#62 EGG CUCUMBER SALAD : recipe#41

This recipe is one of the earliest cucumber recipe that I ate in wedding receptions and "Doa Selamat" in the ol' days .. and that was about 30-33 years back. However, this recipe is "endangered" as very hardly people served it in functions . My aunt Rosiah in Tutong, still prepare this dish and I am going to share this with you...

Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1/2 large onion ( cut crosswise)
1 clove garlic- sliced thinly
1/2 to 1 hard boiled egg ( sliced crosswise)
1 fresh red chilli- sliced crosswise
2 tbsp dilute coconut milk
juice from 2 limes
salt to taste

steps: mix everything. let it stand for about 20-30 minutes before serving. If you want to prepare this earlier, keep it in the fridge

#61 BREAD VARIANTS: recipe #40

Yes.... Exams are over... If I passed the exams, it will be a miracle... you see.. with the holidays and doing the household chores ( My amah is on her contract leave), it's so difficult to concentrate. I only learned at the last minute...

Anyway, my last post was on spiral bread . Well, the bread recipe is so versatile that you can use it to make other yummy recipes like the ones below:

PIZZA.... YOU CAN USE USE YOUR FAVOURITE TOPPING... I used my meat sauce


WHAT ABOUT CINNAMON PINWHEEL ? spread the dough with butter and sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar ( 1 level teaspoon cinnamon powder plus 4 dsp sugar), roll the dough into a long cylinderical "thingy" and before baking... sprinkle some more cinammon sugar...


AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST ... if you are tired with the rolls and the pizza...why not use the dough to make pies? like these ones...all you have to do is to "USE YOUR IMAGINATION"..happy cooking everyone!

#59 SPIRAL MEAT FILLED BREAD recipe#39

During our first wedding anniversary, one of the gifts given by My hubby was a classic bread cook book, since then the book became my reference book whenever I wanted to make homemade breads. Today, I made a bread that has meat filling. I used my frozen curry meat filling, a left-over after I made " kuih cara". Any filling of your choice is excellent for this bread.

Ingredients for the bread:
2 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water
5 g yeast + 1 tsp sugar+ 4 dsp warm water ~ to be left for 10 minutes

steps:
-Mix the dry ingredients, add in the oil, and yeast mixture and lastly water
- knead well and leave dough to rise in a bowl for 1 hr
note: the inside of bowl must be glazed with oil and ensure the bowl is covered with damp tea-towel
- after the dough has risen 2 times its size, transfer the dough onto a clean surface
- flattened the dough
- spread the filling on top of it

- roll the dough

- form a circle from the rolled dough


-cut the circle, halfway see pic below:


- twist the sections, leave the dough to rise again and glaze it with egg yolk before baking at 200 degrees.


- when bread is cooked, cool it on a wire rack befor transferring it on to a plate



-after an hour.......

#58 LEMON TARAGON BAKED CHICKEN #38

I need to cook something new today, My hubby and children are bored with the usual chicken dishes that I usually cook so I need to make a slightly different chicken dish.

Ingredients:
0.5 chicken- skin removed and cut into smaller pieces
marinade: 3 tbsp oil
1 level dsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dried taragon leaves
1 dsp Worcestershire sauce
2 chopped garlic
1/4 lemon cut into smaller pieces ( including the skin)

steps: combine chicken with marinade in a large bowl. Marinate for at least 1 hour before roasting. Bake chicken at 200 degrees celsius until chicken is cooked

#57 SPICY SALTED FISH SAMBAL recipe #37

I first ate this dish at my friend's, Md Farid place. Its a different version of sambal that I usually cooked. Here's the recipe

Ingredients:
-6 salted ikan rumahan/kembong- head removed and fried
- 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp corainder powder, 1tsp fennel powder and 1 tsp cumin powder - mix with 2 tbsp water
- 3 cm cinnamon stick, 1 star anise and 2 cardamoms
- 1 shallot-sliced
- 1 garlic- sliced
-1 pc ginger- size of garlic- sliced thinly
- 2 dsp thai sweet chili sauce

steps
- in a wok, hat oil
- add in the shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamoms~ fry till fragrant
- add in the spices mixture and chili sauce
- add in the fish, adjust flavour and dish up

#56 EGG "RENDANG": recipe #36

When I was 13, I came across this recipe in one of the "Wanita" magazine. I guess this is one of my very first dish that I cooked. Simple but delicious especially if you eat it with hot rice.

