Monday, April 11, 2011
Speed dating in India
Gulai Kepala Ikan (Fish Head Curry)
1 (850g) Fish Head
2 tbsp Desiccated coconut, roasted, pounded
3 tbsp Oil
1 stalk Lemon grass, bruised
1 Pandan leaf, torn, knotted
750 cc Coconut milk from 1 coconut
5 Carambolas, halves or use 1/2 teaspoon tamarind juice
10 Salam leaves or bay leaves as substitute
Lime juice and salt
Spices (ground)
10 Dried red chilies
1/2 tbsp Chopped turmeric
1/2 tbsp Chopped ginger
7 Shallots
3 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp Coriander, roasted
1/2 tsp Cumin, roasted
1/4 Aniseed, roasted
1 tsp Peppercorns, roasted
1 tbsp Dried Carambola
Salt to taste
1. Rub the fish head with lime juice and salt, and let it stand for 1/2 hour.
Drain, then rub the fish head with pounded coconut.
Heat oil and sauté ground spices, lemon grass and pandanus leaf until fragrant, then add coconut milk.
Allow to simmer.
Add fish head and carambolas, and bring to the boil.
Stir from time to time, then add salam leaves.
Simmer until the fish is cooked and the gravy is a little oily. Serve hot.
Gulai Kepala Ikan (Fish Head Curry)
1 (850g) Fish Head
2 tbsp Desiccated coconut, roasted, pounded
3 tbsp Oil
1 stalk Lemon grass, bruised
1 Pandan leaf, torn, knotted
750 cc Coconut milk from 1 coconut
5 Carambolas, halves or use 1/2 teaspoon tamarind juice
10 Salam leaves or bay leaves as substitute
Lime juice and salt
Spices (ground)
10 Dried red chilies
1/2 tbsp Chopped turmeric
1/2 tbsp Chopped ginger
7 Shallots
3 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp Coriander, roasted
1/2 tsp Cumin, roasted
1/4 Aniseed, roasted
1 tsp Peppercorns, roasted
1 tbsp Dried Carambola
Salt to taste
1. Rub the fish head with lime juice and salt, and let it stand for 1/2 hour.
Drain, then rub the fish head with pounded coconut.
Heat oil and sauté ground spices, lemon grass and pandanus leaf until fragrant, then add coconut milk.
Allow to simmer.
Add fish head and carambolas, and bring to the boil.
Stir from time to time, then add salam leaves.
Simmer until the fish is cooked and the gravy is a little oily. Serve hot.
AWARD - 15
Deepa Deb of- Hamaree Rasoi has shared these lovely awards with me.
I came across Deepa's blog recently and have ever since been enjoying her delicious and amazing recipes, some of which I have already made and some I have book marked to be made soon.
Special Mention goes to -- Replica of Hide & Seek Biscuit
I am sure all of you will visit her blog and like her beautifully presented recipes.
I am sharing these awards with some friends whose blogs I have been visiting.
Aparna kanakarajan
Sravani
Sabby
Fajeeda
Tina Noble
Vineela Siva
Aruna manikandan
Ambreen
Monika
Ushnish Ghosh
Deepa Praveen
Radhika
Reshmi Mahesh
Anu Santanu
Divya
When You Just Can’t Justify Mac and Cheese
That said, I have to eat my words about one chain restaurant and that would be Seasons 52. Yes, it’s owned by the Darden Group (which also owns the Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains, places where I would never darken the door, food snob that I am), but it is a fairly small brand (I don’t know if they have even 20 locations) and it is really, really good. In fact, it’s one of my favorite places to go for lunch on Saturdays after an intense workout at the gym. Why? Because it is very civilized dining, I can make a last minute rez on Open Table, racking up an easy 100 points and EVERY MENU ITEM IS 475 CALORIES OR LESS. My kind of place!
http://www.seasons52.com/about_us.asp
We ventured there over the weekend and as usual, ordered one of their flatbreads to start. These are very (VERY) thin rectangular crispy crusts with various toppings. Ours included plum tomatoes, basil and provolone. It was delicious and it satisfied that “pizza craving” we sometimes experience. Ha, and for less than 250 calories each, we didn’t do that much damage.
