My sister was back for a holiday & she suggested that we have a Nepal food adventure. So, we went for it. Along Jalan Silang, there were lot of shops full of foreign workers. We felt like stepping into another world. Boy......I couldn't understand a thing ... the foreign languages on the sign board ...and it is just in the middle of KL. There are these "specialty" shops that serve the foreign community that work in Malaysia. We went into a restaurant named the KHUKRI. According to wikipedia, the kukri (Devanāgarī: खुकुरी) (also sometimes spelled khukri or khukuri) is a curved Gurkhaknife which can be used as a tool as well as a close combatmêlée weapon. The cutting edge is inwardly curved in shape and is the icon of Nepal. Definitely that KHUKRI restaurant served Nepalese food. It was so strange, we are the only guests in the restaurant that are not from Nepal. It was an interesting experience. We noticed that the Nepalese like spicy food, but it is not that spicy & rich compared to India food. Love the mutton curry, it was a decent curry- mild, full of flavor & tasty. The chicken cooked in Nepalese spice was good, it tasted a bit like Chinese fried chicken saute in some spice. The momo was good & pork is the filling of the momo. The chili dipping sauce was really tasty. The traditional Nepal food ,a thick dough made of millet flour (ḍhĩḍo ढिंडो) is cooked and eaten with the hand is a challenge to me. You need to take a pcs of the dough & dip it in ghee , then dip in light curry & eat it. But I just dip in the mutton curry & eat it because ghee is really fattening. Ops.......
Noodles is Asian favorite. I do observe most children like noodles compared to rice. I love too cook noodels as a quick fix for my family Saturday lunch. It was so easy to cook noodles compared to rice. You cook the noodles in the same wok pan & wash only 1 pan. That's the most important when you are in a rush. Life is busy with lots of unexpected events. Be sure to keep lot of spaghetti. Spaghetti has great texture -al dente which is just good with anything. Ingredients: Meat, eggs, mushroom, carrot, onion, green vegetable... or anything Seasoning: salt, pepper, some chicken stocks/ikan bilis stocks, some pasta water Stir fry: Heat oil with garlic, then add in all the ingredients, in the cooked pasta (undercook 1 min according to packet instruction), then mix in the seasoning, let it simmer for at least 1-2 mins. Serve & tuck in. If you don't want to mess up your kitchen, then you can try this udon soup noodle. I just love noodle with great textures & udon is one of them. Just boil chicken stock the traditional way or use the simplest way. My simplest way is to use the instant chicken stocks, now a lot of cube stocks are quite good. There are even organic chicken stocks & vegetable stocks.It was less crap compared to those 90s. Then, after the stocks boiled, just throw in any ingredients that you like.
Now, let's do the easiest American Pancake on earth. It is slightly different from the previous recipes that I posted in the blog. This recipes produce a nice & simple pancakes. My 6 years old go nuts on pancakes with her favorite : maple syrup & passion fruits. My hubby prefer peanut butter with banana, that was a great combination. I like my pancakes with maple syrup & butter.
Here is the recipes link: http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=221
This is called a one bowl method, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then, pour in the wet ingredients. Mix well & let it sit for a while. Get a good non stick pan & cook it.
White Promphet is one of the favorite fish for most Asian. It is less fishy & the meat is smooth in texture. I was quite lucky the other day that I manage to get some really fresh small white promphet in Jaya Grocer near my house. The fishmongers were telling me that it was the catch of the day. Fine. I got some of those fish for tonight dinner. The fish are just awesome. The fish monger was honest, it was fresh. I steamed the white promphet with simple seasoning: salt, chilis, ginger & spring onion. That was good.
My hubby was watching T.V. the other day & he told me that even the Kimchi can be used in bread making. Since I have been very adventurous with food & all the raw material is available. I must try it in the bread, in my case, I am making a baguette. You can use it in any bread. Just pick a good bread recipies from: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-sandwich-bread-recipe Before you add the kimchi into the bread mixture. Pls make sure that the kimchi is drained properly. Excess water in bread is not a good thing. Squeeze out all the water in the kimchi & cut it into small pcs. Then, it would be easier to lay it on the bread. You know what? The taste of the bread is actually quite unique, it taste like sundried tomatoes with an asean touch. See it for yourself. The bread was good.
Now it is time for me to use the homemade kimchi to create some new dishes. I found that kimchi pancake is very interesting. Once I had dined in a Korean restaurant & they serve the pancake last as a complementary "dessert". I like the taste of kimchi pancake. It is so different from the 6 tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, saltiness & umami. Well, it is kind of difficult to elaborate in words. The best way to taste it is to eat it.
For vegetarian who include eggs in their diet, can try this recipes. I am using the vegetarian sausages. Even my 6 years old love this omelet & she is so adventurous in testing new food or new ingredients.
Ingredients: Handful of left over vegetarian sausages ( any sausages, cooked & diced) 1 onion 1 garlic 1 chili 3 eggs (beat it) Handful of Kimchi ( drain the water & diced the fermented vegetable into small pcs)
Method 1) Heat oil in a wok. 2) Stir fry the onion, garlic & chili. 3) Pour in the eggs mixture. 4) Top the omelet with the diced kimchi & flip the eggs mixture over to cook it thoroughly. 5) Serve with a bowl of white rice.