Ingredients
2 eggs- fried /bull's eye
1/2 large onion- sliced
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 tsp corn flour - mix with 1 tbsp water
chicken stock

step:
-heat oil in wok
- fry the onion and garlic until fragrant
- add in the sauces and corn flour mixture, cook until gravy thicken
- season with chicken stock
- finally add in the fried eggs.

#55 STIR FRIED CUCUMBER WITH SOY SAUCE #35

My dad or "Nini Boy" as my children call him likes to cook. I remembered he used to cook for My late Mom when she was at the hospital. His recipes are simple but yet delicious. This is one of his very own recipe. He used to cook this dish with fresh cuttlefish but I haven't got any in my fridge so I used fresh prawns instead..

Ingredients
1 large cucumber- cut into wedges
2 shallots-sliced
2 cloves garlic -sliced
1 red chili- sliced
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
dark soy sauce
5 -8 prawns-shelled and deveined

steps
-heat oil in wok
-fry the shallots, garlic and red chilli until fragrant
- add in the prawn and fry till half cooked
-add in the cucumber chicken stock and soy sauce and a tablespoon of water
- cover wok, reduce heat
- when cucumber is half cooked, dish up.

#54 CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ( V4): recipe #34

Ha...Ha... another version of Chocolate chip cookies or is it biscuits? I browse the recipe through the net and found the recipe which according to the one who posted it was " the best chocolate cookies" in the whole world.. well, I wanted to know how " the best chocolate cookies " in the world taste like so I followed the recipe closely. The dough was very sticky and to me it's more like a cake mixture.. so I tested 2 small balls of the dough by baking it. My instinct was right, the texture was too cakey-like. I kept the mixture in the fridge, so I will make adjustment on the next day. The next day, I add some rolled oats and add more flour to it and the result? this crispy cookies which tasted like ANZAC biscuits.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup oil
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 and 1/2 vinegar

Steps:
1. Thoroughly cream sugars, fats and egg
2. Add the rest of the ingredients
3. make small balls and put on a baking pan. flatten the ball with a fork
4. Bake at 140-160 degrees for 30-45 minutes , or until the biscuits are crispy inside.

#53 JAPANESE PANCAKE: recipe #33

Watching the Doraemon show one day, made me curious of this " Dorayaki". Dorayaki filling is supposed to be red beans, but to the ones that I made, I simply spread peanut butter in between it. The difference between this Japanese pancake is that it is sweeter and it's also delicious on its own. Since I don't own any non-stick pan, I used my ordinary egg pan and the mixture browns too quickly.

Ingredients:
100g flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
80 ml water
1/2 tsp salt
50g sugar
1 tbsp honey

steps:
put everthing in a mixer at max speed for 2-3 minutes.
-heat pan ( if you use ordinary pan make sure you put a little oil in it)
-pour some of the mixture intop the pan and cook till done

#52 SWEET AND SPICY HOMEMADE FISHBALLS : recipe #32

I love to eat fish. So yesterday, instead of just doing the usual " lauk masak merah" , I decided to make fish balls instead.

For the fish balls:
1 cup blended fish " flesh"- I prefer "ikan tengirri"
1 tsp corainder powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp curry powder
salt to taste
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tsp corn flour

-step :
mix all ingredients in a bowl
-take small amount of the mixture and make it into a small size fish ball
- fry the balls at medium heat until the outside of the ball is golden brown

For the gravy:
2 shallots
2 garlic
2 pcs, ginger with size of a garlic
2 dsp tomato sauce
1 dsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp curry powder
1 cup milk
chicken stock/ salt to taste

steps:
Heat oil in wok
fry shallots, garlic and ginger till fragrant
add in all the other ingredients except milk
When gravy thickens, add in the fish balls and the milk
adjust the seasoning and dish up

#51 BREAKFAST SET: recipe #30 and #31

I am so clueless of what to prepare for breakfast today, so I made these instead, flat crusty bread with chicken curry, yummy.. btw.. I was in a hurry, so I "cheated" by using bread improver and bicarbonate of soda to make the dough rose faster :)

