Thursday 3 September 2009

What's cooking?

"What do you want to eat for iftar, mama?" was the question I got at the end of my Blackberry (ehem!). Such a simple question and yet it was like music to my ears, especially when it came at the end of a long tiring day fiddling with my new gadget.

I suppressed the urge to say "apa-apalah" because that has been copyrighted and so I said its equivalent of "whatever!"

And I wasn't to regret with that decision because wafting from the kitchen was the most drool inducing aroma that momentarily swayed my iman (a bit of exaggeration here is needed to motivate more activities in the kitchen). It was a creation befitting any Masterchef contestant, if I may say so myself; one that inevitably provoked the father into saying: Hmmmm, the flavour burst in the mouth and the salmon delicately crumbled ...bla, bla, blaaa..."













After more than ten days of fasting and rehashing tired old recipes, I took to looking and drooling at recipes on the internet but I am still at a loss as to what else to cook. I've done the usual, lamb/chicken curry, bubur lambuk and stuff and to tell you the truth I need some other stuff to excite the taste buds. I've even tried cooking mussels! So, when Sayang mama number two whipped up salmon in cream sauce with generous helpings of sliced mushrooms and roast potatoes, I wasn't about to complain.

When I was at her age, I was only entrusted with peeling onions and top and tailing beansprouts. I remember once attempting scones and they turned out rock hard, enough to knock you out and see stars if someone pelted you with one. But arwah Pak ate them all.

With a husband whose "apa-apalah" attitude towards food and cooking, I have not had much incentive to learn. But learn I did and I have improved if I may say so myself. At least no more washing keropoks before frying them .

I am delightfully surprised that Rehana has displayed some talents in an area where I am sadly lacking. She had made beautiful grilled chicken as well. The brother does brilliant couscous, but since the start of Ramadhan he had been busy at work. And dear hubby, if you are reading this, I am still waiting for your chicken kiev.

Last night, I went into foreign and new territory. Feeling quite adventurous and with a lot of time to spare, I surfed the internet for kacang phool recipe. This was of course inspired by Oldstock as well. The recipe I had was Malaysianised, prompting Rehana to remark not once: this is so Malaysian! But she liked it. I had in it chilli powder, curry powder and asam keping, plus minced meat. That went very well with freshly baked French bread. And for the meal after maghrib, it was mee bandung. Aaah, tasted so good too when we had it for sahur.

So, what's cooking in your kitchen?

52 comments:

Al-Manar said...

Kak Teh'
We do not waste time asking ,"What's cooking?" We drive to one of several pasars ramadan and come home with four pounds worth of what has already been cooked! And Kak Mah can have a clean smoke-free kitchen for that price.
Abang Ngah

Kak Teh said...

Abang Ngah, that is not fair! How can you tantalise us wth talks of pasar ramadhan! And how I now yearn for Kak Mah's nasi dagang. I remember the tme when she went all out to make nasi dagang in my kitchen. Since then, we have been nasi dagangless! Poor Hulaimi. Am sure he needs a touch of Trengganu in the meals. Never mind, keropok Trengganu ada, hehe!

Naz in Norway said...

(mega sigh!)...nasi dagang...
I shouldn't have read the exchange between you and Al-Manar ;)

Here in western Norway, I'm letting out sweet smell of Ayam Pandan to the neighbourhood (hari ni kan panas so boleh lah eksyen main buka pintu tingkap segala!). Am now making some kerabu jantung pisang, Butter Chicken (masak merah tu lah!) and my signature sambal hantu syaitan.
For dessert, we will have sago gula melaka with strawberries on top.

Kak Ezza@makcik Blogger said...

kacang phool tu apa kak...tak pernah plk saya dengar...

Kak Teh said...

Naz, amboi, nak melawan kita buat ayam pandan. Kak teh memang suka ayam pandan makan dengan ayark asam! Naz cari mana daun pandan?

Looks like you've got a ull table there! I have yet to think about what to cook. Masih menunggu mood dan ilham tiba.

Ezza, kacang phool tu broad beans. Kak teh beli yang dalam tin saja and then masak dengan cili powder, kari powder, masukkan asam keping, air, minced meat and then kacang tu. Makan dengan roti. Cuba google and you will see what it looks like. also, di atas kacang tu kena letak telur goreng and bawang, cili yang dicincang.

Ms B said...

