Malay Wedding

MG and her English husband K were invited to a Malay Wedding recently by their neighbour, and I was asked whether I would be interested to join them.  Yes I would love to and this is the second time I am attending a Malay Wedding.

 

It was only a walking distance from MG's house to the Wedding, on our way, we could hear the drumming noise..it sounded very authentic and welcoming..As we were approcahing the house, I  have to take the opportunity to take pictures prior entering to the house, otherwise I would miss it. 

 

The Malay wedding is a entire different story. As you can see, this is a different arrangement comparing with the Chinese and the Westerns wedding's decoration. 

 

There were already so packed with people. I have heard that the whole Malay neighbourhood was invited..I saw a bus parked not to far away from the house.. So colourful with a lot of decoration and needless to say: lots of yummy delicious Malay food that I would not miss it for the world. 

 

For further understanding regarding the Malay Wedding and the Malay Wedding Food, please refer to the following link http://malayweddingservices.com/malay-wedding/  and the Malay Wedding Food, please read this blog:  http://www.wedresearch.net/2012/12/malay-wedding-food.html

 

 

 

Today I attended a Malay Wedding. At the entrance. It was already packed with well wishes friends, family and relatives. 

 

 

 

 

Look at the yummy food..

Can't get enough of them..





The food in the centre of the table.  They are the typical Malay Wedding dishes are served.  The dishes were Fruit Archar, Fresh Fruits of Watermelon and Oranges, Fried Fish, Mutton Rendang, Fried Chicken and Potato Curry..and naturlig they were served together with Nasi Miyak  uhm..so so delicious..

 

On my plate, I had Nasi Miyak, Mutton Rendang and never in my life have tested such delicious Fruit Archar/ Archar Buah..Well, I have tried to be modest of my serving, but it WAS difficult..



The dessert table consisted of different delicious home made Malay Kueh, Cakes and Jelly..



 So sad, I have to skip these, no room for dessert..after three servings of the above..

Sydney renowned Chef Christine Manfield

 

I was shocked and saddened when I learned from the Australian Hospitality Magazine recently, [http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au]  that Sydney renowned celebrity Chef Christine Manfield is closing down her Sydney's Universal Restaurant in the suburb of Darlinghurst.

picture from the hospitality magazine

I came to know Christine Manfield while at a book store in Sydney some years ago.  She is a colourful, vibrant and  a brilliant Chef I have ever met known.  This big colourful and unusual hard cover caught my attention that I just needed to own this book for myself.

I would loveeeee to attend Christine Manfield cooking classes at the Sydney Fish Market and while living in the Northern Beaches, she had classes at FoodStuff Mona Vale.  I seemed to have missed her classes..it was either I was late knowing about it, the class was full or even I was on waiting list!!!

 

 

Stir - Christine Manfield's cook book is real, wholesome, explosive of Asian local spices and flavoursome; well explained and easy to follow with many of my favourite and basic Asian recipes for example making Laksa Paste, Pickle and Jams, Satay and Curry Pastes.. .

 

Going through her hard covered book with the most beautiful lively pictures, it was as if I  could smell and taste her food..and I was literally droolllling.. tried to swollen my saliva at the book store ..And how could I not..

 

Moreover, I have never in my entire life reading such an experienced, well written and so authentic Asian recipe book which is so well covered by a Caucasian Female Chef [beside Niel Perry]..She has the most incredible knowledge of Oriental herbs and spices.

 

However, this is so good and so easy as I have tested this recipe many times and this is one of my favourites.. Sorrry for not having the picture of the dish. The Christine Mansfield's way 

 

 

Jumbo Prawns with Green Coconut Curry 

Serve 4

 

Ingredients:

 

250ml coconut cream

1 tablespoon Green Curry Paste

2 teaspoon fish sauce

200ml fish stock

16 raw jumbo prawns, shelled

1 cup Thai basil leaves, washed

150g small spinach leaves, washed

 

 Method:

 

1.  Heat coconut cream to simmering point, stir in green curry paste and fish sauce.

2.  Cook sauce for  10 minutes, add stock and bring to boil.

3.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and, if necessary, adjust seasoning. 

