Blissful Sunday

Sarapan di belakang rumah Ahad lepas. Alhamdulillah, nyaman sungguh dengan angin bayu bertiup lembut dan pemandangan hijau yang mendamaikan. Cuma nyamuk sahaja sedikit mengganggu.

Dan ini pula anak-anak dengan basikal roda tiga (trisikal?) yang baru dibeli. Bolehlah Hasief join Abang dan Kakak main basikal petang-petang. Tapi masih perlu ditolaklah ... Nanti besar sikit, Hasief kayuh sendiri, ya?

Ayam bakar

Maaf ya, Aida, sebab post ini tertangguh sehingga sebulan lamanya.

Semenjak tinggal di rumah sendiri lebih kurang setahun ini, saya lebih bersungguh bakar-membakar ayam. Saya suka, sebab masa penyediaan tidak lama, dan kemudian boleh tinggal sahaja dalam oven dan tidak perlu diselia seperti jika menggoreng atau mereneh.

Asasnya, ada dua jenis bahan yang diperlukan untuk marinade ayam. Pertama, lemak/minyak - saya guna sama ada mentega atau minyak zaitun. Yang kedua, bahan perasa/perencah. Yang paling asas ialah garam. Dan lada hitam, jika suka (dan jika tak alergik! :) ). Ya, kalau sekadar mentega dan garam sudah cukup. Tapi biasanya saya tambahkan herba kering seperti basil, parsley dan oregano (bukan semua sekali, boleh jadi salah satu sahaja). Kemudian, boleh tambahkan juga bahan segar seperti bawang besar, lemon, lada benggala dan tomato.

Herba-herba kering saya suka beli yang dalam paket plastik seperti dalam gambar di atas. Hanya 3-4 ringgit berbanding membeli botol kaca dengan tambahan harga sekali ganda harga. Botol lagi satu di dalam gambar ini pula salah satu shortcut saya iaitu marinade daripada Nando's (harganya lebih kurang 10-11 ringgit sebotol). Senang dan sedap. Minggu lepas, saya buat ayam bakar guna sos Nando's ini (gambar di bawah).

Jika mahu buat ayam bakar gaya timur pula, gantikan bahan-bahan perasa/perencah kepada serai, halia, ketumbar, jintan, kicap dan madu.

Setelah dilumur dengan mana-mana marinade atau perencah pilihan, masukkan ke dalam ketuhar yang telah dipanaskan ke suhu lebih kurang 180-200 darjah Celcius. Masa pula bergantung kepada berat dan saiz potongan ayam. Rule of thumb - 20 minit bagi setiap 400g lebih kurang. Jika saya masak ayam seekor (sama ada tidak dibelah langsung atau gaya butterfly), lebih kurang 60-80 minit. Kebiasaannya untuk makan malam sekeluarga, saya masak dua keping chicken quarters, selama 40 minit. Terbalikkan halfway through the time for even browning. Ada juga cara memasak yang dimulai dengan shallow fry dulu ayam (dengan beberapa bahan) sebelum dimasukkan ke dalam oven, tapi saya tidak pernah cuba. Oh, sebenarnya saya guna cara ini bila buat ayam percik (resipi Chef Hanieliza).

Side dishes. Bagi karbohidrat, saya biasanya menyediakan kentang (anak-anak lebih suka nasi sebenarnya, tapi mak bapak lagi suka kentang jadi kena veto haha ;p). Pilihan kentang tiga jenis sama ada goreng (fries), mashed (rebus, kemudian lenyek dengan mentega, sedikit susu, lada hitam dan keju jika ada), atau bakar sekali dengan ayam. Jika mahu bakar sebekas dengan ayam, potong mengikut saiz yang sesuai supaya masak sekaligus dengan ayam. Contohnya, jika saya bakar chicken quarter seperti dalam gambar di atas, saya hiris kentang lebih kurang 1 cm tebalnya. Boleh juga potong bentuk kiub. Jika bakar lama (seekor ayam) bolehlah letak sebiji-sebiji kentang jika tidak besar, atau dibelah dua jika besar. My favourite is mashed potato.

Bagi sayur-sayuran pula, juga ada tiga cara penyediaan. Pertama, kukus (biasanyanya digandingkan dengan kentang lenyek, sebab sambil rebus kentang boleh kukus sayur sekaligus). Sayur yang sesuai untuk dikukus ialah lobak merah, brokoli dan bunga kobis (cauliflower). Lepas kukus boleh gaul dengan mentega dan herba jika suka, kalau dibiarkan begitu sahaja pun sudah memadai. Kedua, bakar sekaligus dengan ayam. Jenis sayur yang sesuai ialah tomato, lobak merah, lada benggala. Ada lagi yang rasanya sesuai tapi saya belum cuba (sebab tak mudah cari atau kalau ada pun harganya mahal) contohnya zucchini dan aubergine. Yang ketiga pula paling mudah, iaitu salad! Nak cerita pasal salad panjang jugalah, tapi yang paling asas bagi saya ialah satu jenis lettuce (butterhead, iceberg atau coral dsb) dan buah tomato.

Sos/dressing. Kalau ayam bakar saya baru biasa memasaknya lebih kurang setahun, sos untuknya pula lagi baru, mungkin baru tiga empat kali saya mencuba. Biasanya saya cuma akan menumis bawang, letak sedikit tepung, lemak ayam yang telah cair (daripada ayam bakar), lada hitam, air, dan kalau ada letak cendawan. Kadang-kadang saya blend/puree, kadang-kadang tidak. Rasanya pun, kadang-kadang sedap kadang-kadang tidak! Hahaha :) Kesimpulannya, masih perlu banyak bereksperimen di dapur.