KT,

I always get that question but of course it's for her "pretend" lunch/tea/dinner. I wait for the day for it to be materialised. Lambat lagi no....

Mati kutu ni nak msk apa but I suppose it'll be rice tonight. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'm supposed to do kuih bakar. our D managed to get me into it. *lol*

Kak Teh said...

Ms B, memang bercinta kalau nak masuk dapur. It is now 1625 and I havent a clue. entahlaaaaa, apakah akan ke restoran Tok din? atau ke Holiday Villa? This sunday there's crab curry at Holiday Villa....I have to tie myself down so as not to give in to the temptation.

Kak Elle said...

wow at least sayang mama is interested into cooking:)

KT when I do kacang pool I just add ketumba/jintan and garnish with diced onions and red/green cili with a melted teaspoonful of ghee for each helping and top with mata lembu fried egg.

I was tired after the afternoon under hot sun at the school x-country run ... but managed to dish out hor fun.

Kak Teh said...

kak elle, i think that is the original recipe. Mine was, like Rehana said, malaysianised. But they enjoyed it. Thank God.

What is hor fun? had fun making it? ;)

Wan Nordin Wan Hussin said...

What's cooking? Well something's cooking. We are inviting a few colleagues from my office and their families for iftar this Friday. But no home-made food. We just order gulai kawah (beef with batang pisang), kari ayam kampung, and other villagey food from our favourite restoran masakan kampung in Hutan Kampung near our place. Hope we can also find fresh roti benggali to wipe clean all the juicy sauce.

For sahur, the children are not demanding. They can wipe clean a bowl or two of coco crunch and Vono mushroom soup. Well, what can we say, that's their own choice?

Selamat Berbuka (dengan manisan beleda kering?).

Kak Teh said...

GUiKP, that sounds delicious. No wthe fad is masakan kampung served in restaurants in kampung ambience. I love it! beleda? have yet to acquire the taste.

zaitgha said...

K Teh,

Me too running out ideas of what to cook for iftar...the past few days i only started cooking after 6...just now just fried kuey teow for the 2 older boys and the father and mee lada hitam for me and the baby of the house....sahur maybe nasi goreng cili api ....

Kak Teh said...

zai, for someone like you pun mati akai tak tau apa nak masak, ini kan pula kak teh. So today I have decided that we go to a restaurant. Balik tak payah basuh pinggan, kan? But we still have to think about sahur, sigh!

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh, I am not fasting but at the rate I am indulging in yummy Ramadan food, I think I really really need to start that other version of partial fasting called dieting, soon. Selamat berpuasa.

Kak Teh said...

Andrea, I can imagine. I see that the non Muslims are just as 'enthusiastic' when it comes to buka puasa time. i dont blame you - so much mouth watering choice!

Kak Elle said...

hehe what's hor-fun?cantonese style kway teow with seafood/beef sauce over kway teow there a name the malaysian called but I can't remember in Sg is hor-fun.

Pi Bani said...

What's cooking? Well, it's usually just me and my mom at home so masak pun sikit aje untuk sekali makan for iftar. Yesterday was masak asam pedas. Kadang-kadang bila malas pikir pasal lauk, masak aje nasi goreng or mee hailam or whatever (there you go, got "whatever" in the menu...)

Bila my siblings balik with kids in tow, THEN kena masak lebih sikit and kena pikir apa nak masak!

D said...

Hehe.. the question in the minds of all cooks, eh kak teh? Although with the kids it's always quite simple, trying to vary it can be quite a task! Have to try harder at the dessert/kuih section..

Yup, after your entry and Oldstock's, I fixed Foul Medamas - the Middle East style (with lamb). Oooolala! Managed to share them with 2 other families. Yet to try the Johore style with egg on it. next week perhaps?

MrsNordin said...

Like you, if I'm lost at what to cook for iftar, I'll take them out. Like today, I'm thinking Burger King coz it's just me and Nadim. The little boy will enjoy a burger as well.

But so far so good. My family loves kacang phool as well and we'd have it like k.Elle's.

Good luck! Btw, nasi lemak for berbuka pun best... :)

KG said...

