Tagliatelle with Turkey Bacon in Tomato-Cream Sauce

This is such comfort food ... not just for me but for Faris as well... as a treat for falling and scraping his knee yesterday I figured I'll cook him something nice for lunch before he leaves for school....

Recipe for 2 persons

4 bundles of taglitelle boiled in salted water until al-dente (approx 5 mins)



1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
2 tablespoon Olive oil
3 rashers of turkey bacon - chopped
3 stalk of spring onions
1 cup of pasta sauce - i used the ones with mushrooms
1/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon black pepper
a pinch of oregano
1 tsp salt - or according to taste
generous shavings of parmesan cheese

Sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions 'sweat'. Add the chopped bacon and continue sauteeing until the bacon is crispy.

Add pasta sauce and tagliatelle and add the rest of the ingredients and give it a good stir. Lastly add the cream. Mix well. Plate it and sprinkle parmesan.

Oyster Omelette or Or Luak

I usually make per portion so that you can control the taste & crispness..

5 Oysters (frozen ones bought at Sheng Siong) so i soaked in water for awhile until it defrosts.

Batter
3 tablespoon rice flour / tapioca flour mixed with 2 tablespoon of water (as long as you can get a nice thin batter. Add a dash of fish sauce

2 eggs beaten with chopped coriander leaves & spring onion
(according to preference) add a dash of Fish sauce

chopped garlic (optional)

Pour oil onto a pan and drizzle half of the batter.. cook until crispy and pour egg mixture over the top. Cook for a while then flip over. Then 'tear' the mixture a bit and set aside. In the same pan, heat a bit of oil, add the garlic, then pour the oyster and the other half of the batter... Do not overcook the oyster!!

Once you see the oyster is done, pour the cooked egg & batter mixture mixture and stir fry again to mix. Off the fire. Dun worry about the oyster batter if its not crispy because it helps to 'bind' the other mixture together. Serve with more coriander leaves and vinegar chilli

Vinegar chilli

2 tablespoon chilli sauce
2 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoon water

Mix the simple chilli together for a refreshing accompaniment to the Or Luak... or serve with sambal.. whichever your preference

Japanese Cheesecake

Its all Brenda's fault for making me crave this! Its been so long since I baked this... we are all cheese fans so I know these will get wiped out in a very short while! eheheheh

Recipe

Melt the following ingredients in a bain marie until the cheese melts and well blended with the butter and milk.

250g cream cheese
100 ml milk
50g butter

In another bowl whisk the egg yolks to a soft peak (5 minutes of whisking)

6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
140g sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 egg yolks
60g cake flour (sifted)
20g corn flour

Once the cheese mixture cools down,add in lemon jiuce and fold the above ingredients in. Fold half of the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture and mix it throughly. Then fold that into the balance egg white mixture. You can use 8 inch round pan or 8 x 6 rectangle pan like I did. Grease the pan and line it with greaseproof paper. I like to have excess paper at the top of the pan for easy removal. Bake it in a water bath for 1 hour 10 min give or take, in a 160 degree oven.

Pepes Jamur

I'm sure everyone have tasted Pepes Ikan right... if you love mushrooms then try this instead.

Pepes Jamur Recipe

1 packet of fresh mushrooms (whatever thats available around 500g) quartered or sliced.
3 tomatoes chopped
4 Bay leaves shredded
5 shallot sliced
3 garlic sliced
5 chilli padi sliced thinly
1 tablespoon gula jawa or palm sugar
1.5 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chicken seasoning
2 stalks of spring onion sliced
2 tablespoon oil
Banana leaves for wrapping

Mix the above ingredients and stir until seasoning is well mixed into the mushrooms. Wrap in banana leave and steam for 20 minutes. Serve as an accompaniement to a main dish with salted fish......

Nagasari Jagung

With Ramadhan impending, I've been craving for lots of sweet stuff... maybe my body thinks its going into hibernation and wants to stock up on sugar for energy! *rolls eyes*

Wanted to make belebat pisang but the Pisang Mas was all green and unriped so settled for Nagasari Pisang instead..

Nagasari Pisang Recipe

450 water
175g sugar
1 pandan leaf

Boil the above until the sugar dissolves.

1 packet Hoon Kueh flour (120g)
200 ml water

In another pot (get a big pot for easy stirring), mix the flour & water in a pot and gently simmer. Add the sugar water.

250ml thick coconut cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 can corn kernel (water drained)

Now add the coconut and salt into the simmering mixture and whisk until it reaches boiling point (5 minutes). Finally add the corn and stir for another 1 min.