Which brings me to the following recipe. While it won’t take the place of mac and cheese (what could?) it is nonetheless satisfying and full of cheesy goodness. I’m betting your kids will like it – even if they hate cauliflower. That’s right, I said “cauliflower.”
This is another one of those recipes that I’m embarrassed to give you because it is ridiculously easy. Ouch, and it even involves a microwave. However, just like my affinity for Seasons 52, don’t let your food snobbery get in the way of a good plate.
EASY, CHEESY CAULIFLOWER
1 large head cauliflower, leaves removed and trimmed so that it sits flat
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Place cauliflower in a glass pie plate or shallow dish. Pour water into dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Nuke on high for about 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.
Remove from microwave and carefully remove plastic wrap (be careful of escaping steam). Drain any remaining water in pan. Spread mustard evenly over the entire head of cauliflower, then place grated cheese in a pile on top. Nuke again for about 1 minute, or until cheese is just melted.
Slice and serve. That's it!
Serves 4 - 6
* Although I am the salt queen, notice that there is none called for in this. For me to say that - well, then you can trust me.
* I will also tell you that I have been known to use reduced-fat 2% pre-grated cheddar. Ouch, again. But as long as you use sharp cheddar (don't even think about using "American cheese" ) and a good quality dijon mustard, you'll be okay here and you will save a few calories.
* The genesis of this recipe comes from Glenn Powell and Elise Griffin-Hughes of the original Peasant Restaurants a million years ago here in the ATL. They concocted a version of it at the long-lamented Country Place. I think theirs involved mayonnaise, but in the interest of caloric content, I have dispensed with that here. You'll never miss it.
* And no, don't worry. I haven't sworn off posting fat-laden, delicious recipes. Just thought we all needed a break. Here's to the Skinny Cook Quest!
Printing Money
Maybe I'm overreacting.
Thank goodness for Rep. Ryan.
New dress
Frame For My Livi
I chose the only paper I had that a little girl might like. I also put a piece of transparency over the photo to protect it from little fingers.
I'm in Bukhara!
beautiful museum-piece suzani |
our first lunch in Tashkent |
I think this is for the tourists |
Two Charts
Cranberry Bean and Black Quinoa Salad
I'm doing it. I really am. I am getting more and more confidant with teaching myself to cook. I feel like I can attempt many more types of dishes in the kitchen than I ever thought possible. I'm learning about what I enjoy cooking and what "stresses" me to cook.
I practically skip out the door on Saturdays to get to my Williams-Sonoma class. Now I recognize familiar faces and just adore the chef, Jill's witty style. Last weekend the topic was "Legumes".
I will not buy more cooking gadgets from the store this week.
I will not buy more cooking gadgets from the store this week.
I am sure there are no more incredible DEVICES from the Williams-Sonoma store that I need in my kitchen...this week. But, I never know what I might cook and then need... NEXT week...
Ha!
Beans? A new line of carefully selected bean growers has been added to the W&S line up of packaged food items. This wouldn't be a gadget weekend. Oh, no! Bringing home
Yep. That's how my mind works. Now lets look at those beans.
We made all kinds of healthy deliciousness with beans, or, legumes. One bean salad in particular was tasty. It was a Cranberry Bean and Toasted Black Quinoa Salad. Williams-Sonoma has started a new "legumes" line in their store.
I definitely wanted to cook with more beans. I have no idea why I've been intimidated by buying beans that you soak. Really, all you do it put the desired amount in a bowl of water overnight and rinse them out the next day. Why did this always sound so trying? I also didn't know that beans need to be kept in the refrigerator.
