bubur cha cha

I've been craving for  Bubur Cha Cha for quite some time

and what could be more welcoming than the rainy season we are in now

simply perfect timing! :)

although I didn't have all the ingredients in hands..no sago and no yam
I had to consider them as optional for now
well ..when one's craving sets in there is no stopping to it
so I make do with what I have :)
ok.. enough said





lets get to the making of it



peel 2 small (about the size of your palm each) sweet potato, white and orange color, 

wash it thoroughly and slice it around 1/2" thickness then dice it into small bite sizes

place in a medium saucepan together with a pandan leaf + 3 cups of water + 1 tsp salt

 boil over medium heat until the sweet potato becomes soft

test this by using the fork or wooden skewer and when it goes through easily it is cooked

add in the red dough balls (scroll down for the making of it)

and 3 Tbsp sugar and simmer for 5 mins

last but not least add in 200 ml of coconut milk

stir thoroughly and bring it to a boil

taste for sweetness and if need be add sugar to your liking

off the fire






the making of red dough

mix 1 Tbsp of tapioca flour + 3 Tbsp boiling water
be careful of the extremely hot water so use a spoon when mixing
then knead using your fingers and add more flour if needed bit by bit to form a soft dough
make a tiny dent in the middle of the dough
with steady fingers pour 1 drop of red food coloring into the dent
fold the dough gently to close up the dent and soak in the red color thus prevent it from slipping out
just in case the color slipped out which is pretty much the case with me
 there's nothing much you can do except to continue kneading with red color all over your fingers
don't worry... it washes off so easily
make small balls from the red dough or
roll out the red dough flat using your fingers and cut it into small squares
boil some water in a small pot and toss in the red balls or squares
when it floats to the top the dough is cooked
tadaa..!!

spring onions

I was reaching out for shallots the other day as I was cooking

to my horror..I saw green shoots appearing on many of the shallots

well..what did I do then?

throw it away? Noo.. NEVER!

Good and nice shallots always end up in my cooking pot

but those with new shoots goes to my mini garden :)

yes..I do have a garden

not those huge well laid garden..wish I have that

just a few pots to 'rescue' desperados like these

my swift thinking was to plant them

so I washed them well (quite a number) and shoved it into

my lemongrass pot which could fit them all pretty well

after 5 days..what do you know..voila!

see the photo below

quite a handsome amount to last me for a month or so :)

my mini garden is for planting herbs only

local herbs especially as I used them quite often in my cooking

do you have a mini garden?

all you need is a sunny spot by your window

well..that's what got me started anyway :)

zucchini chips

I've always wondered if zucchini and cucumber are the same

because they look almost the same from the outside

only after slicing it open do I realize that they are different

cucumber contains lots of water whereas zucchini are almost dry

and after a successful attempt on  ratatouille
I am deep-frying zucchini as chips!
and it tastes so yummy :)

here's how easy it is to make:


wash and dab dry zucchini with a kitchen towel

on a chopping board thinly slice the zucchini using a sharp knife or mandoline slicer

on a stove heat up 1 cup cooking oil for deep frying in a wok

when the oil is hot enough gently put in slices of zucchini and let it fry for a minute

turn it over the other side and let it fry for another minute or till golden brown

meanwhile line a colander with kitchen towel

remove the fried zucchini from the hot oil and drain excess oil in the colander

sprinkle lightly with fine salt all over the zucchini

serve hot

eat it on its own or as a side dish

bon appetit! ;)

sup ketola

I must say..

this is one of our family's favorite dish! 

so simple to make yet very tasty and delicious :)

even those who hate vegetables would savor this..lol!!