Some people prefer to use small containers for this or a plastic sheet but i like to go with the original... Banana leaves.. Cut the leaves into desired length and just heat it over open fire (panggang). This makes the leaves more pliable. Pour about 2 tablespoon of mixture and wrap. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Serve

Nonya Ayam Pongteh

Its a really hot day today and what better way to enjoy the heat with even more heat from sambal belachan and hot steaming rice.
I decided to cook Ayam Pongteh or Stewed Miso Chicken. Its a really simple but somewhat satisfying dish.

Recipe

10 shallots
4 garlic cloves

1 stick cinnamon
4 tablespoon taucho
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teapoon salt
2 cups water
1 tablespoon dark soya sauce

1/2 chicken cut into smaller parts
bamboo shoots cut into thin slices
6 dried shiitake mushroom soaked and cut into quarters
coriander leaves

Blend the garlic & shallot and sautee in oil until fragrant. Add in 1 stick of cinnamon and continue sauteeing.
Add the taucho and sautee for another minute before adding sugar, salt, soya sauce, chicken & water. After 10 minutes add in the bamboo shoots & mushroom and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Add the chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice, ulam & sambal belachan. Best to cook the dish 1 day in advanced so that the flavours are soaked through.

Moussaka

I just loooooove Moussaka!! This is a Greek version although the Turkish and even Hungarian have their own version I like this because of the Bechamel sauce poured on top which gives it a cross-taste similar to that of Shephard's Pie.

Bechamel Sauce

Heat 2 cups of milk
In another pan, melt 1/2 cup butter and stir in 3 tablespoon of flour. Once the flour & butter is throughly combined, add the warmed milk bit by bit while whisking. Add 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp black pepper. Adjust to taste. Once the bechamel sauce cools down, whisk in 2 whole eggs.



Meat Sauce

1 onion
3 cloves garlic

Dice the above ingredients & sautee in olive oil.

500g minced beef
1 tin of diced tomatoes
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp oregano
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tsp salt

Brown the beef in the onion mixture and add all the ingredients until the sauce is completely dried. Season to taste


3 large Aubergine

Slice the aubergine thinly and coat it with olive oil and sprinkle salt and bake for 5 minutes until the aubergines soften.

Layering

Cheddar Cheese (grated)
2 Potatoes

Slice the potatoes and layer in the baking dish. Cook the potatoes in the oven for 5 minutes. Take it out and start layering with aubergine. Pour over the meat sauce and sprinkle cheddar cheese.

Layer again with aubergine and cheese and pour the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle with nutmeg powder & balance cheese. Bake in 175 degree oven for 45 min to 1 hour.

Baked Macaroni

What to do with leftover pasta from last night's dinner?? Easy...... bake it!
The following recipe was from my balance of about a tray of pasta (3 cups) so please adjust your ingredients accordingly.



Recipe for Baked Macaroni

1 onion
3 cloves garlic

Chop the above ingredients and sautee in olive oil until brown.

1 cup of minced beef or chicken
1 cup mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3 tablespoon chilli sauce
3 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tomato (chopped)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
leftover pasta

Add all the above ingredients and season accordingly. Place in the baking dish. Heat oven to 175 degrees.

Sauce

4 whole eggs (beaten)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tsp chilli sauce

Pour the sauce over the macaroni and bake for 30 min in the oven..



Its firm enough to cut into square..I made this non spicy because of Faris... but usually I prefer the sambal macaroni...

2 onions,
4 cloves garlic
10 stalks dried chilli (soaked)

Sautee the above blended ingredients inoil until fragrant.

3 tablespoon soya sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon chilli sauce
3 tablespoon tomato sauce

Add the above to the sauteed ingredients & pour in the pasta. Use the same sauce.

Sweet & Sour Fish with Coriander Omelette

Its been raining and here I am thinking about my next meal... i'm so over the Mee Siam stage! Now its rice with something simple so I decided on the classic... Sweet & Sour Fish with Coriander Omelette...

Recipe for Sweet & Sour Fish

2 large piece of seabass (de-skinned & de-boned) or any white fish...
marinated with 1 tablespoon of soya sauce



Batter for Fish

1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup warm water

Combine all dry ingrdients together. Add egg and lastly add water slowly while whisking until you get the right consistency.
Dip marinated fish into the batter & fry until golden brown.



Sweet & Sour Sauce

1 large onions cut into wedges
1 garlic
2cm ginger
1 chilli
1 carrot thinly
1 capsicum
1 tomato
1/2 tin of canned pineapples

Slice the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli thinly and sautee in oil. Add chopped carrots, capsicum, tomato & pineapples.
Pour 1/2 tin of the pineapple syrup into the ingredients.