Kak Teh,
Wahh, nak pi buka posa sanalah!!! Yeah, today i tak tau apa nak masak, all the lauks tt i cooked for this week being the first week i naik kerja dah yillek....so today think i'll masak beryani udang wt ready made roast chicken frm ayamas..posa posa asam pedas tak laku at home. the kids love spicy stuff, dessert will be kolak pisang..
my daughter khadijah is not into cooking, but baking, she has started, ni dok pester i suruh buat macaroons....nak get ready for her wedding gamaknya!
kak teh, trylah biskut samprit lyana's recipe...sedap gilerre...

mamasita said...

Ahh masak apa yer...sambil berjalan round kat supermarket masatulah baru menu masak menjelma!

Wow..sedaapnyer your children masak..
your children bolehdah harap kat dapur kan?
Mine ikut mooood!hehe

isabelle said...

whats cooking in MY kitchen?
aisehhh...yg tu kena jwb masa weekend je kot. kalo hari biasa, p param je la. utk soq, masak lbh krg je.

it must feel good eh...when the kids can cook for us. haihh,.bila la anak mama nak buleh msk utk mama?

Kak Teh said...

kak elle, thanks for the explanation, but i dont think I;ve ever tasted it. Must be fun, eh? sorry, cant resist that. :)

Pi Bani, today after the absence of any ilham by about six o'clock, we decided to have iftar outside at a friend's restaurant - so we ordered mee goreng mamak, nasi goreng kampong and nasi lemak - that way we all get to share and taste everything. Senang, kan?

Kak Teh said...

D, you must give me that Middle eastern recipe so that I can try. The family seems to like phool, or foul, or fool - and i must perfect the technic.

Mrs N, perhaps I will try nasi lemak for berbuka. I have yet to do this at home. But I dotn have ikan bilis as I was too scared to bring some home recently. Tak pa - can always make it with chicken, kan?

Kak Teh said...

KG, really? Lyana's sampret? I am still deciding on the oven and when we get it, the sampret will be the first for me to try. Thanks for the tip.

mamasita, betul tu, kekadang start dari rumah menu lain and by the time sampai supermarket dah tukar and by the time balik- dah jadi macam lain. Who says women are indecisive?

Kak Teh said...

isabelle, yes, bila depa besark and minat masak, alhamdulillah. It is only recently that they have shown interest kalau tidak i pun ban them from my kitchen. I;d rather do things my way. Now it is good to relax once in a while.

NanaDJ said...

Kak Teh,
When I am too busy or come home late from work, CD (the other half) has to buy food from Kedai Pak Su or Restoran Utara at Kelana Jaya. Yang satu Kelantan food the other Kedah food, guess yang mana selalu dia tuju!(orang Johor tak nak buka kedailah, so no Johor food for me)
When I cook like today it will be something simple like masak lemak kuning ikan kering, kerabu salad, daging goreng special,ayam masak merah (for the children), spaghetti bolognese or ramen (for cucu), cucur udang plus ulam and sambal belacan.
My eldest son can cook but not for buka puasa. He will do his special lamb kebab for Raya and thats somthing all the guests will make a beeline for. You are lucky to have children who cook for Iftar.
I too love kacang fool(in Johor we call it kacan pol),never miss it for breakfast when in Mekah and Medina. There they put a lot of jintan putih,and serve it with chopped onion, daun ketumbar and a squeeze of lime so the taste is very Arab.They seldom have fried egg with it.

Kak Teh said...

NanaDJ, oh my God, you called that simple? That sounds like a feast! The masak lemak kuning ikan kering sounds yummy but I cant get a decent ikan kering here. Bought a slice of the soft wet one recently - and that's quite good but not for curry.

The mama and daughter in the kitchen is the rebonding experience. And I really hope that we get our new oven and hob soon so that we can experiment with all sorts of things.

kay_leeda said...

Aisyehhh Kak Teh....looking at the pictures in yr entry makes me drooooollllll (kesian saya kan).

What's cookin tonite? Err...don't really know lah. It was soto ayam & roti John yesterday. Today ikan bakar with air asam kot..heh..heh :)This weekend I must try kueh qasidah yg telah di promote oleh Naz. Googled its recipe. Tinggal nak buat je lagi :)

Zendra-Maria said...

Kak Teh, been having the sniffles past 2 days so ponteng masak for iftar. Bazar ramadan fare for us lah - char kaway teow, bubor lambok, hainanese chicken rice, sop utara, tau foo far, kueh lopes, kueh kasui, laksa johor, laksa kedah, ayam percik, murtabak, roti jala, jagung bakar, apam balik, abok-abok, mi kari, mi soto, sate, popiah goreng/basah ....malaysian galore .... hahaha eat your hearts out, londoners.

