Shakshuka

If you like to have something thick and pungent for breakfast, shakshuka is for you, rich in tomato sauce and a little sweet and spicy. You can have it with bread or pita. It's easy to make and does not cost you much to prepare this awesome recipe.

Ingredients:

Olive oil - 1 tbsp
White onion - 1 big peeled and diced
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Red bell pepper - 1 chopped
Tomatoes - 4 cups, diced
Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Paprika - 1 tsp
Cayenne pepper - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Black papper - 1 tsp
4 eggs
Fresh chopped parsley - 1 

5. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Instructions:

1. Heat a skillet on a medium heat. Heat olive oil. Add chopped onion, sauté for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften and transparent. Add garlic and continue to sauté till mixture is fragrant.

2. Add bell pepper, sauté for 3 minutes over medium until softened. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, stir till blended and marry. Add spices and sugar, stir well, and close the pan.  Allow mixture to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. 

3. Add salt and pepper to taste, more sugar for a sweeter sauce, or more cayenne pepper for a spicier shakshuka.

3. Make 4 holes on the sauce and  crack the eggs, one at a time, directly over the holes.

4. Cover the pan. Allow mixture to simmer for 2 minutes, or until the eggs are half cooked or runny and the sauce has slightly reduced. Keep an eye on the skillet to make sure that the sauce doesn't reduce too much, which can lead to burning.

Easy homemade bread recipe

I went trough 'flat bread' and burnt bread (almost burn my house) and experiment different methods to get fluffy, soft and light bread. I would say it's really important that when making your own bread at home you know how to make yeasts grow double before throw it into the flour, have a lot of patients waiting for dough raise double, and maybe a strong hand if you do not own a bread maker and importantly know how to play with your oven.

I have been using this recipe for the past few months, ever since I stopped buy from the shop.
Here is the recipe, do let me know your feedback if you have tried it. Thanks.


Ingredients:
Item A
Yeast - 11 gms/1 tbsp
Warm water - 1 1/2 cup

Item B
Wheat flour - 3 cups
Flax meal - 3/4 cup
Oat meal - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp

Item C
Butter to grease the pan

Instructions:
1. Mix Item A and leave for about 30 minutes to double up.
2. Combine Item A and B, beat, punch flour for about 10 minutes and leave for 45 minutes.
3. Punch dough for 5 minutes, at this time you will find dough will be a wet you may want to add additional flour. Transfer dough into baking pan and leave it for another 45 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes at 160C.
4. Perfect dough will be a bit sticky on your hand.

Philippino Chicken Adobo

My whole family fond to this recipe because we like anything chicken with soy sauce. Ever since I started cooking I have invented my own verieties. This one is the original chicken adobo recipe, simple and tasty.

Many people do not know the art of cooking onions, ginger and garlic in to a paste ir sauce. How to get  caramelised paste, sweet and savoury. Read direction carefully and you will get what I'm talking about.

I have upgraded chicken adobo recipes that I will share soon.

Ingredients:

Item A

Cooking oil

Item B - Blend to make sauce

Onions - big, 2 nos

Garlic cloves - 2 nos

Ginger - 1 inch

Item C

Low sodium sauce/sweet soy sauce - 2 tbsp

Black pepper - 1 tsp

White vinigar - 1 tbsp

Bay leaves - Medium 3

Item D
Chicken - 500 gms cut into 2 inches cube

Directions:
1. On a medium heat, heat oil in a pan. Add Item B. Stirring constantly for 2 minutes, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
2. Add chicken and stir for 2 minutes. Leave for another 5 minutes.
3. Combine Item C. Stirring constantly and cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened and the chicken is tender.
5. Garnish with green chili or scallions., Serve with hot rice.

Malaysian Stir-fried Noodles (Mee Goreng Mamak)

As easy as it is many people do not know that it is easy to make your own mamak fried noodle at home. I first learned from a recipe book then amended it because something is lacking.

If you are going to mamak restaurant they will come with verities, sometimes spicy, salty and sometimes taste just like instant fried me you buy from a supermarket. My recipe is a little bit sweet and spicy. I use left over roasted chicken and add fresh squid in the sambal, it make my noodle taste less 'vege' :-) add add texture in it. This my favourite noodle for now.

Tips: Rinse trough noodle in hot water to avoid salty noodle.

