Hectic weekend......

A simple sardin dish for dinner on Thursday night. Just need some sliced big onion, sliced ginger, sliced of 2 garlics and 2 red chillies. Fry all the sliced ingredient and throw in the fried sardin. I washed the sardin and fried them, gotta be careful while doing that as the oil would splatter all over the place. And squeezed lime juice on this dish and juice from 2 limes should be wonderful to have this dish with hot white rice ....

From the many glasses on the table, you all would know how long we were yakking away there. The waiter had collected empty glasses and dishes twice before this photo was taken.......

I received an email from a good friend of mine who is a Singaporean but working in the States, saying that she would be home soon. Then last week she called saying that she would be in KL from 27th Dec until the New Year. One of the guys was kind enough to take time to organize a get together on Friday. At 5.00 pm that day i left Seremban for KL and hoping the driving would be a breeze.....ha ha ha what a wishful thinking....lucky i was against most heavy traffic but still got caught on MRR as I had to fetch dear hubby. Managed to reached hubby's office just after 7.00 and off we went to Pelita Restaurant near KLCC the designated meeting place. We were reminiscing old times and updating latest happening as a few of us had not met since 1989. Though the hearts were willing but the bodies were screaming fatigue as most of them went to Pelita straight after office. The meeting officially ended at 1.00 am but there were a few of the gang just continued until almost 3.00 am as i was told the next day....


Saturday morning, woke up a bit late and had tose for breakfast. Went to meet the guy who supposed to do up my kitchen cabinet and paid deposit. Baked chocolate cupcakes with chocolate butter icing topping for an engagement gifts on Saturday evening. After having to attend 2 kenduris and met another friend for coffee in Seremban 2. The tummy was so full and the eyes were small pining for the bed but gotta will myself to bake the cupcakes. However, once i started to look for the ingredients, the eyes were wide open and the mind was working extra for the presentation of the cuppies. Lucky it was requested just simple design as i am not at all good in decorating cakes. Once completed, took a short drive to deliver the cuppies and hoping that it would arrived Kuantan safely.

On Sunday i cooked beef curry, fried french beans with egg and papadom. For the curry, I used 5oo gm beef, 4 potatoes, a few sprigs of curry leaves, 3 tbs curry powder mixed with 1 tbs chilli poswder, 1 tsp each ground cummin, corriander, fennel seeds, tumeric powder and a bit of water to make a thick paste. Blend 1 big onion, 5 shallots, 2 garlics and 1 inch ginger. 100 gms thick coconut, 1/2 cup tamarind water. Heat up 3 tbs of oil and sautee the curry leaves, one star anise, 5 cm cinnamon stick, 3 cloves , 3 cardamom about a minute. Add in the blended mixture and fry until fragrance. Put in curry paste mixture and when the oil floats dump in the beef. Stir for a few minutes until the water dries up. Gradually pour in the tamarind water and coconut milk and let it boil until the meat tender. Add in the potatoes and cook until the potatoes soft and salt to taste. Then off the fire and enjoy it with white rice or bread. I like to eat left over curry with lightly toast bread......hmmmm yum yum


Almost tea time i noticed the banana that my sister gave me last week has ripen nicely and just screaming to me to be fried. So i mixed 2 cups of rice flour, a bit of salt, tumeric powder and 1 egg beaten and a bit of water for the frying batter. Make hot coffee chap Hang Tuah and had the hot fried banana( pisang goring) with hubby and the kids......oohhh what a weekend....

Onion fritters for tea and Nasi lemak for dinner on the rainy day....

At last the renovation work almost over except the installing of kitchen cabinets. The hard work for me is about 90% done too. Still the some of the kitchen stuff laying around in the living room . Can only keep them once the cabinets are ready. Hopefully by this coming weekend . Maybe i can host a BBQ gathering on the new year eve? I don't know but i hope i could . Soon after the school will start the 2008 sessions. I am looking forward when i will have have a few hours of my own time he he.....don't get me wrong here, i love spending time with my boys but i do enjoy the time where i am on my own and can do whatever i want.
And yayy....at last i can cook in my own kitchen. I love it. It is not fancy just practical for my daily cooking and baking. And today as usual, with my 3 rascals at home and the rain started just after noon, my second boy asked for 'cokodok' (fritters) at 4 o'clock. I made some with just flour, hot water, salt, pounded onion. We had the fritters with Lingam chili sauce......yum yum
I myself craving for something with coconut milk and i decided to cook Nasi Lemak for dinner.
Here my version of this easy to cook Nasi lemak. 3 cups of rice in the rice cooker, rinsed and add 150ml thick coconut milk with 200 ml water, salt to taste and 2 screw pine leaves roughly tear and make a knot. On the cooker and only gently stir just before the liquid dry up.
This time i made sambal udang. I need all these,
500 gm udang(shrimp)- cleaned
1 1/2 big onions - sliced
1/4 cup tamarind juice(water?)
1/4 cup thick coconut milk
20 dried chillies soaked in boiling water for a few minutes. Blend the chillies with 10 shallots, 3 garlics and half inch of shrimp paste.
3 tbsp oil

Heat the oil, and throw in the shrimps and sliced big onions. Fry until the onion wilt a bit and pour in the blended ingredients. Let it simmers for a few minutes, pour in the tamarind juice and let it simmers again. Add in the coconut milk and let it thicken a bit. Then enjoy the sambal with hot nasi lemak, plain eggs omelette, crispy fried anchovy( ikan bilis) and sliced cucumber like in the picture.......hmmmmm now i am feeling drowsy typing this ha ha ha.....

p/s, i encourage you to double click the pictures for a better view....