Ha, itu dia - perkongsian resipi yang tiada senarai bahan, tapi macam karangan esei BM berperenggan-perenggan. Selamat mencuba, ya! Selepas ini, saya mahu cuba buat meatloaf pula, tapi masih belum terbayang caranya sebab saya belum betul-betul cari resipi untuk dicuba.

Apple crumble

Thanks Aida, kak Huda, and Faizah for coming over last Friday. It's great to have you guys. Aini, it's too bad you couldn't make it at the last minute, and hopefully we can meet soon.

Aida is too kind to allude to my so-called 'cooking skills'. The truth is, I can make a few dishes well, but only that few dishes. You'd be surprised to know that I lack confidence to make even some of the simpler dish for example sambal tumis or masak merah (cili giling/boh/kering rarely appear in my shopping list, perhaps twice a year). The good news is, I'm not done experimenting yet, so I'm hopeful that I can extend that list of dishes I can cook with confidence over time.

Here's the apple crumble recipe that I promised to share. I've tried a few recipes before but I found this one to be the easiest (important criteria). At first I thought boiling the apples first is a hassle because it's an extra cooking step, but it's actually better than having to bake the apples directly in the oven, which would take much longer.

This is the link, and should you lose this link it's very easy to google. Just use the keywords "perfect apple crumble" :)

7 large green apples

1/4 cup caster sugar* (I just use one tablespoon of sugar)

1 tsp cinnamon (ground)

1 cup plain flour

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar* (I use ordinary white sugar and more importantly, HALVE it! Else it'll be too sweet)

3/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup coconut* (I used kelapa parut)

1 tbsp cinnamon (ground)

2 tsp nutmeg (ground)* (Omitted because ermm I couldn't be bothered to buy, kalau jumpa di hypermarket I'll buy)

2/3 cup butter (melted)

2 tsp vanilla essence

 *Modifications I made

Preparation method

 Prep: 45 minutes | Cook: 45 minutes

APPLE MIX

1. Peel and core apples, then cut into rough 1-2cm cubes. Place apples in large saucepan and cover with water. Simmer (but don't boil) covered with lid on med-high until apples are just tender but not too soft (usually 5mins once water is simmering). Drain apples well and place in large bowl 

2. Combine caster sugar and cinnamon (ensures even spread), then toss through the apples. If you like the apples to be less sweet and more tart you can omit the sugar in this step, though there may be excess juice as a result. 

CRUMBLE MIX

3. Combine flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, coconut, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl until evenly mixed through. 

4. Melt butter (do not burn or boil it) and add vanilla essence to butter, stir through. 

5. Add butter mix to dry ingredients and mix well using a fork. Ensure all ingredients are moist and mixture has a crumbly texture. 

BAKING 

6. Place apple mix evenly in medium casserole dish. Spread crumble mix over top of apple. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30-40 minutes, or until crumble topping is slightly browned. 

7. Serve with vanilla icecream, cream, or custard and ENJOY!

Before I bought the ground cinnamon powder, I would just either grind a bit of cinnamon sticks on the lesung, or put one or two sticks inside the pot when boiling the apple. Just don't forget to take out the cinnamon sticks before baking with crumble mix. I've tried putting some blueberry filling (konon-konon apple & blueberry crumble lah), but hubby prefers the plain apple version so that's that. I don't know how to make vanilla sauce or custard yet, so it has been vanilla ice-cream so far. Yummy! Aida, roast chicken next post pulak lah, ya.

Post rojak

Mula-mula, tiup habuk dulu. Fuh fuh ... Lama tak post apa-apa dan tiba-tiba nak buat post rojak sikit.

1. Ok. I really like this illustration. Alamak, kecik lah pulak. Hope it's still legible. Those of you who are my FB friends might noticed that I've recently shared this. Siapa tergolong dalam category 'Bliss' tu cuba angkat tangan sikit? Me? Rasanya cuma di subset 'Career'. Would loovveee to move to 'Passion', 'Vocation', 'Satisfaction', 'Fulfilment' or paling best sekali 'Bliss', but so far I'm still 'working on it'. Sudah bertahun-tahun, masih 'working on it' ya. Anyway, this image is credited to Ashtanga Yoga Workshop (whoever they are).

2. A quote that I like, from Seth Godin via swiss-miss.com. Still in the same 'theme' as point 1.

“The opportunity of a lifetime is to pick yourself. Quit waiting to get picked; quit waiting for someone to give you permission; quit waiting for someone to say you are officially qualified and pick yourself. It doesn’t mean you have to be an entrepreneur or a freelancer, but it does mean you stand up and say, ‘I have something to say. I know how to do something. I’m doing it. If you want me to do it with you, raise your hand.’ ”

Do. Do. Do. Just do it. Execute. Tunggu apa lagi? Tunggu ada masa? No such thing. Masa harus dicari, kak!

3. Ok, tema lain pulak. Still rasa excited sebab ada rezeki beli perabot murah daripada ofis lama adik ipar yang bakal ditutup (maknanya used furniturelah) - sampai semalam. Tee hee.. rasa semangat sikit nak mengemas rumah hari Sabtu ni.

