Fried cauliflower

The clock is ticking extremely slow today. I figure since I'm so bored, I better finish up the rest of my delay entries since I'm going back to hectic college life in 3 days. Feel so sad to leave home but yet excited for my next semester where I will be taking only 4 subjects which are Chem, Bio, Computing Essential and Algebra. Wish me all the best.

Kay. So yesterday was an extremely busy day for me. I went to JPJ and renewed my car license with Mousy. After 2 years of amateur driver, I finally got to throw my 'lesen lembu' away and be a amateur driver. The next step to this is get myself a racing license to race on track. Vroom vroom...

Mousy finally decided to go for STPM.

Wise choice

 

 

Later in the afternoon, we (me, Popo and maid) decided to get our hands on cooking fat rice. Hahaha. Direct translation from 'nasi lemak'. It is called nasi lemak or coconut rice as the rice is cooked in coconut milk and 'pandan' / screwpine leaves. Traditional nasi lemak is eaten with anchovies, egg, cucumber slices, roasted peanut and it's sambal (spicy sauce) while the modern version of it is eaten with fried chicken, fried egg, sambal prawn or sambal squid or even rending daging together with either cucumber, kangkung (stir fried water convolvulus) or acar (spicy pickled vegetables salad). Oohh. And I think I just smelt the fragrance of nasi lemak.

 

 

The recipe I retrieve from the net was not precise in measurement. Urghh. It turns out my rice was fragrant, thanks to the screwpine leaves but lack in flavor. Modifications are awfully needed but I shall modify it the next time I'm home. It shall be around the Raya holidays or my next sem break which will be around August. This is the pathetic recipe.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of coconut milk - which is obviously not enough. 2 will be much better
• 1 1/4 cups of water - also not enough as later on I added almost 3 cups
• 3 cups rice
• 3 slices ginger
• 3 bulbs shallot - I don't add this coz it feels weird
• 1 piece pandan / screwpine leaves - the more the better
• A little salt - change it to at least 1 tbsp. of salt for the saltiness in the rice

For some unexplained reason, the recipe feels weird. And I managed to obtain two versions of nasi lemak again from a recipe book for future references. I hope either one of them works.

 

Recipe 1

Ingredients:

• 1 kg rice
• 900g coconut milk
• 2 nos pandan leaves
• 30 g salt

Recipe 2

Ingredients:

• 1 kg rice
• 900g coconut milk
• 2 nos
• 2 stalks Lemongrass
• 40 g Ginger roots
• 30g salt

Nasi lemak doesn't live to its name without the sambal. The sambal is the core of the dish so it's important to get this part right. A nicely cooked sambal often goes with either fried anchovies or fish.

 

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp. cili giling / blended chili
• 3 bulbs shallot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 bulbs of onions
• Anchovies
• A little tamarind juice
• A pinch of belacan / shrimp paste
• Sugar and salt to taste

We're at lost this part cuz I have two recipes which stated differently. One uses the blended chili and the other used dried chili and blend them. We used both and discover that dried chili makes the sambal a lot more spicy. So if you like it spicy, perhaps you should go for dried chili otherwise stick to already processed blended chilli. By that 'a little tamarind juice' means at least a cup of ready squeeze tamarind juice. Make a note that Popo also added gula Melaka (palm sugar) in. The outcome was a perfect sambal. At least we managed to get the sambal right. I shall rewrite a more precise measurement the next time we make nasi lemak. Till then, be patient!

 

That was lunch and as for dinner, we make fried cauliflower. I've never eat vegetables in my life till recently when I went to college. Beggars can be choosers. From there, I started with cabbage, salad, mixed vegetables and most recently, cauliflowers. Cut the crap where vegetables are good for health and you should eat them on daily basis. Trust me when I said my friends have tried that tricks. So save your saliva and keep your mouth shut. Frankly speaking, I've never think that I will eat that afro head vegie ever in my life but I guess I just did! The fried cauliflower is fried with a crispy batter. I can tell you that the whole family love it. It is very rare to have all the 5 of us liking on the same thing except for money la. Hahaha.

