Sunday, May 31, 2009

100 truths


Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 100 Truths about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

WHAT WAS YOUR:
1. Last beverage: mango yogurt drink [bliss]
2. Last phone call: adilah [college mate]
3. Last text message: kambInK [ttm]
4. Last song you listened to: thinking of u [katy perry]
5. Last time you cried: last night. a couple of tears.

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Dated someone twice: yes.
7. Been cheated on: yes.
8. Kissed someone & regretted it: no.
9. Lost someone special: yes. but i let it go.
10. Been depressed: sometimes.
11. Been drunk and threw up: no no no.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLOURS:
12. white
13. rainbow
14. pink

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2009)
15. Made a new friend: yes. a lot and a lot of new friends.
16. Fallen out of love: a big NO [budget setia...]
17. Laughed until you cried: yes i did!
18. Met someone who changed you: yes. she makes my life better.
19. Found out who your true friends are: yes yes yes! obviously!
20. Found out someone was talking about you: yes, they did.
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: quite a number.
23. How many kids do you want to have: 3 would b just fine.
24. Do you have any pets: yes. few cats ++ lola!!! [facebook]
25. Do you want to change your name: no. i love my name.
26. What did you do for your last birthday: nothing. no cake. just.being alone at home.
27. What time did you wake up today: sesudah subuh...
28. What were you doing at midnight last night: try on9, but internet x betul.
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: finished this sem.
30. Last time you saw your Mother: she's here with me.
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: my spirit.
32. What are you listening to right now: sound of the TV.
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: no no no.
34. What's getting on your nerves right now: can't think of one.
35. Most visited web page: blogger, google, facebook, myspace, yahoo, friendster.
36. What's your real name: nur aqilah bt mohd amin
37. Nicknames: aqilah. qila. qilah. qill. rainbow =P and so on...
38. Relationship Status: it's complicated.
39. Zodiac sign: Libra
40. Male or female: Female
41. phone(s): nokia(s)
42. laptop: compaq
43. High school/college: mrsm / miim
44. Hair colour: black
45. Long or short: short.
46. Height: 163 / 164
47. Do you have a crush on someone: only hope.
48: What do you like about yourself: i dont know?
49. Piercings: none.
50. Tattoos: none ++ never.
51. Righty or lefty: righty

FIRSTS :
52. First surgery: i can't recall.
53. First piercing: back to when i was 3 @ 4
54. First best friend: ashraff kacak!!! where are u eh..???
55. First sport you joined: lumba lari. LOL.
56. First vacation: idk.
58. First pair of trainers: -

RIGHT NOW
59. Eating: nope.
60. Drinking: nope. too lazy to get a drink.
61. I'm about to: finish my assignment(s)
62. Listening to: news
63. Waiting on: to feel better.

YOUR FUTURE :
64. Want kids: yup.
65. Get Married: with some1 i love, and he loves me too.
66. Career: successful person.

WHICH IS BETTER :
67. Lips or eyes: eyes
68. Hugs or kisses: hugs
69. Shorter or taller: taller
70. Older or Younger: older
71. Romantic or spontaneous: spontaneous
72. Nice stomach or nice arms: nice stomach.
73. Sensitive or loud: sensitive
74. Hook-up or relationship: relationship
75. Trouble maker or hesitant: trouble maker

HAVE YOU EVER :
76. Kissed a stranger: never
77. Drank hard liquor: nope
78. Lost glasses/contacts: yes i did.
79. Sex on first date: not for me.
80. Broken someone's heart: a long time ago.
82. Been arrested: never
83. Turned someone down: yup
84. Cried when someone died: yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
86. Yourself: most of the time, no.
87. Miracles: 50-50.
88. Love at first sight: no no no!!!
89. Heaven: yes. always.
90. Santa Claus: no.
91. Kiss on the first date: owh i did.
92. Angels: yes.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
94. Had more than 1 boyfriend at a time: back to when i was in 2ndry school.
95. Did you sing today: no.
96. Ever cheated on somebody: yes.
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go: 10 years ago?
98. If you could pick a day from last year and relive it, what would it be: the day when i decided to let him go.
99. Are you afraid of falling in love: now? idk.
100. Posting this as 100 truths: yes.


