19. Sheperd's Pie With Beef Mushroom Filling

Ingredients: (serves 5)
1 yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 green capsicum
2 carrots
10 white button mushroom
400gm minced beef/lamb
300gm cream of mushroom soup (I use Campbell brand)
Enough mashed potatoes for the topping (i use 6 large brown potatoes)
Shredded Mozzarella
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Add oil in the pan and saute them for 5 minutes under medium heat
   
2. Dice the capsicum, grate the carrots and slice the mushroom. Add them into the pan
3. Add in the minced beef, stirring occasionally until they turn brown
4. Pour the cream of mushroom soup, salt and pepper. Stir for about 10 minutes
5. Scoop the fried ingredients into a baking tray. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly above it, make the layer about 2 inches thick.
6. Finally, arrange the cheese on top of the mashed potatoes. Bake in oven for 10 minutes (300º Celcius) or until the cheese melts
7. Best served warm with salad
   

coming up...

Sheperd's pie with yummy mushroom soup infused minced beef filling!

18. Succulent Prawns Cooked With Chilli And Tomato Sauce

Wanted to cook turmeric prawn at BIL’s house but forgot to buy the turmeric powder! My MIL made fun of me =P
Made chilli and tomato sauce prawn instead. Simple yet tasty! Takes 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
20 pieces of big, fresh water prawns
6 shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1cm ginger
2 bird’s eye chillies
6 tbsp chilli sauce
4 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp oil
¼ cup of water
Salt and sugar

Method:

1. Using the scissors, clean the prawns by cutting the legs and the front portion of the head, discarding the eyes the antennas. Put aside
2. Thinly slice the shallots and garlic
3. Peel the ginger
4. Lightly crush bird’s eye chillies with a pestle
5. In a wok, heat 2 tbsp oil under medium heat
6. Sauté the shallots, garlic, ginger and chillies until they brown
7. Pour the chilli and tomato sauce. Let them simmer for 3 minutes and add the water
8. Add prawns into the sauce and stir well for 2 minutes
9. Add salt and sugar to taste
10. Keep stirring until the prawns turn to a pink colour (denoting that it’s cooked)
11. Serve with white rice ;)
    

17. Couscous with Salad

Another variation of couscous I made last month.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
For couscous:
200 gm couscous
One huge knob of butter - about 20gm - softened at room temperature
200ml of hot chicken stock (~98°C) (Amount of liquid differs according to the couscous brand. Make sure you check the preparation method stated on the couscous box)

For salad:
3 salad leaves
½ tomato
½ sweet onion
¼ cucumber (you may use courgette for a crispier texture)
5 pitted black olives
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp of McCormick Italian Herbs Mix
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Prepare couscous as per recipe #16. Put aside
2. Cut the salad into long strips. Dice the tomato, olives and cucumber
3. Julienne the onion
4. Combine the salad, tomato, olives, cucumber and onion into a bowl. Add in the olive oil, herb mix, salt and pepper
5. Toss the ingredients for about half a minute or until all vegetables are well coated with the aromatics and olive oil
6. Combine the tossed ingredient with the coucous. Stir well
7. Ready to serve

The Ultimate One

I've been thinking about it a lot lately. In fact, I’ve thought about it before I got married in June last year. At that time, I thought that my husband would be in Kerteh for at least two to three years before he transfers to KL so I was reluctant to leave my KL job. Another reason (or excuse?) not to move to Kerteh is that I feel it would be very difficult for me to secure a job there. After graduated from UPM, I sent out resumes to more than 50 companies but only managed to get 2 interview calls and eventually 1 job offer. 2 out of 50 = 4% chance of getting a job. I think the combination of my degree and masters degree somehow did not appeal to them. Hmmm...

So yesterday after talking to my MIL in the living room I walked to my room and lie on the bed. I stared at the ceiling and it got me thinking, how long will I be far from my husband? How many months more will it take for me to move to Kerteh to be with my lifetime partner? Then it hit me - I want to move to Kerteh as soon as possible. No more weekend meet ups and weekend wifey title. I called my husband immediately and Alhamdulillah he sounded very happy over the phone. We agreed that I will tender resignation end of January 2010, which means I would be transferring to Kerteh by April, InsyaAllah.

Never in my life had I made such a big decision. Transferring to KL would be letting go my three thousand something per month pay job. But THAT doesn't really matter coz I’m not that 100% content with my current job anyway. What matters most is the thought of telling my parents the intention which I don’t think they can accept it wholeheartedly. You see, my parents have been trying really hard to keep their kids close to them. All three of my siblings are staying in houses that were bought by my father and all are within walking distance from my parents’! To add to that, my mom would usually sound upset when I mention the “what-if-my-husband-needs-to-stay-a-lil-bit-longer-and-I-want-to-move-to-Kerteh" question to her. So, I don't even think they'd approve at all. Darn! Now I’ve got to plan how to tell them in the most persuasive and subtle way.

Nonetheless, I'm so excited and ecstatic about it! I hope I will have a better life and be a better person there, InsyaAllah.

..

...

i know i know, this has become a personal blog.

16. Plain Couscous

From Wikipedia:

"Couscous or kuskus as it is known in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt is a Berber dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The finished granules are about one millimetre in diameter before cooking. The Levantine variant, popular also in Israel, is about twice the diameter and made of hard wheat instead of semolina.[2] Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed. In many places, a more-processed, quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its short preparation time.
The dish is a primary staple throughout the Maghreb;[3] in much of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya it is also known as ṭa`aam طعام, "food".It is also popular in the West African Sahel, in France, Spain, Madeira, in western Sicily's Province of Trapani, as well as in Greece, Cyprus and parts of the Middle East. It is particularly popular among Jews of North African descent such as the Berber Jews,[4] and is eaten in many other parts of the world as well.
Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. It can also be eaten alone, flavoured or plain, warm or cold, as a dessert or a side dish."

Here's my version of couscous. Yummy and simple, it only needs 5 minutes of preparation!

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
200 gm couscous
One huge knob of butter - about 20gm - softened at room temperature
200ml of hot chicken stock (~98°C) (Amount of liquid differs according to the couscous brand. Make sure you check the preparation method stated on the couscous box)

Method:

1. Pour the couscous into a heavy base serving pyrex
2. Add in the butter and pour the chicken stock
3. Stir lightly until the butter dissolves into the stock
4. Allow the couscous to absorb the mixture and wait for 3 minutes
5. Serve the couscous with Chicken Kurma, Chicken Curry, Prawn Curry or Sambal Sotong! Enjoy ;)

How Was Your Raya?

Mine was unusually dull. Don't know why.