Wonderful News

 Yesterday, the 10th of Ramadhan, we received  a wonderful news from our beloved eldest son. He's going to be a PAPA soon." CONGRATULATIONS" We are very happy for both of you. Hmmm... our third grandchild. Wonder whether its a girl or a boy. Your sister hope that its a girl cos' she already has 2 nephews. Its been 9 months since your wedding. 1st October 2011 or 1102011. I can still recall, the blue ocean. Thats what some of the guests said cos' our theme of the day is blue. Lets recap the auspiciou day with the pictures:

Steam Tiger Prawns

I think I've tasted this dish before many, many years ago. It was cooked by my SisIL. I'm not sure whether this recipe is the same recipe but the taste is similar. Thank you to Mel from Bits-of-taste. A very simple dish but very tasty. The recipe calls for large prawns but I only have medium ones. Here is the recipe.

Steam Tiger Prawns

Ingredients:
20 large prawns
1 tbsp sesame oil
Spring onion - chopped for garnishing (optional)


Seasoning
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 tbs light soya sauce
1 tbs of chinese cooking wine (I use Heinz white vinegar)
half red chili - minced


Method:
1. Trim tiger prawns by using a kitchen scissors. Make a cut on the prawns to remove vein. Rinse, set aside.
2. Prepare a steaming pot. Bring the water to a boil.
3. Arrange tiger prawns on a plate and steam in high heat for 5 - 8 mins.
4. Meanwhile, heat up sesame oil. Saute garlic till fragrant. Off fire.
5. Mix all the seasoning ingredients. Pour into garlic oil.
6. Spoon the seasonin in garlic oil on top of the prawns and cover the prawns for 2 mins in the hot steaming pot.
7. Garnish with some spring onions. Serve immediately.

Kuih Sagupal

For yesterday Iftar's Dessert, I make a traditional Kelantanese kuih called Sagupal. It is also popular in Kelantan's neighbouring state, Terengganu. It seems that my daughter have never tasted this dessert before, so I think this fasting month is the best time for her to learn how to do it and for sure to eat it. Come to think of it, I realised that this kuih is rarely seen now. I mean not many people sells it now. They do still sell it in Kelantan but not much and some of them sells it without the green beans filling inside the sago. Just the sago balls in coconut milk. When I go thru' the recipe, I realised why I didn't make it before. It is because its not a favourite of my DH because of some of the ingredients that is added in the coconut milk. So yesterday I ommited the ingredients that my DH doesn't like. Here's the recipe.

Sagupal


Ingredients:
1 cup of green beans
7 to 8 cups of water
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup of sugar
2 cups of sago pearls
2 cups of warm water
3 cups of milk (I have 1 cup of thick coconut milk + 2 cups of water)
1/2 cup sugar (I only add 4 spoon of sugar)
1/2 tsp halba (I ommit)
1/2 inch ginger - sliced (I ommit)
4 shallots - sliced (I ommit)


Method:
1. Wash the green beans and boil it with water until it is soft and dry.
2. Don't forget to stir from time to time
3. When the green beans is soft and dry, add in salt and sugar.
4. The green beans will become watery again. Put the pot of beans on the stove again and keep on stirring until it is dry again
5. Set aside to cool. Shape the beans into small balls.
6. Mix sago pearls with warm water. Shape inti a ball, flaten it and put the green bean ball inside the sago pearls.
7. Do not shape the sago thickly, 'cos it will becomes hard when cooked. Just cover the bean balls thinly and do not press too hard. Its ok if the sago is not in shape.
8. Steam the sago balls for 10 to 15mins.
9. Add the coconut milk in a pot, cook on low fire. Add salt and sugar.
10. Always stir and off the fire when the coconut milk is slightly boil.
11. Ready to serve.

Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday 25th July 2012 is our wedding anniversary. Fancy celebrating our 30 years of marriage in Dhaka eh! And in the fasting month too. Actually we didn't celebrate at all. I just wished my husband Happy Anniversary and he wished me Happy Anniversay too. If we are in Malaysia, maybe we'll go out for Iftar with our family and friends. But, yesterday we just break our fast at home. After 30 years of marriage, we are blessed with our eldest daughter, our eldest son, one SIL and DIL and two grandson in Kuala Lumpur, our youngest son in Paris and our youngest daughter with us in Dhaka. After 30 years of marriage, one of us sometime have a hearing difficulty and the other seems on certain occasion can't remember very well. Ha! Ha! Ha! Guess age is catching up on us. Although we didn't celebrate, we did receive a bouquet of flowers and a number of congratulations.


Yesterday I cooked Acar Masak, a very, very simple dish. Its also one of Kelantanese popular dish. You can either add chicken or fish and you can also just cooked cucumber by itself or a mixture of vegetables such as cucumber, young corn shoots, longbeans, carrots and bendi (ladies fingers). Here is the recipe.

Acar Masak


Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1/2 inch ginger
2 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 or 2 tablespoon of blended dry chilies
4 tbsp of vinegar
salt
3 whole shallot
A little palm sugar or white sugar
A little oil
1/2 liter water


Method:
1. Cut cucumber into halves, slit the middle but not until the end.
2. Slice shallot and garlic.
3. Slice ginger finely.
3. Heat oil, saute the sliced garlic, onion and ginger.
4. Add blended chilies, saute it for a while. Add vinegar.
5. Add a little water and later cucumber.
6. Add salt, palm sugar and more water with the whole shallots.
7. Let it simmer. Taste the salt, sugar and vinegar.
8. Ready to serve with hot rice




Yesterday 25th July is also our youngest grandson's 4th birthday. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANJA"
They celebrated at "Octopus". Our grandson is a big fan of sushi. We wish that we were there to celebrate your birthday and our anniversary too. Did you get your helicopter???

                                             Our beloved MANJA




 On the 24th, our 6-year old eldest grandson started to fast. Our daughter text to us the good news. It seems that he did it on his own willingness. He woke up for sahur and ate one whole plate of rice with sambal tumis udang prepared by my daughter. The next morning he told his mum not to pack  him food for school break but just pack for his brother. So sweet.
But by noon, he said he's very hungry. So he fasted for half a day. "CONGRATULATIONS DARLING"

                                           Our beloved DARLING  

 
On the same day, I cooked Pulut Mangga or Mango Sticky Rice. We used to eat this at my SisIL restaurant, Mango Chili at Wangsa Walk. Since now is mango season in Dhaka,  you can see mangoes in abundance. It vary in prices according to variety of the mango. Here we have Langra, Fazli, Shusha and lot others. The price is about 90 to 150Taka a kilo. So we've been eating mangoes for the past three weeks. Very sweet and very,very juicy.
This recipe is from Bila Chah Kedapur and Sonia Nasi Lemak Lover. Thank you Datin Chah and Sonia.

Mango Sticky Rice


Ingredients:
4 mangoes

2 cups glutinous rice
Telang flower (the more the darker will be the colour)
1/2 cup thin coconut milk
2 tbs sugar
A pinch of salt


Method:
1. Boil bunga telang flower. The water will change colour to blue. Wash the rice and soak it with the bunga telang water overnight. (I just soak with water 'cos I don't have bunga telang and I only soak it for one hour)
2. Drain the water and steam the rice. Mix coconut milk with sugar and salt and add to the rice. Mix it together and steam again untill the rice is cooked.


Coconut Sauce

Ingredients:
1. 1 cup thick coconut milk
2. 1 tbs rice flour
3. 4 tbs sugar.
4. A pinch of salt
5. 1 pandan leaf
6. A little sesame seed or a little mun bean

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients and cook on low fire. Just let it boil slightly. 
2. Set aside to cool.
3. Pan fried sesame seed without oil or heat 3 tbs cooking oil, fry mung bean on low heat till light and crunchy. Add in salt and sugar. Drain on paper towel.
 4. Serve with cut mangoes and roasted sesame seed or mung bean.