Suria Klang said...

Kak Teh, a fren of mine is visiting London for the 1st time next week. She's going there with her niece to register her in one university (I forgot to ask where). Can I have your contact number, in case she needs someone to guide her? My email is idrismahasuria@gmail.com. I need it before the 7th so that I can forward her yr no. Thanks a lot.

Fadhil said...

Yay! Kak Teh dan D dah pandai masak kacang pool! How about trying nasi beriani next?

Kak Teh said...

Zendra, I baca list you pun sampai dah juling mata! Sampai hati you ni! Semalam I makan nasi goreng kampong, mee goreng mamak and nasi lemak - semua yang I tak buat sebab makan di restoran kawan I. Buka dengan bubork lambok dan sirap limau.
Malam ni rasa-rasanya masak yang teringkas juga sebab ada banyak kerja yang nak kena disiapkan. Hope your sniffles go soon.

Kay, kak teh tak pandailah buat soto. Ada juga perencah dalam almari tu - mungkin dah pass seel by date. And a little renyah kut kena buat bergedil etc...I'll pass that one.

Kak Teh said...

Suria kelang, kak teh dah email you and i hope to hear from your friend. Selamat berpuasa!

Oldstock - nak kata tera tu tak tera laa, tapi habislah juga semangkuk pool (phool? Fool? pol?) malam tu. I must calculate the right time to put the french bread in the oven. That makes a difference!

I'll give nasi beriani a miss because one: I dont like semua lauk in the rice, and two - my culinary skills do not stretch that far - hehe. Do ask AG. Luckily he is a man of simple means and last night he quietly ate my bubur lambuk that was way to salty. I have never once heard him complain about my cooking. hehe, sebab tu lah tak pernah improve!

Pak Zawi said...

Kak Teh,
We have no problem with breaking of fast as anything will do with hunger as the appetizer. Anyway I have ceased to be a pasar Ramadhan fan after a bout of diarhoea. If ever I want to buy anything from there I will amek sure they are cooked insitu.
It is sahur that is a problem as everything seems to be tasteless. Today I simply had Maggie Mee.

3yearshousewife said...

Mine is just copying what others had the buka puasa before. Senang, tak payah pikir. Today's menu: padprik daging, asam pedas ikan , roti john & kuih keria.

n.i. said...

Salam Kak Teh,
I looovveeee Kacang Phool! my mom and my grandma makes the best kacang phool (my late grandfather and late father loved them)...

My enthusiasm to cook faded as second week of ramadhan approached due to my uzur syar'ie hehehe i will resume cooking once i am 'clean' hehe

btw, i cook only for myself as the whole family wants the normal dish which are being prepared by my mom-in-law and the helper... *bertuah punya menantu* hehehe

i have been making myself homemade burger (i prepared the beef patty myself - bangganya!!!), roast chicken, burritos for iftar... next week insya Allah i am planning to repeat the same menu as I am reducing my rice intake... i might add homemade mushroom soup to the list... :-)

mariahsj said...

Salam kak Teh,
Saya membaca blog kak Teh. Seronok dengan celoteh dan pengalaman di perantauan.
Di tempat saya, pasar ramadhan memang menjadi lubuk makanan. Tetapi tahun ini pengunjung tidak seramai tahun-tahun lalu. Masalah ekonomi agaknya...
Selamat berbuka dan semoga diberkati Allah di bulan yang penuh rahmat. Psstt..saya junior akak di ITM (sekarang UiTM).
Jumpa lagi.

Mama Huptihup said...

kak teh,

kenapa la last2 tu u mention mee bandung huhu...i've craving for it soooo long tp penyakit malas mai lama dah so x buat2 lagi...nak beli i tau x sedap...

bestnya ada ank2 ppuan blh tolong kat dapoq...i ni nganga le sesorg kat dapoq tu...kkdg yusuf dtg tolong jugak sbb dia pun bosan dok nganga kat rumah!! kami ni nganga pun secara berjemaah!

ni kak naz ni, mana dia dapat jantung pisang tak tau la...

Kak Teh said...

Pak Zawi, am replying this after sahur. We had last night's curry which tasteed even better after reheating. AG had his with bread. The children usually have a glass of water and cereals.
That's the problem abt pasar food, you dont really know the hygiene of the people preparing the food.