4. Dan paling utama tentunya, nak ucapkan Selamat Hari Raya dan Maaf Zahir Batin kepada kawan-kawan sekalian! Mari kita sama-sama cuba mengekalkan momentum Ramadhan selepas ini (ingatan untuk diri sendiri!) dan semoga kita dipanjangkan umur bertemu Ramadhan tahun hadapan. Jemputlah datang rumah, ya? :)

Home sweet home

Sungguh pantas masa berlalu, sedar tidak sedar, sudah lebih setengah tahun kami berpindah ke kediaman sendiri. Alhamdulillah, kami bersyukur kepada Allah kerana telah mengizinkan kami berlindung di bawah rumah yang selesa ini. Sebagai bonus, Munief dan Afiefah mula tidur di bilik berasingan sejak hari pertama kami berpindah lagi tanpa susah dipujuk dan dilatih, kerana dari awal kami sudah ceritakan pada mereka bahawa itu bilik mereka. Tapi kini, mereka suka juga tidur di ruang keluarga atau di bilik tamu. Hingga tiga lokasi mereka giliri!

Tercapai jua impian saya untuk mengkhususkan sebuah bilik sebagai 'perpustakaan mini' di rumah. Bilik ini juga menempatkan workstation saya dan suami (apabila di rumah). Ini gambar saat kemas ya. Pada kebanyakan masa, lantai di bilik penuh dengan buku, pensel warna, kertas dan mainan.


Bukan sahaja di perpustakaan, di ruang keluarga juga tidak kurang sepahnya! Saya masih bertatih hendak belajar 'teknik' mengurus kediaman. Tekniklah sangat, sebenarnya antara malas dengan rajin sahaja. Dan saya mengakui saya lebihnya malas berbanding rajin, hoho. Mujur ada pembantu yang boleh datang apabila diminta. Itu pun saya tidak mahu bergantung padanya, jadi saya masih mencuci rumah saya setiap hujung minggu setakat yang mampu. Saya agak berkira dengan barang apa yang dibeli dan akan 'tinggal' di rumah kami. Pandangan saya, semakin banyak barang, semakin kurang ruang, dan semakin banyak masa diperlukan untuk menguruskan barang-barang. Less is more!

Dapur rumah saya kecil sahaja, lebih kecil berbanding kebanyakan dapur standard. Tapi ia optimum untuk kegunaan (dan penjagaan) harian keluarga saya. Cuma, apabila ada parti atau kenduri, terasalah sedikit kecilnya. Sebelum ini, di rumah bonda saya, oven yang digunakan jenis mudah alih dan disimpan di tepi apabila tidak digunakan. Leceh juga perlu mengangkut oven ke atas kaunter dapur berhampiran suis elektrik apabila hendak menggunakannya, dan selepas guna, angkut kembali ke tempat simpan. Alhamdulillah, dengan adanya oven yang tetap kedudukannya di dapur sendiri, lebih mudah dan kerap saya menggunakan. Jika sebelum ini cara membakar lebih banyak digunakan untuk kek, biskut, dan sebagainya, kali ini saya juga cuba untuk memasak kentang, daging, ayam dan ikan di dalam oven juga. Saya suka! Boleh tinggalkan sahaja di dalam oven dan sementara tunggu masak boleh buat kerja lain.

Ikan salmon, diperap dengan lemon, bawang merah, garam, lada hitam, rosemary dan ditinggal selama 30 minit dalam suhu 200 C.

Saya juga mula membuat 'meal plan'. Bukanlah bermakna saya ikut seratus-peratus, masih ada fleksibiliti, tapi ia membantu. Saya dapat merancang senarai barang untuk dibeli, dan saya tahu apa yang perlu dikeluarkan daripada bahagian sejuk beku ke bahagian peti bawah pada waktu pagi bagi dinyahbeku supaya saya boleh terus mula memasak apabila pulang dari pejabat. Peti sejuk saya tidak diisi penuh-penuh kerana saya cuma membeli barang dapur untuk jangkaan kegunaan lebih kurang seminggu sahaja. Cuma kini, saya perlu menulis 'meal plan' saya dengan tulisan 'sebutir-sebutir' kerana Munief mengadu tidak dapat membaca tulisan sambung (cakar ayam?) saya. Hehe, saya sangkakan saya seorang sahaja yang akan rujuk 'meal plan' yang tertampal di peti sejuk itu.

Saya juga mengamalkan konsep 'masak banyak dan bekukan'. Objektif saya dalam pengurusan makanan dan dapur jelas: menyediakan hidangan seimbang yang berkhasiat untuk keluarga dalam jangka waktu kurang 30 minit setiap waktu makan secara purata (kecuali sarapan, kurang 15 minit). Ah, nikmatnya ada dapur sendiri! Saya bukanlah pandai sangat memasak. Setakat untuk makan sendiri, bolehlah. Tapi saya masih ada rasa ingin 'bereksperimen' dan mencuba resepi baru. Saya harap rasa ingin mencuba-cuba ini akan kekal lama.

Apabila pulang ke rumah setelah bermusafir atau tidur di tempat lain meskipun cuma semalaman, perasaan saya nyaman dan bahagia sekali. Ahhh ... I'm home.