FLAT CRUSTY BREAD

Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour
5 g instant yeast
1 and 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
2 dsp bread imporver ( optional)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ( optional)

steps:
1. put all ingredients in a bowl, using a spatula mix everthing till all sides of the bowl is clean.
2. knead the dough for at least 5 minutes
3. leave the dough to rise for 30 minutes or if the dough doubles its size
4. flatten the dough and place it on a pan , prick the top of the dough with fork and sprinkle poppy seeds on top of it.
5. leave the dough to rise again for at least 30 minutes before baking it.
6. Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C until the bread is cooked

Quick chicken curry
Ingredients:
1. 1 chicken breast- skin's removed and cut into bite size pcs
2. 2 dsp curry powder (I used Adabi's)
3. 2 shallots- sliced
4. 2 garlic-sliced
5. I pc ginger (size of garlic)- sliced
6. 1 cup milk
7. juice from 1 lime/limau kesturi
8. salt/chicken stock powder to taste

steps;
- In a bowl, combine chicken pcs , the curry powder and 1 dsp water, leave mixture for at least 5-10 minutes.
- Heat oil in wok, add in the shallots, garlic and ginger, fry until fragrant
- add in the chicken pcs, cover wok, simmer till gravy thickens and chicken is almost cooked, if curry dries up, add in a small amt of water.
- add in milk and lime, season well
- simmer for another 5 minutes, dish up

~EnjoY!

# 50 LEMON CHOC-CHIPS CUPCAKES : recipe #29

I made these for our journey to Belait, as the children wanted to visit OGDC. The texture is soft with lemon and chocolatey flavour

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 capful ( using the essence's cap) lemon essence
1 cup Hongkong flour
1/2 cup large semi-sweet chocolate chips

steps:
1.cream butter and sugar till fluffy
2. add in the egg, mix well
3. add in the milk, Bp and lemon essence
4. add flour a little at a time, mix well
5. lastly add in the chocolate chips
6. Place mixture in 6 muffins paper cups and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 160 degrees

#49 FRIED TOM YAM UDON: recipe #28

Dayini loves udon, and it has been sometime that I haven't cooked Udon for the family. On top of that fresh udon are only sold at a few supermarkets.

Ingredients:
400gm Udon
10 prawns -shelled and deveined
2 shallots -sliced
2 garlic -sliced
bak choy - "sawi Hijau"- cut into small pcs
sprigs of spring onions
1 and 1/2 cubes Maggi Tom Yam stock
dark soy sauce

steps:
heat oil in wok
fry onion till fragrant, add in the prawn
add in the Udon and bak choy-add 1 tbsp of water-keep stirring
add in the Tom Yam
When Udon softened add in the soy sauce and spring onions.

#45 Cheesy peach cake: recipe #27

I saw 2 cans of peach in the cabinet , "left over" during puasa. Have been thinking of how to utilise it. Wanting to make trifle, but I haven't got any strawberry jelly in the kitchen, so I used my imagination and create this instead, which turn out to be a delicious recipe and "children-friendly" too. This cake is not so sweet, so if you are "a sweet tooth" person, you may want to add in 1/4 cup more sugar.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 stick cream cheese ( 125g)
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 pieces, halved canned peach- blended
2 pieces, halved canned peach- cut into small pieces
1 and 1/2 cup top flour

steps:
1) cream butter and sugar , add in the cream cheese, beat again until the mixture is uniform and fluffy.
2) add in the egg, beat again
3) addin the rest of the ingredients except the flour.
4) lastly , add in the flour, a little at a time, making sure there is no lumps in the mixture.
5) pour in the mixture into a pan that has been buttered and was sprinkled with flour.
6) On top of mixture, place the peach pieces
7) Bake the cake into a preheated oven at 160 degrees for about 35-40 minutes.

#43 BANANA BLOSSOMS SALAD: recipe #25

Yesterday I went to the market and managed to buy 2 banana blossoms for a dollar. The usual dish Bruneian cook with this "thingy" would be "masak lemak". However, I am making salad for both of these blossoms. Today I am using one of those, perhaps tomorrow, I will be making another kind of salad with the other.