3yearshousewife,kueh keria sounds good - lama dah kak terh tak makan kueh keria. It brings to mind the mamak jual kueh petang-petang! sigh! (not sighing for the mamak but for thekueh keria)

Kak Teh said...

n.i., I think enthusiasm and moods come and go and am sure we are allowed that. The days when we have no mood serve to make us more enthusiastic after that - i think that makes sense, hehe!

marahsj, salam dan selamat datang ke blog kak teh. Aaaah, you were my junior? mesti super duper junior and muda lagi kan? so where are you now?
Dulu kak teh balik dan pergi ke pasar ramadhan, semuanya kak teh nak beli...macam kemarok!

Kak Teh said...

Lyana, mee bandong kak teh senang sangat buat - nanti kak teh ajark - yang ni rekaan kak teh sendiri.
hahaha, ada juga nganga cara berjemaah - synchronised dak??? baik-baik lalat masuk nanti.
Kak teh tak heran naz mentioned jantung pisang sebab bukankegemaran kak teh. Tak sat ni sahur makan pengat pisang atau kita orang kedah panggil serawa.

ray said...

Komen Pak Malim kucing ray yg alim.

Mmmm, meleleh2 air liur saya tengok lauk, kata Pak Malim yg lalok. Kak Teh, saya nak tumpang makan, boleh? kata Pak Malim sambil memegang koleh.

Kak Teh said...

Pak Malim,
Persilalah Pak Malim makan, jemput kak teh yang dok masak sakan,
nak makan dengan tangan atau garpu, tanya kak teh sambil makan parpu.

mariahsj said...

Salam kak teh,

Memang nak masak di sana agak susah sebab kurang perencah, tetapi sekarang dah ada yang sejuk beku. Lebih mudah. Saya bawakan lemang dan rendang setiap kali saya melawat bapa saudara saya di Sussex (dah meninggal beberapa tahun yang lalu) dan dia seimpan sampai setahun di freezernya, dengan bukuh lemang tu sekali.
Saya tidaklah muda sangat sebab dah keluar daripada mass comm kira-kira 24 tahun yang lalu. Kak teh sama dengan Faikha, Wan Razali atau Nik Rohana?

Kak Teh said...

mariahsj, kak teh baru saja balik bertandang di blog mariah. Oh, kak teh batch Faikha. Balik malaysia baru2 ni tak sempat nak ke DBP. selalunya kak teh ke sana cari buku.

ABt lemang, masa balik baru ni, banyak juga makan lemang dengan durian. Mungkin nak cuba buat lemang - tapi kena guna foil sebab tak ada buluh.

No3 said...

I remember many many many years ago the smell of a leg of lamb wafting out of your kitchen... yummy...

Selamat berbuka to everyone.

mariahsj said...

Salam kak Teh,
Faikha tu super duper senior saya. Dia rakan sekerja tetapi di jabatan yang berlainan. Saya di majalah dan kini editor jurnal malay literature. Faikha setiausaha board of directors kami. Saya satu batch dengan datuk Manja dan Mustafa Omar di NST.
Singgahlah ke tempat kami jika balik KL.
Selamat berpuasa dan semoga kita jumpa nanti.

Mama Huptihup said...

kak teh, ni saja mai sbb nak seksa diri sendiri tgk strawberi dgn coklat kat headings u tu...adoi la...

Kak Teh said...

lyana, you ni lawak laaa! Kak teh pun tengah dok seksa diri pi tengok blog2 yang ada makanan nak cari ilham masak apa petang ni. kak teh nak pi bei oven baru sebab nak buat sampret Lyana. akan diberitahu perkembangannya.

Justiffa said...

KT - instead of frequenting the pasar ramadhan, i prefer tried & tested restaurant fare.. they also offer a lot of variety. but i usually end up cooking anyway bcos the kids would rather mama masak - xleh la nak curi tulang skit hehehe.

Today it's udang galah masak lemak cili api with mempelam muda thrown in (petik dari pokok depan rumah), kangkung belacan pedas2 and for me, i bought ikan patin msk assam tempoyak & murtabak daging :D

Kak Teh said...

justiffa, udang galah masak lemak cili api???? oh my God, that is serious laa. I wouldnt know what to do with udang galah except stare at them! I think i will give murtabak a try...sounds fun!