3 tablespoon chilli sauce
4 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tsp salt

Finally add all the above ingredients to the mix and once bubbling, add 1 tablespoon corn flour mixed with water.

Pour sauce over the fish. Sprinkle a sprig of coriander and serve with rice.



Recipe for Coriander Omelette

4 large eggs whisked
1 tsp salt
1 onion sliced
1 chilli sliced
1 tsp pepper
1 sprig coriander chopped

Combine the above ingredients and fry into an omelette until golden & cooked. Flip over and cooked for another 1 minutes.

Mee Siam Goreng

All I could think of after waking up was how nice if I could have Mee Siam Goreng for breakfast but the coffeeshop menu is limited to lontong, mee rebus, mee siam, mee soto & nasi lemak... bleeaarrghhh

So I ran to NTUC, picked up some items and made my own...





Recipe

1 packet of Vermicelli Noodles ( I use Chilli Brand)
soak it in warm water until pliable

4 tablespoon Taucho (mashed)
2 tsp salt
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
chives
1/2kg prawns (deshelled & deveined)
taupok (thinly sliced)
100g taugeh
2 eggs (make into thin omelette & shred for garnish)

Blended items

2 large bombay onions or 4 medium size ones
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons dried shrimp (soaked)
10 stalks dried chilli (soaked)
2cm shrimp paste

Blend the above ingredients and stir fry in hot oil until fragrant and 'crispy'. Add the taucho, salt, sugar, tomato ketchup. Add prawns and mix well. Pour in noodles and mix the chilli paste well. Add in chives, taugeh & taupok. I usually fry the noodles for about 5-10 minutes on low fire until the noodles are soft & soaked through. Garnish with egg and serve with a side of sambal.

Ayam Percik

Ayam Percik is believed to originate from Kelantan.. a state in Malaysia... Percik is literally 'splash' so its English translation is Splashed Chicken? ehehhe



If you have a griller or BBQ of course thats the best option. Otherwise if you're pressed for time like me, just pop it in the oven for 25, uncovered, and you get that nice semi-burnt texture ...

Recipe

1 griller chicken (enough for 4 servings) or normal chicken - cut into desired pieces. Some people prefer just wings or drumsticks... we use whole chicken because every member of our family likes diffent parts of the chicken.. :-)

5 bombay onions
5 garlic
1 lemongrass
1 cm turmeric rhizome
2 cm ginger
10 stalks of dried chilli (soaked)
1 stalk fresh chilli
4 candlenuts

More chillis can be used but i made ours mild so that the kids can eat them.
Blend the above ingredients and sautee until fragrant.

1/2 cup tamarind juice
1/2 cup coconut cream (I use Santan Kara)
1/2 cup water
2 tsp salt
2 tablespoon sugar

Add all the above ingredients to the sauteed ingredients and simmer the chicken until half cooked.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees. I lined the baking tray with alluminum foil for easy clean up. Place the chicken on the foil and baste the chicken with the gravy. Bake for 15 minutes and baste again with the remaining gravy. Remove the chicken after 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and pour the excess gravy over it.

Serve it with steamed rice, samabal belachan and ulam...

Stir Fried Cockles in Sambal

After cooking lamb chops yesterday with a side of parsley potatoes & sauteed spinach, i decided to go for Seafood today...



Walked around the supermarket with no inspiration until i saw Blood Cockles... oooh and my mind started racing... steamed and dipped with sambal kicap or Stir Fry with Sambal... decided to go with the latter..

It is called blood cockles due to the red haemoglobin liquid inside which is the same substance that colours our own blood too.. Locally its called See-Ham...




My Recipe for Stir Fried Cockles in Sambal

2kg blood cockles washed & drained
4 bombay onions
4 cloves of garlic
a bowl of dried chilli soaked in hot water
1 tablespoon of belachan (shrimp paste)

Blend the above ingredients until smooth and sauteed in hot oil until fragrant.

1/4 cup soya sauce (I use Habhal Kicap Masin)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon salt
Coriander leaves (chopped)

Add in the above seasoning and cockles and stir fry until cockles is fully covered with sambal. Cover frying pan for 5 minutes until the cockles are cooked. I like mine firm but not bloody for this recipe. Sprinkle coriander leaves before serving.

Batik Cake

I've made this countless times and its always a hit! The best part is no baking is required... easy, simple and yummy....

Ingredients

1/2 cup Milo
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 boiling water
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs (beaten)
250g Marie Biscuits or even Graham Biscuits.

Directions

1)Pour cocoa powder, milo and boiling water in a pot and stir. On low heat, add butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs and condensed milk to the cocoa mixture and stir until mixture thickens. Roughly it will take about 15 minutes of stirring to get a custard-like consistency. Break biscuits into quarters and stir into the custard mixture.