Ingredients:

1 small banana blossoms, boiled and cut into thin strips

1/2 big red onion

1 chilli, julienned

juice from 5 small lime / limau kesturi

1 tsp sugar

2 dsp fish sauce

to be blended together:

1 clove garlic

1 chili

1 handful washed dry prawns

steps:

Mix the blossoms with all ingedients including the blended items

adjust the taste : sugar, salt and sourness of the salad according to your taste

#42 QUICK PRAWN SAMBAL: recipe #24

My late paternal grandma could cook things in a jiffy. Her cooking methods, as I mentioned sometime ago was very simple and she didn't use any measurement in her cooking. Her signature dishes was always "sambal". For me, she made the best sambal... This recipe is aa modification of her recipe of chopped prawn sambal as I was running out of dried chili paste

Ingredients:

10 prawns- shelled, deveined, coarsely chopped.

1/2 big onion

1 clove garlic

2 dsp chili sauce ( I prefer the "singapore" sauce)

1 dsp "belacan" powder

steps:

mix the sauce with prawns and leave it for 10 minutes

heat oil in wok

fry the prawn mixture till sauce thickens

add julienned onion and garlic

when the onion and garlic become soft, add in the belacan powder

adjust the taste, dish up

#41 PRAWN TAUCHO : recipe #23

I love prawns! I remembered My dad used to catch a lot of prawns in the "old" days , and we used to just grill them and ate them with sauce. I haven't eaten prawns for sometime now, so today, I "drag" my hubby to Jerudong Market to buy 2 kilos of prawns. Since, My kids are not into prawns, that means the prawns are for us to savour... yum..yum...

Ingredients:

15 medium sized prawns- shells intact, but deveined and sharp part on head removed.

1/2 large red onion - not shallots/ may be substituted with the ordinary big onion

1 dsp taucho (salted soy bean)- made into paste

1 dsp Maggi chili sauce ( so no need to add sugar)

1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

1 tsp mint sauce

2 small tomatoes- cut into wedges

steps:

1) Heat oil in wok, when oil is hot, add prawn and cook them until shell look crispy

2) add in the onion

3) once onion is soft add in the rest of the ingradients- if the pan is dry , add 1-2 dsp of water.

4) add in tomatoes , cook for a few minutes & dish up

enjoy!!!

#40 SHEPHERDS PIE: recipe #22

For Malays or Asian in general, the taste of this pie has to be acquired before you like it, just like pizza or Marcaroni etc.

Ingredients:

For the mashed potato:

4 large boiled potatoes

1/4 cup milk

1 dsp butter

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1dsp garlic sauce

1 dsp cheese powder ( optional)

steps:

mash potatoes and add the rest of the ingedients. mix thoroughly till well blended

For the beef

500 gm minced beef

1 and 1/2 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup chilli sauce

1 tsp salt

1 dsp chicken stock

1 dsp mixed italian herb

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 dsp oyster sauce

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

a pinch of cinnamon powder

1 carrot, grated

1 red onion and 2 cloves garlic- blend/chopped

step :

1.heat oil in a wok, fry the onion and garlic mixture

2. add in the meat followed by the carrot,

3. add in the rest of the ingedients : ADJUST THE SEASONINGS

To assemble:

1. Put the beef mixture into a casserole

2. top up with mashed potatoes

3. put a generous amount of mozarella cheese on top

4. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes/ cheese is brown at 160 degrees.

#39 BREAKFAST CHOCOLATE PRUNE MUFFINS: recipe #21

As always, I had a sudden "rush" to bake something, so I looked through the cabinet and here is something I came up with:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup oil

1 egg

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 dsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vinegar

1/2 cup milk

1 and 1/3 cup flour

3/4 cup sliced prunes

steps

1. put everything in a mixer except for the prunes. Beat till well mixed.

2. Add in the prunes

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 13 or until muffins are done.

#38 BBQ CHICKEN WINGS: recipe #20

When I was in form 5, we had our last picnic at Muara beach. My classmate, Zainon ( thank you non!!) ,was in-charge of marinating the chicken. This recipe is actually for BBQing but then,it also taste good if you bake or grill the chicken pieces, nevertheless, for me BBQ is still the best.

Ingredients:
marinade :
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder ( do not substitute this with chili paste)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp soya sauce ( do not use sweet variety)
1 tsp white vinegar

8 pieces chicken wings
1 lemon grass ( to be made into "brush" to baste the chicken)
oil
steps:
1. Marinade the chicken with the marinade ingredients for at least 4 hrs or better still overnight in the fridge.
2. Baste the chicken before or during cooking using the lemon grass and marinade mixed with oil.
3. cook until done.