4.  Add prawns to sauce and simmer on low heat for 3 - 4 minute, just long enough so prawns  changed colour without overcooked and tightening.

5.  Stir in basil and spinach leaves till they are wilted, served with stem rice. If you cannot find the small spinach leaves, try shreded iceberg salad..uhmmm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



To Wash or Not To Wash??

 

This is indeed a very common sight in the South East Asian countries where eggs are being found and displayed in shops, especially in the 'wet markets'.   For example,  you can find these pictures below, anybody can sell eggs..as an employee or an entrepreneur..and you do not need rocket science to do so..

 

 

The fresh chicken eggs stall's picture was from the Imbi Market, Kuala Lumpur and the picture is from ChopinandMysaucepan.com

 

 

Another fresh egg stall picture from careerdiplomat.blogspot.com

 

 

picture from www.21food.com

 As it was so convenient, as it shown above, I have bought a tray of eggs from the local sundry shop near Seremban 2 where I live.. A tray of A grade eggs consist of 30, cost me 11MYR.., the shop  owner would automatically take another egg tray and cover the top of the eggs,  

 

 

like this, and within seconds, he used 2 rubber band for each corner of the tray to 'tie and secure' the egg tray.. This is to assure the eggs were properly / supposingly 'protected' under transportation. He then slide the tray into the big plastic bag.. tie the knot and there you go..

 

 

 

 

Upon returning home, quickly I removed the top egg tray and discovered there were some signs of uncleanliness on some of the eggs.. That was not the first time.. I mean, these are highly hazardous to health if you do not handle them properly..

 

Having stayed in Denmark for nearly three decades, we were constantly reminded by the Danish Health Authority regarding its high risk of the Salmonella bacteria from the chicken.. Not only that, the eggs are on the table, on the open air in the shops with  high temperature around 36- 38C..Should they not be refrigerated in such hot tropical climate ??  And buying eggs from the supermarkets in Denmark and Sydney Australia, these eggs were in all in the fridges..

 

And the result is [almost] the same??

 

Now the question is :  To wash or not to wash..??

 

I have never thought of washing any eggs before and naturally never crossed my mind that eggs need to be washed before refrigerating.. But, with such a scenario, how could I not...!!

 

 

Immediately, I unloaded all  the eggs onto a sieve plastic bowl, where underneath was a bowl.

 

Turn on the running water and let it run for a few second, turning the bowl around..

 

 

Pour in some detergent, let the running water run into it.. form some bubbles, shake them around and let it sit for about l0 minutes.  Pour the soapy water away and gently wash them for a couple of time.  Be careful, they crack easily..

 

After a few round of washing, I drained it and let dry by itself.. 

 



 

Finally they were [almost] cleaned and dried. I have packed them in the plastic egg containers and put them in the fridge for use.  Make sure the eggs are not cracked when washing, otherwise they need to be used for either cooked, fried or poached. These washed eggs can be kept for about 2 weeks in the fridge.  All the doings took about an hour.  After all, it is already another routine task..

 

 

 

 

 



The Malaysian Hospitality - Malaysia Boleh!!

It was just barely 4 days  after  our arrival in Malaysia.  We were so lucky to be invited to a neighbourhood party by the named of MT..Without hesitation, we accepted it, that was a very friendly gesture; but with a bit of apprehension..I surely want to meet these lovely people, the new friends, living in the same area.. But so soon, already.. I didn't know what to expect..

Just a walking distance, we arrived at the house where it was already packed with their friends, relatives and families. I remembered so very vividly, everybody was so friendly..so welcoming and still do..

I went totally berserk when I saw these..Could you imagine my reaction...?????? These were not the frequent sight during my residentship in two other continents where I have lived. Thank you MT and family for the welcoming and delicious evening..

soo much food..there were in big containers!!!

the green and white vibrant colour of the most delicious Nyonya Kueh> Kueh Sri Muka, Ang Koo Kueh (this one is green) and the Kueh Talam..Notice that they were all in the almost same degree of green and white colour.. how professional..I couldn't.!

