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October 2014

Viewing posts from October , 2014

31 Oct 2014

Weekend Cooking: Fennel Cheese Rolls

By Faizah

I wanted to make a proper dinner tonight, but didn’t have quite a few of the required ingredients on hand.  I still wanted to make something, though, and being a bread lover, I decided to make some for breakfast over the coming weekend.  I decided on these rolls by Chef Wan from his book, Langkah Demi Langkah Bersama Chef Wan.  They turned out crusty yet soft on the inside, with a mild hint of cheddar and fragrant fennel, perfect with soups or perhaps some salsa or marinara sauce.  I had two… three right after they came out of the oven.

Give it a try!

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25 Oct 2014

Weekend Cooking: Kak’mbang’s Cek Mek Molek

By Faizah

I bought some large sweet potatoes recently to make something else, but days turned to weeks and they were still sitting in the basket, sprouting whiskers.  Kak’mbang asked when exactly am I planning to do anything with them, and being super lazy I decided to ask her to make one of my favourite traditional Malay kuih, Cek Mek Molek.

Nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with that liquid sugar filling just bursting in your mouth as you bite into them, these are perfect for afternoon tea.  If they last that long, that is — I just had two right after a big lunch.

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24 Oct 2014

The Dinner Club: Chilli Con Carne and Chili Con Queso

By Faizah

The last time I did a Tex Mex dinner party I made a Chilli Con Carne and Chilli Con Queso combination, and it was indeed a very good dish to have.  I wasn’t blown away by the Carne, but the Queso was delish.  This time, I decided to bring back the Queso, while putting my own twist on a new Carne recipe.

We served this over fries, but the leftovers are great with tortilla chips or even plain boiled rice.  Enjoy!

Based on the recipe by BBC Good Food, and Emeril Lagasse.

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24 Oct 2014

For Your Spice Rack: Taco Seasoning

By Faizah

I mixed this a while back, so I don’t have pictures, but this is the taco seasoning I used in the Taco Salad I made recently.  You can always find the ready-made ones in grocers, but if you have the ingredients on hand, why not $ave$ome$ and make your own 🙂

To make enough just for the taco salad, use half the following recipe, based on the recipe by AllRecipes.

I usually keep my spice mixes in the freezer, especially the ones containing garlic or onion powder.  This humid Malaysian weather always makes my spice mixes all clumpy and gross.

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24 Oct 2014

The Dinner Club: Taco Salad

By Faizah

For the recent Dinner Club meet, I wanted to balance out all the cheesy goodness with some semblance of a veggie dish.  It also has to be something that isn’t so “healthy” it ends up just being ignored the entire night.  So I ended up with this taco salad, which turned out to be a hearty, delicious surprise.  Highly recommended!

Based on the recipe for the Quick Taco Salad on MyRecipes.

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24 Oct 2014

Chicken Enchiladas

By Faizah

The Dinner Club is back, and this time the theme is… Tex Mex!  I decided to bring back some old favourites while trying out new recipes, so the menu was as follows:

Taco Salad | Chilli Con Carne and Chilli Con Queso | Chicken Enchiladas

The main dish of the night was of course the enchiladas, and they are so amazingly good yet so very simple to make.  I got the recipe off of one of those recipe cards I used to get in my mail, back when I was studying in the States.  Do try it, but be warned; they are not for the health conscious (or lactose intolerant)!

Enjoy!

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17 Oct 2014

Weekend Cooking: Jun’s Chicken Bergedil

By Faizah

My big brother Fauzi once had an Indonesian helper named Jun, and she makes absolutely *amazing* chicken bergedil.  Luckily Kak’mbang learned the recipe from her, although when she makes them at home, she makes a (way) healthier version, which are still delicious nonetheless.  Here’s Kak’mbang’s weight watcher’s version, with notes on Jun’s original recipe in [purple].

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17 Oct 2014

Weekend Cooking: Lamb Mandy With Rice

By Faizah

I very rarely cook with lamb.  The last time I handled lamb was when I made shepherd’s pie a while back, and that was years ago.  Recently I went to the wet market in TTDI, and when passing the lamb stall I saw fresh pieces of lamb shoulder hanging on hooks, so I decided to buy some.  This time I used the meat for another Middle Eastern dish, courtesy of the awesome Chef Ammar.

We served this with Kak’mbang’s Acar Putih, but I suppose Sambal Arab would also be a great accompaniment.  Must fulfil our veggie quota. Lol.

If you can get your hands on pre-made Mandy spice mix, this is a really simple yet delicious dish with common ingredients, and the only specific equipment you need is a pressure cooker.  Try it out!

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17 Oct 2014

For your spice rack: Mandy spice mix

By Faizah

Am trying out Chef Ammar’s Lamb Mandy with Rice tonight, but I didn’t buy his Mandy Spice Mix when I got his Bukhari and Kabsah spice mixes the other day, so I had to make my own.  I found a few seemingly highly rated recipes online, and scaled it up to make 1 cup, with a few tweaks here and there.

Can’t wait to start cooking!

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12 Oct 2014

Weekend Cooking: Perfect Roast Chicken

By Faizah

My search for the true Perfect Roast Chicken continues, and this time I’m trying out the recipe by Emeril Lagasse.  I also surfed article after article trying to solve the dry breast meat problem, and I found an interesting article by Serious Eats which recommends butterflying, or spatchcocking, the chicken.  So I decided to use that method to see if it works.

Let me tell you this now.  I’m never going to roast chicken the old fashioned way again. Ever.  The breast meat was tender and super juicy, and the veggies were nicely browned and bursting with flavor.  Give it a try!

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