Part-time help

Alhamdulillah, last weekend was the second time I've engaged part-time help to do some cleaning chores around the house. It has been my intention since ... erm a long time ago that I would opt for part-time help rather than full-time, but this wasn't realised even after 5 months we have moved to our new home. I have tried calling a local company offering the service, but I guess the package is not very attractive to me, and I dislike the lack of flexibility. It's only when my sister Kaklong got herself a live-in full-time maid recently that I was able to make an arrangement with Kaklong and the maid for her to come to my house every other weekend (on her day off). Thank you, Kaklong and Makcik Ning! Makcik Ning is only too happy to make additional income doing 'overtime'. She's very hardworking, too (and I'm a lazybone).

As someone who doesn't enjoy cleaning chores, her help means a lot to me. If I were ever to achieve my dream of becoming a WAHM, I hope I will still earn enough (or get enough pocket money, hint hint) to be able to afford part-time help. Four hours each session is sufficient to sweep and mop the ground floor, clean the kitchen and two bathrooms, and still enough time left to do some ironing. She asked if she should do the first floor too, but I said no need because the level is not used as much as the ground floor, so I am able to tackle it myself.

When I first met Makcik Ning, she asked how many kids I have and who's taking care of them and she said, "Kenapa tidak ambil pembantu saja?"
And when she first came to my house, she asked again, "Kok lebar rumahnya, kenapa tidak ambil pembantu saja?"
And the first time when she was doing some chores in the kitchen, overlooking the patch of unutilised land, filled with wild plants (weeds) instead of useful herb, she said, "Kenapa tidak ambil pembantu saja? Kan boleh dia tanam dan siram pokok?"

The truth is, I think I have some sort of mental block, a mindset, a mind set. When we designed our house, I didn't even include a maid's room. If a time ever come in the future when I would need to hire a full-time maid, she may need to sleep upstairs in one of the rooms meant for the kids, or (worst case scenario) I may even have to renovate the house a bit.

I enjoy our privacy, and even the mere four hours Makcik Ning was at our house, I was keen to see her leave soon. As we were leaving, she saw that the porch needs some sweeping, but I said, "Tak payah, tak payah, nanti saya sapu. Jom." But of course, people get used to new conditions. I think if I were to decide to get a full-time helper, we, as a family would get used to it. The thing is, I don't want to get used to it and I don't want US to get used to it. As it is, even with Makcik Ning coming every other weekend, I can feel myself starting to be dependent on her coming, which I think is not good. But at least I am aware, then I can check myself.

But I'm pretty happy with the current arrangement, Alhamdulillah. Yes, that's what I wanted to say in this post.

Belajar jaga pokok

The other day, I was having a conversation with Munief about learning.

Munief: Ummi, orang besar (dewasa) pun kena belajar ke?
Ummi: Ya. Dari kita lahir, sampai mati, kita tak berhenti-henti belajar. Belajar bukan dalam kelas/sekolah je. Belajar boleh dengan orang lain, baca buku, dalam internet.
Munief: (thinks for awhile) Ummi kena belajar jaga pokok.
Ummi: Hahaha!

He is, of course, right. My pathetic attempts at planting plants (I dare not even call it 'gardening') since we moved to our own house had been, well, pathetic. The mango tree (all the way from Kedah), chilli and tomato (from my kids' pengasuh), a potted plant (Ikea) have all 'ceased to live' (okay - they died). When we just moved, I was undecided whether we should attempt to plant the grass ourselves or outsource this. Now, the choice is quite obvious. Or rather, there's no choice. I know I can still try and learn and persevere and work hard and so on and so forth ... but somehow I don't think I have what they call 'green fingers' (or keen interest actually). I still want a green grassy lawn and a simple garden though, so - no to cementing everything. Now, when will I go and shop around for the grass/plants/services?

Kitchen gadget baru

Terima kasih KNV kerana sudi tolong belikan breadmaker ini, memang khidmat masyarakat sungguh. Jimat duit sekurang-kurangnya RM100.

Cubaan pertama roti putih biasa yang paling asas. Rasanya pun sangat plain, tak boleh 'dimakan begitu sahaja' - kurang-kurang pun harus cicah air panas. Saya pula belum ada pisau yang sesuai (ok, masuk dalam shopping list), jadi nak memotongnya pun tak cantik sangat. Ada sesiapa yang pernah bakar roti sebuku begini, pernah berjaya potong nipis saiz untuk masuk dalam toaster?


Disebabkan roti plain terlalu plain, jadi kali kedua cuba letak kismis pula.


Kemudian cuba resipi brioche, memang enak - sebab memang tinggi kandungan mentega dan gula. Yang ini boleh dimakan begitu sahaja. Tiada gambar, sebab rupanya sama sahaja dengan buku roti plain di atas, cuma warnanya lebih keperang-perangan.

Cubaan menggunakan breadmaker untuk buat doh pula menghasilkan sausage bun yang tidak cantik. Susah juga nak bentukkan dohnya, melekat-melekat pada tangan (nampak sangat amatur! ;p)


Kesimpulannya, I like!! Saya (dan suami dan anak-anak) memang suka roti, jadi harap-harapnya saya akan kerap guna breadmaker ini (supaya ia tidak jadi gadget 'gajah putih' di dapur saya). Saya sangat suka bau roti baru masak yang harum. Cuma, saya lebih suka kalau ada fungsi timer, supaya roti boleh siap untu sarapan awal pagi tanpa perlu bangun pukul 4 pagi (ia ambil masa 3 jam untuk siap). Atau sebenarnya ada, tapi saya yang belum habis baca manual (Kenwood BM250)?

Dan yang ini bukan roti, tapi puding pic yang saya buat untuk jamuan bulanan di tadika Munief. Rasanya ini amalan biasa di tadika, minta ibu bapa sumbangkan makanan untuk jamuan (voluntary basis).