 

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. corn flour
• 3 tbsp. rice flour
• 1 tbsp. tapioca flour
• Water

Mix it all together and you will get a dense batter. Dip the cauliflower in the batter and fried them till golden brown. I'm sorry to say that I don't have the exact measurement on the water but I shall update this recipe. That's my promise. So come back soon and check often for the updated version of it. We have the fried cauliflower with Thai chili sauce. I guess this is one of the way to persuade children to start eating vegetables. It's not healthy as it is fried but it will do. This batter will also goes with squid or prawns as it is very crispy. It fits all!

 

I was in a rush to meet my friends and hence the poor quality of picture

But don't let your eyes fool you...

 

Thanks for reading and go start cooking.

Bye! Mwah mwah





Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cut the crap and here's my chocolate chip cookies that I baked today!

Ingredients: (Make about 5 dozen cookies)

• 1 cup / 2 sticks / 225 g butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Method:
1. Heat oven to 375 F or 190 degree.
2. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda). Put aside.
3. In another mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla with mixer until creamy.
4. Add eggs, beat well.
5. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the butter mixture, beating, until well blended.
6. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if desired.
7. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

DONE!!

 

As for pan recipe: Spread batter into greased 15-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 1 inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 375 F. 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Note to self:

1. I used parchment paper as well as greasing the baking pan with the remaining butter. I don't think there's exactly 225g of butter in the market. It's always 250g so the balance can be used to grease the pan. Also, I think the cookies from the greasing pan is nicer coz there's the salty taste at the bottom of the cookies.

Parchment paper

Greasing

2. I took longer time baking the cookies which is about 20-25 minutes. I like it slightly brownish. Also when taking the cookies straight right out from the oven, it will be slightly soft on top. So fear not. It's okay. It would be hardened when it's cool.

3. BAKING SODA is not baking powder. I actually put baking powder in my baking today instead of baking soda as stated. Wahahaha. Baking soda is actually bicarbonate of soda. I was squeezing my brain out to figure out what is baking soda and I just decided to put baking powder since they have 'baking' in their names. Later then when I googled it, I just knew that it's not the same. Here's the difference. We're gonna refresh our Chemistry so stay with me.

Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and meets with heat in an acidic ingredients (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), carbon dioxide gas is formed. This gas gives rise to our favorite cakes, cookies and biscuits. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so it is essential to bake the recipes immediately or they will fall flat.

There is one drawback to the production of this gas. When heated, baking soda also produces sodium carbonate, which doesn’t taste very good. Thankfully, the metallic taste of sodium carbonate can be neutralized by acid. Lemon, yogurt, buttermilk, and unsweetened natural cocoa powder can neutralize the taste of sodium carbonate and keep our baked goods risen and lifted.

Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and acid which means it contains sodium bicarbonate but includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar) and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is a part of baking soda! Baking powder is available as 'single-acting' and as 'double-acting'. ' Single-acting' powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. ' Double-acting' powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With 'double-acting' powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough or batter, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven

Because baking powder is a leavener that contains both the sodium bicarbonate and the flavor-saving acid, it is usually paired with non-acid ingredients like whole milk and Dutch-processed cocoa

How it is determine to use which and which?

Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.


Substituting the ingredients

You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.

4. The chocolate chips I bought from Mee Soya accounts of about 1 cup of chocolate chips only. So for future use, buy two packets. The more, the better!!

5. Also, I've read somewhere where we need to refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes before baking. I have different version of this. One, I bake without refrigerate which turns out nice. Second, I refrigerate the whole batter which is still in the mixing bowl for about 15 minutes and I find it easier to shape the dough when lined on the baking pan. Third, I shaped the cookies on the baking pan and then refrigerate it and it turns to disaster.

The third batch.

I don't know what happen to cause this batch so flat and squarish.

 

From my reading, the purpose of chilling is to enhance the flavor and more even browning. If you put a warm, melty dough into the oven, your cookies will spread before they begin to set up. Too often they'll run into one another, becoming a single crisp, crunchy mess on your cookie sheet. the cooler the dough when it goes into the oven, the less it will spread.