Menu 3: The Diversity of South Africa

There are so many cultures involved in South African cuisine. I knew nothing about the complexity and the diversity until I found two South African cookbooks and started cooking. Dutch settlers (the Afrikaners) brought a European influence with Milk Tarts and other delicious baked goods along with an amazing barbeque (braai) with beef and chicken; Malay laborers from Java and Indonesia brought their spices; indigenous Africans added in cornmeal porridge and greens, reminders for us of the soul food of the American south; Indians brought their curries. I love how the colors and flavors intermingle and dance with each other. Bobotie is a classic example.

Bobotie from South Africa

















2 onions, finely chopped
2 pounds ground beef, or a mix of ground meats
1 slice bread
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1½ tablespoons sugar
½ cup raisins
3 tablespoons chutney, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 egg

1. Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Sauté beef or meat mix with onions until meat is brown, breaking the meat up into small pieces. If necessary, drain fat from the pan and discard.
3. Soak the bread in half the milk; mash it with a fork. Add it to the meat.
4. Combine all the remaining ingredients except the egg and the remaining milk. Spread the mixture in a greased casserole.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Beat the egg with the remaining ½ cup milk and pour it over the casserole. Return to the oven for another ½ hour.

6 servings
Adapted from The Africa News Cookbook

Braised Carrots

















2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 3½ x ½ x ½-inch sticks)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
3 slices lemon, seeds removed, plus juice from the rest of the lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon anise seeds
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Put the oil and the carrots into a heavy 10-inch skillet. Cook on high heat, stirring and shaking the pan often and scraping the browned bits occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the carrots have lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, tomatoes, mint, lemon slices, sugar, salt, anise and cumin; mix well.
3. Cook until bubbling vigorously; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir, turning the carrots. Cover and cook until the carrots are very soft, 10 minutes or so more. Add lemon juice and season with pepper. Remove the lemon slices.
4. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.

If you make this ahead, you can reheat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.

4 servings
Adapted from Eating Well, February/March 2006

Oven-Roasted Zucchini

















8 medium zucchini, thickly sliced (½ inch) on the bias
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
or 2 roasted garlic cloves, chopped, and 1 fresh garlic clove, pressed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped or ¼ cup chopped herbs of your choice (tarragon and chervil or tarragon and thyme or oregano and thyme or dill are all good)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper

1. Place the zucchini in a roasting pan(s), add the olive oil, toss to coat, and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Put the pan(s) in the oven and turn the temperature to 425ºF. Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning once mid-way. The zucchini should be nice and brown on both sides.
2. Mix together the garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and herbs.
3. Make a layer of some of the zucchini slices on a serving dish. Sprinkle with some of the herb mixture, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the lemon juice. Continue making layers until all the ingredients are used, ending with some herbs on top.
4. Set aside in a cool place for about an hour for the flavors to mingle before serving. Can serve warm or at room temperature. To warm slightly, put the dish in a microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes.

Note: I have made just steps 1 and 2 of this recipe with salt added along with the olive oil. Even at its most simple, it is a delicious dish.

4-5 servings
Adapted from The Silver Spoon, a comprehensive cookbook of Italian food.


Yellow Rice

















1½ cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons oil or butter
2 2/3 cups water
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ cup raisins or currants, optional
1 stick of cinnamon
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped or sliced, optional
4 tablespoon desiccated coconut, optional
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil or butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and sauté until the individual grains are shiny, about 1 minute.
2. Add the turmeric, raisins or currants, cinnamon, water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes.
3. While the rice is cooking, heat the 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat in a frying pan and sauté the onions until they are golden.
4. Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork, and stir in the onions and coconut or spread them over the top, if desired. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 5-6
Adapted from Lehla Eldridge’s The South African Illustrated Cookbook