2)In the meantime, prepare any container you prefer. I use 6" X 6" square container. You can line the container with parchment paper for easy removal but i usually don't.

3)Pour the mixture into the container and press down. Refrigerate for about 3-5 hours but i like to keep it overnight so that the custard sets properly.

4)Cut into slices and serve!

Ikan Pesmol & Bening Petola

Arrrgghhh why do I do this to myself?? When I am in Jakarta all i eat are fast food, western and then when I come back to Singapore I crave for something Indonesian.... something is seriously wrong with me!!



So today's lunch is Ikan Pesmol (Fish In Pesmol Seasoning) & Bening Petola (Braised Luffa)

Recipe for Fish in Pesmol

5 pieces of Mackerel or Carp Fish
seasoned with
1 tsp vinegar, turmeric poweder & salt
Deep fried until golden brown

4 candlenuts
4 onions
4 garlic
1cm ginger
1cm turmeric rhizome

Blend all the above ingredients and sautee with oil on low heat until fragrant

2 red chillis or bird's eye chilli if you prefer more heat (Julienned)
4 bay leaves
3 tablespoon coconut cream
2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water

Add in the remaining ingredients and season according to taste. Pour over fish and serve hot with rice and sambal terasi.

Another unassuming vegetable that i love is the Luffa from the gourd family or otherwise known as the sponge plant...
you can literally use it as a sponge or loofah once its dried! Chinese sinseh believe its good for dispersing a fever or reducing phlegm as it has anti-inflammatory properties.





Braised Luffa

2 onions sliced
2 garlic sliced
1 chilli sliced
10 anchovies soaked (Ikan bilis)

Sautee the sliced ingredients and add in the anchovies.

1m long Luffa trimmed and sliced into 1 inch lengths
a handful of rice sticks soaked
2 tsp ikan bilis powder
2 cups of water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Add in the remaining ingredients and braised for 10 mins.

Rumah Makan Sederhana

One of the reasons I love this place is not just the food... its just 50m away from the apartment and they deliver!!!




Yes there are abundance of Padang House that serves lovely food but Sederhana just does it for me... The kikil and the Krecek... oooh laaa laaa... I can just have these 2 with a side of sambal and Ubi Lemak.. and i'm a happy girl...
Although it doesn't hurt to have that whole array of food laid out for you.. Kentang Balado, Udang Petei, Hati Balado, Sop Buntut, Ayam Opor, Paru Goreng, Ayam Pop, Daun Ubi Rebus, Telor Dadar, Begedil & Ayam Bakar.





Isn't the delivery bike just adorable?? The whole MinangKabau design is so authentic!

Bandar Djakarta

This is my favourite place for seafood... I've had my fair share of seafood but this place rocks... This year alone I've been here at least 5 times!



The queue alone is a testament to its good food.. and the queue is not for the faint hearted... they don't take any phone reservations so you have to get there, give your name to the receptionist and in 30 mintutes - 45 minutes, they will call you to lead to your seat... I'm amazed at their system... to an outsider its messy... but it works somehow and keeps the crowd coming...


Once you get there, I suggest looking around for the fresh produce of the season... bamboo clams, Tiger clam, Geoduck or even Razor Clams...




I usually start with the the free salad and the Crispy Prawn that comes with a bottle of sambal (IDR 35,000).. (perfect for giveaway!) But be warned... double bag it before you dump it in your luggage or the oil will find its way out!


My must have is the Mussels with Padang Sauce


The kids usually like Steamed Crabs.. so we'll usually have both steamed and black pepper...


Last Saturday we ordered a tablefull of goodies...



At the end of a meal like that.. nothing beats my "Jeruk Hanget".. warm orange juice...

Cucur Udang (Prawn Fritters)

In my excitement I woke up, looked at the window and it was still dark... darn... its not even 6am yet!! After fiddling with my phone, checked my emails I decided the only way time was gonna past faster is if i make breakfast... and so i did..

Today's breakfast is Cucur Udang or Prawn Fritters..

Recipe

10 prawns (de-shelled and chopped roughly)
1 onion (diced
1 potato (diced)
1/2 cup corn kernels (i used frozen corns)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chicken powder or seasoning
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda
1/4 cup hot water

oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients the the 1/4 cup of hot water last. Somehow i feel with that addition of hot water the texture of the fritters are softer than without it.

Let it stand for 5 minutes while heating a wok with 2 cups of oil. Once the oil is heated through, drop spoonfuls and let brown on one side and flip it to the other.


Serve with Sweet Thai Chilli Sauce....