 

(Which makes me wonder why my third batch of cookies are still so spread when I had chilled them in the oven. My guess would be because I've lined them on the baking pan first before refrigerate and earlier on, they've exposed to the hot temperature (surrounding) too long.)

 

Another reason that the cookie dough is refrigerated is that it gives the gluten time to relax. You don't want to mix a cookie dough containing wheat flour any more than absolutely necessary, as the more you mix it, the more the gluten develops, the more rubbery your cookies will be. Letting the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour does wonders for relaxing the gluten and producing cookies that are soft and crunchy (depending on your preferences), but not tough and rubbery.

 

Lastly, letting the dough rest in the refrigerator also gives the flour more time to absorb the liquid more fully. This allow the dough to become drier and firmer, which produces a better consistency in the finished cookies and also better taste. Even Ruth Wakefield, creator of the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie, said she chilled the dough overnight.

 

(Actually, I don't see a difference between chilled and not chilled dough. Perhaps I need to bake chocolate chip cookies a few more time to be able to tell the difference)

Thanks for reading.

Mwah mwah

 

p/s: this recipe is obtained from the back of Hershey's chocolate chips packaging.

MYO Pizza from Gardenia bread

(I'm suppose to post this recipe up but complications came.)

Teens these days including me are very lazy. Admit it! We rather spend time sleeping, surfing the net, playing smartphones, hangout with friends rather than picking up a hobby to do. Of all the hobbies out there, I bet cooking is the least favorite. But how hard can cooking be? Cooking can be as easy as frying an egg, making pancake etc. Here's a simple recipe to satisfy your hunger when you're too lazy to cook a decent meal. Or when you're at the end of the month, with shortage of allowance but are craving for pizza. Pizza can be quite pricy at times especially when it's 4 piece for almost RM11 which makes a small slice of the pizza worth RM 2.50.

 

Pizza Hut's pricing and menu

 

Domino's pricing

 

 

 

 

Don't just stare and drool

Get your ass up and start working!!

 

Ingredients:

• A loaf of bread
• Canned pineapple
• Canned of Prego Spaghetti Sauce (Traditional)
• Mayonnaise
• Sausage
• Crabstick
• Tuna
• Margarine
• Cheddar cheese (coz it's convenient)

(I don't have the exact measurement coz it's practically depends on individual preferences)

 

 

Method:

1. Steam the sausage and crabstick firsthand.

 

 

2. Line aluminum foil in the baking pan. Grease it with margarine.

 

3. Spread the bread with the Prego Spaghetti sauce.

 

 

4. And start throwing / dumping in the pineapple, sausage, tuna, crabstick etc.

I did two types. One with sausage and pineapple to resemble Hawaiian Supreme and the other one is tuna, pineapple and crabstick just like Island Supreme. In this part, you can have pepperoni, onions, green pepper, button mushroom and many more.

 

5. Cut the cheddar cheese into half and just lay it above the ingredients. Using the tip of the plastic bag, squeeze out the mayo.

 

6. And your MYO pizza is ready to do into the oven at 170 degree for about 15 minutes.

A nicely baked pizza with crusty bread and delicious ingredients.

 

To be more specific with your choice of ingredients, you might consider this

 

Super Supreme

• Ground beef
• Beef pepperoni
• Capsicum
• Onions
• Mushroom

Hawaiian Supreme

• Chicken meat
• Chicken ham
• Pineapple
• Mozzarella cheese

Island Supreme

• Tuna
• Onions
• Crabstick
• Pineapple
• Mozzarella cheese
• Thousand island sauce

Chickensaurus

• Roasted chicken
• Chicken pepperoni
• Button mushroom
• BBQ sauce

p/s: if the slice of pineapple is too big, you might want to cut it into smaller and thinner slice

p/p/s: I'm using the English sausage. It taste way better than the normal ones.