The only beans that I ate growing up were black-eyed peas. This is a southern traditional bean eaten on New Year's Day. I honestly cannot remember eating them on any other day of the year. Families eat a serving of black-eyed peas with cole slaw. If I remember correctly, the black-eyed peas were eaten for good luck and the cole slaw for wealth. I remember my brothers cringing and grimacing while eating their portion but since, even as a child, I pretty much tried anything, I did happily eat mine. If we ate these good luck charmed foods, then we could flip our plates over and there would be some money underneath. How is that for instant luck and wealth in one sitting!!
Since beans aren't loaded with flavor, these wonderful ingredients went into the bean salad: garlic, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and feta cheese.
The recipe calls for toasting the black quinoa on the stove top for a few minutes. This was fun. They crackle and smell delicious. This salad would be a great option to take to a summer picnic or barbeque. I served it with my bbq'd soft tacos.
For me, this beans salad has all of the rustic, deep, and rich colors that I like to see in food. The woody beans, the deep scarlet toasted quinoa, the strong herbal smell with the tart feta appeal to all of my food senses. This recipe made so much of this salad that we had leftovers for days afterwards. The flavors get better and better. Enjoy!
Toasted Quinoa Salad with Cranberry Beans
*(all beans are from the Zursun Heirloom Collection at Williams -Sonoma)
(adapted from the Williams-Sonoma cooking class)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (210g) dried cranberry beans*), rinsed and soaked overnight
1 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup (180g) black quinoa*, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups (375ml) chicken or vegetable broth
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 cucumber, about 10oz. (315g)
1/2 cup (20G) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup (75g) crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Recipe:
Drain the beans and rinse with cold water. Place in a large saucepan and add water to cover by 3 inches (7.5cm). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. (Snippet's Note: don't let them cook too long or they are mushy. The difference is pretty noticeable) Drain the beans and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and the 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil. Pour over the quinoa and stir until incorporated. Stir in the cranberry beans, cucumber, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. (Snippet's Note: Try to not eat several large spoonfuls before its served at the table!) Serves 4 to 6
Surah 112: Al-Ikhlas (The Unity, Sincerity, Oneness Of God)
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ٢
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ٣
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ ٤
"He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."
(112.Surah Al-Ikhlas: 1-4)
sayang, ada masanya kita perlu berdiri utk diri sendiri
asssalamualaikum wbt. :)
kadang sy mulakan dgn assalamualaikum wbt, bukan sbb tiru fatin liyana. jauh sekali. ataumungkin tiru benda yang baik. sy lupa kot, maksud dia "sejahtera ke atas kamu". Kita doakan kesejahteraan dan keselamatan org lain. benda yang baik sebenarnya. sebab tu saya cuba amalkan sejak tahun 2011 ni. tapi biasalah, nak biasakan diri buat benda yang baik, kadang-kadang selalu terlupa. orang lain pun mungkin ada yang tertawa. adatlah dunia, kita berbuat baik pun salah, buat jahat apa tah lagi.
Alhamdulilah selesai sudah MUET speaking yeay yeay yeay! ape nak yeay sgt, result tak keluar pun lg. exam tak habis lagi qilaahhhhh. well, alhamdulilah i met a lot of sweet new girlfriends, budak kecik baru 20tahun, tgh belajar dkt UTM mostly. mereka malu-malu tp gila, macam sy. i was the 1st candidate of 2nd group. so i have to make a kickstart of the day, and not to forget, the conclusion of the discussion as well. it was okay. okay-okay je sbb u know, i was nervous, so, i did pause a few seconds, ehhh everyone did lah! so no worries. *eceh, sedapkan hati sendiri.* but we made it anyway! :)
basically the MUET test is super duper easyyyyy. Ya Allah, it was a very simple topic, used a lot of common knowledge and ur POV(point of view). lucky for us. tapi itulah sy rasa rugi nak mati sbb nervous so macam ade mcm blank, eh bkn blank, ayat terulang bnda yg sama, but i did managed to support my group and came out with a conclusion. okay lah kan? insya Allah. i hope so. good luck adek-adek! kte jmpe lg sabtu niiii!