Ingredients:
Item A
Cooking oil

Item B
Egg noodle, aslo called Lo Mein or yellow noodle - 500 gms

Item C - Blend to make sambal
Onion - Big, 2 no
Shallot - 3 no
Garlic - 2 nos
Chicken curry powder - 1 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Dried chillies - 10 nos
Chili sauce - 4 tbsp

Item D
Water - 1 cup
Squid - 50 gms
Chicken - Roasted or fried, 50 gms

Item E
Fried tofu - Cut in to 0.5 inch cubes, 2 nos
Bean sprout - 50 gms
Tomato - 2 nos
Green or red chilies - 3 nos

Item F
Egg - 2 nos

Item G
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Lime/lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add Item C, stirring constantly ,slowly until oil float on the surface of your pan.
2. Add water and leave for 5 minutes in medium heat. Add squid and chicken, stir slowly until all ingredient blend and marry. Add noodle.
3. Add Item E first, then F. Make sure egg fried well.
4. Add Item G, stirring until combined. You are done.

Thai Steam Fish with Ginger

This is another favourite steam fish recipe I have. I have been keeping this recipe for the past two years after visited local Thai-Kelantanese restaurant near my house. In Malaysia we use preserved plum in our cooking, mostly sause related dish. Everytime I cook meat, I will add 1 piece preserved plum in my sauce. It will give sweet sour taste in the sauce, in this case I do not have to use lemon or sugar in my cooking. it will also reduce pungent taste in the sauce.

Recipe type : Main meal, lunch or dinner
Cuisine :Thai
Yield / Serves : 2
Prep time : 25 mins

Ingredients:
Item A
Sea bass or any white fish - 500 gms, scaled for spices to penetrate

Item B - Sauce
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Fish sauce - 1 tsp
Oyster - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
White paper - a dash
Preserved plum - 1 nos

Item C - Saute
Oil - 1 tbsp
Ginger - chopped, 6 tbsp
Garlic - chopped, 2 nos
Dried shitake mushroom - 4 nos, soak for an hour

Item D - Garnish
Chopped green and red chilies - 1 nos each
Scallion - chopped into 1-inch pieces


Method:
1. Steam Item A for 8 minutes in a high heat.
2. Heat oil on a pan. Add ginger and garlic, fry until brownish. Pour sauce on top of the steamed fish.  Add shopped shitake mushroom and leave for1 minutes.
3. Add Item C, stir until all ingredients blend and marry. Leave for about 5 minutes.
4. When its ready pour sauce on the steam fish. Garnish with chopped chillies and scallion.
5. Serve with hot rice.

Thai steam fish with lime

The only thing I complaint about cooking this awesome recipes is that it is so hard to get fresh fish in KL. I do not have this trouble back in home town. Whenever I see fresh fish in the supermarket (sometimes I do get lucky) I get excited and will buy for one month stock.

This recipes is easy and tasty, it also does not take a lot of my time. Fish and rice ready within 30 minutes.

I personally love to have steam fish on a cold rainy day. This recipes reminds me a lot of my mom cooking, my mom can have boiled fish every single day for lunch and dinner. Typical Bajau Ubian boil fresh fish most of the time, they usually add lemon grass and lime juice in her boiled fish, and sometimes they add young mango in it. This recipes has not much different from what we cook in Borneo.

Tips: Fresh fish eyes are clear and has not gone cloudy.

Let us see the ingredients:

Recipe type : Main meal, lunch or dinner
Cuisine :Thai
Yield / Serves : 2
Prep time : 25 mins

Ingredients:
Item A
Sea bass or any white fish - 500 gm and scaled for spices to penetrate

Item B - Sauce
Lemon grass - 2 nos
Chopped garlic - 3 tbsp
Eye bird chilies - 7 nos
Lime juice - 3/4 cup
Fish sauce - 3 tbsp
Palm sugar syrup/white sugar - 2 tbsp
Water - 3 tbsp
Cilantro/chinese celery - 2 stalks cut into 1-inch piece

Method:
1. Steam Item A for 5 minutes in a high heat. Add Item B and close the steamer. Leave for another 5 minutes and turn off the stove.
2. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice.

Thai Chicken Tom Yum

I cook this many times already. It's my favourite when I feel like to eat chicken soup. I usually use fresh ingredients from my garden. This recipe is so healthy that you do not need cooking oil at all. Basically it just about boiling the ingredients and follow the measurements of the ingredients and your soup will turn out perfect.

