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August 2012

Viewing posts from August , 2012

25 Aug 2012

Raya 2012 Part Deux: Beef Stroganoff

By Faizah

Since Abg Fauzi didn’t spend the first few days of Hari Raya with us, we had a 2nd gathering of sorts, which involved a few dishes making a comeback (the meatballs and the tuna tetrazzini) as well as the debut of a very sinful, very yummy dish.  While the total cost of ingredients may be a little on the high side, this makes a wonderful potluck dish, with very hearty servings that are sure to please guests.

The most expensive ingredient for this dish is the sirloin.  Since the meat will be cut into small pieces anyway, you don’t need the premium cut, steak-grade sirloin sold at grocers, which costs over RM60/kg.  I bought mine from the Australian beef vendor in TTDI wet market, which only costs RM31/kg.  So try asking your usual butcher and save some $!  Don’t forget to slice the meat thinly.

Based on the recipe by Emeril Lagasse.

Updated on 16 September 2017, with new pictures and small tweaks to the recipe.

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19 Aug 2012

Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2012

By Faizah

It was gonna be a very quiet Hari Raya this year; Abg Fauzi & Abg. Hadi and their families won’t be in KL to celebrate Raya with us.  Regardless, I was tasked to cook a few dishes, and knowing Mummy, her biggest concern was “tak cukup makanan.”  So with that in mind, I picked out recipes meant for huge crowds.

~ Menu ~

It was my first time making the meatballs, and the results were pretty satisfying.  I wished the meatballs were softer, but overall it turned out quite well.  Both dishes were quite well-received by guests, particularly the Tetrazzini. Always a winner 🙂

13 Aug 2012

Make Your Own: Essence (Worth the trouble)

By Faizah

This is the recipe for Emeril’s Essence, a blend of spices used in most of his recipes.  Since most of my recipes in this blog are basically Emeril’s, I figured I’d post the recipe here.  I basically double the recipe and keep the whole thing in an airtight jar stashed in the freezer.  Some of the ingredients may not be available in places like Giant or Tesco, but it is definitely well worth the trouble.  The following recipe yields about 2/3 cup.

I saved some money by buying spices and herbs sold in packets (we have Meriah or Singlong here), instead of in those nifty jars (McCormick’s etc).  Onion powder is not as easily found in hypermarkets, so look for them in mid-range or upmarket grocers like B.I.G., Cold Storage or Village Grocer.

In our humid Malaysian weather, I noticed that spices just don’t keep well in my cabinets.  Stuff like garlic or onion powder absorb moisture and harden/masuk angin over time, while dried herbs like oregano and thyme, and even spices like cayenne pepper, have disgusting weevils in them.  While it’s really nice and purty to have identical jars of spices lined on your shelf or kitchen cabinet, better to store them in a way that will let them keep for as long as you can i.e. in the freezer.

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