Traveling, Cooking, and Eating
















Four years into my marriage, we moved to Taipei, Taiwan for my husband to study Chinese at the Stanford Program at Taida University. Because we were so very Berkeley, we decided that we would shop and cook for ourselves rather than hire an amah. This was a pretty radical decision in 1970. So I learned to count in Chinese. I learned the names of vegetables. I shopped nearly every day at our neighborhood market. I bought a couple of pirated Chinese cookbooks. I took some cooking classes. In the course of the year I learned a huge amount about Chinese food but the shopping also brought me into the community. Neighborhood grannies would peek in my shopping basket to see what I had bought, ask how much I had paid for my cabbage and offer suggestions on how to prepare it.
















When we moved to Kyoto, Japan with our month-old baby, Franz, I did pretty much the same thing. Counting. A couple of cookbooks. Daily shopping. Asking questions of neighbors. And cooking a lot of Japanese food. I also taught Western cooking to some women in my neighborhood, as shown in the photo. They reciprocated by teaching me Japanese cooking. Just great for me.

So I’m going to jump ahead to the near present.

In 2003 I caught the travel bug. It started with the Middle East and went on to Spain and Morroco, southern France, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey and Greece, Malawi, back to South Africa, Spain, Sweden on and on. And most recently Italy, Iran, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. An amazing opportunity to see the world and to delve into cultures so different from my own.

Before going on trips, I educate myself about the new place by doing three things: I buy cookbooks (from my favorite used bookstore), read them, and cook some of the special dishes of the region. Good cookbooks tell me so much about the agriculture, immigration patterns and influences, the climate, and the traditions of the country. And then I get to eat their food. Smell it. Taste it. I literally ingest the culture of the new place before I take a step outside this country. When I finally get there, I can look for the dishes I want to try and delight in seeing how closely my dishes approximate the “real” thing.

Chorizo pasta - Rachel Allen - Market Kitchen

Rachel does the demos at Ballymaloe cooking school

Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat

A Must Watch

'Half a Pound of Crap' In Daily American Diet - Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman: "Food Matters", part 1

Mark Bittman: Food Matters, part 2

Saturday, May 30, 2009

permainan fikiran

Aku...
Sendiri...
Merasa sepi..
Ketika...
Dirimu...
Sudah...
Tiada lagi...
Menemani...
Permainanku..............


Aku pusing, saat harus berjalan melewati segerombolan orang di bale-bale kampung yang letaknya di ujung jalan. Mereka rese! Suka usil sama anak gadis yang lewat. Sayangnya, aku enggak punya pilihan lain. Cuma ini jalan terdekat untuk bisa membeli sembako. Warung mang Sabil, tempat yang aku tuju. Mesti melewati bale-bale kampung lalu berbelok ke kiri. Kalau tidak melewati jalan ini, aku mesti memutar dan menyebrangi sungai yang biasa di jadikan tempat preman-preman kampung sebelah berpesta miras. Aku semakin seram. Ngeri!

Aku menunduk sambil memelintir ujung kaos gombrongku. Benar saja, meski jarak bale denganku masih terpaut sepuluh meter, riuh ramai siulan sautan serta sapaan sapaan mengganggu menghujamku. "Aduuh Intan... Mau diantar abang? Abang bawa pulang euy!" atau "Sayang intan, mau kemana eta teh? Seksi pisan..."

Hufh! Seksi? Apa coba? Mana bisa di bilang seksi dengan kaos gombrong dan rok A-line tanggung? Tapiii, hanya satu yang buatku sedikit senang melewati bale kampung ini. Mas Zamir. Saat yang lain sedang asik bersiul, mengganggu gadis sekampung, bermain gaple, mas Zamir malah asik bergitar sambil menerawang. Mas Zamir memang enggak tampan seperti chace Crawford, ataupun se-cute Kevin Aprilio, tapi senyuman dengan lesung pipinya sanggup menggegerkan benteng angkuhku.

ya ya ya, Aku Nayrami. Gadis kota yang menyamar sebagai gadis desa. Sudah hampir seminggu aku tinggal bersama Bi Karsih, bekas pembantuku waktu di jakarta. Klise memang kalau mendengar cerita orang kota bersembunyi di desa. tapi aku begini bukan karena latah atau mencari sensasi. Tapi karena aku harus menenangkan diriku setelah depresi yang cukup lama.