To make this:


soak 10 dried anchovies in a small bowl for 10 mins and then remove its heads and intestines

rinse it clean and pat it dry using a clean cloth or kitchen roll and put aside

on a stove heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a medium pot over a medium fire

toss in the anchovies and fry them for a minute or until golden brown

then saute 2 chopped garlic + 1 diced shallot + 1/4" sliced ginger

add in 1 cup water and allow it to boil

meanwhile remove the hard skin of the ketola wash it and cut it into half lengthwise 

slice the ketola into half-inch thickness and toss them into the pot

wash 3 button mushrooms and slice it thinly before adding into the pot

add 1 tsp salt and let it boil for 1 min before tasting the soup

then break an egg into the soup and cover the pot

wash a handful of tanghoon or glass vermicelli and toss into the pot

stir all the ingredients in the pot once, taking care not to break the egg

off the fire and cover the pot let it rest for 5 mins before serving

garnish with scallions

a word on glass vermicelli

always add this last in cooking for soup as it will suck all the moisture in it
so don't worry if your soup gets too watery while you cook ;)

orange cloves honey

Looks like the haze is here to stay in KL :'(

this means my health would be affected to a certain extent

so...I'm taking this lovely and delicious concoction 

which I made it myself as a precaution 

to soothe my throat and lungs

The making of it :

soak 1 orange in a bowl of 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water for about 15 mins

this would remove all pesticides embedded inside the skin of the orange

rinse well under running water and cut the orange into 1/4" slices

arrange these slices inside a clean glass bottle and toss in 10 cloves

pour honey slowly onto the orange slices just enough to immerse them

leave some room inside the bottle for the liquefied honey to rise up later

close the bottle and keep refrigerated for 4 hours

by then you will notice the orange slices 'floating' to the top of the bottle

take a wooden spoon and taste the honey

uuummphhh... simply pure goodness

scoop the honey from the bottom of the bottle to bring to the top

the honey looks like jelly at this stage due to the presence of pectin

keep on mixing thoroughly and the liquefied honey would turn watery all over

consume as you like be it on its own or mix with a little hot water

keep unused honey refrigerated at all times

a word on this concoction

always choose raw and unprocessed honey
and consume it as and when you like

this is not a drug

so enjoy and heal beautifully :)

cekodok

This is one of my many all time favorites

be it for breakfast or tea or anytime

especially... during rainy days

simply heaven with a cup of hot nescafe or 'teh tarek' 

uuuummhh :)

Here is how I made them:

soak 10 dried anchovies for 5 mins and remove its head and intestines

in a mixing bowl break one egg and beat it well with a fork

add in the cleaned anchovies + pinch of salt +1 finely sliced shallot + 1/4 cup water

mix all ingredients well by beating it again

then add in 3 Tbsp flour bit by bit and mix well till it becomes a smooth batter

add more water if need be to get a dropping consistency

take 1 spring onion and slice it finely and mix well into the batter

on a stove heat a wok and pour in plenty of oil for deep frying

when you see tiny bubbles on the surface of the oil it means the oil is hot enough

scoop 1 tsp batter and slowly lower it into the hot oil 

try to form a tiny ball shape with each scoop

depending on the size of the wok you could fry 5 to 6 balls at one go

leave room for the batter to increase in size while frying

fry on both sides till golden brown

meanwhile place some kitchen tissues on a serving plate 

scoop the fried 'cekodok' from the wok and and put in on the serving plate

serve hot with chilli sauce for dipping!

buon appetito! :) 

oh..that's Italian for "enjoy your meal"

cough remedy

My homemade remedy for sore throat and cough. 
Simply delicious.. 
and the best part is it works!
cough syrup never worked on me
if you are like me here is your sweet alternative
sure is a sweet success..anytime :)

wash and then slice 2 lemons and arrange in a glass bottle as in the picture above

wash 6 twigs of rosemary and push them through between the sliced lemons

pour honey slowly into the bottle just enough to cover the lemon completely

leave some room inside the bottle for the liquid to rise up later

put the lid on the bottle and refrigerate for 4 hours

after 4 hours mix the honey with a wooden spoon

scoop from the bottom of the bottle and bring it up

by this time the honey looks like jelly due to the presence of pectin

mix well and the jelly would be diluted

mix 2 spoons of honey into warm water and sip slowly

enjoy the great taste!

keep refrigerated at all times

a word on honey

the many benefits of honey has helped my lungs healed quickly when I was recovering from pneumonia as well

keep it handy in the fridge at all times 

makes excellent substitute for sugar in tea and you will love its great taste :)

always use pure and unprocessed honey