This meal is a perfect flu shot or consume it if you feel like having a fever. It will make you sweat and feel good as soon as soup enters your chest.

Recipe type : Main meal, lunch or dinner
Cuisine :Thai
Yield / Serves : 4
Prep time : 50 mins

Ingredients:
Item A
Chicken stock - 1 litter

Item B
Chicken - chopped 1 kg

Item C
Shallot - 2 nos
Dried chilies - 10 nos
Tomato - 2 big tomatoes
Kaffir lime leaves - medium 6 nos
Galanggal - chopped - 2 tbsp
Lemon grass - 2 nos
Mushroom - 100 gm, does not matter how much. It does not effect the soup

Item D
Salt - 1 tsp
Fish sauce - 1 tbsp
Light soy sauce - 1 tsp
Kaffir lime juice - 2 tbsp
Tamarind juice - 2 tbsp

Item E
Chopped cilantro or coriander for garnishing

Method :
1. Boil chicken stock for 15 minutes. Add chicken and leave for 5 minutes.
2. Add item C and leave for 10 minutes
3. Add item D, stir and leave for 5 minutes. Garnish item E on top of you soup and turn off the stove.

Singaporean Chili Crab

This recipe reminds me so much of my brother, he can have this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The whole family love it, this recipe is a keeper. If you have tried this recipe do leave me your feedback.

I'm not good at following the recipes given to me. I usually amend it according to my taste bud. As you know typical Singaporean crab has chillies, tomato paste and shrimp paste in it. My recipe will be slightly different, I added curry paste and curry leaves to enhance the flavour. It is not as spicy as you think, it doesn't add spicyness in the gravy but this will only to leave you of wanting more. You can skip them from the recipes and it still taste awesome.

I didn't use crab this time but use lobster instead. I like to impress my guess with my culinary skill. I will cook something like this, something different, rare or authentic. I like people to remember me because of my awesome tasty food. This is the recipe you looking for to entertain you guess. You can mix crab, lobster, prawn or any shellfish in this recipe. Ganish chopped corriender or scallion on top. Chili crab best to eat with  jasmine rice or roti.

Recipe type : Main dish, dinner or lunch
Cuisine : Fusion
Yield / Serves : 2
Prep time : 40 mins

Ingredients :
Item A
Mud crab - 1 kg and clean

Item B
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 15 nos

Item C - Blend in a blender in to  paste
Onion - 2 nos
Garlic - 2 nos
Bird eye chilies/dried chilies - 8 nos

Item D - Mix all in to a paste
Tomato puree - 3 tbsp
Chili sauce - 2 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Soy bean sauce - 1 tsp
Chicken curry powder - 1 tsp
Shrimp paste - 1 tsp
Oyster sauce - 1 tsp

Item E
Water - 2 cups
Egg - 1 no
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Lemon - 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Heat saucepan and add cooking oil.
2. Add item C, saute and leave for 5 minutes in a slow flame until the onions caramelised or transparent.
3. Add item D. saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add water, salt and sugar and leave to boil in medium flame for 15 minutes.
5. Add crab and stir well. Leave for 5 minutes.
6. Add lemon, stir well, leave for 2 minutes and turn off the stove.

Indian Chai Masala mix - Spiced milk tea

I first in love with masala tea when I went to visit a family member about a month ago. He served me this, I didn't realised how tasty and creamy it was. And don't forget the health benefit you will gain consuming it. It tastes a lot better with dried ginger. Jaggery also makes a lot of different in the mix. Some people use white sugar, but I prefer jaggery for it's light extra caramel flavour. It makes your tea a lot more creamier.

Benefit of Masala Tea
I made this for a friend of mine who always get cold and rainy nose. It works for him. According to The Health Site masala tea do help beat fatigue, fights cold and flue, boosts metabolism. improves digestion, prevent diabetes, relieves PMS and anti inflammatory.