i've been bz lately. not doing much. it was just me spending my time on my own, with my family most of the time. and doing my silly stuff. eat foods i love. oh yar, i bought my baju raya already. HAHAHAHA. mama suruh rembat, rembat je lah. tgh SALE, so penjimatan lebih hebat. why not? and ye ketat cukup2 je bile pakai, tp itu tandanya kena kurus sikit, since i've been putting so much weight lately. about 3kgs for these past few weeks, i believe.
okay. back to serious matter. 1st of all. i'm SORRY for ---
1 - not replying your message. sbb i cpt pening SMS sambil buat kerja. melambatkan kerja.
2 - and this post, is not related to anyone. it was just me feels like, writing it all down.
kalaulah ade yg perasan, kalaulah ade yg bace blog ni dari dulu, kalau ada lah. sbb selalu org yg follow blog kita nih, selalu dia tak baca pun. dia follow je. TAPI org yg tak follow, dan jadi silent reader, haaaa tu yg pembaca setia. ohhhh i do feel that is ironic. :) *peace*
sekarang tgh pasang headphone. duduk atas lantai, depan laptop. hujan lebat. kilat sabung menyabung. dengar lagu... hurm. sy sebenarnya penakut. yup, sy mengaku dan dah lama mengaku. sy penakut, sy sgt tak yakin dgn diri sendiri. sy selalu dibayangi bayang-bayang ketakutan, which is memang digelar pengecut lah kan, sbb takut dengan bayang-bayang sendiri. sy takut nak tgk cerita sedih, sy takut nak dengar lagu sedih cinta cintun, sy takut nak buat benda yang saya rasa tak boleh buat. sy takut dan kadang sy tak mencuba pun. menyedihkan.
sebab tu sy tak tengok cerita korea. sy benci dan bosan dengan cerita cinta karut yang tak habis-habis penuh dengan air mata. sebab tu sy tak ikut cerita indonesia atau filipina, tak habis-habis dengan orang jahat atau lebih kepada duri dalam daging. penatlah dengan air mata, kepura-puraan dan kebencian yang tak habis-habis tu. tapi siapa yang minat, sy faham je. jalan cerita best, tempat dating comel-comel, hero heroin yang sweet dan cute. eheh. chill okay. it was just me, being totally coward and not really yet, open my mind up.
sy jenis perempuan yg, tak suka nak menggedik. sbb tu sy tak suka kalau ada perempuan gedik. i mean, ladies, perempuan pun tak respect you all, mcm mane laki nak respect you all then? haih. think about that twice or millions time. sy jenis perempuan yg, kalau berjalan, sy pandang ke depan, tidak kepada orang sekeliling. sy tak suka memerhati, dan tak suka diperhati. sy lebih suka memerhati secara jauh, dan random. bukan sentiasa mendabik dada. sy bukan. kalau sy jalan seorang, kepala tunduk, kaki ke depan. sy memang jenis mengalihkan pandangan. kecuali. dengan orang yang saya selesa. dengan orang yang buat saya sayang dia...
sy manja. sy tahu. manja di sini maksudnya mengada dengan orang yang saya selesa dan sayang. keluarga, BFF, cinta. mengada di sini bukan mengada "youuu, i nak tuuu, kalau you tak bagi, you tak sayang i" BUKAN. sy mengada bila sy jadi malas, sy suka org lain buatkan sesuatu yang kecil, tapi sweet utk sy macam, "baby tolong ambilkan air!" dan sy tersenyum gembira bila org-org yg sy syg tu tolong penuhi permintaan sy. kadang sy lupa nak cakap terima kasih. tapi senyuman tu, tanda sy gembira. sy manja bila benda yang kecil pun sy nak bagitahu 1 dunia. sy manja bila sy selalu buat tanda "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" panjang-panjang utk benda remeh. macam gedik, tapi tidak.