Recently I am really into this Korean food stuff thingy. Maybe I am too bored of the daily food & need some different kind of excitement for the weekend meals. Initially I thought that kimchi was difficult to make..but hey....after some research it looks pretty easy, I decided to give it a try. I kick start my kimchi project with the most basic kimchi recipes. Actually the Korean chili pepper flakes are easily available at the Lotte retail shop. Personally, I think Korean chili are very mild. It is not that spicy
I have adapted the Traditional Kim Chi recipies by Dr.Ben Kim with some modification
Ingredients:
Napa cabbage - approximately one pound 4 cups of cold water 3 tablespoons of sea salt 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 tablespoon of fresh spring onions (scallions) & chives & watercress , finely chopped 1 teaspoon of dried red chili pepper flakes (i use more Korean red chili pepper flakes because i like spicy & 1 big chili) 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of daikon (white raddish), finely chopped
Directions:
Separate and wash cabbage leaves. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sea or kosher salt evenly on cabbage leaves. Place salted cabbage leaves in a large bowl, add 4 cups of cold water, cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator overnight. Be sure that water covers all cabbage leaves - place a plate or other heavy object on top of leaves to ensure that they stay covered with water.The next day, pour off water and thoroughly rinse cabbage leaves. You can shake them gently in the sink to remove excess moisture.
Place cabbage leaves back into large bowl and add garlic, green onion or scallions, chives, watercress, ginger, dried red chili flakes, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt & 1tbsp of the daikon. Use your hands to rub seasoning evenly into all cabbage leaves. Be sure to use gloves to do this, otherwise, your hands will burn from the chili flakes. If you are pressed for time, mix seasoning ingredients with about a cup of warm water before adding them to cabbage to allow for easier distribution on cabbage leaves.
Transfer seasoned cabbage leaves into a large glass bottle. Be sure to use firm pressure with your hands to push down on cabbage leaves as they stack up inside the bottle. Transfer any liquid that accumulated during the mixing process into the bottle as well - it will become kim chi brine. Some liquid will also come out of the cabbage leaves as you press down on them as they are stacked in the bottle.
Leave about 2 inches of room at the top of the bottle before capping it tightly with a lid. Allow bottle of kim chi to sit at room temperature for 1 day. Later, you can transfer to the refrigerate to store.
Your kim chi is now ready to eat. Use scissors or a knife and cutting board to cut cabbage leaves into 2 inch pieces before serving as a side dish to a bowl of rice, soup, and perhaps a piece of fish. Refrigerate remaining kim chi and take out small portions right before meals. The refrigerated kim chi will continue to ferment slowly in the refrigerator over time, becoming more sour and flavorful with each passing day. So long as you use clean utensils to take out small portions, it will keep for up to a month or two in your refrigerator.
Granola is a real healthy choice for breakfast if you bake it yourself. That's because you can control the amount of sugar & fat in your very own homemade granola. You won't believe how simple it is. For flavor, I love to use maple syrup instead of sugar.
The granola is great with milk & fresh fruit (fibers) for breakfast. Or you can even serve it as a mini snacks between meal. Since this is heavily loaded with the cinnamon spices, I find it really delicious with apples. If you don't like milk (cow milk), you can replace it with soy or rice milk.
Granola recipes adapted from Michael Smith (Chef at Home) with modification
Ingredients
4 cups rolled oats
½ cup wheat bran
½ cup wheatgerm
½ cup flax meal
½ cup walnut / pecan pieces
½ cup slivered Almonds
1/2 cup sesame
½ cup sunflower seed
½ cup Sunflower Oil
½ cup Honey/brown sugar
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 cup Raisin/any other dried fruits
Method
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the oats, grains, nuts and seeds together in a large bowl.
Gently heat the oil, honey and cinnamon together in a small saucepan, whisking well. Pour the hot mixture over the oat mixture. Stir well to coat and then pour onto a baking sheet or two forming a thin even layer.
Bake for 10 minutes or so. Stir well and continue to bake, checking every few minutes and stirring until the granola is golden and crispy. Let cool and then stir in raisins.
I started baking when I was in standard 5. I baked my first butter cake when I was about 10 years old. However, my serious (professional) ...
About
What can I say, all it took was passion and interest (not to mention some pretty cool ingredients too!) and here are my cakes,... some sold to friends , some are gifts, and all I can say, all inquiries are welcomed!
A working mum who love to cook and bake. I was a hobby baker, and now, almost a pro-baker. My husband loves cooking too. Both of us would like to share our hobbies in cooking & baking with friends. To contact us, please call 6012-3813896.
My sister was back for a holiday & she suggested that we have a Nepal food adventure. So, we went for it. Along Jalan Silang, there were lot of shops full of foreign workers. We felt like stepping into another world. Boy......I couldn't understand a thing ... the foreign languages on the sign board ...and it is just in the middle of KL. There are these "specialty" shops that serve the foreign community that work in Malaysia.
The momo was good & pork is the filling of the momo. The chili dipping sauce was really tasty.
The traditional Nepal food ,a thick dough made of millet flour (ḍhĩḍo ढिंडो) is cooked and eaten with the hand is a challenge to me. You need to take a pcs of the dough & dip it in ghee , then dip in light curry & eat it. But I just dip in the mutton curry & eat it because ghee is really fattening. Ops.......
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