Posts

Showing posts from 2018

Easy Savory Fried Beef

Image
Fried beef or daging goreng is a very delicious dish and it is my favorite since I was little. The tender and flavorful beef with added onion and other vegetables do look really appetizing and can instigate hunger. There are many types of fried beef such as turmeric fried beef, soy sauce fried beef, ginger fried beef and the list goes on.  Here I will share a simple recipe of fried beef. I think this is the most basic version of fried beef and it is easy to make. The tender part of beef such as loin and fatty type of beef is suitable for this recipe. This dish is sweet, salty and sour from tamarind juice, and have hint of garlic and ginger flavor. Usually it is eaten with steamy rice. This is my father's version of fried beef. He added dried chili and lemongrass.  Prep time : around 30 minutes (boiling the beef time is not included) Cook time : around 10 minutes Ingredients 300 gram beef cut into flat pieces (about 1 inch x 1 inch) 1 table spoon tamarind juic

Stir Fried Sweet Leaf

Image
Sweet leaf is a vegetable that is becoming less popular in my country. However it is easy to grow and requires less supervision. Here people loves to cook it with coconut milk and pumpkin or sweet potato. It is one of my aunt's favorite soup. Sweet potato and sweet leaves coconut soup is a delicious partner for fried fish and rice.  Sweet leaf is a vegetable which is widely grown and lives in Malaysia. It is also widely grown in tropical area. It is also known by the name katuk and stargooseberry and its botanical name is Sauropus Androgynus. In Malay it is called Pucuk Manis, Cekur Manis, Cekak Manis, Cangkok Manis (Brunei) and Asin-asin. In Chinese language it is called Mani Cai. In Thailand it is called Pak Waan Ban, in Japan it is called Amame Shiba, Rau Ngot in Vietnam, Chinese Malunggai in Filipina and Madhura Cheera in India. 1 Sweet Leaves or Sayur Manis This vegetable has many health benefits such as high in Vitamin K, B, C protein and minerals. 1  It is beli

How To Cook Boiled Fish

Image
Boiled fish is product of a method of preserving fish for later use. It is a simple process of boiling the fish with some flavorings. The basis ingredients used are salt, water and tamarind peel. Some people add vinegar to get firmer texture. Boiling process will alter the taste of the fresh fish a bit as flavorings are added in the process.  The types of fish which are usually used to make the boiled fish vary, but the most common are tuna and sardine, and also Indian mackerel.  Purpose There are many purpose or you may say benefits of boiling fish before storing it. Some of the benefits are as below. Preserving the fish The main purpose of boiling fish is to preserve it from becoming bad, for those who do not own refrigerator. But it must be re-heated daily to prevent it from becoming bad in the next day.  Preserving the taste and texture of fresh fish The other purpose of boiling fish is to preserve the taste and texture of the fresh fish before keeping it in the fridge. By boiling

Spicy Tuna in Chili and Soy Sauce

Image
Tuna in Chili and Soy Sauce with my mom's doily in the background This is one of my favorite dish to eat with rice. It has a combination of spicy flavor from chili, ginger and garlic flavor, sweet and also sour from onions and tamarind. I like to eat only this dish with rice and some fresh vegetables or acar because it gives a clearer taste of the dish. Enough sourness is the key to the tastiness of this dish. Here Tuna is called 'Tongkol' fish. But in some area, it is called 'Aya'. 'Aya' fish. Tuna is beneficial for our health. Some articles claim that it does help our brain to function better. I don't know whether it is true or not. But one thing that I am sure about Tuna is, it is delicious. (^.^) This recipe is for one to two servings. And it is delicious when eaten with rice. It is a simple recipe which you can make when you don't feel like cooking. I like to add lots of sliced onion to it, and if you like you can also add sliced pepper

Sweet Potato Coconut Soup

Image
Sweet potato is a well loved food by many of us. However, during my childhood time, I don't really like sweet potato. I don't even care about it. But, as the time passed, I feel like my taste buds have changed. I slowly accepted the taste of sweet potato and can add it into my tea time menu. A few weeks ago, I made this sweet potato coconut soup which my mother and aunt really like. It requires a few ingredients only. This dish is suitable for coconut lovers. In Malay language this kind of soup made from coconut milk and palm sugar is called Pengat .  This Sweet Potato Pengat dish is a sweet and creamy sweet potato soup consist of coconut milk and palm sugar. The addition of sago thicken the soup. It also makes the soup smoother in texture. Pandan leaves add sweet aroma to the soup.  Sweet potato coconut soup is a perfect dish for tea time break, dessert and even dinner. Cooled version of the soup is tasty when consumed in the hot afternoon.  Best eaten cool. You can add