tapi. malas saya. mengada saya. tak bermakna saya ni hanya anak perempuan kecil.
sy suka dibawa ke mana-mana. tapi sy tak perlukan simpati, sy tak perlukan orang merungut melayan sy. sy tak perlukan org terpaksa. sy malas masak, tapi sy boleh pergi ke JJ sendiri, beli makanan dengan duit sendiri yang berapa sen tu, dan boleh masak sendiri utk makan sendiri. sy malas nak drive, setahun boleh kira berapa kali sy drive, tapi kalau sy jelek dengar mulut-mulut org yg tak boleh ditutup, sy masih boleh isi minyak sendiri, bawa kereta sendiri, di lorong paling kanan, tanpa di-hon atau dicucuk dr belakang. sebab utama sy paling takut nak drive sendiri adalah sy fobiaaa dengan peragut, dengan samseng jalanan, dengan penyimbah asid. ye, sy penakut.
sy suka dilayan, dimanja, dijaga. sy menurut kata. tapi sy perempuan yg masih belajar berdikari, dan sy degil. lembut hati sy pun, keras lagi dalamnya. sy perempuan yg cepat tercabar. sy belajar bersabar, ikut selagi sy mampu, tapi kalau sampai masa, cukup. sy ada cara sendiri, peribadi sendiri, dan sy bukan perempuan bodoh yg sanggup menangis sepanjang hayat kerana mengenang nasib malang yang dipilih sendiri dan merintih meminta pada orang lain. jujur sy muak tengok perempuan yang menangis dan hidup susah atas kebodohan diri sendiri, atas kesilapan diri sendiri membuta tuli membuat keputusan dalam hidup. sy simpan semua dalam-dalam, sy lepaskan dengan cara lain. tak memudaratkan orang lain, cukup memudaratkan diri sendiri je. cukup bagus tak menyusahkan orang lain. jadi jangan tuduh orang diam tu, pengecut.
sy tak suka nak drive dengan ada orang lain dlm kereta. sy risau keselamatan org lain. tak ada seorang pun ahli keluarga yg pernah naik kereta, dan sy drive. mereka selalu ckp sy paling berhemah, paling slow. eheh, malangnya mereka tak kenal lagi :) sy jenis perempuan yg straight forward. suka melengahkan kerja, cepat mengambil serius sesuatu perkara, tapi itu saya. i'm a well planned modern women. haven't u met one before? :P i'm stick to my decision. i'm stick to my target. i'm stick to what i want. sy hangat-hangat tahi ayam, tapi 1 tahap, si penakut ini akan berdiri, and, "THIS IS IT". enough is enough. let's move! sy biasa-biasa. i prefer to stay that way. tak over-exposed. dan tak juga terlalu down to earth. i love to see beautiful people with a great attitude, i adore them, but i got my unique personality too.
when i said NO, then, NEVER. no matter what happened. girls and boys, say something like you mean it! stop nak rasa bersalah kalau berterus terang. sbb kalau tak berterus terang, sampai bila orang tu tak tahu kebenaran. kebenaran tu kan selalu menyakitkan, tapi itu yang akan memberi kekuatan. lupa ke? ramai orang bijak mengatakan --- kalau bukan dari kegagalan, kita tak akan belajar berdiri semula. so, let it all out. memang kita kene fikirkan perasaan orang lain, tapi ada masanya kena fikirkan perasaan sendiri juga. sebab ada satu tahap, tak da siapa akan fikir perasaan kita kalau bukan diri kita sendiri. kalau dia boleh ego, sy pun boleh ego. kalau dia degil, sy pun boleh degil.
ingat pepatah melayu - jangan pandang sebelah mata, air yang tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya. and dear ppl, stand for yourself. walk like you are running over the rainbow. ;)