Semenjak bunda meninggal, papi enggak pernah lagi seceria dulu. Vayra, adikku enggak bisa pulang sebelum jam 3 pagi dengan bau alkohol. Khas orang metropolitan. Aku mulai pusing dengan segala hal yang mesti aku handle. Enggak lagi bisa bercerita sambil manja-manjaan dengan papi, atau curhat-curhatan sambil luluran bersama Vayra. Hidup bahagiaku telah tamat dalam episode kali ini. Aku berubah menjadi si gadis yang terkurung gaya hidup orang kota.

Dulu bunda suka masakin aku semur tempe yang supeeeer dahsyat enaknya. Aku, papi, dan vayra pasti berebutan. Tapi dulu sebelum bunda meninggal. Sudah cukup aku menghadapi perubahan Vayra yang cenderung moody dan pemarah. Jangankan untuk curhat, menyapa di pagi hari sama dengan menyulut kejutekkannya. papi? Kapan inget pulang, rumah kok kaya kos kosan.

Mas Zamir, enggak sekalipun dia pernah tersenyum, menyapa, atau menggodaku. DIa cenderung tak perduli dengan gadis-gadis di kampung ini. Gosipnya yang aku dengar, mas Zamir tengah di butakan cinta, tapi cinta hitam, alias pelet. Hiii, ini nih yang aku risihkan kalau tinggal di kampung. Ada aja hal-hal aneh yang enggak bisa di cerna sama logika. Aku enggak tahu apa-apa mengenai pelet dan sistem kerja si pelet. Aku ini dokter, dokter ahli bedah, tapi enggak bisa ngebedah ilmu-ilmu kasat mata seperti itu.

Aku kembali memacu langkahku, deg-degan menghampiri lagi. Kantong belanjaanku telah penuh. Jelas sekali aku kepayahan menentengnya. Haduh, aku enggak mau menginjak gengsiku jika mesti di bantu pemuda-pemuda sinting di bale kampung itu. Mulutnya bau tanah, badannya bau naga, hiii. Aku hanya menunduk sambil menjinjing kantong belanjaku. Dalam hati kuucap, ya ampun God, pliiis, jauhkan mereka dariku!

"Nay, mau saya bantu membawa kantong belanjanya?" aku segera menoleh, ketika seseorang menepuk bahuku pelan. Posturnya lebih tinggi dariku, berkulit kecoklatan, dan mengenakan polo shirt. Bukan, ini bukan mas Zamir. Aku enggak tahu, siapa dia. Kenapa tahu namaku. Aku belum tahu. "Makasi, enggak usah, gue masih kuat kok!" balasku sedikit cemas.

"Derio Brawiharja. Anak kedokteran UGM, hmm, baru lulus setelah ambil spesialisasi." hadangnya cepat sambil menyodorkan jabat tangan. Derio? Hmm, boleh lah. Tinggi, berbadan atletis, dan senyum yang macho. Deskripsi macho itu seperti apa ya? Perpaduan antara cool dan manis, serta garang. "Nayrami." Senyum macho-nya kembali mengembang.

"kalau dokter ahli bedah melarikan diri karena otaknya terganggu, dokter ahli saraf dan kejiwaan boleh membantu dong?" celotehnya sambil memaksa dengan halus menggantikan kewajibanku menjinjing belanjaan. "Gue enggak melarikan diri, gue cuma menyendiri." sebutir batu menjadi korbanku. Ku siksa dengan hantaman sendal jepit converse warna hitam kesayanganku.

