From My Kitchen... Again

You know how in the old days, our mothers and grand-mothers all cook their traditional food using the nicest way to cook using the "agak-agak" method? Yeah.. My mother loves to cook. Sometimes when she cook, I'd stand next to her and have a "pok-pek"ing session...

Some of her yummiest dishes that she always prepare are quite simple...

Whenever she cook Sambal Tumis (that's the red oily paste you usually find in Nasi Lemak basically you prepare the paste and put in fried fish/dried cuttlefish, prawns/chicken/cockles or my favorite- BEANCURD!), she'd usually make some Masak Lemak (basically some sort of vegetable- cucumber, Petola/Sponge Cucumber, Bendi/Ladies Finger, Terung Bulat/Eggplant with some dried shrimp, Tang Hoon and Foo Chuk cooked in coconut milk and optional eggs)... I tell you... Sambal Tumis goes together very well with Masak Lemak and white rice!!!

During Ramadhan, however, my thoughts is closer to home. I cook whatever dishes that reminds me of home.

My mom once persuaded me (and unfortunately she succeeded) to force me to cook her different variants of Nasi Goreng for a whole week, it was like Friday- Nasi Goreng Kampung, Saturday- Nasi Goreng Cina, Sunday- Nasi Goreng Kicap, Monday-Nasik Goreng Isi Ketam, Tuesday-Nasi Goreng Ikan Masin, Wednesday-Nasi Goreng Mentega, Thursday- Nasi Goreng "Orang Malas" (which is basically buttered fried rice with minced birds' eye chilli and shallots).... Hehehehe... So that incident caused me not to be a big fan of fried rice! But I think I'll post the Fried Rice recipes soon... We usually have this really nice chinese style fermented garlic and birds' eye chilli to eat with our fried rice and again... The recipe for this will be posted soon...

So it's Ramadhan and here goes my recipe for the first day fasting early meal (Sahur).

(A very basic) Sambal Tumis Recipe:

Ingredient:

1 1/2 Handful Dried Chilli
8 Shallot* (divide into 2, half for blending, half for sauteing)
4 Garlic
1 table spoon Dried Shrimp (divide into 2, half for blending, half for sauteing)
1/2 inch Prawn Paste (Belacan)
1/4 tea spoon of Black Pepper


3 slices Dried Tamarind
1/2 table spoon Tamarind Pulp (add 3 table spoon water)
1/4 tea spoon of thick soya sauce (for color... hehehe)

The Method
Blend shallot, garlic, black pepper, prawn paste and dried shrimp.
Boil dried chilli until soft, blend with 2 table spoon of oil until fine.
Saute shallot and dried shrimp and pour in the blended ingredients.
Throw in tamarind slices and tamarind juice (strain out the pulp).
Cook until the oil separates (pecah minyak is the same thing in local Malaysian term).
Add in thick soya sauce and season to taste.

Canned Cuttlefish with Dried Chilli and Taucheo
1/2 can Canned Cuttlefish with sauce (Orange can, too lazy to get up and see what brand already)
4 Dried Chilli
4 Garlic
1 onion
1 table spoon Taucheo
1 table spoon oil
Few drops of thick soya sauce for color (',')
Salt and Pepper

The method:
Cut canned cuttlefish to bite size pieces.
Sautee dried chilli and garlic.
Add in cuttlefish sauce and sliced onion.
Stir until the onion is soft.
Add in cuttlefish, soya sauce and taucheo.
Serve hot.

p/s: most of my recipe are acutally cooked with the best method, that's the good old traditional "agak-agak" method... *smiles sweetly

p/s II: It's the Independence Month and Ramadhan, so here's wishing everyone a blessed Ramadhan, happy fasting and dont forget to fly our Jalur Gemilang high and proud!

p/s III: Wishing AA and Nurul a very happy birthday! And to my main sister- Cik Siti Mohani Saad, Happy Belated Birthday...

Bottled Sambal Tumis and Canned Cuttlefish with Dried Chilli and Taucheo


FROM MY OTHER KITCHEN- THE PHEONIX RESTAURANT, THE BAYVIEW LANGKAWI
DIMSUM FRIDAY