Pulut oh pulut

Saya pun tak pasti apa nama komersil hidangan sarapan dari pantai timur ini, tapi kami panggil 'pulut gaul nyor (nyiur)'.

Ini resepinya:
1. Masak beras pulut 4 pot (cawan?).
2. Rebus 3 ekor ikan selayang/kembung, perisi (debone).
3. Tumbuk isi ikan dengan bawang merah 4-5 biji (saya blend je).
4. Goreng isi ikan + bawang merah dengan kelapa parut (sebiji kelapa), tambah garam secukup rasa (saya guna kurang 1 sudu teh). Goreng hingga kelapa jadi perang-perang sikit.
5. Golekkan pulut yang telah masak jadi bulat dan golek dalam sambal kelapa yang telah digoreng tadi.

Bila tengok pulut berlebih, dan nampak mangga yang ayah beli di pasar, terfikir pula nak buat pencuci mulut pulut dengan mangga. Bukan masak pun, lebih kepada 'assemble' saja. Pulut dengan mangga, santan, dan gula melaka yang telah dicairkan (kebetulan dah ada yang siap dalam peti lebih kuih lopes dulu). Rasanya macam pengat pun ada sikit-sikit, maklumlah kombinasi santan dengan gula melaka. Mmm... saya memang cukup suka kombinasi lemak manis santan gula melaka ni, sebab itulah cendol jadi salah satu dessert kegemaran saya. Tapi memanglah kurang menyihatkan ... Ah well, sekali-sekala ( <--- cubaan untuk 'justify' ;p).

'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.'

These 7 words encapsulates Michael Pollan’s book ‘In Defence of Food’ that I’ve read recently. He didn’t start elaborating on what he meant by that immediately. The first part of the book is titled The Age of Nutritionism. I’m glad to learn that eating healthy does not mean that I have to master the science of nutrition. In fact, he went as far as suggesting that nutritionism could just be ‘bad science’. In the second part, The Western Diet and the Diseases of Civilization, the author elaborates on the changes that has happened to food and eating (specifically in the Western world).

The list of subtopics in the last chapter of this part may give some idea of what these changes are:
-From whole foods to refined
-From complexity to simplicity
-From quality to quantity
-From leaves to seed
-From food culture to food science

Although reading the first two parts had been interesting and enlightening, it is the third and last part of the book which I had appreciated the most, because this is where he had shared tangible advices and rules when it comes healthy eating. I’ll capture the points here so that I can refer to them in the future.

Eat Food: Food Defined (food, as opposed to foodlike or food products)

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
Don’t eat anything incapable of rotting
Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar b) unpronounceable c) more than five in number and that include d) high-fructose corn syrup
Avoid food products that make health claims
Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle (fresh food is usually placed at the peripheries and processed food in the middle)
Get out of the supermarket whenever possible (eg shop at farmers’ market, or in Malaysian context, pasar tani I guess)

Mostly Plants: What to Eat

Eat mostly plants especially leaves
You are what what you eat eats too
If you have the space buy a freezer (freezing unlike canning does not significantly diminish the nutritional value of produce)
Eat like an omnivore (diversify your food)
Eat well-grown food from healthy soils
Eat wild foods when you can
Be the kind of person who takes supplement (without actually taking any, unless you’re over 50) ie typically more health conscious, better educated, and more affluent
Eat more like the French or the Italians or the Japanese or the Indians or the Greeks (eat traditional food)
Regard non-traditional foods with skepticism
Don’t look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet (it’s a ‘package’)

Not Too Much: How to Eat

Pay more eat less (costs, both in terms of price and time/convenience to prepare) Eat meals (and avoid snacking in between)
Do all your eating at a table (and a desk is not a table)
Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does (ie petrol station shops)
Try not to eat alone
Consult your gut (train our internal system to tell us when we are full)
Eat slowly
Cook, and if you can, plant a garden

One of my favourite paragraph: “If a food is more than the sum of its nutrients and a diet is more than the sum of its food, it follows that a food culture is more than the sum of its menus – it embraces as well the set of manners, eating habits, and unspoken rules that together governs a people’s relationship to food and eating. How a culture eats may have just as much bearing on health as what a culture eats.”

This is Michael Pollan’s website where he shares his archives or articles (I’ve just read 3 interesting ones and will probably go back for more). The article ‘Unhappy Meals’ which he wrote in January 2007 is the trigger which led him (encouraged by his editors) to write this whole book, so it actually contains a significant amount of the points he touched in this book, so head over there for a preview of this book.

Overall, a very satisfying read – interesting and informative. I feel so motivated now to improve my eating and cooking habits towards achieving a healthier life, I hope I’ll remain to be so consistently!

Note: This post is also published in my book blog.

Sekali-sekala, datang angin rajin

Ya, sekali-sekali sahaja. Once in a blue moon :)

Homemade soup, cream of chicken, mushroom and potato, with pita bread (I love soups, so I love this)

Beef steak with mushroom gravy, with boiled carrot and broccoli and potato wedges with cheese (first time cuba shallow fry steak, agak keras dan kering... Siapa boleh ajar saya buat steak supaya jadi tender dan juicy?)

Ice-cream (beli dan cedok sahaja hehe)

This is the soup’s recipe, adapted from Chef Kamarul’s recipe in his book Resepi 30 Minit (page 73).

