprinkle some raisins and cinnamon powder. Do the same with the other ramekins. Leave them aside.

In another bowl, beat egg with sugar and vanilla essence. Keep aside.
In a saucepan, heat milk with cream (do not boil). Turn off heat.
Combine milk into egg mixture, stirring continuously until sugar dissolves.
Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Leave them to rest for 20 minutes.
Bake at 170C for 25-30 minutes. (*Oven settings may vary)
Leave to cool, dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

Straight from oven...!!!

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