 

In case you've never seen it before, this is the one

 

The reason why it is a Gardenia pizza recipe it's because I'm using the Gardenia bread. In Malaysia, Gardenia is dominating the market with their variety of breads, buns and rolls. It is also said that it is the most preferable brand in Malaysia with an enviable 70% share in the bread market. However, recently, Massimo is the new rising star. So if you're doing it with Massimo bread, you shall name it Massimo pizza recipe!

 

Thanks for simply just reading my bored entry

Mwah mwah

Go get hungry!!

Curse You!!

Is 27 April my unlucky day? My #17daysofhappiness shall end here. Sometimes plans just don't go according to what you've expected. Tigress boycott me today after her story of being bullied by her friends in school were known by our god-mother. Blame half on my big mouth and the other half  on Dylan. I told him because I can't stand it any longer. Just wanting to let my frustration out but he tell his mum. I'm not sure what exactly is the conversation between her and Tigress but I know Tigress didn't want to make a big fuss on it. Can you imagine, sitting alone on the first day of school when you have people you called 'friends'? Can you imagine, your so-called friends boycott you because according to them you are no smarter than them? Can you imagine your friends pour water on your bag just to prove that your bag is waterproof without reason? I  don't know why such bitchy people still exist. They are definitely not friends but BITCHES! Tigress is super stress in school with this kind of friends and I fell so helpless. Each time I hear her story, I can't be grateful enough to have such a great friends like Dylan, Wei Qi, Lynn, Chua, Audrie, Darunee, Alicia, Hung Yen and Ang in my life. Thanked them for my wonderful high school days. Thanked them for simply being awesome.

And I got slapped in PUBLIC by mum. Great! Just great! My holidays can't be any better. I was blame for something that was not even my fault. How can she say the standing fan in the living room spoilt because I was the one who set it up. FUCK YOU LA!! The whole house knows the fan spoilt because her po pui / anak emas / her golden son who dropped the fan. Curse you Kevin! Fuck you for the slap I received. Perhaps my language was a little rough but then I stand him very long liao lo. When he sit in the living room, I went to the kitchen. When I was watching tv, he came back, took the remote and change my channel away, I just walk away. To avoid further argument, I ran away. Let him has his way. For days being at home, everyone just leave him. Perhaps she just can't accept that it's Kevin fault. If it's his, she can't really scold him since he's the apple of her eyes. Finding a scapegoat and I became one. FUCK! No matter how hard I avoid him, at the end it will eventually come and bite me off.

That moment, I wished nothing more than the Earth to open up and just swallow me down. Save me all the embarrassment and the tears. Right now, I want wish for nothing but to cancel my flight on the 3rd and just pack my bag and go back KL by dawn tomorrow. What's the purpose of staying her if I'll be remind of the humiliation I receive? What's the purpose of me staying here if there's nothing more to hold me here? Wait. Maybe there's one. Xiao Ai. He's the reason that I'm home. He's the reason I'm looking forward to coming back every holidays. Pathetic right? The only thing that ties me is only a dog. Not my family members.

I want nothing more to go back and forget everything that happen here. No longer want to speak to her. What's the purpose of talking? No longer want to Skype with her every night. No longer wants to wait like an idiot in front of the laptop waiting her to go online. Hate her so much right now. Finding my solace. A place where there are everlasting happiness. A place where there are no tears. A place where everything is possible. Books is what I need now. ROMANCE! FANTASY! A place where there's love! That's the purpose of me actually reading. Finding a solace.

I think I finally got answers to questions I often asked, "Why do you want to be a pharmacist?". The answer is I want to impress Mum. I've tried to impress her since small, wanting that slight attention. Perhaps if I'm a little smarter, she'll pay attention to me. Perhaps if I become a Pharmacy, she'll start to notice me a little longer. She'll be proud of me being her daughter rather than her useless son. Few days before the finals, I asked myself, why am I still studying in science major when I clearly love business major. Why? Why? Why? And now I got my answers.

Can I just go KL, work by myself, financially support myself and go thru my foundation and degree myself? By then, I can show her I can live well without her money.

CURSE YOU with every drop of tears that flow tonight!!