Gendang kasturi

The month of Ramadhan makes me miss Malaysia so much. Even my Malaysian non-Muslim friends here in Dhaka long for our Ramadhan Bazaars with all its local delicacies. Sigh! To name a few, I miss the ayam percik, ikan percik, solok lada, gulai kawah,rendang tok, tepung pelita, all kinds of kuih talam and loads. So today, another favourite kuih of ours, my daughter and I make  Gendang Kasturi. The sound of it tickles me. Hi! Hi! I guess I should make a research on how it's being called as such. Another name for it is Kuih Rengas and some people just called it Kuih Kasturi.

Gendang Kasturi


Ingredients for Inti Kacang Hijau (green beans):

1 cup green beans
3/4 or 1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
7 to 8 cups water

Method:

1. Clean the green beans and boil it with 7 to 8 cups water untill the green beans are soft. If its still hard, add more water.
2. Always stir the beans until the water dries.
3. Add sugar and salt. The beans will become watery again. Let it simmer on low heat until the beans dries.
4. Don't forget to stir until the beans no longer gives out steam and not giving the plup, plup sound.
5. Off the stove and let the beans cool. Shape it into round balls and flaten it a little. Keep inside the fridge. Ready to fry anytime when the batter is ready.


Ingredients for the Batter:

1/2 cup flour
1/3tbs margerin
1tsp sugar
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
A few drops of yellow colouring
Oil for frying


Method:

1. Mix flour, margerin, sugar, salt and slowly add water and yellow colouring.
2. Heat the oil, dip the readymade flaten bean balls. Dip in the batter and fry untill golden. Serve.

Singgang Tulang

Yesterday, 2nd day of Ramadhan, I cooked Singgang Tulang. A favourite dish of my DH and my youngest daughter. It is popular in Kelantan, a state on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Both of us, my husband and I hail from there but from a different district. This dish is also a favourite of my MIL. Here's the recipe.

Singgang Tulang 

Ingredients:

500g of beef ribs

6 pieces of dried chilies

1/2inch of galangal

1inch of ginger

4 shallots

3 cloves garlic

2 stalk of lemongrass

1 tbs of coriander seed

4 tamarind flower

a small piece of shrimp paste

a little palm sugar

salt

Method:

Slice ginger, galangal, shallots, garlic n lemon grass finely. Cut the dried chilies into halves. Soak coriander seeds for a while and pound lightly. Marinate the sliced ingredients, dried chilies, tamarind flower, coriander seeds, shrimp paste, palm sugar and salt with the beef ribs for a few hours. Where possible, marinate it overnight.

Add water together with marinated ingredients in a pot, close the lid and bring it to boil until the beef is cooked and soft. Taste the salt, the sweetness and most of all the sourness from the tamarind flower.

Bepang Kacang/ Peanut Sesame Praline

I created this blog dedicated to my four children and my two grandson's. Oops! and to all my grandchildren to come. Hopefully this can be a guide for all of you to produce good and healthy food to your family and to remember me when I'm no longer in this world.
 Yesterday is the first day of Ramadhan in Dhaka. Same in Malaysia but a few places that I know starts yesterday. Hmmm....I've been meaning to start my blog for quite some time and I guess today the second day of Ramadhan is the best day.Don't you think?
Yesterday my daughter and I again try this recipe from HaSue. This time my DH chip in to help. Its a snack that we love called Bepang Kacang or Kacang Potong. I'm not sure what to call it in English but I think Peanut Sesame Praline will do. This recipe is a bit challenging cos' you have to be fast in steps 3 and 4. To HaSue, thank you very much for the recipe, I hope you don't mind me pasting it here.

BEPANG KACANG/ PEANUT SESAME PRALINE

Ingredients:
600gm peanuts (fry without oil)
100gm sesame (fry without oil)
600gm sugar
2tbsp margerine (I use 4 tbsp)

Method:
1. Caramelise the sugar. Add in the margerine.
2. When the margerine has dissolved, add in the peanuts and the sesame. Mix well.
3. Pour the mixture on a tray line with aluminium foil, press with fork till about 1cm thick. (NOT too thick because its difficult to chew).
4. Quickly, cut the mixture cause its difficult to cut when the mixture has harden. (Make sure the knife is sharp).
5. When cool, keep in a airtight container.