"Kenapa enggak juga mau pulang ke Jakarta?" tanyanya halus tapi mendesak. Aku mulai sebal, siapa sih dia, berani-beraninya ikut campur pribadiku. Meskipun aku sedikit senang dan menikmati kala aku lewat bale kampung tanpa komentar menjijikan serta tatapan gadis kampung yang penuh iri. Nayrami kembali jadi kontroversi.
"jakarta? Gue asli sini kok, tinggal sama bibi gue. Lo salah orang kali." ucapku cepat.
"Nayrami Alviras Darinatami, kamu enggak perlu menyangkal kenyataan lah. Mami kamu meninggal, dan semua itu bukan salahmu."
"Bunda meninggal emang bukan karena gue, tapi lo enggak tau dan enggak ngerti apa yang terjadi setelah bunda meninggal!" balasku kasar seraya menarik kantong belanjaanku.
"Pengecut kamu! Coba kamu berhenti dan bilang sama aku kalau kamu ke sini bukan untuk melarikan diri. Bukan karena kamu muak di rumah dengan papi dan adikmu! Cobaaa!" aku tersentak dan membatu. Kenapa kalau sudah tahu masih mendesak. Perih.

"Sudahlah, mending lo pulang. Gue enggak kenal sama lo."
"Pernah ingat kalau papi kamu punya sahabat yang selalu ketemu tiap dua bulan?"
"Om Tino. Kok lo tau?"
"Derio Brawiharja Fardadh."
"Anaknya om Tino? Lo gilaaa!"
"ENggak kok, aku cuma enggak mau kamu begini!"
"Gue baik-baik aja. Lo pulang dan jangan bilang-bilang gue di sini. Plis!"
"Enggak bisa. Om Graydi, udah mempercayakan kamu ke aku sampai pulang."
"YOU WISH!!!!!"

"Bi, aku mesti pulang. Ada orang yang mengganggu aku di sini. Kalau bibi sudah sehat, kembali ke Jakarta ya bi. Rumah Setiawan Fardhan akan selalu terbuka buat bibi." aku mengemas semua barang-barangku. Ciuman hangan ku sapukan di pipi bi Karsih. Dia sudah seperti nenekku, sebelum nenek lupa padaku. "ndok, kamu hati-hati yoo, nanti kalo si Ani wis mule, aku tak balik ke Jakarta. Tapi ya kamu mesti berenti begini."

"berenti begini gimana?" aku mulai heran.
"Berenti untuk mengada-ada sesuatu seenaknya. Bibi tahu, kamu enggak sadar hal ini."
"hal ini apa, Bi?"
"Kamu...." aku menanti kegantungan kalimat bi Karsih. " Kamu...."
"Kamu apa bi? Selesaikan dong, aku penasarannya nih."
"Kamu berkepribadian ganda sayang. Dan Derio itu pacar kamu. Sudah cukup permainanmu. Jangan begini terus sayang..."
"Aku...???"

tas ransel di pundakku merosot. AKu terguling di lantai, aku? Aku belum sanggup menerima kenyataan pahit ini. Jadiii? Aku? Oh tidak!

Week 6 Ballymaloe

Pizza, Burgers , Duck ,Wine and Tapas

Our 6 week exam was held on Friday .
We had to identify 10 herbs and 10 salad leafs as well as a practical exam, mine was chop and sweat an onion , make a paper piping bag , chop a cucumber and make short crust pastry and line a pastry tin .
Last week we had Peggie's birthday a night with amazing food and drink. Last night Mark once again hosted another great party a BBQ .

On Saturdays the school has a Pizza bar open and for around 10 euro you can get an amazing Pizza cooked in the wood fire oven check out the photos below.

























I made my house mates Dak-Dori-Tang
Korean chicken stew

Here is the recipe
2 chickens
1/2 cup of dark soy sauce
2 inches of chopped ginger
5 cloves of garlic
6 carrots
6 potatoes
3 onions
sugar or honey
black pepper and salt
gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

Steam the chopped up skinned chicken in a little water for 10 -15 mins
Keep the water .
Mix the garlic, ginger, honey, salt, pepper and soy sauce together.
In a large pot add the chicken , potatoes , onions and carrots . Add the sauce and may be a little of the chicken cooking water. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked .
Serve with rice .