- Tumis 2 ulas bawang putih dan 2 ulas bawang merah (dihiris) dengan sedikit mentega.
- Bubuh 1 sudu besar tepung gandum dan gaulkan sebentar.
- Bubuh secawan isi ayam (dipotong kecil), setengah cawan cendawan (dihiris - saya guna ‘brown mushroom’), dan sebiji kentang (Dipotong kecil. Kentang amat membantu untuk mendapatkan tekstur yang likat berkrim!).
- Masukkan 1 liter air atau stok ayam.
- Kacau hingga masak.
- Masukkan 3 sudu besar krim masakan (lepas ni nak cuba ganti dengan susu segar sebab krim mahal).
- Masukkan garam, lada hitam (jika suka) dan herba campuran (jika ada) sesedap rasa.
- Kisar dalam blender.

Gambar sebelum dikisar.

Jagung dan pisang

Resipi yang mudah untuk dicuba: Puding Kastad Jagung (terima kasih Mak ajar resipi ni).

1 tin jagung krim (cream of corn)
1 tin susu sejat
6 sudu besar gula
3/4 tin* tepung kastad atau 150g
1/2 tin* (jagung) air

* sama ada tin jagung/susu

Larutkan tepung kastad dengan air sikit-sikit dalam periuk, jangan biar berketul-ketul.
Campur semua bahan-bahan lain dalam periuk, letak atas api perlahan.
Kacau (supaya tak berketul-ketul atau lekat kat lantai periuk) sampai mendidih (ada air pockets naik ke permukaan) – lebih kurang 5 ke 10 minit.
Tuang dalam bekas acuan. Bila dah sejuk ke suhu bilik, boleh letak dlm peti sejuk.

Nota: Jumlah tepung kastad yang dicadangkan dalam resepi ni cukup untuk melikatkan puding sehingga boleh dipotong dan dipegang dengan tangan atau dijual 3 potong seringgit. Kalau nak lebih lembik dan makan pakai sudu, bolehlah dikurangkan sedikit tepung kastad.


Kalau nak cuba buat minuman yang lain sedikit daripada biasa pula, boleh cuba tambah esen pisang dalam jus oren Sunquick (terima kasih Achik memperkenalkan minuman ni). Untuk menambahkan lagi kelainan, boleh tambah sedikit pewarna hijau epal (optional). Boleh tambah sedikit (setengah hingga satu sudu teh) esen pisang ke dalam jag oren yang telah dibancuh. Atau, kalau rajin, boleh ambil masa dalam 20 minit untuk buat ‘ibu sirap’. Rebus lebih kurang sekilo gula dengan 3 liter air, dan tambahkan satu botol kecil jus oren Sunquick (setengah liter kalau tak silap), satu botol kecil esen pisang, dan satu botol kecil pewarna hijau epal (optional). Simpan dalam botol, bila nak bancuh cuma tambah air (sebab dah ada gula). Bagaimana rasanya? Kami (keluarga saya yang cuba) sependapat rasanya macam air tin F&N warna hijau cuma tanpa gas.

Milk intake increases risk of breast cancer?

October is breast cancer awareness month; and it may or may not because of this that my father shared an email about Professor Jane Plant who claims that consuming (too much?) dairy products can lead to breast or prostrate cancer.

This link contains the full article that I read, but to summarize:

Professor Jane Plant was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and started to actively look for a cure. When her husband, also a scientist, came back from a working trip to China, they found that far less women in China got breast cancer (1 in 10,000 compared to 1 in 12 in Britain). After doing some research, they noticed the major difference in dietary intake in terms which is dairy products, and in fact breast cancer was called ‘Rich People’s Disease’ because it affected the group of people who adopted a western lifestyle more than the others. So, Jane Plant dropped dairy from her diet and got better in several weeks time! She has stressed however, that it is not just dairy-free diets that has saved her from cancer, but she actually followed other changes (10 in total if I'm not mistaken) in diets and lifestyles as well, which she wrote about in her book Your Life in Your Hands.

Why? There’s no hard eveidence, but the theory is that this effect is caused by the complex chemical makeup of cow’s milk, including insulin growth factor IGF-1, which causes cells to divide and reproduce as well as the hormone oestrogen. This link (same as the one before) explains in more details.

It was hard for me to conceive that something as pure as milk could lead to cancer. The idea seemed blasphemous! Now, I’m at neither end of spectrum of belief nor disbelief. I’m still open to both possibilities. I’m not going on a dairy-free diet just yet, but I’ll probably try to watch that I (and my family) don’t consume too much dairy, which is not something difficult to do given the high price of dairy products in this country. And if I know someone afflicted with breast cancer, I’ll probably share with her this article - perhaps she’d like to try going dairy-free, see if it would bring improvements.

When I talked to my father about this, I moaned, “What about our calcium intake?” But really, I was thinking of the yummy indulgent food: icecream, milkshakes, chocolates, yoghurt, cheese, fresh milk. (Oh, I do love dairy products!) I challenged: why isn’t there a conclusive research or more widespread awareness? Afterall, it has been more than 10 years since Professor Jane Plant came up with this theory. My father’s conspiracy theory is that, there is too much at stake for the dairy industry for this to become acknowledged scientifically. That aside, other sources of calcium includes: soybeans, tofu, dark leafy vegetables and orange juice.

And then, I remembered - there’s mentions of milk in the Qur’an, wasn’t there? What does it say again? A simple search on ‘milk’ from this site produces these ayats (Yusuf Ali’s translation):

016.066
And verily in cattle (too) will ye find an instructive sign. From what is within their bodies between excretions and blood, We produce, for your drink, milk, pure and agreeable to those who drink it.

