8. Mashed Taters (BM version)

Hidangan untuk 4 orang

Bahan²:

4 biji kentang (jenis kulit perang), saiz sederhana
¼ cawan susu penuh krim (cecair)
2 camca besar marjerin/mentega
Sedikit lada sulah (lada hitam)
Sedikit garam
Serbuk sos perang

Cara² membuat kentang putar:

1. Bersihkan kulit kentang dan rebus dalam air mendidih. Angkat bila kentang betul² empuk. (Kulit kentang boleh dibuang dan kemudian kentang boleh dipotong sebelum merebus. Kaedah ini dapat menjadikan kentang empuk dengan lebih cepat tetapi menyebabkan kentang menjadi kurang manis apabila ia empuk)
2. Buang kulit dan potong kentang hingga menjadi segmen kecil². Lecek²kan ia sehingga menjadi halus dan kasar² sedikit
3. Selepas itu, sambil melecek, tuangkan susu perlahan² sehingga konsistensi kentang itu lembut. Bubuh mentega, lada hitam, garam secukup rasa. Rasa kentang lenyek tersebut dan tambah mana² bahan (jika perlu) mengikut citarasa

Cara² membuat sos perang

1. Dalam mangkuk, tuangkan serbuk sos perang dan air. Kacau hingga sebati
2. Tuangkan dalam periuk, kacau perlahan². Pastikan anda memasang api sederhana
3. Perlahan² tuangkan susu penuh krim (cecair) sehingga sos menjadi likat dan mengikut citarasa

Cara hidangan:
Tuangkan sos perang di atas kentang putar dan hidangkan bersama hidangan Western atau boleh makan begitu sahaja di depan TV :)

Something is Better Than Nothing

It was our first raya as husband and wife that we went to East Malaysia to celebrate it. MIL wanted to prepare the ketupat pulut on the night before raya and FIL suggested to have a barbeque with it. Immediately I volunteered to prepare a simple side dish to go along with the juicy steaks. It was simple and everybody loved it! Try to guess what it was!
(Hint: picture)

7. Chicken Soup for the Soul ;)

This dish is proven to have healing properties to mild ailments such as fever, cough, sore throat and flu. Do try it! (Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 medium size chicken (cut into 16 parts and cleaned)
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cardamom
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stalk
4 clove
6 shallots
3 cloves of garlic
2 inches ginger
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of recently boiled water
4 cups of hot water
4 tablespoon of oil
Salt, sugar and pepper
Few sprigs of spring onion and parsley, chopped
Fried shallots (@bawang goreng)

Method:

1. Put shallots, garlic and ginger into the blender and mash it finely
2. Combine the cardamom, star anise, cinnamon and clove into 1 cup of recently boiled water. After it sits for 5 minutes, remove the items from the water and put aside
3. In a big pot, heat oil and sauté the aromatics. When it browns, add the four spices together with the chicken. Stir well for about 10 minutes
4. Add 4 cups of hot water (or more to cover the chicken) and the 4 spices-infused-water, and let the soup simmer until the chicken is 3/4 cooked
5. Add in the carrots, potatoes and the chicken broth
6. When the chicken is tender, add salt, sugar and pepper to taste
7. Turn off the burner, add in the spring onion, parsley, fried shallots and put the lid on for ten minutes. This is to allow the aroma of the spring onion, parsley and fried shallots permeate into the soup
8. You may serve it with bread or anything that you/your partner likes! :)

Poor Baby!

At 4 p.m. I was astonished to get an 'early' call from my husband. Usually he'd call at 5 and that's when he has bathed, packed and ready to leave for KL with his friends. Turned out to be he is on medical leave and feeling under the weather and wanted a good chicken soup to ease his runny nose and sore throat. My mom taught me a basic chicken soup recipe few years back and I thought of tweaking it a little. Will post the *tweaked* recipe tomorrow!

6. Curry Mee

The secret to its sweetness is prawn broth! Here's the recipe: (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1/2 medium sized chicken, cleaned and cut into small bites
50 gm medium size fresh prawns, cleaned, head and shell removed - put aside
6 shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup of fishcakes, diced
1/2 cup of fishballs, halved
2 cardamom
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stalk
2 clove
25 gm curry powder, diluted in one cup of water
2 tablespoon of diluted tamarind paste
1/2 cup of thick coconut milk
4 cups of water
2 tablespoon of oil
Salt and sugar

2 hard boiled eggs, cut into segments
2 green chillies, sliced thinly

1/2 stalk of spinach, cut into 1.5 inches wide
1/2 cup of beansprouts
200 gm of egg noodle

Method:

1. Put the head and shell of the prawns in a pot filled with a cup of water. Bring it to a boil. Pour them through a strainer and put the broth aside.
2. Take the shallots, garlic and ginger into the blender and mash it until it is very fine
3. Heat the pot with 2 tablespoon of oil
4. Sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger. When it browns, add the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and clove
5. Add the curry paste and stir for ten minutes. Pour 4 cups of water, add the tamarind paste and the coconut milk
6. When the gravy boils, put in the chicken and the potatoes. Stir well
7. When the chicken is 3/4 cooked, add in the prawn broth with prawns, fishcake and fishballs
8. Simmer the gravy slowly until the chicken is tender. Serve the gravy in a heavy base bowl
9. Add salt and sugar to taste
10. Take spinach, beansprouts and egg noodle and blanch them in hot water for ten minutes. Toss them to drain excess liquid. Put in a serving plate. NOTE: Blanch them separately
    

Serving suggestion: Put the egg noodle into a bowl and ladle the curry gravy into the bowl. Put egg wedges, sliced green chillies, spinach and beansprouts on top of it.

Enjoy! :D