 Cucumber pieces for the Satay, Coleslaw Salad and Curry Puffs

Ketupat/Pressed Rice Pieces to be served with Satay, Steamed Crabs and pieces of fresh Pineapple

my plate of food...filled with the goodness of Satay, fried Mee Hoon..it was adequate for that moment..but never enough..

my second or third helping..it didn't matter..you were right, I was simply so greedy..

look at this..so clear, neat and vibrant.  This is Malaysian/Asian Jelly made from different colours and of coconut milk.  Served cold/chilled. Delicious and refreshing..I have not have this for a long time..Actually, I have not even tried to make it before.. but certainly I will do it in the future..

just beautiful

some of the Asian desserts..how you want me to skip these..??

and this, the Chinese Sweet Dessert..made from yellow bean called Tau Suan..Simply delicious!!

Home Baked Pizza - An Easier Way

Making a pizza dough from scratch could be a daunting affair if you have no baking experiences.  It can be messy and time consuming, everybody agrees to that; especially if you WANT a home baked.  But, there are so many ways of making pizza and this is a dead easy way of making 'home baked' pizzas..which to make life easier, is to purchase the ready made pizza dough from the local supermarkets. Although I have seen them around but have never tried them. 

While living in Sydney, I have found these home baked Lebanese bread very handy. They are thin, quite chewing, tasty and affordable .  You see, one winter evening, I have invited some friends over for dinner. Well, this dinner has to be simple and delicious..not so much cooking and tidy up..and have decided pizzas and we should have..

The simple dinner that supposed not to involve with a lot of cutting, cooking and tidy up, turned out to be intensified..You see, the Lebanese bread and the chicken meat were in the freezer needed to be thawed, then the tomatoes, capsicums, pumpkin, squash needed to be cleaned, cut and chopped.  There, I have made four plates of pizzas, two vegetarian and two with chicken vegetables.  Not only that, I was afraid that it wasn't adequate, I have added a roasted chicken..

Indeed the pictures speak for itself   And going though the pictures, I hadn't realized that the pizzas had no tomato paste for their toppings..has anybody noticed that..?? It tasted all very good, full of flavours and texture.. By using the Lebanese bread, it was convenient and cooked these in 170 Celsius, for about 15 -20minutes..so that the thick pile of toppings will be gently cooked and as it will not burned its thin bottom dough.



the basic



this is a plate of precooked sweet potatoes, pumpkin and chicken pieces where they have been marinated with the tandoori paste bought from the supermarket.  The root vegetables and the chicken pieces take a longer time to cook as others. This was to avoid long cooking time as toppings.  It doesn't matter what topping you use..there is no fixed rues!! 

 

 

 

 

I know the vege looked big and everything was so luscious.  Baked these @ 180 Celsius for about 20 - 30 minutes; slow because the crust is thin.



ready to be served..anyone??

 

an extra chicken dish with potatoes, tomatoes, onions and carrots with mixed herbs, wanted to be sure it was adequate to feed an army of more than 8 adults..!! [ know the picture is blurred!]

 

Easy home baked pizza

This was an absolute winner  and completely my kind of a homemade pizza.

This is not at all difficult to make and has endless variations to it.

Pizza is a simple, delicious, global  delight.  There are so many pizza dough recipes one may choose from. I have a very simple pizza dough recipe that is according to  1 Base, 100 Pizzas by Rachel Carter  and one can  never go wrong with it. Pardon me, but I have done some alteration.This has been tested several times and is my favourite. 

Basic Pizza Dough

Makes two x 26cm/10 1/2 - inch round pizzas: or
four x 19-cm/7 1/2- inch pizzas; or
one x 38 x 26-cm/ 15 x 10 1/2 - inch rectangular pizza



300g strong flour white flour, plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon easy-blend dried yeast

1 teaspoon salt (instead of 1 and 1/2 teaspoon)

175ml hand-hot water

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for kneading



Method:

1.  Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the yeast and salt, making a small well on the top.  Mix the water and oil together and pour into the bowl, using a round-bladed knife to gradually combine all the flour to make a sticky dough.

2.  Lightly flour the work surface and your hands and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it has doubled in size.