023.021
And in cattle (too) ye have an instructive example: from within their bodies We produce (milk) for you to drink; there are, in them, (besides), numerous (other) benefits for you; and of their (meat) ye eat;

Now, that’s quite clear, isn’t it? Perhaps then, moderation is the keyword.

Baju kurung Adik

I was excited about getting Adik her first baju kurung, but I thought it might not be too practical for her (she was learning to walk then), so I replaced the kain with seluar. The baju is still a baju kurung asli though. I would have liked to say I sew this myself, but I didn’t. I did intend to though. I did buy and cut the materials, and I did try to put together the pieces but impatient me got frustrated when the thread kept getting stuck in the sewing machine so I surrendered. I later learnt that that happens because the thread used was too old, it becomes more berbulu and rapuh. My good aunt finished the sewing for me gratis (thank you Chek!). And I think I should also mention here that although I had finished sewing the baju part, she undid the stitching (tetas balik) and re-sew them. Yes, my sewing is that bad haha ;p

Tempura chicken in sweet chilli sauce

A simple recipe for the weekend.

Ingredients:
For the tempura chicken -
3 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces RM6
1 cup flour RM0.50
1/2 cup ice-cold water
1 egg RM0.40

For the sweet chilli sauce -
Thai chilli sauce RM2 (‘unbranded’ one, that is not too thick, with visible chilli seeds)
Coriander leaves RM0.50
Mango (not-so-ripe ones) RM1

Instructions:
1. Mix flour, water , and egg to make tempura batter.
2. Dip and coat the chicken in the batter.
3. Fry in small heat, until golden brown.
4. In the meantime, shred the mango into thin slices and cut the coriander leaves into smaller pieces.
5. Mix the Thai chilli sauce with the shredded mango and coriander leaves.
6. Pour the sauce onto the tempura chicken pieces right before serving (to retain crunchiness).
7. Serve with white rice.


Sorry, this photo is not so clear.

Note: The chicken can be replaced with fish fillet or oyster mushroom. Tempura is just a fancier name of 'celup tepung'. I love coriander leaves! (err not too relevant)

Estimated cost: Total RM10.40, Serves 4
Cost per portion: RM2.60 (excluding white rice)
Estimated time: 30 minutes preparation & cooking

Instant dadih

I have seen the instant dadih packets from my visits to the baking supplies shop many times previously, but I never bothered to try them. That is, until I tasted them at one of the raya visits to one of our relatives’ house.


The result is pretty good. They are a big hit, with the kids especially. Munief alone finished 3 or 4 of these little containers at one go. Of course, they are not as good as the one made from scratch, but they’re okay. And to tell you a little secret, I have actually tried to make dadih from scratch before, and it was a flop. So, I felt pretty good when this one turned out well (nevermind the fact that it’s so easy, an eight-year old can do it).


All you need is one packet of this instant dadih (360g, RM3.90), a can of evaporated milk (440ml, RM2.60), and water (I can’t remember now, 3 litres I think, it’s all on the packet instructions). One packet makes about 36 full little cups like the one above, so the cost is about 20 sen each cup (cost exclude the cup, which is about 10 sen each).

Baked macaroni

This is one of our favourites. It’s not difficult to make, but it’s a bit tedious, because most of the ingredients needs to be processed first. This portion is quite large, approximately for 12 persons as main course, a suitable size for my big family.

Ingredients:
Macaroni 500g RM4.20
Cheddar cheese 250g RM8.90
Mushroom 425g 3.90
Chicken breast/keel 2 pc RM4.00
Mixed vegetables 500g RM3.20
One large onion RM0.20
6 large eggs RM1.80
Salt and pepper to taste RM0.10
Butter 2 tablespoons RM0.20

Estimated cost: Total RM26.50, Cost per portion: RM2.20
Estimated time: 60 minutes preparation, 20 minutes baking

Instructions:
1. Boil pasta according to packet instructions. Boil the chicken until cooked.
2. In the meantime, grate the cheese, cube the onion (small cubes), and blanch the mixed vegetables and mushrooms.
3. Shred the chicken to small pieces, and cut the mushrooms. Don’t throw away the chicken broth, add this to the pasta for the chicken flavour.
4. Now it’s time to assemble the ingredients! Heat the butter in a large wok or pot, then saute the cubed onions.
5. Then put the pasta, chicken (meat and broth), mixed vegetable and mushrooms in the pot and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste (can start with a teaspoon of each).
6. Turn off the fire, then add the eggs (beaten in a separate bowl) and half of the grated cheese. Note: it’s important to turn off the fire first, otherwise the eggs will cook and become like scrambled eggs, which we don’t want! The eggs here functions like a ‘glue’ that will keep the pasta together when baked.
7. Pour into suitable ware for baking (I used 3 medium-sized Corning), sprinkle the remaining half of the grated cheese on top of the pasta, and put them in the oven at about 175 degrees for 20 minutes or until the cheese crust on top turned golden brown.