Just to wish all of you.....

To all kind readers, Merry Christmas , Happy New Year and pleasant and safe holidays. May 2008 be a blessed year to all of us.

The tags thingy again.....

Tag by June

I know it is really kinda late but better late than never right? and here we goes.....

1. A movie that made you laugh.
too many to mention

2. A book that make you cry.

i am not that easy to cry but one blogger U Lee made me cry recently when i read this.

3. A Best Friend.

i have many in KL but only one in Seremban, so i have reason to go to KL sometimes he he.

4. A favorite childhood memories

sell pisang goreng and nasi lemak for my late mum, found a wallet full of RM, gave to my dad
and the owner of the wallet gave me some money where i bought a cute umbrella red color
you.....

5. Your favorite animal.

I adore cats but when the last i had died, i was so heartbroken i think i never will have one
anymore

6. Your favorite food

I am quite adventurous when come to food but only appreciate authentic food so no pizza sambal or rendang for me ha ha ha

7. An item of clothing you cannot do without.

A bra...can do without a panty when i am feeling cheeky ha ha ha

8. Something you collect.

Recipes

9. Your favorite store to shop in.

I love Ikea and Yummie in Bangi.....thank God both are kinda far for me he he

10. Your favorite flower.

i am not a flower person but i used to love flowers in my late mum's small garden in KL when i was young, her roses were way better than those in Cameron Highlands

Mee curry and guitar......

On Saturday night, my hubby and i had our outing without the kids. We went to Ju*co in Seremban 2 and browsed the bathroom fittings area. Half an hour later we ended sitting at one Kopitiam in the mall and my husband had a bowl of delicious curry mee. Yours truly had toast with chicken curry. Apologised for the mee curry picture as i used my crappy hand phone camera. And i am introducing my husband's 2nd wife ha ha ha.....Beautiful aint it? I love to hear him plays his guitars almost daily. He will at least strumming the guitars for 2o minutes after long hard day in the office. He has 2 others beside this but this is so far the 'prettiest', see quota is full already ha ha ha. I remember how he lugged this beauty in the monorail from Bukit Bintang station to the one near the Maju Junction .....and mind you he doesn't play sentimental song with this baby ......

Breakfast in the rain.....

Nasi lemak, karipap, puri and teh tarik. Our breakfast this morning. Eating this in one of the many mamak stalls in Seremban town and it was raining outside. It has been raining non-stop in Seremban for the past 3 days. Heard on the news that some floods
ing in several parts of the Peninsular. However, before the rain started the weather was very hot and windy for almost 3 weeks until the rain started 3 days ago.

I always love rain. When i used to play sports during my younger days, i always pray for the rain to come hard. There was one time when i played netball in one of the school in Gombak the rain was just kept on pouring and pouring. I loved it but one of my team mate slided and fell on her hand and the hand was broken. The game was stopped for awhile but later continued on and my team won it. hmmmmm......I still love the rain, its romantic and as i always say to people its only water........

The love of my life....my boys

To typical mothers in the world, our children are everything to us. They are our joy and our sorrow. What we would not do for them ya..... We beam with pride for their achievements and hold and sooth them when they are down. They have our unconditional love and we do our best to give them the best.....
Pity them ya...gotta sleep in the living room while their rooms are being hacked down for a little extension. I asked them to stay with the grandparents just across the big road near the house they refused. Maybe too comfortable in their own territories.

The younger one was eyeing the abang's nasi lemak during breakfast, the long hand belong to the dad pinching the yummy mamak's fried chicken. The dad is boss anyway, so can pinch but the adik just 'buat muka seposen' jer la ha ha ha....
This picture was taken earlier this year when we were at Bukit Merah. Time sure flies as we are approaching 2008 in a few weeks. The younger two boys had gain a few more kgs since then.

Ouucchhh.....it hurts...and yummy lunch i cook in mum in law's kitchen

I went to bed as usual last night. Brushed my teeth , washed my feet and dabbed some lotion for my dry hands. Woke up in the middle of the night when i felt sharp pain just below my ankle as i was turning to my side. I continued with my sleep thinking the pain would be gone in the morning. But that did not happen, in the morning when i woke up and got down from the bed ouchhh....the pain hit me. Oooo ...sh*t...i could not walk without having something to hold on to.....duhhh. Went to the clinic and was told to get the leg to rest .....sheeessssshhh.....


But still got to eat maa.....so with the help of my mother in law i cooked crab chili padi with pineapple, fried chicken and fried bok choy( i think ).