3.  Cover the dough with some lightly oiled cling wrap or a damp tea towel and leave to rise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

4.  Knock back the dough by gently kneading for about a minute, then divide  them into portions of any size you would like. To roll out the dough, flatten each portion and then using a rolling pin roll out on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough to the size and shape you want. [I have skipped this> giving a quarter turn between each roll]

5.  Preheat the oven to 220 Celsius.  Place the pizza bases on the baking trays, using the rolling pin to transfer them from the work surface.

For the toppings:

200g ready-prepared tomato pizza sauce

A handful of capsicum(ball peppers) , tomatoes, onion, squash, mushroom and pineapple 

50ml olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
200g grated mozzarella cheese

Method:

1.  Set oven to grill, and get the vegetables ready.
2.  Wash, dry, peel and cut the vegetables into slightly larger pieces.  Put all the vegetables in a big bowl, add the olive oil and the oregano; and toss well.
3.  On a baking tray lined with baking paper, pour the vegetables' mixture and place the plate about 10- 15 cm below oven grill until the vegetables are tender and have taken color for about 5 - 10 minutes and remove the plate and set aside.
4. Turn the oven to the maximum heat and bake the crust around 10 minutes, remove the pizza crust from the oven.  Cover the crust totally with pizza sauce, then spread the cheese and vegetables. Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper.
5.  Bake again in the maximum heat for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.  Serve (almost) immediately. 

As if I am in the Mediterranean ...I can smell and taste it even as I am writing this..uhmmmm!
Bon Appetite!!




*PS.

The amount of toppings for your pizza would depend on the size of the pizza. If you think you have too much of your toppings prepared I would suggest you to keep and refrigerate the rest in an air tight container*.

This is a vegetarian pizza and the only outline of the toppings for any pizza. You can add your favourite toppings with a not too thick layer of your favourite shredded cheese, mushroom, red onion, tomato, capsicum, bacon, aubergine, sweet potato, potato etc and finally garnish with freshly grated parmesan if you wish. You do the same with meat pizza.

Spread only a thin layer of your favourite topping on your pizza. The thicker the layer, the longer the time it takes to be baked or else  the top is cooked but the bottom of the dough is still not baked.  It is quite natural  that not everyone would follow what is suggested in the recipe, we want to add more toppings, don't we? You see, I had a  bad experience with  pizza during my culinary study at TAFE in Sydney. What I did was the opposite. I barely scraped through my exam!

Sago Pudding with Coconut Milk and GulaMelaka

While residing in Northern Beaches in Sydney years ago, I came to know  this group of Asian ladies mainly from Singapore, Japan and the Philippines.  We gathered once a month for potluck. It was always so much fun each time we met and we all looked forward to the next meeting.  

The dishes were mostly authentic, home made recipes.  We had  the most delicious Poh Piah, Spicy Indian Curry, Malay Satay, Roast Duck, Nyonya Rojak, and very Japanese Sushi (indeed!).. every dish had a 'Wow!' factor.

So  when LL 's dessert appeared on the table one day I got so excited! Sago Pudding??? That was ages ago! Who would have thought of Sago Pudding in Sydney and that too with coconut milk and gula melaka???

I wouldn't deny to confess that I had three BIG portions! It was simply so delicious! But I wanted to learn how to make it. According to LL, you just add this and add that, boil this and sieve that...well it sounded so easy!

Sago Pudding with Coconut Milk and  Gula  Melaka

Ingredients:

3 litres of water

300g of sago
450ml of coconut milk
3 pandan leaves
A pinch of salt
A bottle of ready to use gula melaka (palm sugar)

Directions:

1.  Boil water in a large pot/sauce pan and then add in sago. Stir it continuously to keep the sago from sticking together. Cook until the sago turns translucent.

2.  Strain and wash away excess starch in running cold water and drain.

3.  Spoon them into individual glass or container.  Set and chill in the fridge.

4.  Pour the coconut milk in a small pot/saucepan. Add in a pinch of salt and the pandan leaf (screw pine) tied into a knot. Boil at low temperature and stir constantly. When it starts to bubble, remove from heat, cover with the lid and set aside to fuse for about an hour. Then strain into covered container, then set aside to cool.

6. Serve the chilled sago with coconut milk and gula melaka.   YUMMY!!!