Some additional notes:
Other shapes of pasta is fine too, just don’t choose spaghetti or fettuccini. Fresh mushrooms are better than canned one, of course, but they’re more difficult to find and more expensive too. Some brands come with sliced mushrooms, so this can save time. As with pre-shredded cheese, though of course it’ll be more expensive. Another shortcut is to buy minced chicken. But you have to cook them first (fry them after the butter and onions) before adding the rest of the ingredients. It doesn’t have to be chicken breast or keel, other parts are also fine, you just have to debone them. Use more chicken if you prefer. You can use fresh vegetable instead of the frozen mixed vegetable (which is the most convenient) for example carrot, broccoli, and capsicum. It would be interesting to bake these in individual ramekins, but I don’t have any (yet).


This is my beloved cheese grater, a gift from a good friend some 7 or 8 years ago. I like it because the grater grates right into the container, allowing no spill, and the container comes with the lid (the white one underneath) – such an efficient design. MHH and I both looove cheese but unfortunately cheese (and other dairy products too, for that matter) is quite expensive here in Malaysia, so we don’t have them as often as we’d like.

Cheesecake

This is my first attempt to bake this type of cheesecake. It’s not as difficult as I thought. This is the recipe that I had used, taken from allrecipes.com. I roughly doubled everything, which made about 10-12 slices like this:


1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (omitted)
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
8 ounces cream cheese = 227 g
1 tablespoon lemon juice (omitted)
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. To make Pastry: Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour and chopped nuts and stir until mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside 1/4 cup to use as a topping (I didn’t).
3. Press pastry mixture into 8-inch square pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on rack.
4. To make Filling: Beat together the white sugar, and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix well. Spread filling mixture over baked crust. Sprinkle reserved mixture on as a topping (I didn’t).
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on wire rack and refrigerate (tak sempat). Serve with fruit (I didn’t).

I baked this during Ramadhan, and since the cake got out of the oven at about 6+, it was still warm when we had it for iftar. For other cakes, it’s more delicious to have them warm out of the oven, but I think for this type of cheesecake, it’s nicer served cool. To my taste, at least.

I like to quantify results vs resources in terms of costs and time, where possible. Here’s my estimate:

Butter (250g) RM3.20
Sugar (1 cup) RM0.50
Flour (2 cups) RM0.70
Cream cheese (500g) RM11.50
Eggs (2) RM0.60
Milk & vanilla extract RM0.30
Total: RM16.80 (about RM1.50 per slice like the above photo)

Buying ingredients 30 minutes
Make pastry 15 minutes
Bake pastry and make filling at the same time 15 minutes
Bake filling 30 minutes

Simple variations that I could try in the future:
1) Substitute some amount of flour in the pastry mix with cocoa powder, to make chocolate cheesecake. I guess I can also put cocoa powder in the cheese filling, but I think I prefer to enjoy the cheese without it.
2) Put some coffee powder in the pastry. Sprinkle crumbled chocolate on the cheese filling (afterwards) to make tiramisu-ish cheesecake.
3) Put fruit filling on the cheesecake like strawberry or raspberry or lemon (I don’t like lemon cheesecake much though, so will opt for strawberry first).
4) Crumble Oreo biscuits and add in cheese filling.

A joined effort

Last Sunday, my KakLong and I joined forces to prepare an ‘Italian’ feast for iftar. Even with the combined effort, it still took us around 4-5 hours of toiling in the kitchen! Here’s what we had:

Mixed salad, cream of chicken soup with potato and cheese, and garlic bread


Pizza with pineapple and chicken, and mushroom and beef toppings


Spaghetti bolognese


Macaroni bake (well, this is actually leftovers from previous day menu)


Trifles – layers of sponge cake, jelly, fruit cocktail, custard pudding, and whipped cream


And light cheesecake (more like cheese-flavoured butter cake)


Alhamdulillah...

Tadaa!!

Teruja dengan kek yang Kak Najah buat baru-baru ni, saya pun gatal tangan nak cuba betul-betul. Sebelum ni pernah cuba decorate kek, tapi cuba ‘main-main’, guna apa yang ada. Tapi hujung minggu lepas, saya beli 2 nozzle (RM2.80 dan RM6.50 each), spatula (RM2.80) dan icing bag (RM1 per 10 pc). ‘Mangsa’ eksperimen ialah adik saya (no 5), kami celebrate birthday dia Ahad lepas. Kami lapan beradik memang kebetulan semua di bulan berlainan, so almost every month ada birthday untuk di-celebrate. Anyway, inilah hasil tangan saya yang sungguh amatur (haha.. tak bulat betul pun):


Kos bahan:

Kek Butter
Buttercake Mix 500g RM3.20 (sorry la dik, Kakngahmu malas nak menyukat hehe)
Butter 250g RM2.90 (brand murah je)
Telur 5 biji RM1.50

Icing & decoration
Krimwell 250g RM2.65 (sebenarnya nak beli whipped cream, tapi takde kotak kecil)
Gula ising RM0.40 (kurang pasti berapa banyak sebab pakai curah je secukup manis)
Strawberry topping 200g RM3.30
Some chopped almonds and chocolate chips RM0.40 (agaknya lah)

Jumlah: RM14.35 (harga bahan sahaja)

Okaylah ni kan? Kek yang dibeli untuk birthday adik no 3 bulan lepas harganya RM50 (tapi lebih sedap dan cantik la kot hehe).

Masa:

Beli bahan-bahan di kedai 30 minit
Campur bahan-bahan kek dalam mixer 15 minit
Bakar kek 40-45 minit
Biar kek sejuk ke suhu bilik 3 jam
Decorate kek 50 minit

Overall: It was fun! Doesn’t take as much time as I thought. Worth the savings. Boleh lah cuba lagi lepas ni :)