Recipe type : Drinks
Cuisine : Indian
Yield / Serves : 10
Prep time : 10 mins

Ingredients :
Item A
Dried crush ginger - 10 tsp

Item B - Roast 
Cardamon - 10 tsp or 25 gms
Paper corn - 5 tsp
Cumin seed - 2.5 tsp
Cinnamon - 30 gms
Cloves - 5 tsp
Nutmeg - 5 tsp

Item C - Crush separately
Jaggery - 20 tbsp

Item D
Milk powder - 25 tbsp
Powdered creamer - 10 tbsp
Tea powder - 10 tsp


Method :
1. Roast item B in a small saucepan. Set to cool.
2. Crush Item A, B and D in a coffee grinder or blender into a find powder.
3. Crush jaggery separately.
4. Mix all ingredients.
5. Store in a air tight jar.

Indian Light Chai Masala mix - Spiced milk tea

This is a light version of masala tea with only two spices in the mix. My guess love it and  I prefer to have it everyday, it's light and cremier. The whole family love it, it's tasty and I quite addictive too.

Recipe type : Drinks
Cuisine : Indian
Yield / Serves : 10
Prep time : 7 mins

Ingredients :
Dried crush ginger - 10 tsp
Roast cardamon - 10 tsp or 25 gms
Milk powder - 25 tbsp
Jaggery - 20 tbsp
Tea powder - 10 tsp

Method :
1. Roast cardamon in a small saucepan, do not burnt it, turn off the stove as soon you smell the cardomon. Set to cool.
2. Crush cardamon and dried ginger in a coffee grinder or blender into a find powder.
3. Crush jaggery separately.
4. Mix all ingredients.
5. Store in a air tight jar.

Making it happen

Hallo hallo :-)

I'm back yo! It's been 2 years, I don't know how to even start. I'm now started to question myself what I've been doing for the past few years, what I did to achieve my dream to be a professional chef? I stopped blogging and dropped everything aside. I did all funny, weird stuff and forgot that I have a mission to go to Australia.

Can I just tell you how it was started? Heheh I was having a weird morning today, I woke up and had my masala chai, checked my phone and I received a notification from Google suggested me to create a photo album, it listed all photos I snapped back in 2013. I didn't even know I've kept all the photos on my phone. I'm sure it was not on my phone. Where the hell this photos coming from Google?

Then I saw all my cooking photos, all the beautiful colourful food photos I snapped, it was reminded me of how I started my passion for culinary, how I baked my first cupcake and how I invented my first Thai's clam recipe.

These photos inpired me to blog again, I was thinking of put everything online again and share my new latest obsession cooking for my 'little family' and my journey to heavenly healthy delicious and advanced Indian recipes and magical Thai culinary experiments.

I'm fit and in to eat!

I'm also kind of excited to informed you that I'm now a freelance Nutrition Advisor! I attending nutrition courses secretly, only few of my close friends know  (not a secret anymore if you read this). I just received my Diploma in Nutrition about few months ago. I'm now in advanced level.

I'm so obsess with nutrition stuff, anything food related stuff, how food effect our body, I'm in to it, I'm on. I'm currently attending 3 different nutrition and weigh loss related courses at the same time and hopefully soon will benefit my cooking and be able to contribute to the society. I'm hopping these courses will help me getting prepared for my culinary course later in Australia. I would love to know the ingredients or nutrition that I use for cooking and how it benefits our body. Don't mistake me I'm not a diet freak, I'm not a skinny person either, I do eat junk foods and I do like to look good in front of the miror.

Wish me luck, let's begin!

Kerapu masak tiga rasa recipe

Ingredients:
1) 1 medium size fish - I used grouper/kerapu

2) Fry with 2.5 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 big onion
2 peeps of garlic
1 cm ginger
1 cm turmeric
5 kaffer lime leaves
2 tomatoes

3) 3 cups of water

4) 1 tbsp curry powder
1big lemongrass

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1tsp fish sauce
Half cup of tamarind juice
Half cup of pineapple
2 red chilies
1 tsp salt and brown sugar
Kaffer lime leaves/lemon/onions/tomato for garnishing

Method:
1.  Heat up the oil and add in Items No 2, stir until golden brown. 
2.  Add in water leave to boil for few minutes.
3.  Add in items No 4. Leave for few minutes until you can see the oil floats to the top. 
4.  Place fish into boiling sauce and leave for 10 to 15 minutes. 
5.  Then add salt and brown sugar.
6.  Your kerapu masak tiga rasa is ready, don't forget to put red chilies, tomato, lemon or kaffer lime for garnishing. Dig in!