Easy 10 minutes Fried Noodles

Image
I was thinking about what to eat for dinner when I came across this recipe. I love eating noodles. I always keep dried instant noodles at home in case I feel like eating it. This recipe is simple and humble but fulfilling. Some of the ingredients are adjustable, depending on what ingredients you have at home.  I like my fried noodle to has a little sweet taste and a little oily. It can be spicy caused by the chili or white pepper or black pepper.  And some vegetables such as carrot and corn may add some sweet taste to the fried noodle.   The addition of chicken or beef may also add flavor to it. But here I am just adding egg in it.  The recipe is as below. Easy Fried Instant Noodles Prep time :  about 5 minutes Cook time :   about 5 minutes Ingredients 1 packet instant noodles ( 60 to 80 gram) 2 shallots 2 clove garlic 1 green chili de arbol or bird eye chili.  1 egg 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce 1 tbsp beef or chicken stock 1/3 cup julienned carrot 2 tbsp vegetable

Healthy Fish Singgang

Image
Singgang is a type of Malay soup made with galangal, tamarind peel and garlic. The soup is clear and it should be cooked by using fresh fish to obtain an optimum fish flavor. Usually mackerel and tuna are used to make this soup. There are many versions of Fish Singgang recipe, some uses onion in it and some add turmeric. In this entry I will share the basic clear Fish Singgang recipe.  Singgang dish is best served on the next day when the taste from all ingredients are well mixed and released into the soup. This soup is recommended for those who are pursuing a healthy life style. The omega-3 fatty acid in the fish is good for health, plus garlic and galangal are well known for its health benefits. Plus, chili contains vitamins and tamarind peel is said to be good for treating high blood pressure. This dish use fresh ingredients and bring out the fresh taste of it. If you have not eaten Fish Singgang yet, you may wonder how does it taste. It is a clear fish soup with the combination

Onde-Onde Dessert

Image
Onde-onde is a kind of Malaysian kueh which are usually served as dessert or eaten during teatime. Indonesia and other Southeast Asia country may consume it too. It is a simple food made from glutinous rice flour and palm sugar covered in fresh grated coconut. It is round in shape, like small balls. The size of onde-onde may vary, between 2 cm to 3 cm in diameter . It is usually made based on the palm sugar filling size and shape. The palm sugar filling gives surprise effect in the mouth while the  sweetness of palm sugar and saltiness of the grated coconut contradicts each other giving a satisfaction for the one who eat it.  Onde-onde is a traditional food originated from Nusantara. However the size and ingredients used in making onde-onde may differ from place to place. In some area the size of the dessert is bigger, while in another area they may be made smaller. Different types of palm sugar or brown sugar may be used in making onde-onde, depending on the availability of the

Singgang Daging: Healthy Beef Soup

Image
Singgang Daging is a type of Malay beef soup which is cooked by using certain herbs and spices. It is packed with spices, sweet and sour flavor. The taste of herbs and spices used combined with a bit of sourness and beef flavor are some of the elements which made this Singgang delicious. Singgang is a type of soup cooked by using galangal, garlic and tamarind peel, while Daging is the Malay word for beef.  Classically, Singgang Daging is cooked by simmering the galangal, garlic, coriander seeds and tamarind peel in plain water together with meat. Additional ingredients are also added into the soup, such as chili. For Beef Singgang, coriander is added to the soup to enhance its flavor. This is a clear soup packed with flavor of aromatic ingredients. There are two versions of it which are Red Singgang and White Singgang. The difference is made by adding the dried chili. Below is the recipe of Red Beef Singgang which comprises more ingredients in it.  Singgang Daging or Beef Singgang

Pumpkin in Syrup

Image
Pumpkin is one of my favorite vegetable. It is so versatile, nutritious and delicious. One of the recipe of pumpkin which is easy to make is Pumpkin in Syrup. It is usually eaten for dessert, and it is delicious. In Malay people call it Sira Labu. Sira means something cooked with sugar syrup and Labu means Pumpkin. Okay, lets go and see how to make it. Sira Labu Prep time :  15 minutes Cooking time :  around 15 to 20 minutes Ingredients 1/2 of medium size pumpkin ( sliced in 1 inch thick - thickness of the thickest cross section ) 3 pandan leaves  7 cloves 3 palm sugar  5 tbsp white sugar, or to taste Water 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste Methods Mix palm sugar, salt and white sugar with 2 cups of water. Boil the mixture in medium heat. Add pandan leaves and cloves. Bring to boil. Add in the pumpkin.  Add water if necessary. Cook until the pumpkin is tender, and the taste of syrup penetrates the pumpkin. Serve.  You can also put the pumpkin in syrup in

Prawn In Coconut Gravy / Gulai Udang

Image
Today my nieces and nephew come to my house. I have not cooked anything because I just plan to eat instant noodle in prawn stock. Since they came, I need to prepare lunch and decided to make this Prawn Coconut Soup or Masak Lemak Udang in Malay Language. There are many variation of Masak Lemak Udang here in Malaysia, however I chose the most simple recipe for my niece to eat, simple and less spicy.  In my parents' hometown which located in the East Coast of Malaysia Peninsular, Masak Lemak Udang is cooked with dried chili. While mostly in Southern area, Masak Lemak is cooked with bird eye chili.  Today's recipe is cooked with bird eye chili, but I reduced it a lot in number so that my niece can eat it. It is originally my mom's recipe, but I just added a few optional ingredients to compliment the use of lime juice. Okay lets go to the recipe. Prawn in Coconut Soup Tamarind Peel Preparing the shallot and chili paste Ready in about 30 minutes I